County pledges $10,000 to help fund Ferndale inline-skating rink at Harding Park

Oakland County’s committee recommended a $10,000 pledge to help the City of Ferndale fund a new ADA-accessible inline-skating rink at Harding Park, moving the pledge forward to the full board.

Brienne, presenting for the community & public spaces study group, said the total project cost is $125,000 and the city must raise $62,500 through crowdfunding to trigger matching funds through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEEDC) public-spaces program. Under the program rules discussed, MEEDC may match up to 35% of the crowdfunded amount with a cap of $10,000; the study group recommended the county pledge the $10,000 cap.

The presenter said the existing skate facility is aging and the proposed design will be ADA-accessible and include stormwater-management landscaping. The board voted 7-0 to recommend the $10,000 pledge and forwarded the item to the full board; staff noted the city’s crowdfunding deadline is July 10.