Bloomer Park work in White Lake will begin this spring

The White Lake Township Board of Trustees recently approved the concept plan for Phase I of improvements to Bloomer Park and is now in the process of drafting construction plans to be able to put the project out for bidding after the first of the new year.

“We’re hoping to start construction in the spring of 2012,” said Jason Iacoangeli of the White Lake Community Development and Planning Department.

The park consists of 30 acres and is located in the northern part of the township on the west side of McKeatchie Road, between Jackson Boulevard and Grass Lake Road. It boasts of an abundance of oaks and maples with property along Grass Lake.

Phase I of the project consists of constructing the items spelled out in a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (NRTF) grant.

In 2010, White Lake received the $350,000 grant from the NRTF to develop Bloomer Park.

The plan called for a parking area, a “scenic overlook on Grass Lake,” a picnic shelter, and trail system.

“It will remain a natural park, but we are providing amenities so that the people using the park will have something more formal to enjoy,” Iacoangeli said.

One of the biggest projects that will be completed will be a parking area that is slated to accommodate 16 parking spaces.

Currently there is no parking lot. Those using the park have to pull off of McKeatchie Road and park somewhere along the road. The new parking area will allow people to park and get out to walk within the park.

“It’s going to be of a green design,” Iacoangeli explained. “We’re going to use grass paver block instead of using an impervious surface. This way, when it rains, the water will filter through. This is a way to deal with stormwater runoff.”

The park is currently open to the public.