Benton Township is looking for public input on plans for a new neighborhood park in the Benton Heights neighborhood. There’s an open meeting coming up Tuesday, May 6 to gather citizen comment and suggestions. Here is the full update on the meeting, from Benton Township officials:
Benton Charter Township with assistance from the Berrien Community Foundation landed a $1 million Michigan Department of Natural Resources Spark Grant to create a fun, family-friendly park in the Benton Heights neighborhood (located near the intersection of Euclid and Laurel avenues behind the former Martindale Elementary School). There currently are no public parks in Benton Heights but there are more than a thousand adults and children within walking distance.
Plans for the new park which will transform a vacant lot owned by the township into a 10-acre park. There will be a playground, pavilion, walking trail, benches, sidewalks and a parking lot. There is also room to possibly expand the park to include other features such as a splash pad and sporting fields or courts. The design and location of the park came directly from community input, which was gathered during several community events and through an online survey organized by a partnership between New Heights CCDA, Benton Charter Township and Berrien Community Foundation.
Now as plans are being finalized, the residents have another opportunity to give input. New Heights CCDA in collaboration with Benton Charter Township and the Berrien Community Foundation will be hosting an open house on Tuesday, May 6th from 5:45 to 7:45 PM at First Church Benton Heights at 990 North Euclid Avenue, Benton Harbor.
The Township’s consultants, MCSA Group, will be there to share the planned park layout and ask for input on playground design options. The community’s input will help guide the final decision for the playground equipment. At this event, there will be a free dinner available at 6:00 pm served by the SWMI Newcomers Club. This is an open house type event, so please feel free to come by anytime between 5:45 and 7:45. If residents cannot attend, the Township is also offering an online survey which can be found here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/euclidavepark.
For more information, please contact Marcy Hamilton at hamiltonm@swmpc.org or 269-925-1137 x1525.
