WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - Renovated tennis courts, space for pickleball and improvements to walkways are coming to an Ypsilanti Township park thanks to a federal grant from the National Park Service meant to protect outdoor spaces at the local level.
The township’s Community Center Park, off East Clark Road across from the Green Oaks Golf Course, will benefit from $189,150 in funding from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, according to the office of U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn.
The money will help the township update tennis courts which have fallen into disrepair, as well as put in some pickleball courts and a rain garden, said Ypsilanti Township Residential Services Director Mike Hoffmeister.
The funds, along with a matching amount contributed by the township, will also help with work on accessible walkways and landscaping in the park, with the construction likely taking place in 2023, Hoffmeister said.
“The Community Center Park in Ypsilanti Township has long been a place where family and friends have come together to enjoy the great outdoors,” Dingell, who represents the area in Washington, said in a statement. “With this federal funding, we will ensure our neighbors have access to renovated amenities and opportunities to take part in an array of recreational activities.”
The National Park Service has directed more than 40,000 similar grants to states and local communities since 1965, according to Dingell’s office. The money in the fund comes from investments of earnings from offshore oil and gas leases, which are then funneled to recreation and conservation areas across the country.
The township park is already home to a $500,000 skate park opened in 2020 with funding from a pair of national foundations and the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission.
Read more: Tony Hawk Foundation breaks ground on skatepark in Ypsilanti Township
The planned improvements to the park will complement that facility, as well as the current baseball diamonds, according to township Supervisor Brenda Stumbo.
“Investing in recreation increases opportunities for communities to come together and celebrate the parks and outdoors as we are coming out of the pandemic,” she said in a statement, thanking Dingell and the township’s federal representatives.
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