By Shelby Stewart
Staff Wrtier
Ortonville- The village council approved to apply for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recreation passport grant. It was approved unanimously.
“The village will be applying on it’s own this year for the DNR recreation passport grant to renovate the concession building located at Sherman Park,” said village president Wayne Wills.
In March 2017, Brandon Township applied to the Recreation Passport Grant program for the Sherman Memorial Park concession stand renovation. However, the village opted out of the arraignment.
If the grant is awarded to the village, the concession building would update the electrical, lighting, storage, plumbing, flooring, signage, roofing, painting and drainage. They would also add handicap accessible parking and bathrooms.
Interim village manager John Lyons added an additional $7,000 to the grant application and the original $30,000 amount for a 12 feet by 20 feet porch on the front of the concession stand to protect from weather. The final project cost would be $37,000, and the grant amount that the village would be seeking is $27,750. The grant is a 25 percent matching grant, meaning the village would contribute $9,250.
“This is one of John Lyon’s goals that was given to him before he leaves us,” said Wills.
The recreation passport grant comes from the sale of recreation passports on licence plates, instead of the motor vehicle permit for state park entrance. A portion of that money will cover lost sales of motor vehicle permits, while 10 percent will be dolled out in grants. The money may only be used for local development projects. The grant started in 2010.