FIVE PARKS IN SW MICHIGAN TO BENEFIT IN $40.3 MILLION STATE GRANTS

Four Berrien and Cass county communities as well as Berrien County look to be getting state grants in 2018 to fund new parks and park improvements. News came earlier this month that Berrien County as well as four municipalities have been recommended to get funding from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.
The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund board recommended a total of $40.3 million worth of park and recreation projects around the state in early December. The recommendations will now be taken up by the legislature for action in the first quarter of 2018.
In Southwest Michigan, five projects got the green light for funding. Berrien County is slated to receive an acquisition grant to acquire acreage adjacent to Love Creek County Park in Berrien Center, while Hagar and Oronoko Townships received development grants to establish new parks and recreation areas.
Meanwhile, the city of Dowagiac and Ontwa Township near Edwardsburg are in line to get development grants to pay for a new park in Dowagiac and a new trail in Ontwa Township.
The Hagar Township project will develop the Riverside Kayak Park with $300,000 from the trust fund as well as local monies. The project includes the development of a trailhead recreation area with parking, an accessible road, a boardwalk and a kayak launch to connect people to the Paw Paw River.
The 112-acre parcel will also see other improvements such as restroom facilities, picnic tables and grills and a pavilion. The goal of the project is to provide people with access to the area’s natural resources, support paddling enthusiast and create a new recreation area. It is also expected to enhance economic development in the township.
The Love Creek County Park expansion project is expected to be boosted with a $56,000 grant from the trust fund’s acquisition funds. The money along with a local match will be used to acquire over 12 additional acres adjacent to the county park.
“This funding will provide for the acquisition of adjoining land at Love Creek County Park and allow us to expand our ski, biking and hiking trails in a truly beautiful and unique area of Berrien County,” Berrien County Parks Commission Chairman Dick Schinkel said.
“We are very fortunate that the property owner is willing to work with us on the grant process and understands the importance of this adjoining land becoming part of Love Creek County Park,” Love Creek Chief Naturalist Kip Miller said.
The Oronoko Township grant will help the township develop a new recreational area adjacent to the township’s public safety building on Snow Road. The township is being recommended to get $278,000 from the state and match it with local monies. It was the second time in as many years that the township had submitted its grant application for the park.
Township officials tweaked the grant application to emphasize the new 20-acre recreational park also being a trailhead for future trail projects. The project will include two football/soccer fields, parking and a trailhead for a new regional trail.
“From a regional point of view, hopefully now that we are approved for a trailhead location, it will move the conversation of connecting Niles and Berrien Springs and eventually to St. Joseph and Benton Harbor,” Oronoko Township Supervisor Mike Hildebrand said.
“From a local point of view, this park is going to be a centerpiece for the Recreation program in Berrien Springs,” he added. “The eventual relocation of all of the recreational fields into a single location, with centralized parking, restrooms and concessions will really enhance the Recreation program. We want this park to be a source of pride for the community.”
Dowagiac city officials were one for two with their grant requests this year. A resubmitted request to fund improvements at Rudy Park was again rejected while a new request for funding to develop a new park on Cass Avenue received preliminary approval for funding.
Dowagiac City Manager Kevin Anderson called the Cass Avenue park a “great” project for that neighborhood and for the city as a whole. The $175,000 grant from the state will be combined with $70,000 in local funds to pay for a fishing platform, a small parking lot and landscaping. The property is adjacent to Dowagiac Creek and across the street from the Creekside Church.
“This park will be a trailhead,” Anderson said. “In the future, we want to continue the trail along the creek and connect it to Riverside Drive, Rudolphi Park and to the trail system at Southwestern Michigan College.”
Ontwa Township is slated to receive $40,000 in state funds to help fund the development of the Edwardsburg Connector Path. The project calls for the development of a 10-foot-wide non-motorized pathway along the north side of U.S. 12 from the Village of Edwardsburg to the Edwardsburg Sports Complex.
The Connector Path would allow safe, non-motorized travel from the Edwardsburg school system and the Village’s existing network of walkways to the walking/running trails, playgrounds, and athletic fields at the Sports Complex.
Overall, the projects around the state recommended for funding in 2018 include expanded access to fishing destinations, additional snowmobile and multi-use trail easements to give people broader access, facility and playground improvements, new trails and connectors and wildlife and habitat enhancement projects.
The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund was established in 1976 to support public acquisition of lands for conservation and outdoor recreation as well as public outdoor recreation development projects. The fund is financed through interest earned on funds derived from the development of public owned minerals such as oil and natural gas.
Over the years, the trust fund has granted more than $1 billion to state and local units of government to fund projects in all 83 Michigan counties.