Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The old Meijer Skate Park has been completely revamped and will be open to the public this summer.

SELCRA, the Southeastern Livingston County Recreation Authority, operates the park that’s tucked behind Meijer in the City of Brighton, next to the St. Pat’s School.

It fell into bad shape and disrepair over the years and in 2020, SELCRA made some investments as part of an initial phase taking out tracks and putting in in soccer and baseball fields. However, remnants of the skate park remained with broken concrete all over and the skate-pad.

SELCRA is supported by Green Oak and Brighton Townships, which both contributed $65,000 toward the project.

SELCRA Director Jason Spiller tells WHMI it’s no longer a skate park but a real park and this summer will be the first time they can open it to the public – marking the first public park in the City of Brighton.

He says they created two basketball courts, pickleball courts, a shade structure, and the former skate park is now a solid grass field. The baseball field was also improved with more fencing and safety measures.

Work started last May and concluded in October. The park will be called “Meijer Park” moving forward.

A community grand opening event is set for Saturday, April 26th.

Spiller says they’ve got big plans for this summer when it comes to outdoor activities, basketball leagues and other things – noting from June 7th to September 1st, the park will be open seven days a week from dusk till dawn.

Spiller said the new park will create a lot of opportunities for people to play, but added the biggest factor was safety. He said the remnants of the old skate-pad had broken concrete, very steep concrete walls, and it was just a dangerous situation and a liability. Spiller said the park is much more useful now and they can have expanded programming and activities, while also looking toward potential future phases and improvements.

In addition, SELCRA has secured a new lease on a facility located at 7540 Whitmore Lake Road and moved in October 1st. Spiller says it houses not only their offices but also programs and classes for the community so they don’t have to rent pout space elsewhere. He added he hopes people will use the new park so that it becomes a staple in the community.