CLINTON — The village of Clinton will soon enjoy a pathway that will allow paved access through Tate Park, located on Michigan Avenue (U.S. 12) on the west side of the village. The Tate Park River Raisin Pathway Loop has received grant funding from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and additional funding will come from a local revenue source, according to Kevin Cornish, Clinton village manager.

The paved pathway will wind through the park south from the main entrance, toward the existing softball and volleyball venues, then north through the softball fields back to the main entrance of the park. 

Funding for the path comes from a Michigan Passport Grant, which comes from an additional fee that motorists can pay when renewing their driver’s licenses that allow them to enter park areas without paying a daily fee. A percentage of those funds goes to local units of governments for improvements to local recreation areas, Cornish said.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” he said.

The village of Clinton applied for the grant in the spring of 2024, and the grant was awarded in December. The estimated cost of the project is $224,000, of which $150,000 will come from the state grant. 

The rest of the funding will come from the Tate Park Trust Fund, which was created by John Robison, a graduate of Clinton High School who donated $1.5 million for park improvements, Cornish said. The village spends only the interest from the trust fund, not the principal, and spends it only on capital improvements, not operating expenses.

“That way, it would be in the village in perpetuity to do good things in Tate Park,” Cornish said. “It works really good.”

In addition to creating a paved pathway through the park, the grant funding will also be used to add a fishing and observation deck to the river, Cornish said.  

“You can fish on the River Raisin or you can observe the river from that location,” he said, adding that the improvements will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The timeline for construction of the pathway and other park additions is dependent, at this time, on approval of the design by the DNR. After that, the bidding process for construction can begin, Cornish said. 

“I’m not sure when it will start, but optimistically this summer,” he said. 

A park improvement that has already been approved and is ready for construction this summer is a pickleball court area. Funds for the pickleball courts come from a separate grant, Cornish said. 

Tate Park originated in the 1970s, when the village had the opportunity to buy the land, Cornish said, which was a big undertaking.

“You have to remember that, at the time, money was tight,” he said. “It was the ’70s, you had the oil embargo and then taxing to come up with the money to buy the vacant land,” he continued. “Then once you get the land, then it’s like OK, how do you come up with money to pay to make things, and how do you staff it.’”

“Thank goodness the brave people on the council at that time made that decision to purchase the park, because we’ve been able to turn it into what it is today,” Cornish said.

Currently, Tate Park covers 85 acres. There are areas for sand volleyball, four softball fields used by both youth and adult leagues, a canoe parking lot and livery, and an existing observation deck.  A playground, gazebo, picnic shelters are also part of the facilities. Tate Park is known as a site for activities during the Clinton Fall Festival.