BARAGA — The new playground set at the Baraga State Park saw its first users almost as soon as the ribbon touched the ground Wednesday morning.

Children at the park joined representatives from the Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Army National Guard, Copper Shores and more at a ribbon-cutting to mark the park’s opening.

The project had been about 20 years in the making, said Dan Dowdy, supervisor for the Baraga DNR unit. Aging, unsafe equipment on-site didn’t meet state standards and was being removed. Eventually, Dowdy said, it got down to “where we didn’t have anything.”

“We needed to have a goal,” he said. “And the goal was to offer a safe play area for kids to get out and recreate.”

With most of the spending on the park focused on amenities such as water, sewer and buildings, it was placed on the backburner.

COVID stimulus funding helped provide some of the $225,000 cost for equipment. Along with DNR state parks capital outlay funds, the playground received $51,000 from GameTime and Sinclair Recreation through the 2023 mParks Statewide Funding Initiative, a $20,000 donation from Copper Shores Community Health Foundation and a $10,000 anonymous donation.

Funding was one matter; getting the pieces assembled was another. It happened through a community build project between the DNR, community members and the Guard’s 107th Engineer Battalion.

More than 20 Guardsmen from Kingsford, Gladstone and Ishpeming helped build the playground, said Capt. Trevor Kay. They spent three to four days installing it, plus another day to add concrete curbing.

“It’s great to be in our communities working with our partners towards a common goal of making our state parks better for Michiganders everywhere to enjoy,” Kay said. “The fact that you get to be in the National Guard, live here, work here, and serve here in our communities, I couldn’t think of a better project that displays what our community means to us.”

Through the Guard’s Readiness Program, it’s been participating in projects throughout the western U.P.

“The soldiers are from here, so they get the opportunity to actually do some work in their communities, which has been a big plus,” said Lt. Col. Lucas Lanczy. “The Guard’s been busy on federal missions the past two decades, so now’s the time to get our units back in the communities building things.”

The DNR construction team did the rest of the restoration and also installed gravel parking.

“It takes a big team to do something like this and I’m very proud to be able to offer this to our park visitors and also our community,” Dowdy said.

The project also complements the newly completed non-motorized trail between the Village of Baraga and the Baraga State Park, which had its own ribbon-cutting Monday, Dowdy said.

The new playground unveiled Thursday offers swings, a wavy arch, and a tree fort playscape with climbing rocks, spiral slides, a spinning leaf and numerous other features. A rubberized ground surface helps make sure kids of all mobility levels can access all of them.

The park’s playground design was recognized at the 2024 mParks Conference and Trade Show, where it was selected as a national demonstration site. The designation is based on the playgrounds’ level of inclusivity and accessibility.

To receive the mParks funding, the playground had needed to meet six elements, including ADA compliance, and activities like sliding, swinging, spinning and climbing.

As Dowdy talked afterwards, kids were already doing all of them.

“It’s wonderful,” he said. “You know, over the course of the week here, we had people asking when it’s going to be open.”

While the DNR crew had still needed to do some restoration work to make it safe for entry, Dowdy said, “the kids were ready to go.”