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New park coming to Saginaw in place of old General Motors site

Flickr user Loz Pycock
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A public-private partnership in Saginaw County is transforming private property along the Saginaw River into an outdoor recreational area spanning more than 300 acres.

State officials said they have a purchase agreement to buy the old General Motors malleable iron site - 334 acres -  for $10.00. They said the state will hold the title and lease the property to Saginaw County to manage the park.

 

Marc Miller is the Regional Initiatives Deputy for the Michigan DNR. He said the lease agreement should be approved as long as two conditions are met.

“One of those conditions is a lease with the county.  The second one is a liability protection from USPCA and the Department of Justice that would shield both the state and the county from future liabilities”.

Miller said this GM site has a rich history of helping the nation through both world wars. He said this is a rare circumstance to have private lands come back into public domain.

“That property will be turned back into nature but will be turning into this passive recreation use. So, it has a benefit to the community and to the society by providing that opportunity to be healthy, to walk on trails, to view wildlife, and experience nature in a new way”.   

Miller said endowment funds are being set up to pay for park operations in the future and land acquisition is expected to wrap up over the next six months with the park opening to the public as early as next spring.