Booth Park grant pushes project to 2026

By Grace Lovins

Birmingham City Commissioners gave the city’s department of public services (DPS) the green light to move forward with accepting a $400,000 grant for the Booth Park project from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Trust Fund during the Monday, December 16, meeting, which will push back to 2026 the construction timeline for the work on the entry plaza and trail improvements.

Acceptance of the state grant will free up funds from the parks and recreation bond for other park projects.

The process to improve the Booth Park entry plaza and trail have been in progress since September of 2023, when commissioners approved the Trail Improvement Concept Plan. At that time, the commission also approved moving forward with the first phase of the plan, starting with Booth Park.

DPS Director Scott Zielinski told the commission that the item was originally being brought forward for ‘final blessings’ so the city could move forward with selecting a contractor to start construction. However, on December 12 the city received notice that they are being recommended for the MDNR Trust Fund grant for a maximum of $400,000.

According to Zielinski, the caveat to accepting the grant is that the process to use the funds would postpone construction until 2026. On the other hand, that would allow the money for 2025 to be used for other parks and recreation projects, such as upgrading the playgrounds in neighborhood parks, Zielinski said.

Zielinski also stated that, should the commission decide to deny the grant, the city is at the point where they can present the project for approval from commissioners. Both Zielinski and parks and recreation manager Carrie Laird indicated that they feel the benefit of the grant outweighs inconvenience of pushing the project timeline back.

Commissioners posed the question if the grant award would make up for any increase in construction or other costs between now and 2026. Commissioner Andrew Haig stated that the project cost has already increased within the last year, and if they wait another year, there is concern the grant money wouldn’t necessarily make a difference.

The increase in cost that the commission has seen, Zielinski said, is a result of an increased scope of the Booth Park project being requested that originally wasn’t anticipated. He maintained that the grant would be worthwhile for the city with respect to both the $1.5 million Booth Park improvements and the potential to tackle other park upgrades with the parks and recreation bond funds.

After getting an update on the progress of designs for the improvements, the commission voted unanimously, 6-0, to accept the grant. Commissioner Anthony Long was absent from the meeting.