Improvements and new features are coming to Ira Township and Ira Parks and Recreation. In 2022, Ira Township purchased a 99-acre parcel near its existing municipal park, which spans from Short Cut Road to M-29. The township is working with the Community Foundation of St. Clair County and consultants Kim Harmer and Nancy Winzer for design and engineering.
“They feel like this is a perfect situation that we could receive funding for all of the improvements we’d like to make to open that property to the public and also preserve it,” Ira Township Recreation Director Cindy Babisz said.
“It is a very pristine piece of property,” Ira Township Supervisor Jim Endres added. “It has never had any development on the northern half of it. I’ve lived in the township all my life and it’s always been wooded. Swan Creek runs through it, so we’re looking to do (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant kayak, canoe launches, maybe some hunting stands, bike path, mountain bike path, walking trails — so it is a very, very beautiful piece of property that we were fortunate enough to acquire.”
Other items on the township’s wish list for the property include a ropes course, an ADA tree house, pavilion areas and an indoor/outdoor archery range. A botanical survey and a Flood Hazard Layer report have been done on the property, Babisz said. Endres added that the Community Foundation of St. Clair County has been a big help with the property and that it helps smaller communities develop their parks and recreation and apply for different grants. The township also recently installed two playscapes, one for older kids and one for younger kids, at its municipal park thanks to a grant.
Babisz said township officials were applying for a Michigan Department of Natural Resources Spark Grant, and in the meantime, mParks, the Michigan Recreation and Park Association, reached out via email.
“They had some sessions in Livonia that were available about grant writing, I signed up and through that that morphed into a grant for playscapes and it was a statewide initiative through GameTime, St. Clair Recreation and mParks and a PlayCore national research project,” Babisz said. “So long story short, they would give grant monies for playscapes, new playscapes, and it would be used to do reports and surveys of the impact of the playscapes for children, for health, outdoor benefits and inclusion.”
She said the previous playscapes were from the ‘90s and were in good shape but starting to see some deterioration. Endres said the people who use the park love the new playscapes, which were opened in mid to late May. The grant was a 50/50 match grant and the township received an $82,500 match for its funds.
“The township did approve some extras for surfacing and installation,” Babisz noted.
Upcoming new features
Babisz said the township has also been looking into getting a giant Christmas tree and decided to make the purchase.
“It was perfect timing, because Holiday Outdoor Décor that we’ve been working with and talking to had a sale, 35% off, so township was able to purchase a 26-foot tree that was originally $26,000 for only $16,939 — $9,000 discount,” she said. Endres said the tree will be a “very nice addition” to the Ira Township complex and will be placed near the front of the offices.
“It’s something that the township had talked about for many, many years,” he said. “Cindy and through parks and rec, they’ve done a phenomenal job of lighting over in the township park with trees and the pavilions and everything else and up here we’ve always decorated the three trees, but we’re going to really throw the switch this year, put on a big show.”
Babisz said the township has a tree lighting each year and that before COVID-19, attendees would go into the fire hall for activities.
“After COVID, we had like a drive thru event, and that’s when we transitioned to try to do it in the park outdoors, which was nice, but there’s still a few missing gaps so this is going to bring it home,” she said. “We’re going to have the crafts and the cocoa and the photos with Santa in the fire hall again, the tree lighting and still decorate the park. So we’re very excited about that.”
Babisz said the tree will go up in November and the township will start decorating and preparing it for the tree lighting on Dec. 1.
Additionally, the township is preparing to break ground on some pickleball courts and hope to have them finished by late fall.
“We’re very, very excited about this addition to our parks and recreation and this is something we’ve been discussing for quite a few years,” Endres said.
The township’s engineering firm, Project Control Engineering, designed the courts, and the township awarded the bid to Cortis Brothers Trucking and Excavating Inc. There will be three regulation-sized pickleball courts right off of the municipal parking lot. Babisz said all ages play pickleball and that the township hopes to host leagues, tournaments and classes for beginners.
“It’s going to tie into our parks and recreation program, between the disc golf, playscapes, everything else,” Endres said. “Parks and rec in Ira Township is growing and our leadership through Cindy is phenomenal.”
“This truly is a team here,” Babisz said. She said a future goal that she has for the township is installing a small splash pad.
“We’re very excited about all the upcoming events and opportunities here in the township for parks and recreation and just for people to gather and use the pavilions over there and the new playscapes,” Endres said. “We’re very blessed to have the programs we have through Cindy and her leadership and the beautiful park, the wooded trails and everything else so we hope with this 100-acre piece that we bought we can continue walking paths and everything else. It’s just absolutely stunning when you get back along Swan Creek to be able to walk there and enjoy the woods would really be advantageous.” Babisz said the park and the trails are “indescribable” and that walking through the trails is “rejuvenating.”
“There’s a lot of fun activities and exciting things happening here in the township, not only parks and rec, but we’ve got quite a few other projects going on, infrastructure wise and whatnot, so we’re moving forward in a great direction and we really appreciate the support of all the residents,” Endres said.
Source: https://www.voicenews.com/2024/08/01/ira-township-sees-improvements-new-features/