Lakewood City Council Eyes Investments in Basketball Courts

Among them are increased supervision, a drinking fountain, better access and improved community policing.

After the new basketball court was installed at Lakewood Park last year, city council is now considering a game-plan that includes a few upgrades. Among them are increased supervision, better access and improved community policing. Tom Bullock and Monique Smith penned a letter to fellow council members, encouraging a discussion on outdoor basketball in Lakewood. “After a long winter spring is finally here, and with it, a significant increase in residents and visitor using our parks, including a popular new facility, the recently installed basketball courts near the skate park at Lakewood Park,” said Bullock and Smith. “I think this is a worthwhile investment,” Bullock told council last Monday. “I think it’s important to prioritize this.” …

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Steve

5:56 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

You are so right Bill. But on the other hand we do pay for Animal Control. Count how many times you drive past a person with a dog off leash, don't have a baggie in their hand for clean-up, off leash in the public parks. These are also laws, but never seem to get enforced. And where exactly did the money go that was left to the animal shelter by a Womans estate??? No one has a clue, even the …   more ›

Outdoor Basketball Initiative Moving Forward in Lakewood

Construction of the new hoops at Lakewood Park is under way, but council still had a couple of questions.

As construction of the Mark Vincent Dickens court at Lakewood Park is under way, council gave its stamp of approval on the proposed basketball initiative at its meeting on Monday. At a recent council meeting, at-large councilwoman Monique Smith raised a few concerns over the hoops at the park. Among her questions, she said, was how the courts would be funded. With private donations, the Lakewood Outdoor Basketball Committee is raising the $30,000 costs for the courts, located just to the west of the Lakewood Skate Park. “The only remaining piece is the supervision piece, and we all agreed that we need to talk more about that,” Smith said. “Young people don’t always make the best decisions in the world.  "I’d like to see more supervision. …

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Snapshot: Work Begins on New Basketball Courts at Lakewood Park

One day after the plans were officially unveiled, the construction of the Mark Vincent Dickens court got underway.

The project to build the new basketball courts at Lakewood Park got under way on Monday. The Mark Vincent Dickens Memorial Basketball Courts — located just to the west of the Lakewood Skate Park — are expected to be finished in a couple weeks. The second phase of the project, including fencing and brick pavers, is expected to be completed in the spring.

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WATCH: Basketball Courts Coming (Back) to Lakewood

Work set to begin on new court at Lakewood Park today; hoops to open within a couple weeks.

The Lakewood Outdoor Basketball Committee hosted a ceremony at Kauffman Park to unveil the plans to install two middle-school sized, half courts in the grassy area just west of the Lakewood Skatepark.

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Councilwoman Questions Plan for Basketball Courts at Lakewood Park

Plans call for two middle-school sized, half courts in the grassy area just west of the Lakewood Skatepark. Not so fast, says Lakewood councilwoman.

It looks as if Lakewood City Council has called for a timeout in the game plan to open basketball courts at Lakewood Park this year. Council agreed Monday to discuss concerns brought up by at-large councilwoman Monique Smith. She urged the administration to answer a few questions before moving forward on a proposal to support the Lakewood Outdoor Basketball Committee in its effort to install two middle-school sized, half courts in the grassy area just west of the Lakewood Skatepark. Smith, the only member of council who didn’t sign a letter of support for the project earlier this year, said she like to discuss the issue further. In a prepared statement, she outlined more than a dozen questions and concerns she has about the proposal. Some …

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ian king

4:48 pm on Wednesday, September 5, 2012

HI Ken - lets call it like it is. Lakewood has changed since the 2001 master plan. There are clearly a lot more folks hanging around town that, well, are questionable in terms of what they are just doing hanging around town! Also, supervision is a key important consideration here. Gangs are here in Lakewood and a fact of life. Take a walk down Detroit anytime and you can see folks who are …   more ›

New Basketball Court to Honor Lakewood Grad

New hoops at Lakewood Park to honor Mark Vincent Dickens, a 1996 LHS graduate, who died at 30 years old.

Outdoor Basketball May Find New Home at Lakewood Park

The Lakewood Outdoor Basketball Committee – along with Mayor Mike Summers – is discussing raising anywhere from $17,000 to $25,000 to build a new court at Lakewood's waterfront park.

The Lakewood Outdoor Basketball Committee met with Mayor Mike Summers last week to discuss expanding the program and constructing a new court at Lakewood Park.  “There’s a couple things we needed to do to gain a better understanding of the cost of the court and then start getting engaged in some fundraising efforts, as well as communicate with the stakeholders on that park on what we’d like to do there,” Summers said.  The mayor said a new concrete court, two hoops and a 12-foot-high chain-link fence would cost anywhere from $17,000 to $25,000, and that the LOBC would like to see construction begin by next April or May.  LOBC co-founder Art Gold was excited about the prospect of expanding to Lakewood’s waterfront park and is eager to see …

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Peter Grossetti

7:09 am on Thursday, July 14, 2011

I don't think the website has been update to reflect this news. (You gotta love Patch for being on top of things!!) Just curious/confyused by you're comment: "I do not see the use fitting there." You don't see the validity of basketball hoops in a public park? (any more than a skate park, a swimming pool, a playground, baseball fields, tennis courts?)   more ›

Big Victory for Basketball in Lakewood

School board opens gyms of city's schools for the sport; more than 100 people attend city council meeting to support hoops.

Nothin’ but net. After weeks of discussion, planning and development, Lakewood Recreation Department commissioner Erin Fach received unanimous approval from the Board of Education at Monday’s regular meeting to move forward with a pilot indoor basketball program. Despite some early apprehensions from board members — such as security concerns and injury liability — the board OK'd the program relatively quickly. Although it hasn't begun yet, the schools' program hasn’t undergone the same sort of scrutiny and contention, when compared with the outdoor pilot basketball program at Kaufmann Park. All games will take place on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday evenings. They will be supervised, students and adults will play within preset age groups (…

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More Than 100 People Show Up for Lakewood City Council Meeting

What most of them showed up for wasn't even on council's agenda.

About 100 people — of all ages — showed up for Lakewood's City Council meeting on Monday night.  Many of them came out to support the Lakewood Outdoor Basketball Committee. Recently, at city council meetings, there have been complaints about noise and profanity at Kauffman Park — the city's only outdoor basketball hoops.  The city's administration shortened the hours at the park, and closed it on Saturdays. But LOBC's supporters came out Monday in full force to demonstrate their side of the story. A Facebook page dedicated to promoting the group encouraged fans of basketball in the city asked people to attend the meeting. There were basketball players, their parents and mentors. Some of them asked to expand basketball in the city. Others …

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Jordan Tadic

5:30 pm on Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Peter, that's a wonderful question that I really wanted to ask last night if I got there in time to sign up to speak at the end. You are correct that the original agreement was 90 days, but things seemed to get lost in translation a bit during the administration change. City officials are still referring to this current stage as the pilot, but we'll find out much more at our July 6th meeting with…   more ›