On Wednesday, July 16, Main Street Park Alliance (MSPA), in partnership with the City of Chelsea, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Washtenaw County Brownfield Authority, Washtenaw County Parks and the City of Chelsea Parks & Recreation Commission, held a groundbreaking at the site of the future Main Street Park. State Representative, Kathy Schmaltz, and State Senator, Sue Shink, joined a crowd of supporters and MSPA board members for this milestone event.
The groundbreaking marks a major milestone in a citizen-led effort to create a safe, inclusive, and active public space. The project is the result of a grassroots public-private partnership fueled by thousands of volunteer hours, steadfast community support, and collaboration across local and state agencies. The Main Street Park Alliance has successfully navigated a $2 million environmental remediation, a robust public input process, and an ambitious fundraising effort to bring the project to this moment.
“This project has always been about more than just building a park—it’s about bringing people together to solve a long-standing problem,” said Joe Ziolkowski, Lead Developer & Member of the Board of Directors for the Main Street Park Alliance. “What began as a shared dream among community members is now taking physical shape thanks to the persistence, generosity, and determination of this community.” Read more about the groundbreaking from The Sun Times News.
Thank You to Our Earliest Donors! Getting to this milestone would not have been possible without a group of supporters who believed in the vision and possibility of this project from its inception. We are indebted in gratitude to the following.
Individuals and families:
Anonymous, the Holmes Family, the Feeney Family, the Hurst Family, the Ziolkowski Family, the Daniels Family, the Mann Family, the Bueche Family, Mandy & Tom Higgins, Amy & Mark Heydlauf, Jess & Nan Spike, Virginia & Eric Krueger, Deb & Bruce Oakley, Kerry & Theresa Plank, James Burkel, Richard & JoAnn Hirth, Sue Jacobs, Don & Tammy Socks, Ruth Ann Steele, Charlie & Jill Taylor, and Jean Vargas.
Organizations and institutions:
Chelsea Milling Company, Chelsea State Bank, Chelsea Hospital, Chelsea Lumber Company, the Alvin Glick Foundation, the Chelsea Community Foundation, 5 Healthy Towns - Chelsea Wellness Coalition,
United Methodist Retirement Foundation, Silver Maples,
and St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.
Construction Campaign Update
MSPA has raised $250,000 since May. Every gift helps close our funding gap, which now stands at under $1 million. The Construction Campaign will continue until this gap is closed. We gratefully acknowledge recent grants and gifts from our local business community:
At their June meeting, the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission approved a $150,000 contribution to MSPA for park development. This brings the total contribution to MSPA to $250,000 with the previous $100,000 provided through the WCPARC Connecting Communities program in December 2024. We are not only grateful for their financial contribution, but also for their expertise in advising MSPA during this project.
Thank you to the Chelsea Community Foundation $25,000, Lane Animal Hospital $5,000, Roberts Paint & Body $5,000, and Cleary’s Pub $2,000.
The Penny Drive total is $4881.52 - so close to our $5,000 Goal!
What Comes Next?
With environmental remediation complete, park construction is underway! A new retaining wall is complete on the north side of the property, a robust stormwater retention system is complete, and all other underground utility work is nearing completion. Expect to see the foundation poured for the climbing wall and the restroom building to take shape over the next several weeks. The skate park and climbing wall are scheduled to be in place this fall. The team is currently reserving over 170 trees from a local nursery to be planted this fall. Donate to plant a tree today!
The Grateful Crow - Tuesday, August 19, 2025: 10% of all proceeds from their “Dine to Donate” event will be donated to the Park.
Art in the Park - We will be seeking local creative artists to design a removable mural for the bathroom and storage structure, which will be updated periodically. Watch this newsletter, the MSPA website, and social media for the Call for Artists.
*Proceeds from the merchandise is not a fundraiser. Wear this gear to help us build visual awareness of the Park’s mission.
