If your list of home improvements needing attention seems daunting, be glad you're not trying to maintain Belle Isle.

A week after the collapse of a plan for state help with park upkeep, John Gallagher of the Detroit Free Press notes that its to-do agenda is sizable.

"I'd probably have 12 No. 1 priorities," said Keith Flournoy, manager of the island park for the city. "The island needs money, no secret." 

Gallagher also hears from Sarah Earley, head of the nonprofit Belle Isle Conservancy, which gathers donations for island upkeep:

"When we talk about what the park needs, you and I could talk forever," she said. . . .

"It's like your house," Earley said. "How can you ignore it for years and not have to do something?"

Here's some of what Gallagher and his sources say is needed:

  • Trash removal from picnic grounds and other areas.
  • Reopening bathrooms, padlocked because the city can't pay for cleaning.
  • Clearing fallen trees and other debris from trails on the east end.
  • Canoe and kayak canals also are impassable because of debris and fallen trees.
  • Many picnic shelters need repair, as do many of the benches in or near them.
  • The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory needs energy-efficient glass panes and multiple other upgrades. Fans also would like to see itsformal gardens restored.

    • The Detroit Boat Club building needs substantial repairs, which may include new heating and electrical systems.

  • The 1907 casino needs tuck-pointing between exterior bricks, as well as other repairs.
  • The Nancy Brown Peace Carillon, built in the 1940s, has suffered from neglect and vandalism.
  • The James Scott Memorial Fountain is inoperable and fenced.
  • The defunct Belle Isle Zoo is overgrown and needs to be renovated or replaced.
  • Shoreline erosion needs to be addressed.

    And yet, as Gallagher laments, "the question of who will pay to cure the island's ills still begs an answer."

    • Read more: Detroit Free Press