Plans call for wheelchair-friendly beach

Elmwood Township

April 6, 2009

By Melissa Domsic The Record Eagle Tue Apr 07, 2009, 10:20 PM EDT

GREILICKVILLE -- Beach-goers who use wheelchairs don't have many options to enjoy the area's expansive shoreline.

In fact, one of the nearest beaches with some wheelchair accessibility is in Frankfort, said Jim Moore, executive director of the Disability Network/Northern Michigan.

But plans are in the works to develop a wheelchair-friendly beach with special features to accommodate people with a range of disabilities at the Greilickville Harbor Park in Leelanau County's Elmwood Township.

The stretch of beach on West Grand Traverse Bay has a gentle slope and calm, shallow water that makes it easier for people with wheelchairs or other mobility aids to reach the shore.

The planned addition of a barrier-free walkway will take visitors to the sand, where special mats will provide a path into the water.

"That is going to be a unique design for this area and one that will allow for a lot of folks to enjoy the water in a way they haven't been able to," Moore said.

The universal access features are part of the township's planned renovation of the Greilickville Harbor Park, situated south of the township marina and north of Traverse City Light & Power's former coal dock off M-22.

Park plans include a three-dimensional relief map of the park with braille that will help guide the visually impaired.

Restrooms, pavilions, parking and play areas also will be designed to accommodate people with disabilities, said Klaus Heinert, a landscape architect with Gosling Czubak Engineering who's designing the project.

"We've got an elderly community in Elmwood. We also have people that visit a park like this from all over the region that may not have the ability to go to a beach otherwise," Heinert said.

Township Supervisor Jack Kelly called the project "a great step forward."

"I don't know of anything anywhere in the region of this nature," he said.

Construction should begin after Labor Day and finish by June 2010.

The project's cost currently stands at $657,300. Grants from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation cover most of the expenses, and the township will chip in $118,300 for a local match.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation boosted its support because of the park's universal accessibility, Heinert said.

Grants don't include funding for restrooms and play areas, but township officials are seeking more funds.

Officials eventually hope to construct a safer pedestrian crossing on M-22 with an audio and visual countdown signal and textured warning strips on the pavement for the visually impaired.

Open house and egg hunt

What: Children are invited to search for Easter eggs and give their ideas on proposed playground equipment for the Greilickville Harbor Park in Elmwood Township. Local park planners will hold an open house to gather input on park improvements including parking, pavilions and playground equipment. Theyll also hold an Easter egg hunt for children.

When: The event is from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Where: Elmwood Township hall, 10090 E. Lincoln Road.

For more information on the park plans, visit www.ghptf.110mb.com.