COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A resolution was passed by the Coldwater City Council on Monday night which authorizes the city to apply for a $150,000 Michigan D.N.R. grant that would support the renovation of Optimist Park.
City Manager Keith Baker said in his memo to the Council that the city is interested in upgrading Optimist Park for its residents and adjacent Pansophia Charter School Academy.
According to Baker, the land for the park was acquired in 1988 from a portion of the former Shaw Shoe factory site.
A donation was received from the Optimist Club of Coldwater for the initial construction of the playground. The park is about 38 years old and the renovation is supported by the City’s recently adopted five-year parks and recreation plan.
Architect Pam Blough said the D.N.R. Recreation Passport grant is something Michigan citizens help fund when they renew their drivers licenses.
The work would include the addition of two new multiple purpose sports courts, new entrance and walkways, site furnishings, site fencing and new landscaping.
A condition of the grant is a 50 percent local match and financial commitment from the City. Baker is proposing the city use a portion of the State’s 2026 cannabis tax revenue allocation and a previously received memorial donation to match the grant funds.
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