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PAGE 2 ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS OF MICHIGAN July 9, 2020

NORTHVILLE
NORTHVILLE

Work set to begin at Fish Hatchery Park in Northville

Work is expected to begin
within the next few weeks on
the rebuilding of the Johnson
Creek riverbank and pond at
Fish Hatchery Park in
Northville.
The work has been in plan-
ning stages for several years and
is an effort to improve the park
area and the Rouge watershed,
officials said.
Anglin Civil, LLC, of Livonia,
was awarded a contract in the
amount of $963,090 to perform
the earth-moving and restora-
tion work. The project will bring
to life a design created last year
by Environmental Consulting &
Technology, Inc. (ECT) of Ann
Arbor, with engineering support
from Soil Materials and
Engineers (SME). SME designed
the wall replacement that keeps
the pond separate from the
creek.
The Alliance of Rouge
Communities (ARC) secured a
$3 million grant from the EPA to The strip of land shows the close proximity of the pond to Johnson Creek. File photo by Liz Cezat.
fund this project and a larger
project at another location out- of 2016. Several years ago, the “You can't see the creek right available for rent. The tennis some of the dead, fallen trees
side of Northville. ARC has con- concrete wall that separated the now because it's covered by courts will be open and Parks will be removed from the near-
tracted with ECT to manage pond from the creek had to be brush and overgrowth,” said and Recreation staff will also by woods to clear the trail.
construction administration of rebuilt because it was cracked Gasche. “It will be completely offer tennis lessons there. The park has historical signif-
the project, which is expected to and there was a risk of the pond opened up. There will be small Walking area in the park may be icance as one of the largest fish
be completed by early fall. ECT draining into the creek, which trees planted and native plants reduced due to material staging hatcheries in the U.S. and is one
often works with ARC on water- would have been an environ- of the few cold-water creeks in
based, environmental projects ment hazard and costly to repair, ” southeast Michigan.
in the Rouge water shed. he explained. The work being The park has historical significance ARC is dedicated to main-
Officials from both the city done this summer now will taining water quality around the
and township of Northville replace the wall with a natural as one of the largest fish hatcheries Rouge River as a nonprofit
entered into an interagency earthen berm held in place by in the U.S. and is one of the few organization comprising 35
agreement with ARC to provide sheet metal pilings driven into cities, towns and villages in the
quality assurance for the project the ground. cold-water creeks in southeast Michigan. Rouge watershed as well as
and, if costs go over the allotted The park will have more Wayne, Oakland and Washtenaw
amount and can't be adjusted or inviting green space as the full counties, and several non-gov-
recouped, the agreement calls length of Johnson Creek is ernment organizations. Formed
for the city and township to split revealed. The earthen berm will that line the bank on the park areas and heavy equipment, and in 2003, ARC takes a leading
the cost of those over-runs. serve the same function as the side.” signs will alert visitors of what's role to meet water quality per-
Northville Parks and wall, keeping the creek separate Fish Hatchery Park will closed and when to use caution, mit requirements and restore
Recreation Director Mark from the pond. The bank will remain open during construc- according to a city spokesman.. beneficial uses of the Rouge
Gasche has shepherded this have tiered levels, landscaped tion with limited access to some Eventually, Parks and River, which feeds into the
project through the multi-phase with native plants with openings areas. The ball fields won't be in Recreation plans to improve the Detroit River, where local drink-
improvements since he joined along the way so park visitors use this summer or fall, and the trail, which can be accessed by a ing water is drawn, according to
the department in the summer can go to the creek's edge. pavilion will be open but not pedestrian bridge. At that time, Northville officials.