Howell Township residents can make their voices heard on future plans to develop the municipality’s parks and recreation offerings.

Township officials are working toward creating the municipality’s first parks and recreation master plan, which outlines the timeline and funding of future goals and objectives for building the system. The plan helps officials budget accordingly by providing a forecast of what’s to come and about how much it’ll cost. By developing and implementing a master plan, the township will become eligible for state grant funding. Though the grants often require matching local funds, the master plan prepares officials for that expenditure.

An open house event was held at township hall Tuesday to give constituents an opportunity to provide feedback on what they’d like to see included in the master plan. Landscape Architect Chris Nordstrom, who has helped 25 other communities develop recreation master plans within the last three years, says a common theme among all is the desire for trails. He says the township also owns properties that could be good contenders for a community park, and is interested to see if there’s a way to leverage amenities like the Shiawassee River in order to expand recreational offerings in the region.

While the master plan process has only just begun, Nordstrom says this part is critical, as community members’ concerns and suggestions ultimately help shape the future of Howell Township’s parks, trails, and recreational programming. Citizens can still share their input through an online survey at the link below. (DK)