Hillsdale County to seek DNR grant for park work

Hillsdale County’s greatest kept secret is arguably the abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation whether it be its lakes, kayaking the St. Joseph River or hiking the North County Trail that runs through the county.

The Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners is seeking to improve its park systems beginning with planned work to Lewis Emery Park where the parks commission is working to apply for a Department of Natural Resources grant to fund an ADA compliant dock space with anti-erosion banks, dredge a few of the ponds and make the walking trails ADA compliant.

Commissioner Doug Ingles informed the board of commissioners about the front-end work being done with the hope of applying for the grant in April 2022 and said the work is spelled out in the park’s five-year master recreation plan which was recently approved by the commissioners.

Ingles said the parks trustee committee is currently getting estimates for pricing on proposed DNR grant projects and is hopeful for approval of the grant by the fall of 2022.

“These DNR grants we are applying for require a local match from 10-25-percent depending on the DNR grant received,” Ingles said in a follow-up interview.

The Hillsdale County Recreation Plan spans 2021-2025 and serves as a guideline to improve recreation facilities and develop new recreational opportunities.

While the proposed work is spread out over five county maintained parks, the bulk of the proposed work in the recreation plan will take place at Lewis Emery Park—the counties biggest park at 98 acres.

The proposed work has been prioritized and includes increased security, rebuilding the waterfall at Lewis Emery Park and infrastructure work at Lewis Emery Park.

The county previously used a Proposal D Recreation Grant to build the community building at Lewis Emery Park.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Hillsdale County to seek DNR grant for park work