Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores is investing $20 million to fund a new multi-use community center in Detroit’s Rouge Park.
The plans for the park on the city’s west side were announced by Gores, the chair and CEO of Platinum Equity, on June 1.
The $20 million investment will aid in building a new 25,000 square foot facility, renovate the Brennan Pool House, and deliver a variety of services to the Cody Rouge neighborhood, according to the Gores Family Foundation.
Gores said in a statement, “the facility itself will be the best of its kind and provide residents with a safe space to learn, play and grow,” adding, “but more than just a building, we will create a hub that brings together people from the neighborhood and throughout the city who want to make a difference in this community.”
This marks the first output from an initiative launched last summer within the Pistons organization to quicken the impact of its work in the social justice area, as reported by WXYZ Detroit.
To figure out where to begin, they had field trips planned to different facilities and organizations.
“Before the season began, we sat down with employees across the organization, including our players and both business and basketball operations staff, to discuss meaningful areas where we can help effect social change,” Gores stated.
Meetings will be held with District 7 residents and officials from Detroit as well as the Pistons to get feedback on the type of programming they’d like to see inside the new community center.
Phase two of the plan will form an enclosed structure around one of the two pools at the Brennan site to enable access all year round to swimming lessons and water safety classes.