By Katie Winkler
Review Staff Writer
After the Lake Orion Village Parks and Recreation committee created the 2005 master plan for the downtown area, Children’s Park was revamped leaving Green’s Park renovations pushed aside.
Parks and recreation chairman Robert Cavanaugh proposed a variety of ideas at the last Village Council meeting on June 24.
Green’s Park future vision includes platforms that extends into the water to walk and fish on, boat docks, sidewalks that are handicap accessible, pavilions for groups to rent out, gazebo, re-do the beach and swim area, and a bridge over M-24 connecting the park to the downtown area. Under discussion is allowing open access to Green’s Park so people visiting downtown have the opportunity to enjoy Lake Orion.
‘One of our objectives is to get more people down to Green’s Park. A lot of people don’t really know about it, yet they drive by it every single day,? Cavanaugh said. ‘By improving the beach, we can welcome more people to come down to the park and be able to watch a sunset on nice benches under a gazebo. That would be ideal.?
The problem that Parks and Rec faces is lack of money to turn this vision into reality. With a $2,000 to $2,500 budget to maintain all village parks and make recommendations to them. Prioritizing these concepts for Green’s Park and taking them one task at a time is what the current plan seeks to accomplish.
‘I think that to get elements is that we would like to find sponsors that would like to donate a gazebo,? Cavanaugh said. ‘I would love to see community organizations step up and donate money to build a gazebo that Scott [Reynolds] from Steve Augers designs. Someone to fulfill that dream that our architect has.?
Parks and Rec will be working with Village Council to get these visions underway, but in the meantime, a new element will be added to Green’s Park for locals to enjoy this summer. Approved at the last Village council meeting was the placement of a horseshoe pit into Green’s park.
‘We thought horseshoes would be nice to have and it would be something fairly simple to do,? Village Parks and Rec Vice-Chairman Rosemary Ford said.
The Lake Orion Horseshoe Club was approached by members of Parks and Rec to see how they should go about building the pit. What they didn’t expect was for LOHC to offer to donate the materials if it was approved by Village Council. The horseshoe pit will be built this month, allowing residents to use it before the summer is over.
‘I think the number one thing we are trying to achieve is get added elements to the park and draw people to the lake, down to Green’s Park and downtown. I believe [Green’s Park] is one of Lake Orion’s best jewels and it deserves to be a priority,? Cavanaugh said.