$50,000 goal to win matching grant through MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places initiative

LANSING, Mich. – Battle Creek will gain a splash pad at Claude Evans Park through a new  crowdfunding campaign, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Battle Creek Community Foundation announced today. The campaign is being offered through the Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $50,000 by November 8, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program. For project details and to donate, please visit: patronicity.com/bcsplashpad

“The splash pad at Claude Evans Park will be a fun space for families and children to play and community members to gather,” said MEDC Senior Vice President of Community Development Michele Wildman. “We are pleased to provide resources for this effort through our Public Spaces Community Places program.”

The concept of installing a full-sized splash pad in the city of Battle Creek arose a few years ago. The project began to become a reality when the city’s North Central Neighborhood Planning Council formed a team, who would facilitate planning, fundraising and construction of the project.

Since then, the team has come up with a plan to locate a splash pad in Claude Evans Park, a very active public park serving an approximately two-square-mile urban neighborhood commonly known as Washington Heights. This campaign will allow the team to complete the splash pad and open it for public use in the summer of 2021.

“The benefit of the PSCP matching grant program is that it has allowed our team to create a place for kids to go in the community that is free and that allows them to explore sensory learning, water play, and utilize a new summer extracurricular activity,” said Pastor Joe Hooper, board member of the Claude Evans Splash Pad Committee. “This will be a place where residents and community members can network, and neighbors can get to know each other.”

Public Spaces Community Places is a collaborative effort of the MEDC, the Michigan Municipal League, and Patronicity, in which local residents can use crowdfunding to be part of the development of strategic projects in their communities and be backed with a matching grant from MEDC. Communities, nonprofits and other business entities can apply at https://patronicity.com/puremichigan.

“Creating active, engaging public spaces is key to great placemaking,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and executive director of Michigan Municipal League. “Battle Creek’s splash pad will certainly hit that mark with a popular, family-friendly activity for the surrounding neighborhood and beyond.”

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org