ANN ARBOR, MI — Ann Arbor is putting $250,000 toward construction of a new nature playscape at the Leslie Science and Nature Center on Traver Road.

City Council voted to approve the allocation Monday night, Feb. 5, for the project several years in the making.

The center has been working with the community and city staff since 2015 to enhance the park and programming through the development of a new playscape and other amenities, Josh Landefeld, city parks manager, told council in a memo.

Underground slide, tunnel part of new playscape at Leslie Science and Nature Center

The center has had both successes and setbacks along the way, Landefeld said. Among the setbacks was the discovery of pollution in 2019 that required a roughly $535,000 investigation and cleanup, which the city completed in 2020.

The center has had success in fundraising and securing grants to build portions of the playscape and amenities and it has received over $600,000 of the $1.5 million needed to complete the project, Landefeld said, noting the center was continuing to pursue other funding. Learn more about the project features, including a water play area and activity zone, and find out how to donate.

The city parks department supports contributing to the project as it provides added amenities to the parks system that will be free and open to the public, Landefeld said, noting the city has had a long partnership with the center and the latest improvements will further designate it as a community resource for all.

Council Member Dharma Akmon, D-4th Ward, also said she was very happy to support it, calling it a great community resource.

Council Member Linh Song, D-2nd Ward, echoed those sentiments, noting her family has contributed to the project.

“It is one of several examples in our city where we know when there is enthusiasm around an actual park functioning as a park with private support we can see that come to reality pretty quickly,” she said, mentioning the skatepark at Veterans Memorial Park and a universal-access playground at Gallup Park as examples.

Ann Arbor residents, business owners and charitable organizations also have pledged tens of thousands of dollars for a downtown central park that voters approved in 2018 and Song and other city officials have opposed. Council disbanded the central park advisory group in June 2023, leaving the issue in the hands of the parks department and Park Advisory Commission.

The city has since turned attention to making improvements to the newly named Bicentennial Park, formerly Southeast Area Park, including creating the city’s first splash pad.

Ann Arbor OKs $758K for universal-access splash pad, playground equipment

The $250,000 the city is now allocating for the Leslie Science and Nature Center project is from park improvement funds new developments have contributed to the city.

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