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St. Clair Shores council OKs $50,000 local match, seeks state Recreation Passport funds to renovate Civic Ice Arena restrooms
Summary
The council adopted a resolution authorizing a $50,000 city match for a $150,000 Recreation Passport grant application to renovate and add a universal-access restroom at the Civic Ice Arena; Parks director and a resident spoke during the public hearing.
The St. Clair Shores City Council voted unanimously Monday to authorize a $50,000 local match as part of a $150,000 Recreation Passport grant application to renovate restrooms at the Civic Ice Arena and add a universal-access bathroom.
Parks and Recreation Director Matt Spinazzola told the council the city will apply for the Recreation Passport grant to renovate the arena restrooms and include a universal-access restroom this year to increase the project's point score in the competitive program. "We're gonna be applying for, with your blessing, Recreation Passport grant, to renovate the restrooms at the Gardens, arena inside Civic Ice Arena," he said.
The resolution of authorization, moved by Councilmember Frederick and supported by Councilmember Karen, passed without objection. Mayor Walby and Councilmembers Karen, Frederick, Roussy and Vitale voted in favor.
Nut graf: The Recreation Passport program, administered through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and funded in part through the state's Natural Resources Trust Fund, provides competitive grants for local recreation facility improvements. The council's action authorizes the city to provide the required local match to pursue a $150,000 award; if received, the grant plus local funds would make the total project about $200,000.
In a short public comment during the hearing, resident David Deacon questioned using Recreation Passport funds for arena bathrooms, saying he had expected the funds to support state-managed parks: "Maybe somebody can explain to me how you can tap into DNR money for a city project," Deacon asked. Spinazzola and Councilmember Roussy explained that the Recreation Passport includes a local public recreation facilities fund intended for community facilities and that some DNR funding is a pass-through matched in part by federal sources. Roussy stated, "it's part of the Natural Resources Trust Fund created by the state legislature... designated specifically for local facilities such as our civic arena or other of our public parks."
Spinazzola described two possible locations for the universal restroom: converting the current skate-rental area in the arena lobby and relocating rental services, or expanding the existing Gardens restrooms outward. He said the city will obtain two engineer budget estimates and choose a preferred design after review. Planned upgrades include touchless faucets and soap dispensers, accessible sinks and stalls, quiet-flush toilets, tactical signage and barrier-free-compliant stalls.
City staff said the Recreation Passport scoring rubric favors universal-access features, which is why the feature was added to strengthen the application. They noted the city has applied for similar DNR-administered grants previously for skate parks, lighting and other park improvements.
The council was told notification of grant decisions typically comes in late fall; staff said applicants may receive requests for additional information or minor revisions earlier in the review process.
Ending: With the resolution adopted, staff will finalize the application and return to council if additional local approvals or budget adjustments are needed. The council's agenda packet noted the match commitment and schematic options will be refined after engineer cost estimates are received.
