Trails, more planned for new Pine Lake Park

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Through a collaboration with Bloomfield Hills, the West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Commission has officially taken on operations of the former Pine Lake Elementary property, 3333 W. Long Lake Road.

It has been established between the West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Commission and the Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education that through a 20-year lease agreement, the roughly 20-acre property will continue to be owned by Bloomfield Hills Schools while it is maintained by West Bloomfield.

“They are a fabulous parks and rec program, and they will be making some great renovations in the coming years over there and maintaining that property for us and for the community use,” Keith McDonald, the assistant superintendent of human resources for Bloomfield Hills Schools, said.

The property was previously home to Pine Lake Elementary, until it closed in 2010. The school was later demolished.

Now, two communities have come together to find a resolution that brings more facilities to the public.

“We were doing some master plan updates and we recognize that we still had not been able to fulfill a desire to have more park land on the northeast side of the township,” West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Commission Executive Director Kelly Hyer said. “So this was definitely a win win.”

Tentatively, Pine Lake Park plans on adding parking lot repairs, updated tennis courts, basketball courts, pickleball courts, new playground equipment and trail enhancements.

“Trails are the No. 1 requested thing in any park survey that you do across the country, and people want more walkability. So we do envision completing a trail loop there,” Hyer said.

Hyer said there are some playground structures in place that were there when the school was in operation, but they actually do not meet playground standards right now. They plan to pull those out as soon as possible.

“We did have them planned to be replaced in the next couple of years. However, we have heard some community feedback that they would like that amenity replaced as soon as possible, so we will see what we can do to address the playgrounds, because, truly, if you look at that space now and if you were to pay attention to how people are using that space, that’s the one thing people do is pull in there and go right to the playgrounds,” Hyer said.

Through a task force and a community survey, the Bloomfield Hills community was able to provide feedback on what kind of amenities they would like to see at the site.

“They did a lot of community engagement and conversation to make sure that they were making a conscious effort to survey and get feedback from the neighbors,”  Hyer said.

“Without their participation and community input and support, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” McDonald said.

With the hope of a new playground set, McDonald said, the park will likely be used by children, but it is not limited to any age.

“The park is designed to meet the needs of users of all ages and desires for green space,” McDonald said.

More information on Pine Lake Park can be found at wbparks.org.