Fairgrounds’ playground to remain where located
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ALPENA -- The Optimist Club playground at the Alpena County Fairgrounds is not going to be moved and there is a chance it could see some needed improvements still this year.
In 2021 the Alpena County Board of Commissioners first discussed moving the Optimist Club playground at the Alpena County Fairgrounds and building campsites where the park is located along the Thunder Bay River.
Because of the cost of the investment needed to construct the new sites and the utilities for them, the idea died.
Earlier this spring and this month, there was another brief discussion about moving the park, for safety reasons. On Tuesday, after Optimist Club President Beckie Thomson addressed the Alpena County Finance, Ways, and Means Committee, the commissioners decided to leave the park where it is currently located with an 8-0 vote.
Board Chairman John Kozlowski said moving the park was just an idea years ago and there have been no serious discussions about it since.
The Optimist Club was ready to make an investment into the park, but it held back until the commissioners decided what they were going to do with the Blackwater NE LLC contract. The club had assurances the park was going to remain where it is currently located.
In April, Blackwater and the county first began negotiating a contract that would have put the private company in management control of the fairgrounds and much of its infrastructure. The county voted in June to not contract with Blackwater.
At the fairgrounds playground, there is a large wooden tractor for children to play on. Thomson said the club had found a new tractor online for about $12,000, though the club held off the purchase when the proposed Blackwater project was unveiled.
"The one tractor that does have some issues and it is starting to fall apart. It is still solid for climbing on, but there are some pieces off of the tires," Thomson said. "We were going to order a new one and hoped to replace it this spring and then Blackwater came about. We don't want to put money into something that was going to be torn down. Therefore we didn't do anything."
Now it appears that the club is trying to work with Murphy Builders to repair and improve the current tractor, Thomson told the commissioners, but the company has yet to inspect the tractor.
"They said they would love to fix it up for us," she said. "They were going to do it free of charge, but they have not yet gone to the fairgrounds to look at it. Also since then, they said they didn't want to do it free anymore and they want to do it at cost, so right now, we do not know if they are going to repair it or not because they still haven't gotten over there to look at it yet. If Murphy Builders wants to repair it, we would love for them to repair it. If they can not, we would like to replace it."
The vote may have been unanimous but Vice Chair Brenda Fournier was still reluctant to forego the playground discussion. She cited concerns about safety and the lack of parental supervision when children go to the park to play.
"With the housing near there, there are a lot of children that go there and play all day long and often, their parents don't go with them," Fournier said. "I had said maybe we should move it in front of the Merchant’s Building so more people can see what is going on. But, if parents believe their kids are perfectly safe where the park is, I'm fine with this. Just remember, if anything bad happens, this will fall back on the county and we could get sued."
There was a brief discussion about placing a sign similar to those at a beach that notifies people to play at their own risk or that adult supervision is required. Fournier said that may or may not help and she added she just wanted to share her concerns before voting.
"If anything bad happens," she said. "I had my say."
Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.