5 West Michigan Parks Are Receiving Big Face Lifts Thanks To Gov. Whitmer and the Michigan DNR

Parks are an important part of any community, and we're all very lucky that Michigan offers so many community green spaces for free to all of us. But, those parks still need a little TLC from year to year so we can continue to enjoy them for generations.

That's why Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have announced that they have approved funding for 13 projects across the state that will improve parks. According to the release from the governor's office, the 13 projects will cost an estimated $7.4 million.

They will be covered by grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This fund was established in the summer of 2020, and uses tax dollars from energy development to support national parks, wildlife refuges, and recreation areas across the country.

Which parks in West Michigan will be getting a renovation?

There are four parks in Western Michigan that will be receiving part of this grant, totaling over $2 million dollars of the total $7 million to be rewarded.

They include Lexington Green Park in Kalamazoo County, which is receiving the largest part of the fund: $500,000.

Hale Park in Ionia County, is receiving $382,000 in funding. The Fred Meijer Trail Hub Project, will receive $465,400.

Dr. Lawless International Dark Sky Park in Cass County, which is also one of only two international dark sky parks in Michigan, will get $428,600. The Ottawa Sands Day-Use Restroom in Ottawa County rounds out the list receiving  $242,900 in funding.

These improvements are slated to start in 2023, and it's going to be incredible to see all of the changes to come to some of Michigan's greenest spaces.