Title
Resolution to Approve a 2025 Recreation Passport Grant Application to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Grants Management for Improvements at Clinton Park
Memorandum
This resolution authorizes a grant application to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Grants Management’s (MDNRGM) Recreation Passport Grant for accessibility and sustainability improvements to Clinton Park. If the grant application is selected to move forward, staff will return at a later date with a request to commit matching funds.
Grant Description: The Recreation Passport fund is a State grant administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. PA 32 of 2010 created the Local Public Recreation Facilities Fund to be used for the development of public recreation facilities for local units of government. Money for this fund is derived from the sale of the Recreation Passport which replaces the resident Motor Vehicle Permit (MVP) - or window sticker - for state park entrance. After $14,285,400.00 is set aside for lost revenue and Secretary of State administration, ten percent of remaining revenue is used to fund the Recreation Passport local grant program. Grant amounts range from $7,500.00 to $150,000.00 and require a 25% match of total project cost from local funds. There is no federal money associated with this grant. Grant applications are due April 1, 2025.
Background: Clinton Park is a 4.82-acre park located in the southeastern region of Ann Arbor. The park contains many amenities including a playground, basketball courts, tennis courts, softball and soccer fields, and a small sledding hill. The park is also home to one of the city's “Champion Trees,” a white fir that is the largest of its species in the city.
The southeastern region of Ann Arbor is an area that is characterized by higher racial diversity and lower median incomes. The park is in a residential neighborhood, adjacent to both single-family homes and within short walking distance of several apartment complexes. The park shares a boundary with the Jewish Community Center, whose members and staff often utilize the park and its playground.
The playground in Clinton Park, built in 1998, is now reaching the end of its 30-year life cycle.
In the 2023-2027 PROS Plan public survey, “replacing older playgrounds” received the highest level of support from respondents when rating park improvement spending options. Additionally, the City is currently undergoing an ADA Accessibility Transition Plan and has made a commitment to improving accessibility across the park system. The City of Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Unit undertook an ADA assessment in 2022, which identified several areas of necessary upgrades in the park.
The proposed project would address these two issues by combining replacement of and upgrades to the play area and equipment with improvements that will enhance the accessibility of the playground and surrounding walks.
A community engagement meeting regarding Clinton Park’s playground renovation was held in 2023. A Clinton Park Playground Renovation survey was open for approximately four weeks from March 31, 2022 to April 21, 2022. It was distributed digitally on SurveyMonkey, and promoted through physical mailers, GovDelivery, and social media channels, such as Facebook. The survey received 74 total responses.
Project Description: The preliminary concept for improving Clinton Park includes:
• Replacement of the existing playground with new equipment that meets ADA requirements, including the addition of several universal design play features
• Bringing the access pathway to the playground up to ADA compliance
• Reconfiguration of the parking area to arrange for a van accessible parking spot and addition of an accessible route of travel from the parking lot to the sidewalk
• Addition of shade trees, benches, and picnic tables
The new playground’s concept design will be inspired by the results of the survey conducted in 2022. The community’s primary requests were for a wider variety of play equipment for all ages and physical abilities and the inclusion of natural play elements. An additional public engagement meeting about the project will be held before submission of the grant application.
Construction could commence in spring of 2026.
The Park Advisory Commission (PAC) recommended to approve this grant application at their February 25, 2025 meeting.
Budget/Fiscal Impact: The Recreation Passport Grant allows for an award of up to $150,000.00 which would ease the burden of the total construction cost of the playground. Additional funding beyond the Recreation Passport Grant award amount would be drawn from a combination of fund balance and the approved Park Maintenance and Capital Improvement budget.
Based on the project description above, the maximum total cost of the project is estimated to be $500,000.00. Parks will apply for the maximum possible grant award of $150,000.00. Staff await a detailed cost estimate from the concept designer that will finalize the project cost; if the grant application is selected to move forward, staff will return to City Council for commitment of matching funds based on the detailed cost estimate. For the purposes of the grant, costs may be assigned using the following categories:
• Playground Equipment and Surfacing Replacement
• Access Pathways
• Benches
• Landscaping (shade trees)
• Picnic Tables
• Signage
• Recreation Passport Grant Recognition sign
• Engineering Costs
Sustainability: One of the main goals identified in the current Parks and Recreation Open Space Plan is to “ensure that the park system is comprehensive, inclusive, and engaging”. To do so the plan focuses on “providing opportunities for all” and says that “engaging the full diversity of the community is a core value developed by staff, and a goal of the Sustainability Framework Plan and of the city’s organizational strategic plan.” One of the objectives is to “Renovate and maintain parks and facilities so that they comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, while striving for Universal Accessibility.” Additionally, this project would also meet the sustainability goal of promoting active living & learning by providing recreational opportunities the improve quality of life for all members of our community.
Staff
Prepared by: Rosie Pahl Donaldson, Land Acquisition Supervisor
Laurie Tabachnick, Assistant Parks Planner
Reviewed by: Derek Delacourt, Community Services Area Administrator
Josh Landefeld, Parks & Recreation Services Manager
Approved by: Milton Dohoney Jr., City Administrator
Body
Whereas, Clinton Park is a popular park with a variety of amenities, situated on the southeast edge of Ann Arbor;
Whereas, Clinton Park’s playground area is reaching the end of its lifespan;
Whereas, The 2023-2027 PROS Plan and 2023 Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation ADA Transition Plan support replacing playgrounds and improving accessibility;
Whereas, Grants are available through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Grants Management to assist in funding improvements such as this project; and
Whereas, A Recreation Passport Grant would significantly ease the cost burden of the park improvements and additional funding would be drawn from a combination of fund balance and any current year capital funding for Clinton Park available in Park Maintenance and Capital Improvement budget at the time of the project;
RESOLVED, That City Council authorizes the City Administrator to apply to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Grants Management’s Recreation Passport Grant for playground replacement, accessibility upgrades, and other park improvements at Clinton Park; and
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator is authorized to take all appropriate action to implement this resolution, including to execute all documents required for or incidental to the grant application process.