Isabella County Parks hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at Herrick Recreation Area to celebrate the completion of the Herrick Park Playground Project. Park entrance fees were waived during the event so community members could come try the new playground for free in celebration of its Grand Opening.
The Herrick Park Playground Project was started at the end of 2022 to replace the existing playground equipment, which was over 25 years old and in need of updating, and to upgrade surrounding surfacing to improve accessibility. The new playground equipment meets current safety and accessibility standards, with a playset for ages 2-5 and a playset for ages 5-12, and includes even more fun play areas, including a two-way zipline with disc seat, plus a second two-way zipline with bucket seat and lock-in-place harness to keep kids with limited upper- or lower-body strength secure. The play surface was upgraded from sand to engineered wood fiber, a more accessible play surface.
In addition to new play equipment and surfacing, new concrete was poured to provide paved access from surrounding sidewalks to the playground. New concrete parking pads were also poured in the gravel parking lot nearest to the playground to further improve accessibility.
“We are so proud of this beautiful new playground, and hope that its unique, accessible features, including the zip lines, will bring a lot of joy to families in our community,” said Alexis Hansen, Director of Isabella County Parks and Recreation. “This playground project kicks off a new era for Herrick Recreation Area and has been a long time coming. We can’t wait to see how this structure positively impacts the park.”
This project was funded in part by the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe through their 2% revenue sharing distributions. The Isabella County Board of Commissioners, Isabella County Parks and Recreation Commission Board, and the Isabella County Parks Staff would like to extend their sincere gratitude for the generous support of the Tribe in making this project possible. Thank you also to GameTime, the playground manufacturer, for providing support through their Playground Champions matching funds grant program.
