Village of Perry starts work on park expansion
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By DAVID CAMPHOUSE
David Camphouse/Pike Pres
The Village of Perry has recently started work on a $600,000 expansion and renovation of the Village’s “East Park.” The grant is allowing the Village to more than double the size of the park. In addition, the grant is funding the addition of many amenities to the park. The park sits at the Main Street site of the Perry Church of Christ, which burned after being struck by lightning. The contractor for the project is Lavadiere of Macomb.
The Village of Perry recently started work on a $600,000 expansion and renovation of the Village’s “East Park.”
An INDR OSLAD grant is allowing the Village to more than double the size of the park. In addition, the grant is funding the addition of many amenities to the park. The park sits at the Main Street site of the Perry Church of Christ, which burned after being struck by lightning.
The grant application and site plans were prepared by the village’s engineering firm, Benton and Associates. The contractor for the project is Lavadiere of Macomb.
According to Benton and Associates Associate Program Manager Greg Hillis, the OSLAD grant program is a 100 percent grant – meaning that the village will not have to provide any matching funds.
Included in the grant proposal are the following features:
ν Walking path around the perimeter of the park.
ν Pickleball court.
ν Half court basketball court.
ν ADA compliant parking.
ν Concrete patio with a grill.
ν Pavilion with family toilet.
Perry Village President Nikki Mountain has previously shared details of the plans for the park in Facebook posts. Mountain shared that although many exciting new features would be added, the portion of the park devoted to memorializing the Church of Christ would remain intact.
“The $600,000 grant will help the Village upgrade the Church of Christ Memorial Park into a multi-use, handicap-accessible public park with a pickle ball court, half basketball court, paved walking path, and shelterhouse with a restroom,” Mountain shared on Facebook.
“The northeast corner of the property where the Church of Christ stood will remain as it currently exists, an area for respectful remembrance.”
Hillis had previously indicated that the park expansion was an effort on the part of the village to improve the quality of life for residents.
“The board wants to improve everything for the community,” Hillis said. According to Hillis, a total of $56,000,000 was made available for OSLAD grants statewide during the current grant cycle. Hillis said that Perry’s inclusion on IDNR’s list of economically distressed communities made the village eligible to apply.
The effort to improve and expand Perry’s East park, Mountain indicated, is part of a larger push to improve the community.
Several community leaders and residents have worked together to form a new group devoted to improving the community. The group is named Perry Area Community Enrichment (PACE) and is a non-profit organization established to lead fundraising and community betterment activities.
