Sept. 14, 2017

Contact: Andrew Haapala, 810-229-7067

Island Lake community-built playground officially opens to the public at Sept. 22 ribbon-cutting

Support from Carter Oosterhouse’s Carter’s Kids foundation, local community organizations brought design to life

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will host a ribbon-cutting event Friday, Sept. 22, to mark the official opening of the new, community-built playground at Island Lake Recreation Area in Livingston County. Both the public and media are invited to the event.

Through a partnership between the DNR, Carter’s Kids and local community organizations, three community-built playgrounds were installed this summer as part of the DNR's 2017 Playground Initiatives Project. The project utilized DNR employees and local volunteers to prepare the site and construct play equipment over the course of two days.

The DNR partnered with Carter’s Kids, a foundation started by HGTV’s Carter Oosterhouse, to provide design services and assist with coordination of the community-build project. The $115,000 project was supported by Island Lake Friends Group, Chemical Bank Foundation, South Lyon Area Recreation Authority and mParks, as well as funds from the sale of the Michigan’s Recreation Passport.

The universally accessible playground features a transfer platform, rubber tile surfacing and a walkway to the playground. The playground is located adjacent to the Kent Lake Beach and offers slides, cargo nets, an interactive tic-tac-toe board, a balance beam, several climbing elements and a discovery cave.

"This playground is going to be a wonderful addition to the park, providing a great, safe place for kids of all abilities to play and be healthy,' said Andrew Haapala, Island Lake Recreation Area unit manager. "A tremendous amount of community involvement went into the design and installation of this unique and welcoming space. We want to sincerely thank everyone involved in taking this project from concept to reality."

"Carter's Kids is extremely excited about our partnership with the Michigan DNR on these three state park playground builds," said Carter Oosterhouse, founder of Carter's Kids. "The Island Lake playground is located in a beautiful wooded setting and offers an abundance of play features that children will enjoy. We can't thank enough the park staff, Island Lake Friends Group and all of the community partners that made this project possible."

Ribbon-cutting event at Island Lake Sept. 22

The ribbon-cutting ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m. at 6301 Kensington Road in Brighton, a half-mile east of the park entrance booth. Participants include:

• Carter Oosterhouse.
• DNR officials and staff.
• Representatives of the Friends of Island Lake, South Lyon Area Recreation Authority and Chemical Bank Foundation.

Playground unveilings in Holly (Sept. 22), Grand Haven (Oct. 2)

Additional ribbon-cutting events will take place to celebrate two other community-build playground installations that are part of the DNR's 2017 Playground Initiatives Project. Later in the afternoon Sept. 22, a ribbon-cutting will take place at 1:30 p.m. at Holly Recreation Area. Next month, a ribbon-cutting is set for Monday, Oct. 2, at 1:30 p.m. at Grand Haven State Park. HGTV’s Carter Oosterhouse and many other community partners will be in attendance at both events. The public and media are welcome.

For more information, contact Andrew Haapala at 810-229-7067 or haapalaa@michigan.gov.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.