At Monday’s council meeting, Crossroads Recreation Connection presented a check to the city of Reed City for $82,496.69 in support of the new pocket park project in downtown Reed City.

The Crossroads Recreation Connection began with a vision of providing a splash pad to the Reed City community. With their help and ideas, the City worked with Fleis & VandenBrink Engineering firm to develop a project scope to meet the requirements of gaining a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The Public Gathering Space Initiative grant was awarded to the city with a total amended amount of $1,500,000 which required a match from the city of at least 15% ($225,000).

The grant’s purpose was to re-imagine a community space to provide features that would draw citizens and visitors to a common, multiple use area. This new pocket park will feature a splashpad feature, outdoor gas fireplace, performance pavilion, renovated indoor space and bathrooms, picnic tables, sun sail, reading nooks, benches, and open artificial turf space. It will also host the ice skating rink in the winter. It will be a true “four-season” park in the heart of Reed City’s downtown area including improved parking, additional landscaping, and an overall aesthetically pleasing site of a formerly underutilized, partially gravel, and unrenovated space.

"We look forward to the completion of this project and we appreciate the vision of the leaders of the Crossroads Recreation Connection and their dedication to this project and our community," The city stated in a recent post. "Corewell Health Hospital provided the lead gift to CRC with a generous amount of $50,000. Thank you to ALL the donors to CRC that donated an additional $32,496.69. What a blessing you are to our city."

The park and splash pad is expected to be open in November 2025.

_{Release and photo courtesy of the City of Reed City.}