Red Oaks Park in Madison Heights throws open its gates again Friday, Oct. 30, with a free community celebration running from 3 to 5 p.m., marking the end of a years-long transformation of the seven-acre site formerly known as Ambassador Park. The event will feature a DJ, a climbing tower, giant lawn games including Connect 4, Jenga and Tetris, guided tours, and treats handed out at stations throughout the park.
The public is invited to attend at no cost, according to Oakland County Parks, which says it invested $7.1 million to remake the park at 600 E. 13 Mile Road. An earlier report from C&G Newspapers had put the project's total cost at about $7 million as construction neared its finish this fall. The county says the work was paid for through its Healthy Communities Park and Outdoor Recreation Investment Plan, drawing $2.75 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding alongside $4.39 million from the Oakland County Parks Capital Improvement Program.
A Play Garden Named for a Parks Champion
At the heart of the renovated park sits the McGillivray Play Garden, named for Gary R. McGillivray, who spent decades shaping Oakland County's recreational footprint before his death in 2023. McGillivray served as an Oakland County commissioner from 2008 to 2023 and sat on the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission from 2011 to 2023, chairing that commission at the time of his death, the county notes in its account of the project. The play garden is intended to preserve his passion for public service through the families who use it, according to the county.
His son, Andrew McGillivray, said his father would have been proud to see the renovated park open for families, adding that his father dedicated 40 years to building a better community in Madison Heights. Andrew McGillivray said his family is honored by the tribute and grateful that Oakland County Parks continues his father's vision, according to The Oakland Press. Parks Commission chair Ebony Bagley said Red Oaks Park creates a place for people to gather, enjoy the outdoors and make memories, while Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said the Red Oaks revamp will delight park patrons for years to come, per the same report.
New Amenities, Accessible Design
The renovation added a restroom building with a shade structure and porch swings, along with a reconfigured parking lot built with improved stormwater retention, per Oakland County Parks. Per C&G Newspapers, the McGillivray Play Garden itself includes an accessible play space, a front porch overlooking the park's lawn, a natural-elements playground and a tot garden built for younger children.
The project traces back to an interlocal partnership between Madison Heights and Oakland County signed in August 2023, with preliminary plans following that November, according to C&G Newspapers' earlier coverage of the redesign process. The design itself grew out of public engagement in 2024, including comments gathered at three public events and an online survey, before construction got underway in spring 2025. An earlier Oakland County Parks project page had listed an anticipated investment of $3.75 million for the Red Oaks Play Garden, including $2.75 million from the American Recovery Plan Act and $1 million from the parks capital improvement fund — figures that predate the $7.1 million total the county now cites for the completed project.
Part of a Larger Park Network
Red Oaks Park is owned by the City of Madison Heights but is managed and operated by Oakland County Parks under their partnership agreement. The site is being folded into the broader 139-acre Red Oaks County Parks system, which already includes a nature center, water park, dog park and golf course, according to C&G Newspapers' reporting on the redesign process.
Gary McGillivray's influence extended well beyond this single park. During his time chairing the Parks Commission, Oakland County Parks helped allocate millions of dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds toward outdoor recreation projects across the county, The Detroit News reported following his death. The Oct. 30 celebration gives Madison Heights residents their first full look at how that funding, and years of community input, finally reshaped a familiar neighborhood green space.
