Several new projects are in the works for Grand Traverse County parks, including upgrades to the Civic Center, a new incubator kitchen for local chefs at Twin Lakes Park, and proposed rental and food services at Medalie Park.

Civic Center
Norte! Youth Cycling will have a new public home at the Civic Center after county Parks and Recreation commissioners approved an agreement with the nonprofit Thursday.

The partnership will allow Norte! to open an office/clubhouse next month in the former police sector building next to the Civic Center basketball courts. The organization will pay the county $250 per month to rent the space, and will pay for any improvements to the property. “There are really great benefits that go along with this, because they’ll be close to the playground,” Parks and Recreation Director Kristine Erickson told commissioners. “This brings activity to our park that should be there.”

Noting that the Civic Center is “uniquely geographically positioned” to serve Central High School, Eastern Elementary School and Northwestern Michigan College (NMC), Erickson said Norte!’s youth-focused, bicycle headquarters could act as a social gathering place for students and a Safe Routes to School stop. Norte! founder Ty Schmidt said the offices would operate from 9am-5pm and offer bike repairs and youth classes, among other amenities.

Also in the Civic Center, officials will host a special ceremony Tuesday at 11am to unveil a placemaking project for a Native American marker tree in the park. The tree was bent as a sapling over a century ago to mark the trail from Detroit to the Straits of Mackinac for Native Americans. With funding from a Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians grant, Parks and Recreation purchased new fencing to place around the tree, removed crumbling asphalt and moved cement bins away from the area, planted grass, and purchased educational signage. The department hopes to eventually install benches and landscaping improvements around the tree as well.

“The area around the tree really needed to be cleaned up to show respect for it,” says Erickson. “This is a wonderful placemaking project…that’ll improve that corner of the Civic Center."

Finally, following a successful public fundraising campaign this summer, construction on a new Civic Center playground is set to take place next spring. Officials initially hoped to target a fall build, but Erickson told commissioners Thursday the project will be scheduled instead for the first week of May. “I think giving that cushion of time will be a lot better for the big picture,” she said, explaining the department will use the extra months to try and secure additional grant funding and donations to make the playground even more ADA-accessible.

Twin Lakes – Gilbert Lodge Incubator Kitchen
Aspiring chefs will have a new facility to hone their skills thanks to a new incubator kitchen at Gilbert Lodge at Twin Lakes Park.

Parks and Recreation commissioners approved renting out the lodge’s kitchen for $15 per hour to start-up chefs and early-stage catering, retail and wholesale food businesses. Users will have to meet several requirements to use the space, including possessing necessary local/state/federal health and food service permits and liability insurance. Users will also have to file an operating agreement and refundable rental deposit with the county.

Erickson said the facility would help address a “shortage of catering kitchens around the community” and produce more revenue for Parks and Recreation. Michelle Rodriguez, owner of Amor Comida Catering Services, is the first chef to sign up to use the space. She will use the facility during the month of November and also act as a short-term volunteer consultant for the county, testing the kitchen and equipment and making recommendations on improvements to “accommodate chefs who rent the facility to prepare food,” according to Erickson.

Medalie Park
Following an initial summer run of equipment rentals by The River at Medalie Park near Logan's Landing this year, Parks and Recreation commissioners will evalute further business potential for the property for next summer and beyond.

The River owner Mike Sutherland paid $2,000 for the right to rent kayaks and bicycles from the space this summer. He came before commissioners Thursday to ask for a multi-year extension. Sutherland proposed adding food service to the park going forward, similar to his past arrangement with Traverse City at Clinch Park, and paying escalating rent each year as his business increased. "We do feel like we can add a lot of value to that park," Sutherland said. "It is underserved with the public - not just tourists, but with locals."

Commissioners deferred making a decision on extending Sutherland's contract until the board's business development team could evaluate different options for the park and possibly open up the contract to other bidders. "We need to be able to look at the market...and it is probably prudent to look at an RFP process," said Commissioner Alisa Kroupa. "It's an important decision...there's so much ground work to be done before it’s considered by this full board." Kroupa told Sutherland the business development team, which will next meet in November, hoped to hear more about his ideas for the park and further discuss partnership potential.