Alford Park, located on the east side of the Cloverland Hydroelectric Power Plant in Sault Ste. Marie, was abruptly closed in October 2016 due to safety concerns over its crumbling infrastructure.
It was a very popular place to fish and watch the freighters go by on the St. Marys River. It was also a place where freighters could moor.
Now, after over six years of the park being fenced off and barricaded, it is expected to reopen in late 2023 with help from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and its Spark Grants program.
According to the DNR website, the Michigan Spark Grants support projects that provide safe, accessible public recreation facilities and spaces to improve people’s health, introduce new recreation experiences, build on existing park infrastructure and make it easier for people to enjoy both indoor and outdoor recreation.
The $716,600 grant will be used to stabilize the waterfront and beautify the park. It was a competitive round of applicants that the city's engineering department worked hard to secure that funding.
David Boyle, city engineer, says the Spark grant with another $150,000 DNR grant (with the city matching that) brings in around $1 million to help with the project.
"That money will be used to rebuild the park and open it up hopefully by late 2023. The beautification of the park, including trees and shrubs, will extend into 2024," Boyle said.
Boyle said there have been complaints about the park being closed for so long.
"During the summer, it's a constant thing. They want the park open to go fishing. We want it open, too," Boyle added.
But it's about the cost and making sure the waterfront property is safe for use.
Boyle said construction equipment will start to move into place in a couple of weeks, but the actual construction will not start until early April.
"With the new LSSU Center for Freshwater Research and Education on that property, we will improve their landscaping, too. It's going to be a nice place," Boyle said.
