Muskegon County’s Rotary Park One Step Closer To Grant Funding For Accessible Playground, Waterfront Improvements

Andrew Trzaska | December 10, 2011

Thursday’s county board meeting brought good news for the newly created Rotary Park adjacent to Heritage Landing.

One of two major hurdles for a $150,000 grant was recently cleared; the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund tentatively approved granting the funds. If state legislature approval is achieved the money would be used for a fishing pier, canoe and kayak access and a highly-accessible playground and bathrooms.

According to michigan.gov, the Trust Fund was established in 1976 to, among other things, “purchase land or rights in land for public recreation or protection of land because of its environmental importance or its scenic beauty”. It is highly funded by the revenues received from the state’s oil and gas industries.

Situated between the Muskegon Family YMCA and Heritage Landing, Rotary Park was purchased by the county from the YMCA with aid of the Muskegon Rotary earlier this year. It currently stands as Muskegon County’s most recently developed park.By sharing a border with Heritage Landing, expands the scope of the festival ground, which is also county-owned.

The playground, termed “barrier-free” for having minimal obstructions to those with limited mobility.

County board chairman and district 1 commissioner Ken Mahoney announced the grant’s progress at Thursday’s full board meeting.