MILTON TOWNSHIP — The next time people spend a summer evening at Milton Township Park, 32097 Bertrand St., they will notice several new features that complement the park’s playground, ball diamond and grounds.

Thanks to a grant obtained through the Realtor Association, the park now has two bicycle racks, a pet waste station, upgraded trash cans, as well as a fresh appearance – made evident by the new mulching around the trees.

The upgrades were spurred by Cori Buchar, Milton Township’s administrative assistant, who applied for the approximately $2,500 grant with the hope of sprucing up her local park. With the newest features in place, Buchar believes even more people will be drawn to spend their leisure time at the park.

“Every little bit counts, because our playground and park are growing,” Buchar said. “It will bring more bicyclers here. [Dog walkers] will see there is a pet waste station.”

With plans for a popular bike trail on Gumwood to eventually be connected with the park, Buchar said she found the timing  of the grant to be particularly important.

In addition to receiving the grant funds, Buchar said the Realtor Association sent 12 volunteers to install the upgrades. The project’s realtor sponsor was Mark E. VanDusen, 2018 President-Elect for Southwestern Michigan Association of REALTORS.

Paul Romanetz, a planning commissioner, also volunteered to help out. 

“They were a great group and hard working. Everybody just jumped in,” Buchar said.

The volunteers set to work on the project Wednesday evening and decided to go a step further and offered to water seal benches and picnic tables as well as spread out some new mulch near the trees.

Now, when people visit the park, Buchar believes they will see a difference.

“Walking up, you see the fresh mulch on the trees and it looks fresh,” Buchar said. “It is just an overall improvement in looks.”

The Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper Challenge grant helps to fund community improvement projects that can create a gathering place and bring people together. As the grant title emphasizes, projects chosen for funding may not be grand in scale, but have the potential to make a big difference in the communities in which they are implemented. Buchar said this is the first time she has applied for the Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper Challenge and she is glad she did.

“The improvements were impressive,” Buchar said. “It was a welcoming change. It was a necessity as well.”