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Berrien County Parks wins chamber honor; Silver Beach playground equipment largely installed, opening planned before Memorial Day
Summary
The Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber presented the Berrien County Parks Department with an inaugural Community Place Weeking award for the Silver Beach Playground. Parks staff gave commissioners an update showing most equipment installed, a $1.25 million project budget, and an opening target before Memorial Day, weather permitting.
The Berrien County Parks Department received an inaugural Community Place Weeking award from the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber on April 3, and staff told commissioners the Silver Beach Playground is largely installed and on track for an opening before Memorial Day, weather permitting.
Sarah Swinels of the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber presented the award and said the chamber and meeting attendees selected the parks project as the recipient. "We're incredibly excited to be here to present the award to the Berrien County Parks Department," Swinels said.
Jill of the Berrien County Parks Department, who accepted the award on behalf of her team, provided a construction update. She said playground equipment was delivered Feb. 17 and that contractor work through March produced rapid progress. "Most of the equipment will be installed by the end of this week," Jill said, while noting that final items and the poured-in-place accessible safety surfacing remain dependent on suitable weather.
Project cost and funding: staff said the total project budget is $1,250,000.00. A SPARK grant covered $850,000 of that amount. Of the remaining roughly $400,000, parks staff told the board that the gap was filled through a combination of local grants, private donations, the parks department budget and savings achieved via a demolition partnership with the Village of Eau Claire.
Staff said the site’s accessible safety surfacing cannot be installed until weather conditions meet manufacturer requirements. Until then, the structure remains inside construction fencing and is not open to the public. Parks staff encouraged residents to view progress from outside the fencing and said the department will announce the official opening date when the project is complete.
Commissioners and other officials praised the parks staff. Commissioner Harrison noted the award was chosen by a vote of meeting attendees at the chamber’s annual meeting, calling it "a resounding admiration of the work done by the staff." Board members highlighted the roles of specific parks employees in design and construction oversight.
The parks department identified staff involved in the project as Matt Carlson, Alex Lockwitz, Jason Field, Genevieve Graves and Sue Patzer (Patzer not present at the meeting).
