Work starting on long-planned park

A groundbreaking ceremony for a 22-acre west riverfront park is scheduled for today.

Why it matters: Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park is planned as "a magnet for our entire city," Mark Wallace, president and CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, tells Axios.

• The park has been in the works for five years and will connect more area to walking paths along the Detroit River.
• Residents gave input on what the park would look like through an advisory group and public meetings.

The intrigue: Features include a playground with places to climb and slides designed by Ceopenhagen-based Monstrum.

• There's also a canopied "sports house" with basketball courts and programming space for teenagers, as well as a large lawn space for events and a water garden along the shoreline.

What's next: Wallace expects construction to finish in 2024.

💭 Annalise's thought bubble: When this park opens, you can find me on the bear slide.

• Kidding — I'll let the children have that one — but there really is a slide shaped like a bear holding a log in one of the renderings. I've been bringing this up for years now.