Tecumseh Kiwanis Club donation to help replace playground equipment at Bird Park

TECUMSEH — Decades-old play equipment at one of Tecumseh's parks will be replaced, with a service club covering about half of the cost.

Douglas W. Bird Kiwanis Memorial Park's play structure is about 40 years old and the swing set may be about 60 years old, Tecumseh Kiwanis Club member Doug Bird Jr., son of the park's namesake, told the Tecumseh City Council during its meeting July 1. The park's play equipment was identified as in need of replacement due to its age, structural condition and accessibility compliance in an assessment by playground company WeBuildFun Inc., city manager Dan Swallow told the council.

The layout of the park at North Maumee Street and Herrick Park Drive also is challenging for parents and others who bring children to the park to play. The swing set and play structure are on opposite sides of Evans Creek. Bird said the club heard from its women members that it would be much easier to watch children if both were on the same side of the creek.

Subscribe Now: For all the latest local developments, breaking news, and high school and college sports content.

To bring the swings and play structure up to current standards, the Kiwanis club is donating $30,000 toward the $63,512.88 for the new equipment. The city budgeted for the remainder of the cost of the equipment as well as the $6,850 for site preparation by F&S Landscape of Tecumseh and a contingency fund of $3,518.14.

"We're just so pleased and proud that we can do that because it's such an easy-to-see park, and even in the school year you can see people down there at 10 o'clock in the morning," Bird said.

Both the new swing set and play structure will be on the north side of the creek, where the current play structure is located. The structure will be shifted slightly to the east of its current location, and a tree will be cut down to make room for the new swing set.

Tecumseh Kiwanis Club members presented a ceremonial check for $30,000 to the city at the meeting July 1.

The council accepted the donation and approved the project on a 7-0 vote.

— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian .

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Tecumseh Kiwanis Club donation to help replace playground equipment at Bird Park