Red Oaks Park

Red Oaks Play Garden is a 7-acre area (formerly known as Ambassador Park) located on Thirteen Mile Road in Madison Heights as part of Red Oaks County Park. It is in the initial construction phase of the Healthy Communities Park and Outdoor Recreation Investment Plan. The anticipated investment of $7.14M includes $2.75M from the American Recovery Plan Act and $4.39M from Oakland County Parks’ capital improvement fund.

The new play garden will honor Gary R. McGillivray, a longtime Oakland County Commissioner (2008-23) who represented District 3, which included the Madison Heights community he called home. Commissioner McGillivray was appointed to the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission (OCPRC) in 2011 and was a key architect of the partnership between Oakland County Parks (OCP) and the City of Madison Heights, including being a dedicated champion of the nature center that is now part of Red Oaks County Park. Commissioner McGillivray was serving as chair of the OCPRC at the time of his passing in 2023.

During his tenure as chair, OCP helped allocate millions of dollars in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for park and recreation projects across the county, including the development of the space that will become the Red Oaks Play Garden.

Commissioner McGillivray was passionate about the county park system and – throughout his long career – was committed to putting the best interests of Oakland County residents first. He loved to see families coming together, having fun outdoors and making special memories. The vision for the new play garden is to create a place for families to do just that and is a perfect way to honor his memory.

As we build the play garden, this portion of Red Oaks County Park closed in May 2025 for renovation. Construction is expected to continue throughout 2026 for an anticipated Autumn 2026 re-opening.