ADDISON TWP. – Oakland County’s parks are set to receive a slew of improvements, including a number of which that are meant to beautify Addison Oaks.

Updates will include a new playground, an improved waterfront as well as trail map and signage updates.

Oakland County Parks Executive Officer Dan Stencil presented these to the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee while proposing his yearly budget, which boasted over a 5 percent decrease from the previous year.

With Addison Oaks being Oakland County’s second largest park, it has some big improvements coming its way, namely to the waterfront and a larger effort to bring out the park’s natural beauty.

“We’ve had issues with the water quality with the beach in Addison, so one of the things that we did this year was remove the deep sand and start an effort to restore it to more of a natural look and plant native species,” Stencil said. “A second phase will include a boardwalk that will allow for fishing as well as, during the winter, the possibility of having a natural ice rink when ice conditions are favorable.”

Aside from the lake, the park’s playground will be receiving new equipment.

“We’re going to totally replace some of those features that don’t meet the national playground standards,” Stencil said.

Further in the future, Stencil said he and his team hope to add a splash pad-esque feature and waterslides to the playground as well, which he hopes will be to the benefit of residents and those coming to the park for a camping trip.

As for the park’s trail, the updates will make signage easier to understand and consistent with the look of other Oakland County parks signs.

“We’re trying to standardize and improve our way-finding, which is our signs for people to get from point A to point B,” Stencil said. “(We’re) making that all consistent across the entire park system. (It’s) the number one activity that residents from all the surveys that we’ve done – trails continue to be the number one thing people are engaged in and want more of.”

While the signs are being updated, officials also plan to clean up the trails by improving the ground’s surface, adding bases and adding crushed limestone, which will make the trails easier to trek for those in a wheelchair or pushing a stroller.

Residents and visitors to Addison Oaks can expect to see these updates and improvements come to fruition within the next year.