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Boyne City commission approves city‑led $376,000 DNR trust fund grant application for skate park
Summary
The commission authorized the city to apply for a $376,000 Michigan DNR Trust Fund grant to build a skate park; the user group says it can provide the required 25% match and commissioners agreed the city will administer the grant if funded.
The Boyne City Commission voted to authorize the city to serve as applicant for a Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Trust Fund grant to build a community skate park, approving a project budget estimate of $376,000 and allowing the skate park user group to prepare the application materials in collaboration with city staff.
Greg Vadne, vice president of the skate park user group and a long‑serving member of the Parks & Rec board, told commissioners the project has been in planning for years and that the group has secured cash and in‑kind support to meet the 25% match requirement. "This would take care of the basically entire budget for the building of the skatepark," Vadne said during his presentation. Staff summarized the grant program as providing 75% of eligible project costs with a 25% local match.
Commissioners asked about liability and administrative responsibilities if the grant is awarded. One commissioner stressed that because the application will be submitted under the city’s name, "our staff will be administering the contract and the performance requirements for the DNR," and that contract administration could require some city oversight. Vadne said the user group expects to perform most of the application work and much of the project coordination; commissioners also noted the group has fundraising events planned to close the local share.
The commission discussed the city’s expected role in contract administration and ongoing maintenance; staff said future maintenance costs would be modest compared with other facilities and that the city’s general liability coverage would apply to a city‑owned park. The motion directing staff to act as applicant and to authorize city staff to submit grant materials passed on a roll call vote with the commission unanimous in favor.
Next steps: the skate park user group and city staff will finalize application materials and submit the DNR Trust Fund application. If the grant is awarded, staff said the city would administer the grant contract and the commission would be notified of any material contract or budget decisions.
