Twenty years ago, St. Clair families with children would have spent many nights a week attending Little League games at Crecha Park.
But in the years since Little League moved to Legacy Park on Fred Moore Highway, Karen Foley said a new generation of residents seems completely unfamiliar with the neighborhood park.
Local community leaders are now hoping that a recent funding increase will move forward with plans to rebuild Kreka and return it to the site at Goffe and Palmer Streets.
Foley, chairman of the St. Clair City Recreation Committee, said of rec director Trice Hawkins, “People were asking what Trice would do on the square during the Halloween (Party) for Tots program.” Ta. “People were saying, ‘Where is Krecha Park?’ Where is it? I don’t know anything about this park.” It was a park. Our goal is to bring Kleča back to a destination that people want to go to. ”
Klecha’s improvement plan began more than a year ago with a subcommittee introducing splash pad features to local parks. Resident Mike Burnham approached the city looking for a way to honor his late brother Don Burnham, a former sheriff and well-known local figure.
Earlier this month, St. Clair Cargill stores announced a three-year, $300,000 grant to support the city’s “Reimagine Crecha Park” efforts, specifically the splash pad.
“It was great to see Cargill jump in and try to take ownership of the splash pad,” Hawkins said at the Jan. 8 City Council meeting. Foley said this week that that means being part of the design process.
Lee Westrick, processing supervisor at Cargill in St. Clair, said in a statement this month that he wanted to support something that is close to Cargill, in the shadow of the building and in the hearts of its staff.
“Our employees, including retirees, are proud supporters of our community,” he said. “Many of us remember the first baseman at Kleča Park stadium. We are happy to provide the funds to start the Kleča Park project.”
Hawkins said Wednesday that he originally created renderings of the splash pad a year ago to show what components could be included in an ideal 2,500-square-foot pad.
He said the company is likely to work with Cargill and other interested parties before a bid package is issued by the end of February.
“We’re trying to customize it to St. Clair and the surrounding area. There’s going to be underground and above-ground features,” Hawkins said. They added: “We also want to have adequate seating and shade for the pads. That’s something we see as a priority.”
Additional donors, ways to help: What else is involved?
Hawkins said much of 2023 was spent finding grants for the Klecha project, which includes renovating the remaining ballpark, adding track and pickleball courts, a new playground and pavilion, and walking trails. It is expected to include the construction of.
The city applied unsuccessfully for a SPARK grant through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. But it also received a $140,000 grant from the St. Clair Endowment, administered by the St. Clair County Community Foundation.
Earlier this month, Mr. Hawkins appeared with Mr. Foley and Mr. Burnham and told CTV Community Television’s Paul Dingeman that the Community Foundation’s support would go toward the accessibility portion of Krecha Park’s rehabilitation. In addition, an additional $30,000 has been provided by St. Clair County Parks and Recreation for the construction of walkways, splash pads and courts, bringing the fundraising for what she calls a little more than half of what she calls a $1 million project. By the way, she said.
This week, St. Clair rec officials said they hope to set up another community engagement session in the coming weeks for the initiative, similar to the input they received last spring.
Hawkins said he is seeking community support for the proposed picnic pavilion in Kleča, and especially for the remaining ballpark, which “continues the tradition” that some may still associate with the park.
As with past park initiatives, she said she hopes to continue to welcome support from interested residents. Anyone interested in contributing to this effort can find a donation form at StClairRec.com or contact Park and Rec at City Hall (810) 329-7121.
Foley said since the effort began, staff removed dugouts from the old minor league field in Krecha, and an old warehouse building was demolished late last year. She also encouraged people to get involved.
“We’re seeing people doing a little bit of work there. So next time we’re holding a community outreach meeting in February, we’re hoping to get community members involved. We have a list of,” Foley said. “When we handed out raffle tickets at the boat race (last year), a lot of people put their names down and said, ‘I’d be happy to help.’ And (we) just go from there.” We hope to break ground on something in the summer.”
Jackie Smith (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com.