A Brighton city councilman who serves on a newly formed task force will attend the first meeting next week.

The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments earlier announced the appointments of Jeff Bohm, Chair of the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners as chair of its newly formed the Parks and Recreation Task Force. Brighton City Councilmember Kristopher Tobbe will serve as Vice Chair. Both are active in parks and recreation endeavors in their respective communities and officials said they look forward to their perspectives in enhancing Southeast Michigan’s parks and recreation system.

As a member of the Brighton Arts and Cultural Committee, Tobbe has assisted in such initiatives as the planning of Brighton’s newest park – the Brighton Arts and Cultural Committee Sculpture Garden – the Brighton Veterans Memorial, and the newly revised Mill Pond area master plan.

The task force will analyze the region’s parks and recreation system to understand how well the system meets the needs and desires of residents and visitors, identify connections and gaps in accessibility to parks and trails, and ensure that maintenance and continued improvements can be made strategically. The group will also guide establishment of benchmarks and develop regional policies with the goal of seeking opportunities for implementation at the local level. The project will take eight-12 months to complete the work.

The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 13th at 9:30am at the SEMCOG offices. (JM)