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Committee advances $250,000 tree-planting contract, hears about donation and state grant application for parks
Summary
The Neighborhood Community Standing Committee moved Contract No. 67763 (100% CDBG) to formal session to fund planting up to 400 trees across three parks and also advanced a noncash donation of up to 522 trees and a $300,000 state grant application that requires a $60,000 match.
The Detroit Neighborhood Community Standing Committee on April 9 moved several tree- and parks-related items to the formal City Council session for record dates and approval, including a $250,000 contract to plant up to 400 trees across Piercey, Chandler and Patton parks.
Contract No. 67763 was introduced by the Office of Contracting and Procurement as a one-year, 100% Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)–funded agreement with Contrary to Pain Landscape Incorporated to furnish, deliver and plant up to 400 trees in three city parks. The committee voted to send the line item to the formal session with record dates for approval.
Alex Weatherup, assistant director of General Services, said the city prioritizes planting in census blocks and ZIP codes that fall below the city’s 40% tree-coverage goal, noting "anywhere there's gaps, those get plugged first" as the basis for site selection.
The committee also advanced a noncash donation described by the administration as up to 522 trees to be distributed across Detroit parks. The transcript lists a valuation of $404,143,700 and 0¢ for that donation and notes no match requirement; the figure appears implausibly large and likely reflects a clerical or transcription error. The administration did not state a corrected valuation during the meeting.
Separately, the committee moved a request to authorize submission of a fiscal-year 2026 State High Water Infrastructure Grant application to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy for $300,000. The project requires a $60,000 cash match, for a total project amount of $360,000.
Kimo Fife, manager of special events, clarified she was not part of the park-selection process for the items under discussion; Weatherup and the administration handled selection rationale. All three items (the contract, the donation acceptance and the grant authorization) were placed on the agenda for formal session consideration with record dates for approval.
Next steps: each item will appear in the formal City Council session for a recorded vote and any further questions or amendments. The committee did not take the final approval votes during the standing committee meeting.
