Horse Stables On Detroit's Belle Isle Get Makeover

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - It's part of a larger effort to stabilize conditions on Detroit's struggling Belle Isle.

The Detroit Free Press reports workers are nearly done putting a new roof on the island park's horse stables amid a push to make broader improvements and revise the island park's historic designation.

The stable project started in 2011.

Sarah Earley, chairwoman of the Belle Isle Conservancy, says the roof had holes and wooden beams were rotted. Built in 1898, the stables once were used as a place for workers to keep horses. Later, police horses were kept at the stables.

Repairs to the stables' roof, and eventually the stables itself, are among the latest in restoration work taking place on the Detroit River island. Among the efforts, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum just completed a five-month, $2 million renovation.

Belle Isle, 985-acre island located midway between Detroit and Windsor, has been owned by the city since 1879. In recent years the island has suffered as Detroit can't afford needed repairs.

Early this year, Gov. Rick Snyder withdrew an offer to lease Belle Isle after the Detroit City Council failed to vote on the state's proposal.

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