Coming next year to Silver Beach could be new playground equipment. The Berrien County Board of Commissioners this week voted to apply for a Michigan Department of Natural Resources Spark grant for new equipment at the main playground, near the entrance to the park. Berrien County Parks Director Jill Adams tells us there have been talks about replacing the equipment for several years as it is still the original equipment installed in the 90s. She says a goal is to have universal design elements to allow for accessibility at the playground.
“We want this playground to be a destination playground for everybody, and we want people of all abilities to come and play and enjoy that playground,” Adams said.
Adams says the DNR grant sought by the county is for up to $1 million.
“It’s not cheap, especially if we are going to bring in the features and the surfacing that we would like to see there. The resolution was written to reflect the Spark grant, so the applications can be for up to$1 million.”
Adams notes the county has been working with designers on planning the new playground. Her goal is to maintain the equipment people remember and love the most while bringing in more modern features. If all goes well, work to replace the equipment could start late summer of 2023.
