Howell is providing a weekly update on construction at the Depot Lot, also known as the Fire and Ice Depot District, as the summer progresses.
Officials hope to complete the project by November after years of planning, according to the city’s website. In tandem, progress is being made on a larger public parking improvement project.
For the most updated information, visit tinyurl.com/md3empw.
What are the main features of Howell’s new Fire and Ice Depot District?
When the district is complete, the area between Walnut Street and Michigan Avenue will be completely transformed, including a 160-by-80-foot pavilion with offices/concessions, restrooms, a maintenance room, lockers and a rentable space, plus a removable 120-by-60-foot ice rink in the winter season.
The rink will be glycol chilled (frozen as long as the weather is 50 degrees or less) and open to residents for free public skating. There will be an hourly fee for non-residents.
The streetscape along Walnut will include public gathering spaces in the form of three fire pits, pergolas for shade and a playable fountain with LED lights (not to be confused with a splash pad).
The district will have 43 dedicated public parking spaces, but the sum total of parking improvements will provide over 200 additional and accessible spots in downtown Howell.
Local resident Kelsea Combs, mother of two young children, is looking forward to the new addition.
“I think it’ll be really nice and more usable than it was before,” she told The Daily.
Is the Howell Sunday Farmers Market moving to the new district?
According to the city’s website, the Howell Sunday Farmers Market intends to remain on State Street.
How is Howell funding the Fire and Ice Depot District?
The city has secured roughly $2.75 million in funding across two grants: $750,000 through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and an additional $2 million from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation under the Public Spaces Initiative. The city recently received an extra $500,000 from the MEDC.
According to officials, the additional money won’t add to the scope of the project, but will reduce the city’s portion of the cost.
What are the most recent construction updates?
Here are updates for the Fire and Ice Depot District as of Aug. 21:
Here are updates expected during the coming week:
— Contact reporter Makayla Coffee at mcoffee@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Marketplace foundation is coming together at Howell Fire and Ice Depot District
Reporting by Makayla Coffee, Livingston Daily / Livingston Daily
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