COLDWATER – City Council members approved a final conceptual design for the reconstruction of Rotary Park during a work session Aug. 12.
Leisure architect Pam Blough will now finalise construction plans for a tender in October. It is hoped that work on Phase 1 can start in January and be completed in July.
The recent overhaul was necessary because a large building on the recently acquired 1.8-acre property at 695 West Chicago Street, just east of the park, could not be saved.
“The city had hoped to maybe reuse it, but the interior condition is so bad that it wasn’t financially viable,” Blough said.
By demolishing the buildings, the architect can use the upper level for more public parking and trailer parking.
The city will build a retaining wall between the upper and lower levels with a slightly inclined access to the new boat ramp.
According to Blough, Phase 1 includes:
- The new entrance
- New upper parking lot
- New parking lot at the boat ramp
- The new double concrete boat ramp
- A new toilet building
- All Utilities
- A boat wash to remove invasive weeds and materials
The city council approved the purchase of a double modular toilet last month.
Blough will return next week with a final design and submit final documents by Sept. 10. The city could solicit bids and then award the contract in October.
The city will submit an application for a permit to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy in September, but work cannot begin until it is approved.
Depending on the weather, work on the boat ramps in the canal will begin in March.
Purchasing the new property for $250,000 will allow the city to move the park’s entrance east, away from the current steep and dangerous entrance at the U.S. 12 bridge.
The city wants to use the easternmost entrance for safety reasons and has the right to keep all three current entrances, but the Michigan Department of Transportation wants a change in initial discussions.
Blough said MDOT wants a single wide entrance directly across the street from the Willows Bar driveway.
The architect would prefer to keep the easternmost entrance.
Mayor Tom Kramer suggested that some people with large boats and trailers could test the east entrance to see how it works.
The city will complete Phase 2 on the east side of the Coldwater River next year. This phase includes a pavilion, boardwalks, fishing piers, a kayak launch and nature trails south to where the Sauk River empties into Messenger Lake.
By December 1, the city will learn whether its application submitted to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in April will receive a $400,000 grant for the $700,000 Phase 2 project.
If the city does not receive the grant, the council will consider completing Phase 2 using only city funds by late fall 2025.
Previous story Expansion of Rotary Park divided into three phases
Blough said the actual costs would not be known until the bids were opened.
Coldwater will fund the Rotary Park projects from its share of Michigan’s marijuana tax revenue. A special fund currently holds $1.1 million. Last March, Coldwater received $649,949 from the state’s marijuana tax fund and expects to receive at least the same amount next March.
Phase 3 now includes the expansion of the Gathering of Flags Memorial and driveway at Oak Grove Cemetery on the west side.
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Because work on 21 to 23 boat slips and parking areas on the west side of the river has been postponed to Phase 4, the city is postponing implementation until at least 2026.
Contact Don Reid: [email protected]
