Hello Friends of the Hamtramck Master Plan!
Just a quick update about our progress and schedule and a plea to help spread the word about the Parks and Recreation Community Survey.
First, the survey: Some pretty big parks and recreation-related moves are under consideration as part of the Master Plan: What should be the fate of Roesink Stadium? Should new park space be a part of the Master Plan? What should be considered a top priority? Bike lanes? Trees? Lighting? What’s missing? It’s important that we get a sense of what the community would like to see in terms of parks and recreation facilities in order for us to move in the right direction with the master plan. Some great ideas have emerged already, but the more participation we can get, the better! To date, 125 people have completed the survey online, which is accessible here:

http://tiny.cc/hamtramcksurvey

Thanks to Superintendent Niczay and faculty members at Hamtramck High School, over 90 high school students have completed the survey. That was a great response, but now we really need to drum up more survey participants spanning a wider range of ages to ensure that we’re getting the full spectrum of perspectives in Hamtramck. SO. If you have taken the survey, THANKS! If you haven’t yet and you live in Hamtramck and have 5 or 6 minutes to spare, it would be great if you could do it in the next couple of weeks. If you think your family and friends who live in Hamtramck would be willing to do the survey, please send them the link! If you have a blog or if you’re on a Hamtramck listserv, please help us spread the word by posting/forwarding the link! The City of Hamtramck is coordinating circulation of the paper version of the survey to ensure that residents who don’t have easy access to the survey can still participate. BUT if we can make the survey circulation a real community effort, that would be excellent—if you have a store, a bar or restaurant, or belong to community organization, you can print out a paper copy of the survey (attached to this email) and make them available to your patrons and visitors. Note: all online surveys and paper surveys need to be completed and submitted by Friday, March 19th in order for us to take them into account in the Master Plan, so the sooner, the better!
In other news, we experienced the thrill of Paczki Day first-hand on a recent visit to Hamtramck. Wow…I can’t say I have ever witnessed such enthusiasm over pastries! It was great to see the City in such a spirited mood. Aside from adventures in paczki land, the trip was another opportunity for us to talk with city agencies and organizations, as well as, on this trip, a group of great high school students from Hamtramck High. We are now in the process of formulating our preliminary recommendations (the exciting part!!), and we will be back in Hamtramck in about four weeks to hold a public meeting to present them. Once the date is finalized, I will be sure to let you all know!
Hope to see you then,
Leah Murphy
Associate Urban Designer and Planner
_INTERFACE STUDIO LLC
www.interface-studio.com