Flint, MI— City and state officials gathered alongside the St. John Street Historical Committee to announce over $2 million in additional funding for the St. John Street Neighborhood Memorial Park project in Flint, MI.
The Friday, July 26, 2024 announcement follows previous allocations of $250,000 from the city’s general fund, $500,000 from Flint City Council in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, and $1 million in state funding toward the park.
“We’re taking a significant step to acknowledge that history and to honor the memories and contributions of those who called St. John home,” said Karen Davis-Burton, a partner with A/E Collaborative who is leading the design and construction for the site. “This memorial park is also a trailblazing project. It not only commemorates the past but also looks forward to a future of healing and unity.”
“We understand that this project is more than just a park; it is a tribute to resilience, spirit, and the history of the St. John neighborhood and all of the communities that were affected by urban renewal.”
The historical committee spearheaded the current renovation plans in 2021 when they met with city officials to express their concerns over the St. John Street Community Center sale.
The sale threatened to erase the history of a predominantly Black neighborhood destroyed and displaced by racist policies in the 1960s and 70s to make room for the construction of I-475.
Before the sale, the historical committee worked on receiving state recognition for the community center as a historical site but decided to redirect their efforts toward a larger memorial development.
In response to their request, the historical committee was granted half the sale revenue to develop a memorial park in the West Boulevard Park area.
The area, which is currently overgrown and under-kept, will be restored and updated to include a memorial walking path, statues of St. John community leaders, benches, informational signs about the area’s history, a pavilion, and a “historically themed” playground arranged to imitate the buildings from the old St. John Street neighborhood.
There are also plans to replace the dilapidated Massachusetts Dam with a walking bridge, repave and expand the existing parking lot to facilitate an influx of visitors, and partner with the Flint Public Art Project to design a 6,000 ft. mural over the graffiti-ridden I-475 retaining wall near Leith Street.