BARK RIVER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WZMQ) – Last summer the Delta Menominee County Heart of the North Lions Club was hard at work raising funds to make the park in Bark River more accessible for kids with disabilities. Some of the details of the project have changed over the past year, but the mission remains the same.
The Lions Club originally planned to replace most of the dated equipment in the Bark River park with more accessible equipment for children of all abilities.
“When we tried to put it in here, we found out there’s not enough land available to fit it,” said Lions Club charter member Jane Lanaville. “Plus, there’s so many different rules attached to the inclusiveness. We would’ve had to build a parking lot, so many things we would’ve had to change here, and we can’t do that.”
As a result, the project has been moved to the Bark River Township Recreation Complex park. Some of the existing equipment is being moved around, but everything will stay intact as the inclusive park is added on.
“We have a 5,400-pound climbing lion,” Lanaville said. “We have an inclusive whirl where they can back their wheelchairs onto them and they can still spin. We also have a regular whirl where you can stand, sit, or kneel, and sensory panels where you can decompress. We have an inclusive swing where they can be strapped in safely, a generation swing where a parent or another sibling can ride with a child, bucket swings. Two different spring riders.”
The design also includes a sidewalk that leads to indoor-outdoor flooring.
“The flooring is perfect for anybody who’s got a wheelchair, crutches, anybody really because it’s going to be nice and smooth and spongey,” Lanaville explained. “The flooring will be under everything except for the four regular swings and then the two spring riders. Those will be in chips, but it’s a manufactured chip, not regular wood chips.”
Despite the change of plans, the original park has not been forgotten by the Lions.
“We’re going to put a piece in that was donated by Holy Name School,” said Lanaville. “We’re going to redo the swings, we’ve hired someone to come and look at the spiral slide so we can update that, and we’re looking at possibly three other pieces to put in in the future.”
The $150,000 project was largely made possible through fundraising efforts, donations, and a $66,000 grant from the Lions Club International. The Delta Menominee County Heart of the North Lions Club is currently raising money online through Patronicity for additional equipment. Their goal is to raise $46,000 and earn a matching grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
As crews prepare to begin stalling the new equipment next Thursday, Lanaville says the Lions Club is looking forward to making play safer and more accessible for every child.
“The one thing we noticed is there’s not really an inclusive park close by,” she said. “This is a good start. I just expect to hear lots of laughter and fun.”
Click here to donate to the Patronicity fundraiser. Anyone interested in volunteering to help with installation can text or call (906) 241-4686 or email kellyjeanhanson@hotmail.com. For questions about the park projects, contact Township Supervisor Matt Hanson at (906) 466-7422.
