Flint Township View

New picnic tables, grills included in plan for Bicentennial Park




GRAND BLANC TWP. — Grand Blanc Township parks will get some new equipment that will make the recreational facilities more user-friendly.

The township Board of Trustees last week approved a $22,114 expenditure for picnic tables, grills and trash can lids for Bicentennial Park.

The investment will pay for 50 heavy-duty picnic tables, including 10 Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant accessible tables, and 15 charcoal grills.

Parks and Recreation Director Patrick Linihan said the township is getting better pricing buy purchasing the equipment at the end of the season.

“A lot of the tables in the park were purchased through (Community Development Block Grant) funds a long time ago,” Linihan said. “They don’t hold up to a lot of the abuse that we have in the park.”

Staff will assemble the picnic tables over the winter, he said. The tables feature heavy-duty metal frames and are made to withstand the load of heavy snowfall.

The ADA-compliant tables will go in the pavilions, Linihan said.

The new grills will be installed at various locations throughout the park, he said.

“Now, the only ones open to public use outside the pavilions are at the splash pad,” Linihan said. “We tend to see some conflict sometimes during the busy times in the park, because everybody wants to use those.”

Parks staff identified three areas of the park that will be perfect as small picnic areas.

“We’ll spread some grills and tables out to better serve our patrons,” Linihan said.

The trash can lids will help keep the trash bags in the cans, and the water out of the cans.

Township Trustee Ken Thomas asked whether an ADA-compliant grill might also be possible. Linihan said he’s looking into installing one, with an accessible pathway, by the splash pad.

Thomas also inquired about installing fountains in the retaining ponds to cut down on mosquitos and stagnant water.

“It’s been talked about in the past,” Thomas said.

Linihan said he has a quote for one fountain which likely will go up front by the dog park “where we have all that algae.”

He said another community had ordered the fountain from the distributor but never picked it up, so the price was favorable.

“A fountain and a little electricity will be cheaper and better for environment than all the chemicals,” he said.

“I’d like lights in that fountain, too,” said Thomas.