The dog-friendly reputation of Michigan’s Great Southwest has been extended to the Village of Baroda thanks to a Placemaking Grant from the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors by way of the National Association of Realtors.
The new $2,500 grant delivered last week by the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors to village officials is designed to help make the Village of Baroda an ever better place to live and work by transforming an unused space into a vibrant place for the community to gather and enjoy.
The grant is among those that are intended to help Realtor Associations partner with others to plan, organize, implement and maintain “Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper Placemaking projects” in their communities.
The grant from the local Realtors Association will be used to provide fencing and landscaping materials to build and beautify a dog park on the south side of the Village Park, next to the tennis courts.
Tina Boehm is the Baroda Village Clerk. She tells us, “We have a beautiful park by Hickory Creek that draws a lot of visitors. Quite a few of the people have dogs and it would be great to have a place for them to let their dog run and play. By having a dog park, it will draw more people to exercise their dogs and enjoy the other amenities the park has to offer.”
Boehm continues, “Dogs are more and more becoming integral parts of the family. Most people treat them like one of their children and are looking for activities to enjoy with them. It will definitely lead to social connections. Judging by the amount of people that walk their dogs in the village, I see a great demand for this project.”
Paul Dumke is Broker/Owner at Integrity Real Estate Professionals of Lakeshore, Stevensville. He was the Realtor sponsor for the Village of Baroda Dog Park grant. Dumke explained the reason for his endorsement by saying, “This community has become an attraction as well as a sought-after place for primary residence and second home families. Being an older historic community, most off the homes are on very small lots, therefore making the dog park so important to the health and well-being of the animals. It will also allow people and families to enjoy the park to its fullest.
Robert Kaufman is President of the SWM Association of Realtors, Inc. He points out, “Realtors live, work and volunteer in their communities and take immense pride in working to improve them.”
Kaufman adds, “Placemaking can help foster healthier, more social and economically viable communities. It creates places where people feel a strong stake in their neighborhoods and are committed to making things better. This grant will allow us to address areas in our community that need enhancement and revitalization and create a place where friends and neighbors can come together.”
Placemaking grants are awarded to local and state Realtor associations to help them and their members create new public spaces and destinations in a community, like turning a parking spot into a people spot or a vacant lot into a pocket park. Realtor associations and their Realtor members are actively engaged in the community and know the neighborhoods and the properties that would benefit most from these improvement efforts.
Kaufman concludes, “As the Village of Baroda area becomes more attractive and welcoming, nearby properties may also increase in value.”
For more information on the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors placemaking initiative, you can visit www.swmar.com. To learn more about the National Association of Realtors placemaking program you can visit https://realtorparty.com/community-outreach/placemaking
The Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors, Inc. is a professional trade association for real estate licensees who are members of the National Association of Realtors and ancillary service providers for the real estate industry in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties. The Association can be contacted at 269-983-6375 or through their website at www.swmar.com
The Village of Baroda has offices at 9091 1st Street in Baroda. They can be contacted at 269-422-1779 or through the Village website – www.barodavillage.org.
