The City of Ecorse’s John D. Dingell Park was a special amenity for residents. Located on the Detroit River, it was a prime spot for people to launch boats for fishing and recreation. “We’ve got one of the best walleye areas in the country—the Detroit River,” says Mayor Lamar Tidwell. “So, we looked at our biggest asset and said, ‘Well, let’s redevelop our biggest asset.’”

“We said, let’s put money into it and make it a destination place,” he adds. “And that’s what we did.” And thus, what is now called the John D. Dingell Kayak and Boat Launch is the City of Ecorse’s entry for the 2026 Community Excellence Award.

Funding came primarily via two grants, from the Economic Development Administration and the MEDC Revitalization and Placemaking program. “At the time, there was a lot of grant money out there,” says Tidwell. “So, we said, let’s figure out how we can develop it. It was a part of our Master Plan—everybody wants recreation.”

The previous boat launch at the park was old and crumbling. “We upgraded it to make it modern and to keep up with the high volume that we were getting,” says Rhonda Miller, Economic Development Coordinator with the City of Ecorse. “We had the actual floating dock redone. We had the sea walls redone. We put new lighting up there. We put a fish cleaning station there, playground equipment, a little path where people can walk.” Engineering was completed by Spalding DeDecker.

The parking lot, which can accommodate up to 50 cars, was redone with better traffic flow in mind. “There was a lot of thought that went into that process to make it easier for everybody to have access in and out,” says Miller.

At the same time, the City completed a separate project at Dingell Park, focused on kayaking. Years ago, the site was home to a rowing club that included a small dock used for rowing boats and kayaks. The City demolished the old club building and installed more parking, while also constructing a new, ADA accessible kayak launch. “There had just been a little platform for rowboats,” says Miller. “They didn’t have an accessible launch like we have now.”

Nearby is a new, automated kayak rental kiosk. The system functions like a vending machine: “You just put your card in, and one of the little gates pops open,” says Miller. The park also includes new, slate-and-blue signage, part of a larger rebranding effort throughout Ecorse.

Work was completed late last year, and the City is planning a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony sometime this summer. In the meantime, the dock has made a low-key debut among residents and local maritime enthusiasts. Both Tidwell and Miller say that feedback has been positive, with residents in the condominiums across the street especially appreciating the beautification.

The revamped waterfront has also received positive attention from other Downriver mayors. “They’ll be like, ‘Oh my God, your boat waterfront looks beautiful,” says Tidwell.

“This is pivotal in our community—to be able to know that the people at the top are looking out for everybody here,” says Miller. “When you talk to the people in the park, they feel very, very fortunate and honored to be able to have such a great place to be able to fish.”

Author

Emily Pinsuwan

Emily is the League’s full-time Content Writer, composing emails, articles, blog posts, and press releases. If you need words, she has many. Prior to becoming a word person, she was a restaurant person, handling catering, event management, and marketing; prior still, she was a teaching person, at a private boarding school in Massachusetts. Having earned a master’s degree in Classics from the University of Georgia, Emily is confident that she is the only League employee fluent in Latin. She also enjoys cooking, stand-up comedy, and is an avid gamer, having achieved level 40 on her Steam profile.