After years of planning, a community effort to build a splash park in Shepherd will soon be breaking ground.
Nearly three years ago, local resident Kathy Edwards was inspired by her daughter to improve the Shepherd community and the creation of a splash park became her passion project.
“I have three kids that are all grown and my daughter mentioned that having a splash park as a kid in Shepherd would have been really cool,” says Edwards. “Ever since then I’ve made it my goal to accomplish this.”
Edward says the splash park has been one big community effort that everyone’s contributed to. She hopes it will help to bring the community together and advance growth in Shepherd.
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Fundraising progress for the Village of Shepherd Splash Park is displayed at the site on W. Wright Avenue in Shepherd, Michigan. *Current as of May 27, 2021.
“With everything that’s happened in the past year, we want something to let kids be kids again,” says Edwards. “It’s simple, easy fun.”
The site for the
Village of Shepherd Splash Park is centrally located in Shepherd in the Veterans Memorial Park off of W. Wright Avenue. The location is an active, well-lit, wheelchair-accessible area that is safe and free for children to use.
Of the $175,000 goal for the project, currently $139,000 has been raised — enough funds to break ground and begin construction for the splash pad which will utilize motion-sensing technology and serve as an eco-friendly water feature.
“Phase 1 of the project is beginning now and will hopefully wrap up by September,” says Edwards. “Phase 2 will require the last of the funds we need to add the aesthetic water features and will make the park fully complete by spring of 2022.”
The funds for the spray park have been entirely thanks to local donations and grants, says Edwards. Major contributors include the
Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation (MPACF),
Shepherd Sugar Bush, and
The Morey Foundation.
“We are excited that the youth of Shepherd will have a new, outdoor, accessible recreation area where they can safely have fun,” says Amanda Schafer, Executive Director of MPACF. “Congratulations to all the community members working hard to make this project a reality.”
To find out how to get involved or to make a donation, visit
Facebook.com/ShepherdSplashPark.
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