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Parks staff seek grants for Swains Lake pier and secure approval to buy towable boom lift
Summary
Jackson County’s committee approved applications for state and federal park grants to build a fishing pier at Swains Lake County Park and approved purchasing a towable boom lift, citing expected cost savings and improved response time for park maintenance.
Jackson County Parks staff told the General Government Committee on March 10 they will apply for two grants to help fund a fishing pier at Swains Lake County Park and the committee approved the department’s request to purchase a towable boom lift for park maintenance.
Parks director Kyle said the department will apply to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources trust fund grant and to the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund for the same project. He recommended seeking the maximum 50% local match for the DNR program to increase scoring chances. “If we're already doing it for one program, it's just a little extra work to submit an additional application,” Kyle said, noting the county would accept only one award and withdraw the duplicate if both were offered.
The project is included in the county’s five-year capital plan; Kyle said seeking both grants increases the county’s chances of receiving funding. Committee members voted unanimously to adopt staff’s recommendation to apply to both programs.
On equipment, parks staff recommended purchasing a towable boom lift that is in the current capital improvement budget. The department said owning the lift is more cost-effective than renting and subcontracting work. Parks staff estimated annual savings of roughly $10,000 in subcontracted tree work plus about $2,000 a year in rental costs, and said the lift would speed maintenance and improve staff safety.
Committee members asked whether the county’s road department (JDOT) or other county facilities had compatible equipment; parks staff said JDOT has a larger, more onerous machine and facilities did not budget for a lift but could share the purchase. The motion to buy the lift passed unanimously.
Why it matters: The pier project advances a parks capital priority that depends on competitive grant awards; the lift purchase is billed as a cost-saving and safety investment for park operations.
