Eaton County -

EATON COUNTY PARKS OPENS NEW FACILITY

The Eaton County Parks Department held a Grand Opening at the new restroom/concessions building and shelter at Fox Memorial Park on Tuesday, May 20, 2008. Along with the new building there have been several additional improvements that park users will quickly notice. The park recently added a new fishing/observation deck for wheel chair access and a new walkway for people to access the swimming area along with new park benches.

These improvements were completed by developing partnerships with various organizations and utilizing several grants. Thanks to the overwhelming support of the Eaton County Board of Commissioners, the Parks Department was able to fund the matching part of our grants.

The majority of funding for this project came from a grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board and the Capital Region Community Foundation. Between these two groups, the Eaton County Parks Department was able to secure over $310,000 toward the improvement project. Additional funding for the project was provided by the Friends of Eaton County Parks and the Barry-Eaton Chapter of Thrivent for Lutherans.

The vision for this project was developed by the Eaton County Parks Commission and fully supported by the Eaton County Board of Commissioners. Both government bodies recognized the need for providing additional universally accessible facilities for Eaton County and the importance of outdoor recreational activities to all our citizens. Everyone is encouraged to come out and see what a wonderful addition these new offerings have made for the citizens of Eaton County.

Assisting in the ribbon cutting ceremony are (pictured from left to right)  Rob Sherman DLZ, Dave Laux of Laux Construction, Eric Dean Parks Commission Chair, Larry Emery Parks Commission Vice-Chair, Brady Harrington Drain Commissioner, Harlan MacDowell County Commissioner, Mike Hosey County Commissioner, Jeanne Wright County Commissioner, Denise Clarke County Commissioner, Leo Farhat County Commissioner, Art Luna County Commissioner, and in the back row is Tim Lamoreaux Parks Commissioner and Shane Powers Parks Commissioner.