The Village of Sebewaing recently received a $1 million grant from the state, which will go toward the total replacement of Main Park Playground. (Photo by Seth Stapleton)

SEBEWAING – The Village of Sebewaing recently received some good news, as it learned it would be granted $1 million to put toward the complete renovation of the Main Park Playground, located at Third and Frederick streets.

Sebewaing was one of 21 communities across the state to share $14.2 million in Michigan Spark Grants for outdoor recreation projects. The $1 million the village received was the maximum amount a community could receive as part of the program.

According to a release from the state, the DNR received more than 460 applications for the dedicated American Rescue Plan Act funding – to go toward creating, renovating or redeveloping public recreation opportunities for residents and visitors of each community.

“We were very fortunate to be one of just a few,” said village president Julie Epperson. “It’s a great time in Sebewaing. We are thrilled to have gotten the full cost for our playground downtown and to get this grant. We are a blessed community, for sure.”

Epperson said around 23 years ago, the community came together to raise funds for the current wooden park playscape. She said after raising the necessary funds, multiple families in the area used their vacation time to help construct it.

“It has a great community history, and it shows what our community can do when they all can get around a project,” she said.

But, with an estimated 20-year life span when it was built, the structure began to deteriorate. Over the last several years, village officials have done their best to keep maintenance up, but the playground has become somewhat of a safety hazard.

Sebewaing DPW Superintendent Matt Bumhoffer, who helped spearhead the effort, said they’ve maintained the playground to the best of their ability – putting wood sealant on it every year and mulching around the area.

“It’s been ongoing maintenance on it,” he said.

With the grant, Bumhoffer said the new playground will be essentially maintenance free. Plans call for a complete demolition and replacement of the current wooden playscape, which when finished will be 100% handicap accessible, with rubber playmats and sidewalks that lead right up to the playground.

Anything usable from the old playground will be reclaimed for use either in Main Park, or another spot in the village.

“We’re going to try to refurbish what we can,” Bumhoffer said. “…We want to re-use what we can.”

The timeline to begin the project is uncertain at this time, but Bumhoffer said it would probably be late fall or next spring before construction starts.

To secure the grant, Bumhoffer said a little luck came into play. He explained the village was already looking into replacing the playground prior to the grant being offered.

“This one caught my eye,” he said. “We had already looked into replacing the playscape, so we already had information regarding it, so we just thought, we’re going to try for it.”

With grant writing help from The Spicer Group, of Saginaw, the village wound up becoming one of the lucky few communities in the state to secure the money.

Another Thumb community – the City of Marlette – received a total of $393,900 for improvements to the Marlette Community Park, with an accessible walking trail, playground equipment and updated pavilions.

Michigan Spark Grants, administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, offer the DNR a chance to reach people in communities whose economic opportunities and public health were most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This reimagined approach activates historic support for projects that provide safe, accessible public recreation facilities and spaces to improve people’s health, introduce new recreation experiences, build on existing park infrastructure and make it easier for people to enjoy the outdoors.

Two key ways these grants differ from the department’s existing recreation grant programs are that applicants can seek up to $1 million for a single project and there is no 25% match requirement.

In total, the DNR considered 462 applications requesting more than $280 million – figures that far eclipsed what the department is used to. In comparison, the DNR’s top three recreation grant programs – the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Recreation Passport and the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund – usually field a collective ask of around 150 applications seeking between $50 to $60 million annually.

“The response was more than we could have imagined,” said acting DNR Director Shannon Lott. “Clearly, the Michigan Spark Grants opportunity and outreach have tapped into a critical need in many areas of the state, and we are proud to deliver support that will help create and restore the quality public recreation resources that we know can improve public health, anchor communities and strengthen a sense of place.”

Given the overwhelming interest in these first round grants, the DNR will work with an advisory group to determine next steps and application timeline, as well as look at opportunities to work with Michigan’s broader philanthropic community on ways to remove additional barriers to grant funding. Approximately $50 million in additional Michigan Spark Grants is expected to be awarded later this year.

To learn more about the Michigan Spark Grants program — and all DNR-administered grant opportunities — go to Michigan.gov/DNRGrants.

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