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Sterling Heights council votes to seek federal approval to convert grant land, keep canine training area
Summary
City council approved a resolution to submit an application seeking a partial conversion of Land and Water Conservation Fund–assisted property at L.W. Baumgartner Park so the city can retain its K‑9 training area and use larger mitigation parcels at Rotary Park.
Sterling Heights — The Sterling Heights City Council voted unanimously to authorize submission of an application to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the National Park Service to convert a portion of Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)–assisted land at L.W. Baumgartner Park so the city may retain the existing canine training area.
City parks director Kyle Langloy told the council the canine training area occupies roughly 2.28 acres along the southern boundary of Baumgartner Park and was developed decades ago with LWCF grant support. He said the partial conversion would remove that fenced training parcel from the grant-assisted boundary but would not remove the land from the park itself.
The city plans to provide mitigation land adjacent to Rotary Park and the Clinton River Canoe and Kayak property: acquired mitigation parcels total about 4.94 acres, Langloy said, and appraisals show the mitigation parcel value exceeds the K‑9 parcel by $31,800. Langloy said the city already returned roughly half an acre from the old fenced area to park use to reduce the conversion area.
Langloy said staff completed the conceptual approvals with federal and state grant authorities, obtained multiple Yellow Book appraisals, published a 30‑day public review and comment period, and had received three email comments as of the meeting. He said the city will complete architectural, archaeological and environmental stewardship reviews and aims to file a final conversion application by the end of 2025; the National Park Service review typically takes three to six months.
Council members pressed staff on environmental and contamination questions. Councilman John Yanez asked whether past illegal dumping had been investigated; Langloy answered Baumgartner Park sits on a capped landfill and that the planned environmental reviews for the Rotary Park reimagination will address contamination concerns. Councilman Todd Radke asked how the half‑acre returned to the park will be used; Langloy said it is maintained as mown parkland that allows closer access to the drain and could in the future host a path or other activation pending the Rotary Park redesign.
Council member Mary Schmidt, who moved the resolution, emphasized the importance of preserving the K‑9 training facility for Sterling Heights and surrounding agencies and said officers from across southeast Michigan use the site. The motion was moved by Schmidt, was supported, and the council voted "aye" with no recorded opposition; Mayor Taylor declared the motion carried.
Langloy reminded speakers the public hearing comments were limited to the conversion and the mitigation parcels. He also said the City of Sterling Heights has worked collaboratively with the Michigan DNR and the National Park Service during the review process and that prior work on a separate acquisition did not prevent the city from pursuing this conversion.
The council’s resolution directs staff to complete the federal and state compliance steps and submit the final application. If approved by the National Park Service and the DNR, the mitigation parcels will be preserved as outdoor recreation in perpetuity as part of the conversion agreement.
Details in the record: the canine training area was installed circa 2000 and later dedicated to the late Rich Hines; the conversion proposal removes the training area from the LWCF boundary while expanding protected park land elsewhere through mitigation.
