Damn Arbor visits renovated West Park

West Park used to be a little... well squishy. The park was built over an interred tributary of Allen's Creek, so whenever it rained, the park's topography tended to result in an accumulation of water in and on the ground. West Park reopened yesterday after being closed for renovations last spring. The most notable change is the addition of 4 wet meadows/storm water treatments ponds (see picture above) in the lower lying areas of the park. These ponds actually lie above the pipes containing the Allen's creek tributary.

West Park Renovation via: The Ann Arbor Chronicle.

Overall, West Park looks great. The bandshell has been fixed up. In addition to preventing flooding and cleaning storm water, the wet meadows have been wonderfully landscaped with native trees (Tamarack, River birch, and Sycamore). The renovations also preserve the park's recreational areas and some really impressive bur oaks and black walnuts. Alright, enough spouting off about trees. Here are some more pictures from our trip to the park today:
I tried to get a picture of a large red-tailed hawk we saw in the park, but it didn't turn out. So use your imagination kids.