DNR grant to help Ferndale cover costs of Harding Park rink project

FERNDALE — An upcoming park project in Ferndale will be getting funding from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The DNR announced it was awarding $8 million in Land and Water Conservation Fund grants to 15 communities for recreation facilities projects. One community was Ferndale, which will receive $100,000 for a project at Harding Park.

The Harding Park project is the replacement of its inline skating rink. According to Parks and Recreation Director LaReina Wheeler, the rink itself is more than 61 years old, and though it has been maintained annually and seasonally as necessary, it’s been breaking down over the past few years.

In Ferndale, there originally were rinks at Wilson, Martin Road and Geary parks, in addition to Harding. The Wilson and Martin Road rinks already have been decommissioned, but the parts from those rinks have been used to keep the Harding rink maintained.

“We can’t replace or order pieces to replace anything that’s broken,” Wheeler said. “We basically ran out of pieces, and we can’t put a Band-Aid on it like we did before, and so we’re now just trying to keep it safe so the users can still use it. We’re at the point where we are looking to replace it, because we’re at the end of basically being able to do the minor repairs we’ve been doing.”

Wheeler also said that the Geary Park inline rink eventually will be decommissioned, and the Harding rink will be the only one in Ferndale.

Christie Bayus, program manager with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, stated in an email that the rink will include an accessible entry that allows for adaptable skating equipment such as walkers, sleds and wheelchairs for all users, making it equitable and flexible in use.

“Recreation Passport grants support local government efforts to offer residents and visitors quality recreation opportunities,” she stated. “Harding Park is the second largest park in the City of Ferndale’s Park system and the Department is pleased to partner with them on this project to improve the accessibility at this very popular park in their system.”

The Harding Park rink replacement project, referred to by Wheeler as Ferndale’s most utilized inline rink, is expected to cost $200,000. The parks director plans to apply for a crowdfunding grant where the city would raise $50,000 and receive another $50,000 from a grantor.

The current plan is to begin construction next summer, if the city can get the appropriate approvals and agreements from the DNR.

“The community has, over the last few years, been contacting us (about rink improvements),” Wheeler said. “They put in a request to really have this done, and so we’ve been working on it and now we finally have this grant, which we’re excited to be able to provide them a new, updated and upgraded rink.”