Airport park grand opening sees rain

IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - About 40 people came out on a drizzly Tuesday evening to celebrate the grand opening of the Airport Recreation Park in Ironwood Township.

The event allowed local residents to view the completed park, featuring a pavilion, soccer fields, volleyball court, walking path and playground equipment.

Planning the park had been a long process, spanning numerous years. According to township supervisor Alan Baron, his portion was a "smooth process.

"Kim (Mattson, former supervisor) and the former board did a lot of work on this," Baron said. "I came in during the final portion of the pavilion and moving the playground equipment. Everything went smooth with volunteers, when it came to bodies and materials."

Tuesday's open house also included a farmers market, teams hosting soccer practices on two of the fields and kids on the playground.

"I've come out here at different times during the day to check on things, and there are kids playing, which is great to see," Baron said.

State Rep. Scott Dianda, D-Calumet, also attended the event, and spoke about the importance of parks in communities. Dianda mentioned that while on the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Committee, the goal was to give out smaller grants to more communities, helping them to create or upgrade parks and community spaces.

"With kids out here playing, and the farmers market going on, that is what we are looking for," Baron said. "We want this to get stronger and stronger with people's participation ... It gets the community involved, and that is what I like to see."