The park will be located between East Carleton Road and East Bacon Street, near Stock’s Mill. Christina Lewis | Collegian

The Hillsdale Rotary Club will build a new “fitness park” near Stock’s Mill as long as it receives approval from the Hillsdale Planning Commission at its May 14 meeting.

The new park would include pickleball courts, soccer fields, a playground, and “ninja” fitness equipment. It will be located between East Carleton Road and East Bacon Street, on property owned by Stock’s Mill and the City of Hillsdale.

Heather Tritchka, president of the Hillsdale Rotary Club, said she came up with the idea for the fitness park as the club was putting the finishing touches on the Sandy Beach Project, which includes bike paths, a beach, and playground areas around Baw Beese Lake. 

“I was looking for the next thing, something for the whole community,” Tritchka said. “My daughters used to walk to the park when they were younger, but there really isn‘t an area like that now.” 

She said she was looking for an area with a lot of grass, high visibility, and bike path accessibility. 

David Wheeler and the City of Hillsdale each owned part of the property, according to Tritchka. 

“We were in talks with the owner about acquiring the property, we said that we would make him a fair offer on the land,” Tritchka said. “When he came back to us, he offered to donate it outright.” 

Tritchka said the City of Hillsdale also donated its portion of the property.

With the pre-emptive parts of the planning complete, the Rotary Club began to make more plans. Tritchka said the club wants to put in equipment targeted at a younger audience.

Fitness equipment is  “shockingly similar to swings and slides,” according to Tritchka.

The project will be executed across four phases, with the earlier phases aimed at developing the space. As the club acquires more funds, Tritchka says it plans to build “ninja” equipment based on the popular “American Ninja Warrior” television show. 

Tritchka said the Rotary Club is currently in the final phases for approval by the Hillsdale City Council before it can break ground. The organization has received funding from entities with a presence in the community including the Hillsdale Community Foundation, Meijer, and County National Bank, but they are still looking to fund large portions of the project, especially the ninja equipment. 

Although the park has received no major opposition, concerns have been raised about keeping homeless people from camping in the park. Tritchka said measures would be taken to keep the park safe for community members.

“We shouldn’t let fear of misuse prevent us from doing something good for the community,” Tritchka said.

Nolan Sullivan ’22, a Rotary Club member, said that with the funds the club has already received they will be able to begin building. But the project could take many years. 

“There isn’t anything like this in Hillsdale now, there hasn’t been a new park in decades,” Sullivan said.“There’s a great opportunity for this park to offer kids a walkable and visible space in the town, to have a new park for the first time in decades. We have this opportunity to bring in new equipment that’s up to date and set some of this up.”

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