Parks and Recreation

The Parks and Recreation Committee recently completed a 5-year Community Recreation Plan for Grand Haven Township.  A copy of the plan is available here.

The Township maintains five (5) parks and four (4) public accesses totaling 437 acres of property, one (1) boat launch and more than 22 miles of non-motorized pathway.  Organized recreational programs utilizing facilities within the parks system are provided by the Northwest Ottawa Recreation Authority.

Facilities such a shelter, ball field, soccer field or the in-line skating rink may be reserved for exclusive use for varying blocks of time. These facilities are available between 8:00AM and 10:00PM each day. Reservations must be completed by coming to the Township Administrative Offices and completing a reservation form. There is a nominal fee charged for each facility. Availability of the facilities can be determined by contacting the Township Administrative Offices at 616.842.5988

The parks include the following facilities:

1. Hofma Park - 15581 Ferris Street - (80 acres) with 1 shelter, a restroom, a soccer field, 78 space parking area, a softball field and a developed playground;
2. Hofma Preserve - 16295 Sleeper Street - (324.77 acres) with approximately 4.5 miles of trails, an 885 foot floating bridge, 17 space parking area and a restroom;
3. Mercury Park - 16175 Mercury Drive - (6.71 acres) with a restroom, a softball field, an in-line hockey rink a developed playground.
4. Pottawattomie Park - 15600 Comstock Street - (20.83 acres) with 3 shelters, a rest room, 2 volleyball courts, 2 horseshoe pits, a soccer field, a developed playground, 2,750 feet of trails, a floating fishing/viewing platform, 160 feet of boardwalk, and 74 parking spaces and,
5. Millhouse Park (0.46 acres), which is basically an undeveloped neighborhood park.
6. The boat launch facility: Odawa/Battle Point Launch - 14091 144th Avenue - Boat launch with 4 areas for launching, a restroom and parking area - (Permit required to launch)

In brief, the normal operations for the parks and recreation division includes:

• Open parks daily
• Clean and restock all rest rooms daily - repair damage from previous day/night
• Empty trash containers as needed and police grounds for glass and other debris at least every other day
• Police trails for debris monthly
• Paint, repair, re-install trail signs, markers and benches as necessary
• Mow playing fields and surroundings at least twice weekly (averages 72 hours of mowing per week)
• Trim same at least bi-weekly
• Tree trimming of parks and pathway, as required
• Repair and/or paint picnic tables
• Installation and maintenance of playground equipment including swings, tire swings, climbing equipment (painting, bolt tightening and replacement, etc.)
• Fence repair after damage or vandalism
• Maintain and repair observation decks as necessary
• Trail trimming including paths to bridges
• Autumn leaf pick up (considerable amount)
• Maintain 144th Street access including mowing, trimming, trash pick up, etc.
• Maintain floating bridges and dock as necessary including replacement of rails, decking and seats
• Maintenance of Buchanan Street and Brucker Street accesses including fences, garbage, mowing, trimming, etc.
• Painting and building maintenance as necessary
• Maintenance of sprinkling system as necessary, blow water out in fall
• Open parks in spring including priming of pumps for domestic and sprinkling, connections of plumbing as necessary, bacterial sampling of water as required by Ottawa County Environmental Health, stock paper supplies, clean rest rooms, replace picnic tables in shelters, remove bubbler on floating dock, uncovering of grills, cleaning of floating dock after ducks and geese, repair of any winter damage
• Closing of parks in fall including draining of pumps, sprinkling systems and plumbing where possible, blow out where possible, provide anti-freeze as needed, clean stools and urinals, stack picnic tables to prevent snow accumulation on decking, install bubbler on floating dock, cover grills, lock doors and gates
• Quarterly bacterial sampling of wells as required by Ottawa County Environmental Health Department
• Address concerns of contracted person closing parks
• Maintain equipment daily including sharpening of blades, changing of oil, greasing, cleaning of air filters, etc.
• Schedule park reservations
• Clean shelters thoroughly once weekly prior to weekend reservation
• Meet reservation at park at beginning and end of permit to assess park conditions for permit purposes
• Prepare and distribute agendas and minutes of Parks and Recreation meetings
• Sweep pathway at least every third week - blow debris off bridges
• Annually inspect and repair pathway as necessary - usually spring time (walls, pavement, road crossings, etc.)
• Inspect pathway to determine extent of damage if any after new house construction

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All information © 2007 Grand Haven Charter Township