Visit Borden Park with Mayor Barnett

Rochester Hills Mayor’s Video Log Entry

Now how many of you have driven past this sign hundreds of times, but have never been inside? Come check it out.

Hi, I’m Bryan Barnett, Mayor of the City of Rochester Hills, and thanks for watching. You know, it’s not easy to dunk on these ten foot rims out here, but if you come out enough, to beautiful Borden Park, I bet you can do it too. Hey, we’re on our park expedition throughout the summer, and just encouraging our residents to find out all there is to know about the parks located right in your own community. Now today we’re at Borden Park, named after the City’s first mayor, fun fact, and one of the great leaders of our community’s past. Now this park is one of our most active and exciting parks. Hopefully you’ve driven by it. We’re here on the corner of Hamlin and John R, and we have lots of folks that come out for various reasons. Of course there’s the basketball courts that I’m on now. Lots of fun, great surface. A fun place to come out and pick up a game of basketball with some friends or some neighbors. Behind me you see one of our City’s great playgrounds, some kids on it now. Always a great time to come out and enjoy. We’re going to show you some of the other fun things to do at probably the city’s most active park, take a look.

So a lot of people don’t know that we have batting cages right here in Borden Park. Now, for just a dollar or so you can get I think 12 pitches, we have fast, medium, and slow, both in hardball and in softball. It’s great to bring your youngsters up here to get the dust of that swing and to practice, and really get some cuts in. Let’s see how I do today.

This could be good. Oh another one! Oh a home run. It’s not easy to hit 90 mph fast balls, but you can do it, right here at Borden Park.

Man I sure hope those scouts were watching. I’ve been really practicing. Well listen, if we haven’t got you excited about Borden Park, with the three basketball courts, the four baseball and softball fields, there’s eleven soccer fields here, including one that’s called our World Cup field, it has lights and World Cup seating. We also have a volleyball court, and if none of that has you excited, well here’s two things that make Borden Park a little bit unique. Not only do we have tennis courts, but behind me you see one of the hottest, new activities for people to do outdoors, it’s pickleball. It’s especially popular at the OPC, and now we got some outdoor courts to bring it to Borden Park as well. Super fun game, that’s played by folks of all ages, and something here you’ll see all the time happening here at Borden Park. An additional item you don’t see anywhere else are these two roller rinks. Outdoor roller hockey, a great place to get a chance to use the boards and sharpen your skills. Again, come on out, check it out. No one is using it today, bring your team, your friends, your buddies and take a spin? I don’t know, do you take a spin? You don’t take a slide. But come on out here and use the fields. All these things are just here to be used by our residents. We’re so proud of this park. In fact, one of the things that probably draws as many people to this park as anything, doesn’t even happen on the ground, it happens in the air, it happens right over here, and that’s our Festival of the Hills fireworks show, happening this year on June 27. It’s one of the largest shows in the State of Michigan, and this field behind me will fill up with 35 – 45,000 friends and neighbors to watch one of the greatest shows you’ll see anywhere in southeast Michigan. So I hope we’ve got you excited about all the things available to you, our residents here at Borden Park. This is an action packed park with something for everyone and every age group.

Well as you, know this is the continuing effort to remind you of all the amazing things we have in our Rochester Hills park network. You remember our last visit was to Bloomer Park, a little more passive, some amazing trails, the velodrome for bike racing on Friday nights. Here, of course, you saw all the crazy, exciting things you can do here. Our next stop will be Spencer Park, which is where our lake is. Where you shed these clothes, put on the swim trunks, try to catch a fish, and enjoy some paddle boarding. So many things to do here in your Rochester Hills park network. I just hope you get out and use them as soon as possible. We’re excited to be here at Borden Park, and hope to see you here later on this week. Have a great day.

Video and Transcript Courtesy of the City of Rochester Hills