I’m cheering for the folks who are trying to raise money to preserve the land owned by the IHM sisters in Monroe.

Few cities of any size are given an opportunity like this - a beautiful piece of undeveloped property in the middle of the city.  And this property is more than beautiful - it’s also ecologically significant, from its oak savannah to the island in the river.

Future generations would get a lot of benefit from this property - if a way can be found to raise the money to purchase it.

I understand why the Sisters can’t just give it away. It’s their nest egg, the resource they’re counting on to finance their future.

The compromise they’re working on with the Friends of the Academy Preserve makes a lot of sense - a blend of local and state money to save the property from development, which will happen if the sisters are forced to sell it to private interests.

The Friends are trying to raise $750,000 from local contributions as the match to a $2.2 million state grant. That’s a big mountain to climb, but it’s not impossible. There are a lot of generous people and corporations in Monroe County.

City and county governments also should be looking for ways to help. This would be an appropriate use for some tax money, too. The benefit to the entire community would be immeasurable - especially when considered over the decades and centures into the future.

If the Academy Preserve was developed well it could become a jewel in the center of Monroe. Especially when combined with the other potential tourism draws along the River Raisin - the 1812 battlefield, Sterling State Park, the Custer Statue, St. Mary’s Park, a revitalized downtown - it’s a project that is worth the money.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 14th, 2008 at 9:23 am and is filed under Local issues, events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.