PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A comprehensive five-year plan is in the works for the Plainfield Township's neighborhood parks aimed at modernization and accessibility.
The plan is "looking at all of our park systems and modernizing them and bringing them up to speed for ADA accessibility in our bathrooms, in our walkways, our trails," said Joe Ketchum, the township's facilities and assets manager. "A lot of our facilities were built in the 1990s and haven't been upgraded significantly since."
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I went looking for a township family and found the Howes, one dad and three kids, at Versluis Park off Northland Drive.
"They wanted to play, and this one wanted to fish, and so I said, I know the place," said dad Seth.
Big brother Crew told me he liked to play with his little sister, Jolene, and even littler brother. But his real love seemed to be fishing. Jolene said she liked to play with her brothers and watch Crew while he fished. Sure enough, out came a fishing rod and they were all soon on the park platform over the water.
This community sentiment aligns with the objectives of the new plan, which aims to create specific goals for park development, including modernizing existing facilities, ensuring equitable access to green spaces, and making all facilities accessible to everyone.
Ketchum also highlighted the need to adapt to changing demographics, noting the township is "becoming older and more diverse."
Ketchum encouraged public involvement.
"The public can help with our 5-year master plan right now... This is a comment period where they can add comments for specifically if they would like to see a dog park or a splash pad, whatever kind of improvements they want to see in the park system."
Plainfield Township is home to 17 parks, ranging from less than an acre to 134 acres. Residents have until September 11 to provide their feedback on the proposed improvements.
For more information on the park improvement plan and to submit comments, visit the township's website.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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