Good news to start the New Year! Southeast Michigan communities were recently awarded more than $8 million from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to improve their parks and trails. With this funding, more than $3 million will help develop and improve the region’s existing recreational assets, while nearly $5 million will help acquire and develop new park land.
Clinton Township received $175,000 from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to acquire additional recreation land at George George Park.
Of the 21 projects selected for funding throughout the region, six will provide more access to water recreation with new paddling launches, fishing sites, and improvements along public waterfronts. In several other places, the region’s network of walking and biking trails continues to grow and make new connections between neighborhoods, businesses, and parks. Many facilities are also becoming more universally accessible, with improvements being made on everything from playground equipment to trail surfaces to restrooms. These projects help implement many of SEMCOG’s regional plans, and will also help achieve the goal of the Parks and Recreation Task Force.
Are you interested in seeing improvements like these in your community? Learn more about how to take advantage of these funding opportunities at an upcoming SEMCOG University, where DNR staff will lead a workshop on their various grant programs. Interested communities and stakeholders are encouraged to attend and learn best practices for developing and submitting applications for funding. This workshop will provide information on:
- The basics for each DNR recreation grant program and what’s new for each in 2019.
- Criteria for eligibility, competitiveness, and project evaluation.
- How to submit an application through DNR’s MiRecGrants system.
The workshop will be held at SEMCOG on Wednesday, January 23, from 10 a.m.-noon. Please register here to attend.
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