St. Joseph planning restrooms, parking at Dickinson Park

saintjosephcityhall87442
saintjosephcityhall87442

St. Joseph City Commissioners have approved the grant application for some improvements at Dickinson Park. Public Works Director Greg Grothous told them at a meeting this past week the plan is to apply for a $260,000 grant from the Michigan Land and Water Conservation Funds to add restrooms, a parking lot, and some new sidewalks. Grothous told us the restrooms are the biggest component.

“The park gets a lot of use because it is the home baseball and softball field for St. Joseph High School,” Grothous said. “That quadrant of town does now currently have a public playground, nor does it have a public restroom facility. The closest restroom would be the Howard Ice Arena. So, there’s some need when you look at where things are set up within the community. It checks a couple boxes.”

Grothous says this work will be park of a larger improvement project at Dickinson Park that will include work to the baseball field, seating, and a concessions area. The city’s contribution for the restrooms will be $260,000. With the state match, the total project cost would be about $520,000. If the grant is approved, work on the restrooms could start next year, while other improvements to the park are expected to take place this year.