CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY At Antrim Township Community Park

Please use extreme caution when visiting the park:

Antrim Township has contracted with a barn preservation company to dismantle the barn at Antrim Township Community Park over the next month.

The barn has become a liability to the township and park users.

The timbers in the lower part of the barn sit directly on the ground, termite damage and rot has deteriorated the lower level of the barn making it unsafe in the condition it is in. The township has had the foundation stone repaired and pest control applications applied annually to stop the decay. The roof (structure) is in the same condition. If you visit the park regularly, you will recall no less than four times that the roof has come off the barn, dangling steel in high winds. This is not an acceptable risk to the park users and children playing at the playground adjacent to the barn. The township has used the barn for storage, and it has become a liability to staff since the floor no longer has the integrity to hold the equipment. The township has provided maintenance and repair to the barn each time a new problem has surfaced.

A few years ago, the township sought out barn specialists to repair the barn correctly (not a Band-Aid). The township was advised to completely demolish the barn and rebuild it from the foundation up, at a cost of approximately $500,000. To make it structurally sound, usable, and to be in compliance with regulations, another couple of million dollars would be required, which is not financially feasible.

Presented with all options, The Board of Supervisors made the decision that it was not financially responsible to refurbish the barn.

It is not the desire of the township for the barn to be demolished and sent to the landfill. The lumber will be repurposed, and the barn foundation stones will be part of a natural play area for the community children with an agriculture theme.

Certain areas of the park will be closed as the barn is dismantled. This will include parts of memorial loop walking trail from the large pavilion to the horseshoe pits. The park road and north gate will be closed. Please park in the three south end parking areas. We ask for your patience and understanding during this transitional time.