The City of St. Joseph has been planning improvements to Whirlpool Centennial Park, and commissioners took the next step forward Monday when they approved a grant project agreement with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The park, which currently hosts the ever-popular compass fountain, will include a restroom building, new access path, drinking fountains, foot wash stations, shade structures, signage and a new eight-foot or wider trail.
The agreement, funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, calls for nearly $700,000 in improvements, to be completed by 2025. The total cost of the project is $690,000, with grant funds of $345,000. The city will match that amount, which it budgeted for in its 2021-22 capital improvement budget. $100,000 from an anonymous donation to the Parks Foundation also will be used toward the project.
