KALAMAZOO (WKZO AM/FM) — The Kalamazoo County Board has approved a three year lease extension with the City of Kalamazoo to continue renting Bronson Park.
The arrangement dates back to the community’s founder, Titus Bronson.
He decided that the community’s central park should be county owned.
The City has been renting it for nearly two centuries, and at one point held 50-year-leases.
For the past few years they have been renewing the lease on a year to year basis while talks have been reportedly going on to permanently transfer the Park to the City, but talks have snagged over issues that have never been made public.
While some County Commissioners Tuesday night suggested they play a larger role in setting fees and determining what happens with the park, particularly in light of recent events. The tenant has been making changes without consulting with the owner.
But most commissioners at this week’s meeting felt that such decisions were best left with the City.
The Kalamazoo Public Arts Commission is reportedly looking for a permanent home for the Fountain of the Pioneers, which has currently been dismantled and put into storage at an undisclosed location.
