The Berrien County Parks Department is inviting the public to offer its thoughts on the latest Berrien County Parks Five Year Plan.
Parks Director Jill Adams tells us the plan outlines development goals for each of the county’s seven parks.
“It does help us plan out what we are going to do, think about how to budget for those improvements to the parks, and keep us on track,” Adams said. “We have a lot of ideas, a lot of great things currently happening, and a lot of improvements in mind.”
The county must have a five-year parks plan to qualify for state grants. Adams says there are a few key priorities outlined in the draft plan.
“Trail improvement and trail expansion have been a hot topic for us for quite some time now. With the efforts that the Friends of Berrien County Trails have put forth in a county-wide trail plan, we are excited to be a part of that.”
Adams says the new plan is built upon the previous five-year plan.
The parks department will hold two open houses this month to present the plan to residents and get their suggestions. The first will be September 18 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Madeline Bertrand County Park in Niles. The second open house will be September 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the County Administration Center in St. Joseph.