Parks and wrecks
Another front-pager tackling some issues in the realm of parks and recreation. Doing backflips off a swing-set is a sport, right?
[caption id="attachment_818" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Rusted out chain-link swings at Kekoose Park in Hillsdale."]
The city of Hillsdale and Hillsdale Township are currently collaborating on a five-year joint recreation plan that they hope to have completed by the end of the year.
The plan will create eligibility for funding for future development of parks and recreational facilities within the community and set short-term and long-term goals for renovations and upgrades.
City manager Mike Mitchell said the plan is essential to making residents feel like there is plenty to enjoy right in their own backyard.
“Recreation is a major tool to use to retain people to the area, as well as draw people to the area. A lot of times it’s jobs or schools that determine where someone lives, but people also want to know what it’s like to live there,” he said. “The purpose is to not only get an inventory, but to also see what opportunities we can build for the future to offer a variety of recreational options.”
Mitchell said the planning process started almost three months ago, when the city approached Cambria and Hillsdale townships about joining forces on the project.
Cambria declined the offer, but Hillsdale accepted the partnership and Mitchell said he is pleased to have them on board.
“We’ve talked a lot about how you do you define Hillsdale. Is it the city boundaries, the school district, or by address?” he said. “You always hear people just saying ‘well I’m from Hillsdale’ and we thought this would be a great opportunity to work with the township and utilize their proximity and some of their resources.”
