The Wayne City Council on Oct. 21 received a series of infrastructure and parks updates from the city manager that included a $210,000 state grant to replace the one-mile walk path in Atwood Park, a reported $588,000 increase in the city's local road funding and project updates on Gaudi Park, the downtown parking-structure demolition and ongoing lead-line replacements.

City Manager (first reference: 00:33:31) told the council, “one of the highlights of the 2026 state budget is that we were awarded a $210,000 grant to replace the walk path, the 1 mile walk path in Atwood Park.” The manager said the funding will allow the city to tackle a walk path that “if you walk it ... it's atrocious.”

The manager also said the state budget will boost Wayne's state revenue sharing by $45,405 and provide what the manager described as a 33.4 percent, or $588,000, increase to local road funding. Those increases, the manager said, will allow the city to resume road and water-main projects that had paused during lead-line replacement work.

Why it matters: the items the city manager outlined affect routine public safety and mobility (roads and water mains) and park amenities used by residents. The Atwood Park path is described as a one-mile route used for exercise; the grant funds its replacement. Increased road funding and resumed engineering work are positioned as enabling longer-running capital improvements.

Details on parks and capital work

The manager reported Gaudi Park Amphitheater is roughly 80 to 85 percent complete but cited a problem with one welded pillar that must be replaced; the replacement is expected to take two to three weeks. While that corner is finished, work on the stage pour, retaining wall, landscaping, irrigation, ramps and front flat work will continue. The manager said phase two — to be bid over the winter — will include a new parking lot, stairs, an entrance sign, a splash pad and a playscape. The city has applied for a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant to replace a walk path, the manager said.

On pickleball courts, the manager said a $13,000 grant from the Wayne County Park millage initially earmarked courts for Rotary Park has been reallocated to JC Park after staff learned those millage dollars can be “stacked” with other grant years. The manager said JC Park was selected because it has existing parking, does not abut housing and already has a pad; Wayne County agreed in writing to amend the intergovernmental agreement to move the funded courts to JC Park. The manager said construction would occur in spring 2026.

Downtown demolition and parking

The manager said demolition of the downtown parking structure is underway. "The structure's obviously completely down. About 60 percent of the debris has been processed and removed from the site," the manager said, adding crews paused debris removal to prioritize the library parking lot before winter weather. Once the parking lot work is finished, crews will resume debris removal and site restoration.

Road and water-main planning

The manager described a return to local road projects that had been paused during lead-line replacements. Wayne will use the federal PACER scale — a road-prioritization framework that evaluates safety, emergency access and connectivity — to rank local roads and create a capital improvement list for engineering and scheduling. The manager said the PACER scale prioritizes public safety and then checks emergency routes, length and overall condition.

Lead-line replacement progress

City staff provided an update on lead-line replacement work that officials said has nearly finished. The manager reported "less than 40 lines" remained to be completed; staff said some homes are vacant or inaccessible and others have owners who have not opened the door. The manager said the city may work with the city attorney where access is refused and that remaining work will include replacing galvanized piping and performing surface restorations in spring.

Public comment on galvanized pipe costs

During public comment, a resident who identified herself as Miss Scribe said crews had replaced copper from the basement to the meter at her home but expressed concern about the cost burden on fixed-income residents for replacing galvanized piping in living areas. "Most of us are on fixed incomes and to replace galvanized steel ... that's going to be very hard for citizens to take care of," she said, and asked whether the city offers low-interest loans or other assistance for homeowners.

What comes next

The manager said the Gaudi Park ribbon cutting is scheduled for Oct. 30 and that phase-two bidding will happen over the winter, with construction expected in spring 2026. The city will continue to wrap up lead-line replacements and pursue engineering and prioritization of roads using the PACER scale.