DETROIT (WXYZ) — The NFL Draft is a little over two months away from kicking off in downtown Detroit. City officials are working around the clock to spruce up the area before thousands of visitors come in.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see this beatification come to fruition,” said Candace Cooper, a Detroit resident.
Cooper has lived in downtown Detroit for 14 years. She says it’s important for visitors to see the city at its best.
“It’s basic maintenance, it’s basic care and upkeep, it’s what we do. We’re Detroit,” said Cooper. “We have to represent.”
City officials are partnering with multiple organizations to give downtown a facelift. Some projects that are in the works include light pole upgrades, brick paver replacement, and upgrading private parking lots downtown.
The city will provide up to $15,000 to parking lot owners.
“Parking lots are something that without encouragement sometimes. A lot of parking lot owners aren’t as motivated to make those improvements,” said Kevin Johnson, president of Detroit Economic Growth Corporation.
Johnson says these upgrades are also for the people who call Detroit home.
“We’ve been doing this before the draft, even before the draft thought about coming to Detroit. But this just highlights our ability to give the citizens of Detroit the kind of downtown they want,” said Johnson.
The plan to beautify Detroit doesn’t stop at downtown. The city is working on a 10-foot Hollywood-style Detroit sign that will be along I-94 from Wyoming to Central Avenues.
“The city has taken on the clean-up efforts on the freeway, so it’s not just a gateway sign but we understand there are maintenance issues that we are addressing,” said Jessica Parker, deputy COO for the city of Detroit.
Parker says cleanup on the freeways is expected to begin within the next month.
