Village approves revisions to River Raisin Park

Subtle changes to the River Raisin Park plan include a smaller performance area, less expensive paving materials, and other revisions that will reduce costs without making significant modifications to the original.

A number of revisions to scale down the anticipated cost of developing the River Raisin Park were approved by Manchester Village Council at its October 15 meeting.

With several subtle design changes, which retain many of the most attractive aspects of the park, the new estimate of costs will be about $414,000, as opposed to the $800,000+ price tag on bids received in September. About $300,000 of the cost will be covered by a State of Michigan grant, with $114,000 of matching funds from the Village of Manchester. Lighting for the park will be an additional $40,000.

Village Manager Jeff Wallace said that once Council endorsed the new design, it would be submitted to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for approval, which is anticipated by mid-November. Then village administration can prepare bid documents for distribution and the bidding process can be completed by December 19. Recommendations will be reviewed and bids awarded by Village Council at its January 7 meeting and a final contract is expected for approval at the Jan. 21 meeting.

From there, the construction process can begin, with mobilization and pile driving hopefully completed by late March. April 1-June 30 is the DNR window for fish spawning season, when no work can be done in the river. But site work on land can continue during that time span, with walkways, grading, and paving preparation scheduled during that interval.

Park completion in the revised schedule is slated for November, 2019.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.