DeWitt's McGuire Park is getting a major upgrade thanks to funding from Michigan's Department of Natural Resources.
- The park will add pickleball courts, an adult fitness station, and a more accessible path to the Looking Glass River.
- Construction is set to begin August 25 and is expected to take between seven and nine weeks to complete.
- The $380,000 project is partially funded by a $190,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources through the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
WATCH: DeWitt's McGuire Park renovation to bring pickleball courts and more to community
I visited McGuire Park where city officials are preparing for construction on several new amenities that residents have been requesting.
"I'm glad that the city of DeWitt is listening to what the people want," said Abigail Tenney, a DeWitt neighbor.
And what they want is pickleball.
Tenney says she's never played before but is excited to soon have the option right in her community.
"If I can find someone to play with me, yeah," Tenney said.
City leaders say pickleball courts have been in high demand from neighbors.
"They've been probably the top ask from the community for our parks systems," said Daniel Coss, DeWitt city administrator.
The construction project includes not only pickleball courts, but also an adult fitness station and improvements to a path to make the Looking Glass River more accessible.
"So the city received a 50% matching grant from the Michigan DNR through the land water conservation fund," Coss said.
According to Coss, the total cost of the project is about $380,000, with about $190,000 coming from the grant.
Construction is scheduled to begin August 25, with the project estimated to take between seven and nine weeks to complete.
For residents planning to visit McGuire Park during construction, some areas will remain accessible while others will temporarily close.
"We'll leave the playground equipment open around when they're working on the pickleball courts. We are doing an adult fitness center that will be close to the playground, so we will probably shut the playground down during that timeframe," Coss said.
Tenney expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming improvements to the park.
"Especially with DeWitt because there's so many kids that live here - it helps everyone stay connected," Tenney said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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