Booth Park has become a famous gateway to Birmingham, attracting visitors, and particularly children, from all around southeast Michigan.
Park construction was carefully staged to enable volunteers to build the play structure while protecting completed portions of the site.
Topographical changes up to 20 feet helped lower the playground area to minimize disturbance to the nearby neighborhood.
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The City of Birmingham’s $1 million environmental and recreational renovation of Booth
Park was recognized as a Project of the Year for Structures, Less than $2 Million, by the American Public
Works Association on the national and state levels. Passage of a $25 million bond issue for
recreational improvements combined with a community group’s desire to build a play
structure helped jump start the transformation of this four-acre parcel from a fallow property
into a unique public space that people of all ages and abilities can enjoy.
Major park elements include a community-built playscape, a labyrinth and tunnel,
turf hill/amphitheater, bioretention basin (rain garden), bioengineered stabilized stream
banks, native riparian zone plantings, a pedestrian trail connecting to the Rouge River
Trail, and rolling open green space. Located near downtown Birmingham, the park is bordered
by a commercial art district, the Rouge River and its associated forested floodplain, and
the Mill Pond neighborhood.
The project’s construction management approach and high level of public involvement were
critical to create this engaging public works facility. Tight site constraints required careful
coordination of construction activities between multiple contractors. Community members actively
participated throughout planning, design and construction. Careful preparation of specifications
helped ensure proper installation of uncommon materials like granite boulders and an artificial
turf hill. Disturbances to the adjacent neighborhood were minimized and environmental protection
measures, including soil erosion control and planned storm water treatment, were used to limit
the impacts of construction activities.
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