Public invited to give feedback on park plans this January

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP — Residents of Oakland Township can weigh in on the latest Parks, Recreation and Land Preservation Master Plan during an upcoming public hearing.

The hearing will be held during a regularly scheduled Parks and Recreation Commission meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 8 at Oakland Township Hall, 4393 Collins Road. At press time, the Board of Trustees was slated to consider the plan at its Jan. 14 meeting.

The Township’s current parks and recreation master plan provided a vision for the township from 2020 to 2024. 

The plan — which is renewed every five years — serves as a guideline for future park acquisition, planning, facility development, programming, operation and maintenance. It is also a requirement to be eligible for grant funding from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

“We really try to gather a lot of extra data, both from our residents as well as our park usage, to really inform the capital improvements and other projects that we are working on with the other three divisions,” said Parks and Recreation Director Ben McLoskey. 

“It’s just helpful having a real vision, or objectives, that we can layer into our thinking and a lot of the projects we’re looking to do.” 

Since 1995, Oakland Township has pursued and successfully obtained 14 grants through the MDNR totaling nearly $10.8 million.

The 2025-29 plan contains community demographics; an inventory of parks, recreation facilities, and natural areas; an overview of the planning and public input process; parks system goals and objectives; and a five-year action program. 

“A lot of its pending grant work for Stony Creek Ravine (Nature Park) and Marsh View Park as well. We’re looking to bolster our past recreation trails, as well (as) our active recreation at Marsh View Park,” McLoskey said.

City officials said residents continue to want the township to retain its rustic ambiance and feel that preservation of open space, particularly high-quality natural areas, helps to achieve that goal. They would also like to see development of trails and paths within parks, making it a top priority in the plan, as well as pathway connections between parks.

A draft copy of the plan has been available for review since Sept. 11 and will remain available through the date of the hearings. 

The plan can be viewed in person at the parks and recreation offices inside the Paint Creek Cider Mill, 4480 Orion Road, and at Township Hall. The draft plan is also available online on the Township’s website at oaklandtownship.org.

For questions or comments, contact Parks and Recreation Director Ben McLoskey at (248) 651-7810, ext. 402, or via email at bmcloskey@oaklandtownship.org.