The city of Southfield and the Southfield City Centre will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, August 22 at 10 a.m. to celebrate Red Pole Park as it nears completion. Parking will be available at 1 Towne Square. 

Red Pole Park is the first installation in a series of outdoor “rooms” or art installations planned along the Northwestern Highway Shared-Use Pathway and Greenway. A total of 65 poles have been installed, each towering approximately 35 feet above the ground and weighing 800-1,000 pounds. Eighteen inch tall stumps will be installed and dots will be painted along the pathway following the grid pattern of the poles. The various heights of the poles represent Southfield’s history, present goals, accomplishments and future growth. An additional 1,000 feet of pathway will also be added to the existing pathway this summer, extending the pathway north to Lahser Road.

The Northwestern Highway Shared-Use Pathway and Greenway was created by converting an “old goat path” into a bike-walk accessible greenway to join a growing network of trails and sidewalks throughout Southfield. The pathway currently runs between Civic Center Drive and Corporate Drive. The ten-foot-wide shared-use pathway will include over 2.5 miles of paved surface area for bikers, walkers and runners once completed as well as extensive landscaping and other pedestrian amenities, filling in a key gap in the City’s pathway system.

The city of Southfield and the MEDC successfully raised over $55,000 to create Red Pole Park. The campaign surpassed its crowdfunding goal of $50,000 by August 4, 2017—earning the project a $50,000 matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program. Additional funds were provided by the Southfield City Centre and city of Southfield’s Metro Act funds.

Public Spaces Community Places is a collaborative effort of the MEDC, MSHDA, the Michigan Municipal League, and Patronicity where local residents can use crowdfunding to be part of the development of strategic projects in their communities and be backed with a matching grant from MEDC.

The ceremony will take place on the pathway located near Northwestern Service Drive and Town Square Drive (north of Civic Center Drive and just south of Corporate Drive). Parking will be available at 1 Towne Square. The ribbon cutting will feature remarks from several city officials including Mayor Kenson Siver, Council President Daniel Brightwell, City Administrator Fred Zorn and a representative from MEDC. The event will take place rain or shine. Light refreshments will be provided. Due to limited parking, the event is not open to the general public. 

For more information, call Southfield Community Relations at 1-248-796-5130.