Muskegon Heights: Mona Lake Park Will Be Ready For Full Use in 2014

Andrew Trzaska | March 12, 2013

“Look forward to 2o14”.

Muskegon Heights mayor Darrell Paige and city manager Natasha Henderson commented on the ongoing construction at Mona Lake Park,

The work happening right now is the second of three planned stages of construction at the park, much of which is visible from Seaway Drive. Basketball hoops, fences, concrete and other items have been uprooted from the ground, preparing it for new fields to be developed this year.

The city received grant money in two stages over the past several years for the project, leading to the segmented nature of work. Improvements in the first stage included restroom improvements and an upgraded boat launch. Second stage work is much more visible, as existing athletic fields and apparatuses are being torn out and the land re-graded. New fields will be developed but the number for each sport and the location of each field will change.

The city applied for a grant for its planned third stage, but the grant has not yet been awarded. The third stage would include the creation of an amphitheatre and improvements to the existing pavilion. If awarded, the money would be used at a future time, beyond 2013.

At Monday’s city council meeting, city manager Natasha Henderson shared that the contract for the work ended up being awarded to Muskegon Quality Builders, a firm based in Muskegon Heights.

Henderson also stated that the current stage of park renewal would see a completion this year:

“It will be in use this year, but it will be later,” said Henderson. “It depends on the weather too in terms of completion time frame.”

Unfortunately, it will be after little league season, which councilman Vernonell Smith asked about Monday.  Smith indicated that some community members were currently working on reviving the Muskegon Heights little league program, and were interested in the park’s estimated completion date.

Mayor Paige appeared pleased at Monday’s meeting regarding the progress on the park.

“We’ve been talking about it for some time, and now we can actually see it happen,” said Paige.