St. Joseph To Seek Grant To Upgrade Whirlpool Centennial Park

whirlpoolfountain2-12
whirlpoolfountain2-12

A bit of a transformation is in the works for the Whirlpool Centennial Park in St. Joseph. The city will apply for a Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund grant for just over $286,000 of the $409,000 project. Greg Grothous is the city’s deputy director of parks and grounds and explained the upgrades including replacing dune grass with artificial turf and adding more benches and sidewalks.

“This will give us more usable seating space around the fountain as well as eliminate maintenance issues that we see on a daily basis due to the material that kids naturally pull up the grass and stuff in the drains, and it becomes a problem,” said Grothous. He added they will also add footwashing stations as part of the first phase of the project.

The commission approved the request to seek the grant. Grothous says the city should know if it is approved in December, with the Legislature appropriating the money next June. If all is approved, the work would likely start in the spring of 2021.