The Sun and News

Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Middleville and Caledonia Areas

No. 10/ March 11, 2023 Published by J-Ad Graphics, Inc. • 1351 N. M-43 Highway, Hastings, MI 49058 145th year

TAPRC pitches ballfield complex as part of proposed Sheridan Park project

James Gemmell
Contributing Writer
Two members of the
Thornapple Area Parks and
Recreation Commission
board presented the TAPRC’s

annual report to Middleville

Village Council members on

Tuesday at their Committee

of the Whole meeting.

TAPRC Board

Chairwoman Catherine Getty

and Vice Chair Emily Dock

gave a presentation. Also

attending the meeting was

Nathan Fischer, the TAPRC’s

new program director and a

teacher at Lee Elementary

School in Middleville.

A key effort is the pro-

posed Sheridan Community

Park project, which would

encompass a new ballfield

complex and a community

park. It would feature four

baseball diamonds plus larg-

er fields that could also

accommodate adult softball

games.

“And that’s something

we’re missing from our com-

munity,” Getty told commis-

sioners. “When Spring Park

was part of the wetland-miti-

gation project, from the

bridge, that field shrunk. And

so, it’s no longer big enough

to play adult softball on.”

A walking track would be

built around the circumfer-

ence and there would be a

trail that possibly could be

connected to Crane Road and

to the North County National

Scenic Trail. Other proposed

amenities are two basketball

courts, a big playground,

pickleball courts, and nature

and mountain bike trails.

Proponents say it would

improve the quality of life in

the Middleville area and

serve as a regional park des-

tination.

“Working with the proper-

ty owners between here and

there, it’s very promising,”

Getty said.

Sheridan Park would be

built adjacent to Torn-Barry

Apartments, Cider Mill

Village, Mt. Hope Cemetery

Fighting Scot freshman

wins state championship

Caledonia freshman Maddie Hayden (center left) looks out from the medal

stand after winning the 155-pound girls’ state championship at the MHSAA

Individual Wrestling Finals at Ford Field in Detroit Saturday. Hayden was 4-

over the weekend at Ford Field, closing the tournament with a 7-3 win over

Howell’s Brynn Green (center right) in the championship finals. (Photo by Brett

Bremer)

• Middleville Village Manager gets

positive review

• Storage company plans

expansion at Middleville facility

• YS township hall project ahead

of schedule

• TK cheer matches program’s

best finals finish

IN THIS ISSUE...IN THIS ISSUE...

See TAPRC , page 3

Yankee Springs board

seeks $117,000 DNR

grant for park upgrades

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

Two months after approv-

ing a five-year parks and

recreation plan for the

township, the Yankee

Springs Township board is

seeking state funding for

improvements to the town-

ship park.

The board Thursday night

unanimously approved

seeking $117,000 from the

Michigan Department of

Natural Resources

Recreation Passport grant

program toward the con-

struction of four new pick-

leball courts at the township

park, and converting the

park’s existing two pickle-

ball courts and half-court

basketball court into a full-

court basketball court. The

grant would cover 75 per-

cent of the estimated proj-

ect cost of $156,000, with

the township to provide

matching funds for the

remaining $39,000 of the

cost.

“We’re gaining half a

basketball court and two

pickleball courts with this

grant,” Township

Supervisor Rob Heethuis

said.

The new pickleball courts

and the upgrade to a full-

size basketball court had

been recommended in the

township’s five-year parks

and recreation plan, which

was passed unanimously by

the township board in

January. One of the reasons

cited for adopting the plan

and submitting it to the state

was to put the township in

position to apply for grants

such as the DNR Recreation

Passport grant for park

The Yankee Springs Township Board is seeking a $117,000 grant from

Michigan’s DNR to fund improvements to the township park. (Courtesy photos)

See TOWNSHIP PARK page 2

The Sheridan Park conceptual designs show where
the ballfields and other park facilities would be locat-
ed. (Provided by the TAPRC)