GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — A popular park along the lakeshore could be getting a huge addition, if a grant can be secured from the state.
Ottawa County Parks and Recreation is asking the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund for $3.3 million to buy the sand mine that sits next to the Rosy Mound Natural Area.
"It's been a long time coming," said Curt TerHaar, Coordinator of Park Planning & Development. "Back when the parks commission was formed in 1987, they did some analysis on what their main priorities were, and the Rosy Mound Natural Area was rated right up there at the top of things they wanted to try to accomplish."
If the area were acquired, it would add another 127 acres to the already 164-acre park.
The property's owner, Tacoma Industries, is already onboard with selling.
Early plans for the site include a north entrance to the park, added parking, and about 1.5 to 2 miles of trails that will connect with existing ones at the park.
"It would certainly change the character of the park," said TerHaar. "It provides a lot more room for recreation, and we think the trail system would likely be doubled."
"Yes, it is a sand mining site, but it is quite spectacularly beautiful," TerHaar said, "and a big portion of it was not mined, so 72 acres of it is pristine, natural dunes."
"We think is just going to be a great addition to the park both for for the ecological reasons, because it does have some nice, natural land on it," he added.
The grant application has been approved by the county commissioners and was due by April 1, but it won't be until December that the state will decide if they'll fund the project.
"And then you have to wait a little while the state legislature is actually asked to appropriate that money based on the recommendations from the trust fund," TerHaar explained, "and that usually takes six months, so likely the earliest we could actually acquire it would be fall of 2023."
"Rosy Mound really is probably a favorite for a lot of people," TerHaar said. "It's close to Grand Haven so a lot of it's easy for a lot of people to get to and it's just proven to be one of our most popular locations."
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