Plans underway for Lucido, Pitchford parks
Pitchford Park remains at the forefront of parks development plans in Macomb Township, but early seeds of planning are now being sown for Paul and Annette Lucido River Park.
“Obviously the first thing now is Pitchford Park, we are concentrating on that. So a number of things have to happen at Lucido Park before we can develop it,” Macomb Township Parks and Recreation Director Salvatore DiCaro said.
Both parks are included in the recently-adopted parks and rec master plan.
Pitchford Park is located on Romeo Plank, just north of 22 Mile Road. The township board sold several separate properties to finance Pitchford Park, and awarded a $4 million contract for its construction to Warren Contractors and Development Inc. It will include a dog park, pickleball courts and tennis courts.
Paul and Annette Lucido River Park is 20 acres, located at 52172 North Ave. This former Lions Club property was purchased by the township on Nov. 17, 2022. The family of the late Paul G. Lucido donated the purchase price of the property, $125,000, so the future park would be dedicated to him and Annette Lucido.
“It was a very generous donation by the Lucido family, and again, it adds another amenity for our residents,” DiCaro said.
Although he deemed it too early to discuss project costs or any type of bid process, DiCaro mentioned some early plans under consideration for the Lucido Park. The property has a building on it that will be
suitable for running parks and recreation programming out of, and it could also be made available for rental. The building may need painting and meetings are planned with attorneys to help develop procedures and contracts for building rental.
He added that due to the presence of wetlands Lucido Park is likely be more nature oriented. It will be important for the county to examine the river to check feasibility for kayaking and canoeing, which could perhaps be done this summer.
“As far as the park goes, the main thing is it has river access. We are probably going to use it as a kayak launch, a canoe launch,” DiCaro said. “There are things we need to do there. The river needs to be cleared in that area.
There are a number of easements that have to be purchased by the township. It would start the launch, it would start at Lucido Park and go south to just south of 21 Mile Road. There are a number of things that need to be done.”
DiCaro said the township will begin the process of seeking grants for Lucido Park, but he did not anticipate much being done on the it this year beyond putting up a new sign announcing the property as a future park site. He anticipates development to proceed on Pitchford Park this spring and summer, so it could be fall before Lucido Park becomes a higher priority project.
“As far as the actual kayak launch, that could take a little while,” DiCaro said.