BARK RIVER, Mich. (WZMQ) – Two parks in Bark River now have more equipment for kids, including some pieces that are inclusive for everyone.
A few years ago, the Heart of the North Lions Club set out to update the Little Highway Park.
“As we got into it, we decided to do more inclusive so that we could receive a Lions International grant,” said Club Treasurer Jane Lanaville. “After we got permission for the grant, we found out we couldn’t put it in here because there’s too many rules that we couldn’t implement to go with it.”
That turned the project into two playground updates, which have finally been completed. New equipment has been installed at the Little Highway Park, and an accessible play area has been created at the Senior Center park.
“At the Senior Center park, we added a climbing lion and a new merry-go-round that you can sit, kneel, or stand,” Lanaville said. “We’ve got inclusive memory sensory panels. We have a special merry-go-round for wheelchairs. We have a climbing cone. There’s an inclusive swing, there’s a mommy and me swing, and then two bucket swings and two slash swings. We have new rockers that have been added. The township also cleaned out the old chips in the other part that’s been there forever and updated all of that. We have memorial benches, and then of course we have picnic tables all over the place.”
The equipment isn’t just accessible for children. New surfacing allows guardians of all abilities to play with their kids.
“I was at a park in Lower Michigan and there was an inclusive swing there, but it was in tire chips,” Lanaville said. “The grandparents had to leave the wheelchair by the car and carry the grandchildren to the swing. We said, ‘That’s not good enough.’ We have indoor/outdoor grass, so they can use a wheelchair, a walker. Whatever they need, they should be able to navigate it.”
New features at the Little Highway Park include a witch’s hat, teeter-totters, new swings, an updated merry-go-round, and a play structure provided by Holy Name Catholic School.
“There’s a lot of local kids that just walk over here by themselves to play, and we wanted to add more fun for them,” said Lanaville. “We’re seeing more parents stopping in and having lunch here while they’re kids are playing. They’re going over to Massie’s and getting food. They’re enjoying the park. That was our goal the whole time, for the kids to be outside enjoying it.”
The more than $150,000 project is the result of a community effort. The Lions Club matched funds for its Lions Club International grant, crowdfunded to earn another matching grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and held fundraisers that received tremendous public support.
“The community has been great,” said Lanaville. “Different Lions Clubs have helped us, the Rotary, the Kiwanis. We had the churches coming in. People were giving us donations from memorials from funerals. We were very excited to receive all of it.”
Lanaville says it has been worth all the hard work to finally see kids enjoying the parks in new ways.
“I drive by this park twice a day,” she said. “When I come home, there’s somebody in the park. At one point, I had twelve kids I could see playing with different families here watching. I think we’ve achieved our goal. We’re very proud of it.”
To see how this project started, click here.
