Adrian seeks Michigan DNR Recreation Passport grant for Heritage Park improvements

ADRIAN — With support from the Adrian City Commission, Adrian’s Parks and Recreation Department submitted a Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Recreation Passport grant March 18 for the construction of bathrooms and shaded areas at the Heritage Park pickleball courts and the renovation of the Heritage Park softball pavilion bathrooms.

If the city is awarded funding from the statewide grant, and if the proposed work is completed, it “will be a benefit to the community,” according to language from the city commission's resolution it supported on behalf of the parks and recreation department during last week’s meeting.

The Recreation Passport grant will award a maximum of $150,000 — with a 25% required match, which would cost the city $37,500 — and a minimum of $7,500. Grant applications are due to the state on or before April 1.

The proposed bathroom at the pickleball courts would replace the portable toilets used during normal pickleball hours. The facility would be accessible according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), according to information supplied to the commission by Jeremiah Davies, parks and recreation director.

Along with the bathroom facility, a shaded gathering area such as a pavilion near the pickleball courts also is being proposed for construction if the city is awarded grant funding.

The concession stand and bathrooms at Heritage Park’s softball fields also are targeted for repair with the DNR grant funds.

The DNR passport grant's objective is to provide funding to local governmental units for the development of public recreation facilities. This can include the development of new facilities and the renovation of old facilities, according to michigan.gov.

Now that the city has approved the passport grant for submission it will go through the application process including evaluation by DNR staff, recommendation by DNR staff to the DNR director and approval of the grant application by the director.

Bohn Pool getting in shape for 2024 summer

City officials are hopeful that Bohn Pool will see a successful summer swimming season in 2024.

After a couple of years in a row with malfunctioning equipment and delayed periods throughout the swimming schedule at Bohn Pool, the city is waiting for the arrival of a new boiler and water filtration pump, both of which will treat the pool’s water providing for optimal swimming conditions.

A new pool vacuum also has been ordered by the city, Davies told the city commission, as has some new outdoor lounge furniture and two new basketball hoops both with clear backboards.

The Collaborative, an architectural design and planning firm with offices in Toledo and Ann Arbor, is working with Adrian on the best designs and approach for rehabbing Bohn Pool. Currently, the city is within phase one of the pool’s rehab work, which is the completion of a pool, building and site assessment. It is projected for the site assessment to be completed sometime this spring.

More: Adrian City Commission looking at phased approach to rehabbing, opening Bohn Pool in 2024

The Collaborative has been in the pool house throughout the winter and has been inspecting the current state of the facility, Davies said.

Meanwhile, staff is being hired for the summer. It should take anywhere from 35-40 people to get Bohn Pool running this summer, Davies said. Adrian Public Schools is certifying nine students who will be lifeguards at Bohn Pool as part of the district’s curriculum.

Lastly, the Frank and Shirley Dick Family YMCA Waverunners swim team is requesting to come back to Bohn Pool this summer after signing an agreement with Adrian Public Schools last year to hold its practices and its swimming meets at Adrian High School.

The Waverunners will typically use the pool for practice from 7:30 to 11 a.m., which are during times that do not restrict public access to Bohn Pool, Davies said. To have more of an available pool this summer, Bohn Pool will have extended hours, opening at noon and staying open “a little later,” Davies said.

About 85% of the youth swimmers on the Waverunners team are from Adrian, Davies said, whether they are city residents or students at Adrian Public Schools.

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Parks and recreation has completed a review of rental rates for the use of Bohn Pool during off hours by the Waverunners. The city commission also reviewed the rates and agreed for their approval last week.

Practice days for the swim team will be $100 per day plus lifeguard wages. There will be at least two home meets the Waverunners will host at Bohn Pool this summer. Rental rates during the home meets are increased to $250 per meet plus lifeguard wages.

Security camera system for city parks approved

At a work study session Feb. 5, the city commission discussed the purchase and installation of security cameras for certain city parks. Now, the city has moved forward with a proposal for making that installation a reality.

Along with a five-year licensing agreement, InaComp Technical Services Group (TSG) of Southfield will work with the city on installing the security cameras after being approved March 18 by the commission at a cost not to exceed $75,846.70, which is competitively priced per REMC Save, a state of Michigan competitive purchasing program for Michigan school districts and municipalities.

More: Adrian City Commission fields proposal for installing security cameras at four parks

The city intends to pay for the cameras and the licensing agreement through its capital equipment fund.

When it was first discussed in February, Davies and Adrian's Information Technology Director Gordon McKinney suggested the installation of 32 security cameras at four of Adrian’s most attended parks and having those cameras online and ready to go this year.

The cameras proposed for installation would be placed at various points throughout Comstock, Island, Riverside and Trestle parks. These parks were selected, Davies explained, because of the number of vandalism and crime occurrences that have been reported during past years.

— Contact reporter Brad Heineman at bheineman@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: twitter.com/LenaweeHeineman.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian seeks DNR Recreation Passport grant for Heritage Park projects