BLOSSOM HEATH PIER IS now open

City Revitalizes Underutilized Park, $10 Million Dedicated to Pier Extension

BY ANNA SWARTZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT WHITEMAN

Less than a decade ago, Blossom Heath Park in St. Clair Shores was not the hot spot it is today, known for a constant stream of popular community events, nice facilities and scenic view of Lake St. Clair. A multitude of changes in recent years brought the park back to life. The Blossom Heath Activity Pier extension is the latest completed project to add value to the park. The pier officially opened with a well-attended ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, May 6.

Ceremony highlights included remarks from St. Clair Shores Mayor Kip Walby, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel and St. Clair Shores Tax Increment Finance Authority (TIFA) Chair Richard Widgren. The Lake Shore High School jazz band provided entertainment.

The 390-foot pier extension features sunshades, numerous benches and Adirondack chairs, as well as seated and standing tables.

Portions of the pier’s railing are lower, allowing the best visibility for guests in wheelchairs. The unique design of the railings, which protrude inward, deter children from climbing on the bars and prevent wear and tear on the bottom rung from people tempted to rest their feet there. St. Clair Shores City Council Member Chris Vitale came up with that design feature. Best of all, the 360-degree view allows visitors to take in the beauty of the water. “One of the complaints that the

“It's just a fantastic view... Lake St. Clair is a jewel here in Macomb County.”

“We have now added another opportunity for people to want to come to Macomb County, in particular St. Clair Shores, a destination location for people who want to live, want to recreate and want to come visit.” city or council members get is the lack of access to the lake,” Walby says. “Jefferson is pretty much built up, and in some areas, you may not even realize the water is just to the east of you there. …[The pier] gives great access to the lake. Not everyone has a boat, so it becomes a little bit of a destination.”

The pier extension project began in September 2021 and was originally scheduled to be completed within about a year’s time. “The project was delayed partially because we had to coordinate with DTE to remove all the overhead [power lines],” says American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)/Special Projects Manager Chris Rayes. Rayes cited supply chain issues as another reason for the slowdown.

Open to the Public

While Blossom Heath Park is maintained for St. Clair Shores residents only, the pier has been and always will be open to the public. However, only residents can park on the pier; nonresidents can park in the main lot and access the pier on foot. According to Rayes, non-residents are allowed access because the original pier was built with federal funds, unlike the park which was created with city funds.

According to St. Clair Shores

Community Development and Inspections

Director Denise Pike, $10 million was invested into the pier project. Funding was provided primarily by TIFA with additional money provided by the American Rescue Plan Act.

Learn to Fish on the Pier

St. Clair Shores Parks and Recreation Director Henry

Bowman credits the hard work of Rayes, Walby and many others for the successful completion of the pier. “I’m just sitting back, and I’m like – wow, what a time to be the parks and rec director of St. Clair Shores. ...We’re either redoing or have redone every playground in the city and totally rebuilt this park. Nobody wanted to come to [this park]. Now it’s the destination. Now we’ve built a fishing pier that every community will be jealous of.”

Lac Ste Clair Kiwanis will be hosting free fishing lessons on the pier for children on the fourth Sundays on the month throughout the summer: June 25, July 23 and August 27 at 10 a.m. Loaner equipment will be available (but bring your own if you have it). No registration is required.

The Past & Future of Blossom Heath

In addition to the pier, previous park updates include the boat wells, seawall, boat ramp to the harbor, Beach House, firepits and the new dinosaur-themed playscape.

One of the most memorable changes for both Walby and Rayes is the removal in 2015 of a chain link fence and an overgrown hedge that lined the southern end of the park. Before this change, Rayes describes the park as “unkept” and “not very inviting.” Walby recalls the fence running from the guard shack to the current food truck area, which means it also blocked the view of Lake St. Clair. Once the fence and hedge were removed, it made room for the 60 parking spaces that now exist in that area.

While such a drastic transformation has taken place at the park, TIFA Chair Richard Widgren isn’t done yet. “The pier is one major additional enhancement to area,” Widgren says. “But I think that much more still needs to be done back there to take full advantage of all that is physically available. ...I think there's more that could be done to create even more traction for the city of St. Clair Shores if we keep going on the track that we're on right now.”

“It puts us on the map as having something unique that represents the city of St. Clair Shores.”

- Tax Increment Finance Authority Chair Richard Widgren