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HARRISON TOWNSHIP — At their meeting on March 10, the Harrison Township Board of Trustees voted 6-0 to approve interior renovations to the bathhouse at Waterfront Park on Jefferson Avenue.
Trustee Brian Batkins was excused for the meeting.
According to items attached to the meeting’s agenda, the township requested $75,000 to complete the renovations. The renovations themselves cost an estimated $65,000. Exterior renovations were approved at the October 2024 board meeting and the work has begun, Township Supervisor Kenneth Verkest said. Verkest said he is asking for up to $75,000 because of anticipated higher costs.
Renovations will include new plumbing fixtures, heating and cooling and more.
Harrison Township Clerk Adam Wit said that he asked for estimated costs for a residential bathroom and was told the cost was $25,000.
“To do two full bathrooms including a new furnace facility, you know, new furnace, new water heaters, all the duct work associated with that it just seems really in line if not reasonable,” Wit said.
Trustee Dean Olgiati asked about the possibility of getting metal toilets due to vandalism.
Verkest said they talked about industrial toilets, but not stainless steel.
He later said in a phone call that the renovations to the bathhouse are happening at the same time as other improvements at the park.
“It shouldn’t disrupt the summer use of the park. However, we are nearing the end of a $1.3 million improvement to the shoreline which also includes the installation of a 100-foot fishing pier and that work, because of the heavy equipment, requires the park to be closed,” Verkest said.
He added if they’re lucky, everything will be done at the same time, and they can open the park all at once. They don’t have a set opening date for the spring.
“The majority of the big work is done,” Verkest said. “There’s some finishing work to be done to the pier.”
He added there is also restoration work, and they want to have some time for everything to be established.
“Once we open it up, we expect some pretty heavy use,” Verkest said.
Preliminary work started in early September last year. The money for the interior renovations comes from the general fund, but American Rescue Plan Act money was transferred into the account to pay for it. Verkest said the state of Michigan incentivized municipalities to spend the money by a certain time.
“They said if you allocate or spend your ARPA funds by this particular date, I think we received an extra 1% of revenue sharing from the state,” Verkest said.
Verkest said they could transfer the money because the money could be used for revenue replacement up to $5 million and the township received $2.6 million.
Verkest said he is excited for residents and others to use the park and said that it is a popular destination. The park also features a new mural paid for by a grant through the Detroit Institute of Arts.
A plan to rename the park the Don and Candice Miller Park is in the works, but the main goal right now is to open it to the public.
