City of SJ approves agreement for $690K in improvements to Whirlpool Centennial Park

fountain

The City of St. Joseph has been planning improvements to Whirlpool Centennial Park, and commissioners took the next step forward Monday when they approved a grant project agreement with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The park, which currently hosts the ever-popular compass fountain, will include a restroom building, new access path, drinking fountains, foot wash stations, shade structures, signage and a new eight-foot or wider trail.

The agreement, funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, calls for nearly $700,000 in improvements, to be completed by 2025. The total cost of the project is $690,000, with grant funds of $345,000. The city will match that amount, which it budgeted for in its 2021-22 capital improvement budget. $100,000 from an anonymous donation to the Parks Foundation also will be used toward the project.