It was a fitting tribute to former Shelby Township Fire Chief Gene Shepherd that members of his family and the Shelby Township Fire Department were on hand for the official groundbreaking of Chief Gene Shepherd Park May 30.
Shepherd’s wife, Lee Ann Shepherd, and his successor, Fire Chief Jim Swinkowski, joined Township Supervisor Rick Stathakis, Township Clerk Stanley Grot and Township Treasurer Michael Flynn in tossing ceremonial shovels of dirt to kick off the construction of what will be a park featuring bocce ball courts, soccer fields and firefighter-themed play areas.
“Of all the people they could name a park after, they chose my husband,” Lee Ann Shepherd said during an emotional statement after receiving a $10,000 donation from Belfor Restoration that will go toward park construction.
The park, which sits on the site of the former Soccer City development on 23 Mile Road, east of Dequindre Road, will feature amenities that were either popular within the community or not a part of any existing parks.
“This project is a great tribute to a great man, and we are very happy to be able to honor him to name the park after him,” Flynn said. “The process of getting to construction is a testament to the teamwork of the Board of Trustees, the Parks and Recreation Committee and the private sector with groups like Belfor Restoration helping out.”
With construction underway, township officials are hopeful that the project could be completed by early August, in large part because of existing infrastructure, such as more than 230 parking spots, lighting and restrooms.
“I know that Chief Shepherd would have appreciated the teamwork and the out-of-the-box thinking that has gone into planning and funding this project,” Stathakis said. “We are doing this with minimal government money, and Chief Shepherd was always at the forefront of providing the best possible service to residents and doing so in the most fiscally responsible manner.”
