Lansing — The Brenke Fish Ladder had a major glow-up recently. A $3.4 million renovation transformed it into the “Fish Ladder Music Park,” adding a much larger amphitheater with triple the seating capacity and several large murals.
It’s a nice idea, except for one thing—the fish ladder itself is filled with trash and heroin needles.
It’s symbolic of the creeping rot of our state capitol and the deterioration of Lansing’s riverfront trail system, a trend already extensively covered by Michigan Enjoyer.
The renovation promised to turn the fish ladder into a bonafide music venue, capable of hosting large music events when the weather’s nice. Oldtown is arguably Lansing’s nicest little neighborhood, and the Fish Ladder is its main tourist draw.
Built in 1982, the Fish Ladder is exactly what it sounds like—a ladder for fish. A curved concrete upslope with a series of channels, it allows fish to bypass the neighboring dam and swim upstream through the Grand River.
There’s a genuine ecological purpose here, but it quickly became a quirky symbol for the neighborhood. A structure built entirely for fish, what a funny idea! It’s on every list for notable tourist sites in Lansing.
The renovation drew half its funding from the state and the other half from the Capital Region Community Development fund, which is mostly funded by Ingham County.
That’s a lot of public money spent for a bit of paint and concrete, but we won’t even balk at it. They honestly did a nice job. The new amphitheater seating is spacious, the large parking lot and walkways are well designed, and even the new fish murals are well done (a rarity for public art).
The problem is, Lansing’s riverfront trail system has deteriorated into a trash-, graffiti-, and vagrant-filled mess. Every garbage can is overflowing and tipped over, every bench and surface marred with spray paint and crude etchings.
It’s the sort of place where young women are afraid to walk in the daytime, let alone at night.
The fish ladder sits right on this trail system, and, despite the renovations, has been pulled into its wake.
On a sunny fall afternoon, a discarded syringe needle, presumably from intravenous drug use, swirled around the water of the Fish Ladder. Cups, plastic waste, and other miscellaneous trash piled up against the concrete channels, held there by the flow of water.
You have to worry for the poor fish, trying to navigate their new and improved ladder without getting stabbed by a discarded heroin needle and catching AIDS.
Maybe they’ve wised up and steer clear of the place. Animals have better instincts for self-preservation than we do.
There certainly weren’t any fish there during our visit, despite fall reportedly being the peak season for salmon and steelhead trout swimming upstream through the river.
Maybe the fish ladder itself is just a liberal boondoggle after all, the kind of thing that sounds nice but has no real effect. We won’t even criticize it for that, though.
It’s a sad symbol of the current state of Michigan’s capital city. Endless taxpayer money spent on infrastructure and capital improvement projects, but the city gets worse and worse, held hostage by small elements of society exhibiting profoundly anti-social behavior.
You can spend all the money in the world building nice things, but without the will and the resources to protect them, they’ll inevitably be trampled over by the destructive behavior of troublesome individuals.
These are places that are meant for everyone to enjoy, and their degradation amounts to the most pernicious form of thievery. Criminality needs to be dealt with, and the law needs to be enforced.
This isn’t impossible to do, despite what urban liberals will tell you. Paint over the graffiti, have police patrol the riverfront, enforce the laws that are on the books. Use the power of the state to make public spaces safe and enjoyable, as they’re meant to be.
But liberal governments don’t seem to care about about improving the day-to-day lives of the citizens who actually live in these places. Maybe they’ll care more about the poor fish instead?
We spent so much money to build them this fancy ladder, and now they’re swimming through a mess of needles and trash. Just like the rest of us who walk through Lansing’s riverfront trails. The fish shouldn’t have to live like this, and neither should we.
Bobby Mars is art director of Michigan Enjoyer. Follow him on X @bobby_on_mars.
