Second rail crossing earns grant
By the start of 2025, preliminary site work had begun on the eventual Allen Road rail underpass project, which involved relocating as many as eleven utility lines and other preparatory tasks. On January 13, the Detroit News announced the city of Trenton was being awarded a $73 million grant by the Federal Government as part of an estimated $100 million project to do the same thing on Fort Street north of Van Horn, involving the same Canadian National track line. The remaining $27 million would be covered in part by the state and the railway owner.
Surveys taken by M-DOT recently had shown an average of 28,775 vehicles crossing the Fort Street rails daily, with an approximate 10-12 trains coming through each day as well; a condition M-DOT labeled a major safety concern. In addition, the Trenton Police Department reported using the route up to 1,000 times each week, with an average of 25-30 of those being delayed by slow moving trains. As in the case with the pending Woodhaven project, emergency vehicles utilizing Corewell Trenton Hospital, a Level II trauma center, was one of the chief concerns. The initial design phase would be completed by 2028, with construction starting the following year and running until 2031 at the latest, according to the report.
Next restoration project: Flat Rock Dam?
In May 2025, GEI Consultants Inc. released a feasibility study on the immediate future of the historic Flat Rock Dam, located in Huroc Park near the intersection of Telegraph and Huron River Drive. The dam was built in 1924 and provided hydroelectric power to the neighboring Ford Motor Company Lamp factory, built under Henry Ford’s supervision, from then until 1950.
The Flat Rock Dam was sold to the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Authority by Ford in 1951. Flat Rock had utilized a water intake for its supply at this location from 1956 until connecting with Detroit water in 1980. As far back as 1984, a communication between the Michigan DNR chapter and the Metroparks Authority had requested the dam be taken down at that time, with another request being issued in 1988. The Metroparks denied both requests, indicating the dam and surrounding impoundment was vital to its Oakwoods Metropark location. The dam would undergo structural remediations in 1990 and 2008 at a total cost of over $1.9 million.
In GEI’s initial assessment in 2024, the dam was deemed in fair shape with no immediate safety concerns. Huroc Park is known for its abundant fishermen lining the shores, but the study mentioned a fish ladder which had been installed in 1995 was ineffective in quality of fish passage for most species living in the river.
In the report, four alternatives were brought about for the structure: keep as is, but add a new fish passage; partial removal of the dam; or total demolition with either active or passive restoration of the surrounding shore. It would not be long before residents & visitors alike agreed that they wanted the structure saved for historical & aesthetic purposes. The Metroparks Authority stressed that the material presented was simply a list of alternatives, with no decision or favorable view on them being made.
One alternative involved the proposal of selling the dam to the city for $5, an offer Flat Rock Mayor Steven Beller considered too vague, requiring more information: “… it opened up a lot of questions about the dam, the condition of the dam, all the responsibilities, what’s supposed to be done and when,” Beller said.
Political feedback mostly favored keeping the dam in place. Michigan State Representative James DeSana made clear the prevailing thoughts: “All three state reps that are around the river and dam oppose this. The mayor and the Huron Township supervisor oppose this… we are all one, speaking as one voice to the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Authority to say we don’t want this dam removed.” DeSana also suggested that further funds for the feasibility study go toward dam maintenance instead.
Tlaib: “Fix our flooded basements”
Major area rainstorms which affected Downriver and the greater metropolitan area in 2014 (shown at left in Southgate), 2021 and 2023 were all classified as being of the “100 year” event variety or greater, and were obviously becoming more common as a result of widespread climate change.
The storms mentioned were not lightweights. 2014’s storm rainfall totals were the second highest ever recorded at Metro Airport. The 2023 storm resulted in 253,000 DTE customers without power and caused an estimated $2 billion in damages. In each case, the Michigan Governor would activate an emergency response center and aim for federal funding to help aid in storm cleanup.
Researching the frequency of these storms as well as their impact on area residents with flooded basements, U.S. House Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-12th District, covering cities north of the Downriver border) was wondering how the Detroit / Downriver area could have three “100-year” events in only one decade. In July, 2025, Tlaib and two other Representatives would sponsor a bill (HR-4774), known as the Fix Our Flooded Basements Act.
This bill addressed concerns that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) only covered damages to household rooms “required for the occupancy of the dwelling,” and not damage to basements or resulting mold & mildew mitigation. The bill would also allow area residents to purchase flood insurance specifically for basements to supplement what the state could provide, which was not enough on its own for area needs. Tlaib would also take to Facebook in August to help promote the bill.
As of 2026, the bill appears stalled in committee: the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure sent it to a sub-committee on July 26th (one day after its House introduction) with no movement recorded since, according to the Congressional Record.
Second Southgate housing fire in two years
A fire on October 24, 2025 severely damaged the American House Retirement Residence complex at Fort & Pennsylvania, just next door to and two years after another fire had destroyed the Meadows senior complex.
This 2025 blaze ignited in the third floor attic area and quickly spread, but was eventually contained by the following morning, thanks to the efforts of multiple responding units, including from Detroit. Evacuations from American House were flawlessly completed, as Southgate Fire Chief Justin Graves reported everyone was accounted for, with no deaths or injuries.
Graves told a reporter for WDIV-Local 4 News that there were similarities in the two fires: both did not have sprinkler systems in their attics and the buildings shared some of the same design & layout features, even though they were constructed a few years apart. As a result, the evacuations proved somewhat difficult, but manageable. Displaced residents were transported to the Southgate Senior Center on Reaume Parkway.
State oversight lifted in multiple schools
In November, the State of Michigan announced the release of 68 schools from state academic oversight, as they had surpassed graduation and performance-based benchmarks set by the Education Department.
Two of the schools were Downriver sites which qualified for removal from the Comprehensive Support & Improvement Program (CSI): the Academy for Business & Technology (Melvindale), and River Rouge High School.
Two other Downriver schools qualified to be taken off the list requiring additional targeted support were Clarence Randall School in Taylor, and Grogan Elementary School in Southgate. Individual schools whose performances were above state mandates, yet showed additional improvement honors went to the Gibraltar and Romulus school districts.
Over 150 Michigan schools had made this list at varying times: with the 68 schools marked off the listing in 2025, 113 schools still fell short. The necessary help and assistance is determined by the Michigan School Index, which is a Federal requirement to show that states have some sort of school accountability system in place. Schools with low attendance, low test scores, and low graduation rates are among specific target factors in determining a school’s need.