Hunting and nature enthusiasts in Addison Township who are either wheelchair bound or can’t quite make it up the ladder into a deer blind will soon have somewhere to go during open season or just to enjoy Michigan’s outdoors.

Ford Motor Company employees with the United Auto Workers (UAW)are donating a dual-purpose observation deck and hunting blind that will be built in Lake George Park.The Americans with Disabilities Act-approved deck is scheduled to be built this spring with the goal of being ready for the next hunting season.

“They will completely build it and place it, and it’s going to be big enough for three people in wheelchairs to be there all at one time,” Supervisor Bruce Pearson said when he announced the donation at the March 18 township board meeting.

The UAW does this for communities across the country, and Addison was selected as the recipient this time around.These projects are done so a wheelchair doesn’t stop someone from having access to the great outdoors.

This blind and observation deck fits right in with the township’s ongoing efforts to make Lake George Park a friendly place for everyone. Pearson later told this reporter the township recently received a grant to support its accessibility efforts.

“This will be a big game-changer for people who have disabilities,” he said. “That’s exactly why we’re trying to develop that park for access.”

People can expect to see Lake George offer friendlier sidewalks and recreation spots to those with disabilities.

“We’re putting a trail in with handicap access and we’re going to have electricity at that red barn right there as you enter the park,” Pearson said. “That will be a staging ground for people with disabilities, and then we’ll get them back into the hunting site or the observation site. We’ll be putting in an ADA-approved dock so people can bring their kayaks out there. It will have launching and everything for people with wheelchairs.”

Details on this ongoing effort are forthcoming.