Things appear to be going swimmingly with the ongoing construction at Arthur Dodd Park.

Cass County Parks and Recreation Department Director Scott Wyman updated the county commissioners on the status of the grant-funded project Thursday evening, during the board’s meeting in Cassopolis. The board also approved the payment of the first invoice from Denny’s Excavating Inc., for $231,121, for the work performed so far at the park.

Just one day prior to Thursday’s meetings, crews finished installing a new bridge spanning across the stretch of the Dowagiac River running through the county park grounds, located at 61437 Creek Road, Niles. Contractors are currently working on the concrete approaches to the bridge, which is located next to the planned canoe/kayak launch that will be installed as part of the project.

The construction is part of a series of improvements the parks department is making to Dodd Park, located between Dowagiac and Niles. The project is funded through a $375,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund, which was awarded to the county parks department in 2015.

The new and improved park will help the county better take advantage of the riverfront property, which contains 90 percent of the public access to the Dowagiac River, Wyman said. The parks director expects demand for access to the river to rise dramatically once Niles leaders are able to demolish the Pucker Street Dam, which should lead to improved fishing and recreational opportunities.

“Once these improvements are in place, and once the dam comes down, this half-mile stretch of water [at Dodd] will be more valuable than ever,” Wyman said. “This grant could not have come at a better time.”

Per the agreement the county has with the DNR, the state trust fund will reimburse the county for 74 percent of the construction costs, with the county picking up the remaining costs, Wyman said.

Among the other aspects of the project the department has lined up includes the installation of new canoe/kayak launch, which will replace the existing one at the grounds, and an expanded parking lot.

Crews have also recently installed a pair of new cabins on the park grounds, which have since been wired with electricity. In addition to picnic tables, grills and a fire pit installed outside each cabin, crews will install two waterless restrooms across from the buildings.

Although the work is formally scheduled for completion Sept. 21, Wyman said he would be shocked if work was not wrapped up well before then.

“I think it’s going really well,” he said.