While Wall Street continues to wait and watch for the proverbial Santa Claus Rally bringing joy to the financial markets at the end of the year, Phoenix Street continues to enjoy a great Christmas season with word of yet another major grant approval this morning that will help pave the way for a rejuvenated Kids’ Corner play structure in the city.
Just days after learning that the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund had given the green light to the nearly $2.3-million acquisition of a 47-acre property adjacent to Pilgrim Haven Natural Area with approximately 1,000 feet of frontage on Lake Michigan to expand that area, the City of South Haven was notified today that it has been recommended for approval to receive a Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) development grant in the amount of $275,000.00, which the City will match in an equal amount of $275,000.
Leathers & Associates was the original designer for the 1988 Kids’ Corner wooden play structure. The city intends to replace the existing structure with a new Leathers & Associates’ play structure made of composite material for sustainability and low maintenance while staying within the original design as much as possible. That decision was based on recommendations from representatives of Leathers & Associates, Abonmarche, and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) after inspection, and ultimately determined that the existing structure is functionally obsolete and nonconforming with National Safety Standards.
City staff will work with the Parks Commission to proceed with the process to determine a final design.
A formal grant offer will be made in the form of a project agreement after Grants Management receives formal approval from the National Park Service.
The LWCF program is a federal program administered by the United States Department of Interior’s National Park Service and implemented by the DNR Grants Management Section.
