The grant brings the conservancy to within $100,000 of its $75-million goal to fund the RiverWalk project. As planned, the 4.7-mile RiverWalk will run from the Belle Isle Bridge to the Ambassador Bridge.
In late December, General Motors Corp. presented the deed to the promenade or walkway behind the Winter Garden in the RenCen. To date, the conservancy has developed the riverfront from Joe Louis Arena up past the Renaissance Center, says Char Yates, director of communications and community outreach.
The project is scheduled to be completed by 2006. While the conservancy is working on the riverwalk, a variety of private companies and other agencies are also working on redevelopment efforts along the Detroit River, including a plaza at General Motors' Renaissance Center headquarters and a small new state park.
The conservancy launched the campaign in December 2002 after receiving a $50-million grant from the Troy-based Kresge Foundation. The Riverfront Conservancy will use the Skillman grant to create a children's carousel, an interactive fountain and a wall map at Rivard Park on the river.
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