The Isabella County Commission on Aging building, 2200 S. Lincoln Road. (Sun photograph by Eric Baerren)
A plan that’s been in the works for more than six years is coming to fruition at the Isabella County Commission on Aging.
A 2017 rendering of a pavilion with a few alterations is back in the forefront after being put on hold in favor of other county projects, with Isabella County commissioners on Tuesday approving a $466,549 bid from JBS Construction to build the structure.
Jennifer Crawford, director of the Isabella County COA, said in a memo to the county’s human resources and public works committee that the project was started back up last year with adjustments to the original plan because of logistics and new ideas.
A pickleball court was included under the pavilion in the original design, but was altered to include a shortened length of pavilion with a pickleball court on the north side and a shuffleboard court on the west, Crawford said.
Sidewalks are planned from the pavilion to both recreation areas.
Because of the location of a storm water drain, COA officials worked with Union Township, which approved the site plan before the county sent the project out to bid.
Plans call for a 30-foot by 40-foot pavilion, including a 30-foot by 22-foot storage and restroom building.
Crawford said the pavilion will have a metal roof, brickwork on the support columns and decorative wooden beams with the COA logo on the exterior wall facing the parking lot.
Program managers at the COA are looking forward to using the space for all of the programs offered and the possibility of hosting picnics, music performances, outdoor movies, fitness programs and other activities, Crawford said.
Noting that the COA is in good financial shape, Crawford said the unreserved fund balance is $2.5 million, and that the agency has other resources to possibly help support the cost of the project, including more than $85,000 available through funds established from the Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation.
Friends of Isabella Seniors and the Mt. Pleasant Garden Club have also reached out to Crawford and are interested in beautifying the area around the pavilion after construction is complete, Crawford said, adding that she is looking into grant opportunities as well.
Crawford told commissioners at a Tuesday work session that the JBS bid came in lower than anticipated and that the color schemes of the pavilion will match the COA building.
She told commissioners that the pavilion and recreation areas are a great opportunity for the county to provide more outdoor activities.