SCOTTVILLE — The City of Scottville and the Scottville Downtown Development Authority (DDA) held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, May 8 on the city’s revitalization of Optimist Park and sculpture improvement project.
The revitalization will include renovations to the Scottville Clown Band Shell along with sidewalk and landscape improvements, and placement of a new sculpture, “The Big Noise,” which will be the park’s centerpiece. The hope of the interactive sculpture will be to inspire both the young and the young at heart.
“The Big Noise” is a kinetic interactive work that will draw on Scottville’s rich history, paying tribute to the famous Scottville Clown Band and the city’s rich agricultural history. Sculptor and filmmaker Harold Cronk, a Mason County resident and Mason County Central High School graduate, designed the sculpture.
“One of my favorite childhood memories is arriving at my first Harvest Festival and watching in awe as the colorful characters of the Clown Band marched down the parade route,” Cronk said.
The project is the culmination of years of vision and collaboration. In 2018, the City of Scottville formed a committee to explore adding a sculpture to the Mason County Sculpture Trail. In 2020, the DDA purchased the Optimist Park property from the Scottville Optimist Club for $49,900, half of its market value, thanks to a generous in-kind donation from the club.
Over $200,000 was raised through community donations, local business contributions, and grants from organizations such as the Community Foundation for Mason County and the Pennies from Heaven Foundation. In 2022, the City and DDA were awarded a $178,000 matching Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
“This project has been a vision of our city’s leadership for more than seven years,” said Joe Knowles, chairman of the Scottville DDA. “Collaboration with The Right Place has been a catalyst to helping us see our vision come true!”
Knowles also emphasized the project’s role in post-pandemic recovery.
“Our city greatly felt the economic impact of COVID,” he added. “This project will help bring much-needed public gathering spaces back to our local business center, helping small businesses recover from the financial burdens they have suffered.”
Consultant Fleis & VandenBrink (F&V) provided design and construction engineering for the project.
“F&V is proud to partner with the City of Scottville on this transformational project,” said Steve Bishop, PE, project manager for the park project. “Our goal from the start of project planning was to address any concerns with the city and create a space for the community to come together.”
The venue and green space will be a point of pride for the residents of Scottville and the surrounding area. It is expected to lure more visitors to the city and help stimulate new economic growth in the downtown and surrounding areas.
“We look forward to local concerts, movies in the park, and Scottville Clown Band performances to help bring people together in our town,” Knowles said.
The project is expected to be completed by September 2025.
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