With the parks budget stretched, a Lathrup Village family is fixing up Sarrackwood Park itself

A Lathrup Village couple has taken it on themselves to restore Sarrackwood Park, which one of them says has been left with graffiti and weeds, C&G Newspapers reported Wednesday.

In August, the Lathrup Village City Council voted to keep the park's playscape after earlier talk of removing it and turning the park into green space, according to C&G.

Resident Emilia Robinson told C&G that when she asked about the park, she was told funding was limited, "so, my husband and I decided to do it ourselves."

She and her husband, Michael, have already dug and lined a sandbox using driftwood from Torch Lake and a fallen tree from Beverly Hills. They are raising money to paint the playscape, add mulch, weed and replace the playground floor, with a goal of finishing next year. As of Oct. 20, their GoFundMe had raised $1,612 toward an $8,000 goal, C&G reported.

The city's side

City Administrator Mike Greene told C&G by email that the park's upkeep reflects limited money. The Parks and Recreation Committee's budget is about $20,000 a year, and since the committee was recently re-formed, it has put that money toward community events and programs. Greene said spending the whole budget on remulching the city's parks would leave nothing for events.

He said the committee has bought mulch for Sarrackwood and Municipal Park and put $4,000 toward the city's required match for a DTE Energy tree-planting grant. He said maintenance and improvements can be addressed as more money becomes available.

Robinson said she understands the city is focused on other needs, like chipping services and the library. She said she and her husband have volunteered to maintain the sandbox, and she has organized a weeding event with a neighbor before.

Sources: C&G Newspapers, "Lathrup Village family works to restore Sarrackwood Park," by McKenna Golat (Oct. 21, 2026).