From the MDNR (Mi. Dept. of Natural Resources, Shepards of Belle Isle) - 

"Due to the unexpected change in weather to winter-like conditions over the past two weeks, and with similar conditions forecasted over the next two weeks, the contractor proposes to wait until spring to being work.  They would be are able to perform the demolition at any time of year, but it will need to be above freezing for the masonry work, joint sealing and painting.  Our concern if we remove the roof now, is the remaining structure will be exposed through the winter.  

The contractor  proposes to perform the demolition work in late-winter once the forecast begins to look favorable to completing the full scope during the same mobilization."

Thank you,

Amanda Treadwell, MDNR

Amanda Treadwell, PLA

Urban Field Planner

Southern Michigan – Metro Detroit District

MDNR – Parks and Recreation Division

Belle Isle Park

99 Pleasure Drive

Detroit, MI 48207

P:  313.264.6359

F:  313.821.9848

Amanda Treadwell

Amanda Treadwell, PLA

Urban Field Planner

Southern Michigan – Metro Detroit District

MDNR – Parks and Recreation Division

Belle Isle Park

99 Pleasure Drive

Detroit, MI 48207

TreadwellA@michigan.gov

• Below are questions posed by the MHA, with responses from the MDNR in red:

  - Timeline for the ceiling renovation / tear-out including ....

                Tear-out.

                Wall cap repair / shore up.

                Paint of walls.

                Cleanup of area.

                Install netting over courts (as metal mesh ceiling was nixed)

  • No timeline at this point.  The architect has issued revised drawings for Bulletin 15.Rev. 4 today, Monday August 26th for revised pricing to remove roof, new bulletin does not include replacing the roof with the steel mesh, as steel mesh is not fundable at this time.
  • I will provide information as to when we have revised pricing and schedule for scope of work.

  - Status of maintenance:

                We spoke on the phone concerning the lack of attention to the court area - whether in current use or not. It appears as abandoned and is a blight to the Island and bodes poorly on the DNR’s responsibility to Belle Isle and our state. You mentioned a possible new vendor for this maintenance. Please forward info regarding this.

  - Reasons for lack of movement:

                We were told funds for ceiling tear-out (and painting) were approved and available. This could have been done in the spring as the work had to be done no matter the direction of renovation. Yet no movement occurred even when it was determined the ceiling would not be replaced. Please write specifics as to why no repairs to the courts happened. 

  • Funding for additional scope of work was proposed for Belle Isle Capital Outlay FY 2020 Budget. This budget was submitted and reviewed in July 2019 to PRD management (budget submittal is aligned with state-wide PRD budget review schedule). Funding was not submitted or approved for additional scope of work before July 2019.
  • Funding amount needed to complete work was not available in Spring 2019 (reviewed this summer and the appropriate amount was requested int the budget for FY 2020).
  • Funding was not available in spring of 2019.

  Let me be frank. The communication between the DNR and the citizenry concerning this situation is poor at best. Emails and phone calls to the DNR have been left unanswered since the email dated July 2. The fact that the courts have been left dormant for close to two years compounds the frustration by the people who have used them in the passed, who have purchased annual park permits because of same, and who have supported Belle Isle’s upkeep over the years. Scott, I invite you and the other DNR representatives cc’ed on this email to please tell me how you will remedy this lack of response. 

  I have updated your group as I have had information available to me from our project team to share.  We can only request and approve work as funding is available, see above.  We cannot expect our consultants to forsee all work that maybe needed, particularly when most of the structures on Belle Isle have had little to no maintenance for such an extended period of time.  The structural issue of the roof was not discovered until last fall and the funding to make repairs was not available until this summer. I realize the funding cycles to not align with your association’s expectations, however please note that Belle Isle’s infrastructure budget is very limited compared to the need island-wide.

   

  Considering there are very limited resources for Belle Isle and it is one of the states most visited parks, the percentage of funds dedicated to date on the handball courts compared to other much more frequented visited attractions with greater capital needs, has been significant.

  • I responded to you in an email dated Friday, July 19th, attached.
• Subject: Update on budget/scope of work for the handball courts with architect and contractor.
• • I responded to you in an email dated Wednesday, July 3rd, attached.
• Subject:  Per your request, I sent paint colors for your review.
• • I sent an email Tuesday, July 2nd, attached.
• Subject:  Update on pricing with the mesh panels, noted that the funds were currently not in the contract to cover the mesh panels or removal.
• • Email sent Monday June 10th, attached.
• Subject:  Update that contractor would try to get better pricing on steel mesh from a different supplier.
• • Sent an email to follow up on the meeting I held with you and Mike McDonald to review the steel mesh designs.
• Subject:  Paint colors and summary of your comments on the plans.
• • I responded to you on behalf of your Handball Association when you reached out to your members to contact me,  4-10-2019 message from the Handball Association with requests to all of your members to contact me is attached. 

  Scott and friends, the bottom line are two things. First, make the courts playable. Secondly, we need a weekly status update from the DNR. I don’t care if it’s “No status change, and why”. 

  • I will update you weekly per your request for status or no status change.

  If this is not possible, please be so kind as to let me know.

Sincerely,

Stewart Shevin

Dear Friends of Belle Isle Handball,

We received an update from Michigan DNR on the status of proposed repairs to the court ceiling (see below). Unfortunately the news is not good, especially after all this time.

The state is not prepared to spend the money for ceiling replacement this year, at least for all six courts. It is possible they will do two courts.

The current remaining money allocated is to remove the existing ceiling / roof, repair the wall cap, protect by installing coping and flashing, and paint. The DNR requires the roof removal as the structural integrity was deemed unsafe.

The hope is after all the back and forth, this work will begin shortly so the courts will open this summer. The MHA will keep you informed on this web page. If you have questions, post them here or email me and we will respond as best we can, so those answers can be shared with all MHA members.

Stewart

_____________________________________________

On Jul 2, 2019, at 6:47 PM, Treadwell, Amanda (DNR) <TreadwellA@michigan.gov> wrote:

Hi Stewart,

I wanted to reach out to you to give you an update on the pricing we received from our contractor for the mesh ceiling system that handball players have requested. The scope of work remaining in his contract includes painting the repaired masonry structure and then the work associated with the roof removal.

The Cost for the installing the designed mesh panel ceiling would be approximately $350,000.  The DNR had added another $50,000 to this contract this year to complete the balance of work not yet addressed (not including the mesh ceiling).  This brings up the total budget for Athletic Complex improvements to $835,000.  

Please note that there is only about $65,000 left in the contract to paint the structure and address the failing roof structure.  We have many critical infrastructure needs around the park at this time. Because of the great need and our limited capital outlay budget, I believe it would be difficult secure the DNR-PRD chiefs’ approval to include in the Belle Isle 2020 budget a line item that would direct the needed funds to provide for the mesh ceiling.

To date, the masonry repairs needed to address the structural concerns within the masonry walls have been completed and the short term goal for this project would be to address the roof system so that it does not continue to compromise the masonry walls.

I would be happy to review with you further the pricing we have received from our contractor for this project and discuss our next steps.

Best Regards,

Amanda

Michael MacDonald & Stewart Shevin met with Amanda Treadwell of the MDNR (Mi. Dept. of Natural Resources) on Wednesday, 5/1 at the MDNA’s new digs on Belle Isle. Amanda updated us as we looked over and approved the architectural drawings for the court renovation. She was both candid, inclusive and accommodating.

The detailed plans included:

- Removal of the existing roof including ceiling lights, netting and steel poles that support the netting

- Installation of a steel 1/2” flat diamond mesh ceiling and support structure. This will cover 20’ x 20’, or the front 1/2 of the court.  Sample here. This will be supported every 4’ with 2” x 8” tube steel that runs perpendicular to the front wall.

- The ceiling will have a 5 degree pitch and a 3” space below the support cross beam. This will cause balls hit on top the ceiling to roll back down onto the court floor

- Additional block, flashing and coping work will be added to fix the existing block walls and properly shore up the newly exposed block wall tops.

- The courts will be repainted with a creme color. 

- There will be no ceiling lighting replaced. The flood lights at the fences will remain.

Estimate of construction timeline:

Amanda was not able to give a finish date. But a rough sequence of events follows:

- The plans are currently out for an estimate of costs.

- The plans need to be approved by LARA (License and Regulatory Affairs) for code adherence. 1-2 weeks.

- Existing roof demolition. 2 weeks.

- Repair of any structure caused by demolition. 1 week.

- Fabrication of metal ceiling and support structure. 3 weeks

- Construct cement block coping and flashing.

- Assembly of ceiling grate (welding and otherwise. 1 week

- Paint - 1 week

Some of these items will happen concurrently. That said, our best guess for completion is September, 2019. 

I realize this is disheartening for the Belle Isle players. Our hope is that when it’s all said and done, the courts will be in great shape for years to come.

- Stewart Shevin

The courts are currently closed for renovation. Please read the thread for specifics of renovation details. As soon as we hear anything, it will be updated here.

As you can imagine, along with the ceiling tear-out the interior court lighting will go away. As of May 1, 2019 the MHA board has decided that MHA will not allocate funds for installation of new lighting at this time. This is because:

- Park hours end roughly at sunset in the summer. It is doubtful anyone will play in the evening.

- Funds for the courts will be directed toward cement floor surface repair and caulking of floor to wall joints.

- There are still flood lights at the rear of the fenced area

After much schmoozing by Stewart Shevin,  the state has agreed to change their plans for the roof structure. We have seen engineering drawings (below) provided by the city of a fixed, metal 1/2” diamond mesh that will incorporate a slight slope so that balls hit onto the roof structure will roll back down. This will not only provide a playable ceiling, but also save $6 per mighty hand error! The courts will play similar to St. Clair Shores and Palmer Park. 
We am waiting on Amanda Treadwell, our contact at the MDMR as to when the tear-out of the current roof structure will begin and replacement ceiling installed. Stewart Shevin and Michael MacDonald of the MHA board are meeting with Amanda on May 1 to approve the engineering drawings.

History in 2018: The MDNR repaired some cement block and added a (I imagine ADA approved) walkway to the courts from the street. This happened as part of the athletic field area grant. The MDNR began ceiling repairs began to correct leaks. At that time the roof was determined by state engineers to be too costly to repair as the structure is rotted. This caused the area to be closed off for liability reasons. The water fountain was refurbished by the MHA. 

Plans shifted because of this. A decision was made to tear out the roof, and replace with netting that would keep balls somewhat within the court area, but not act as a playable surface. This decision, we were to find out, was because the state had no idea that the ceiling is part of the playable court.