Park will have features for those with special needs
By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
OXFORD TWP. — A new pocket park is planned for the township along the Polly Ann Trail that will have features for both those with special needs and people without special needs.
The Oxford Township Board of Trustees voted 6-0 on April 9 to accept the property deed from Koenig Materials, which owns part of the land on which the park will be built.
The park is named after Levi Wilson, the 12-year-old son of Rob (president of Koenig Materials and Mid Michigan Materials) and Megan Wilson. Levi was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorder and apraxia of speech.
Levi’s Link was established in 2018 as a program to enhance hospital experiences for patients with special needs who may become stressed during their visits to McLaren facilities in Port Huron and Lansing.
The Levi’s Link program is now expanding to McLaren Oxford, McLaren Oakland, McLaren Lapeer and at the emergency facility in Grand Ledge, Megan Wilson said.
“So, the program is becoming very known. It’s becoming very visible, and we are so overwhelmed with happiness that such an important part of it is here in Oxford, and to have the community’s support of it,” Wilson said.
Since 2023, Koenig Materials has hosted a charity run to support the Levi’s Link program.
The park already has the support of Oakland County Commissioner Michael Spisz, County Executive Dave Coulter, Dr. Tonya Milligan, superintendent of Oxford Community Schools, and the Northeast Oakland Historical Society Board of Directors.
“The park is going to be designed to serve people who use the Polly Ann Trail. It’s going to benefit the existing users and I think it’s going to attract new users to the trail,” said Oxford Township Communications and Grants Manager C.J. Carnacchio, who is planning, designing and securing funding for the park. “Levi’s Link Park is an opportunity to create a vibrant community space that promotes exercise, play, nature appreciation, local history and a program dedicated to improving hospital experiences for patients with special needs.”
The pocket park is planned for a 0.16-acre piece of land along Lakeville on the north side of the Polly Ann Trail, east of Koenig Materials main entrance and west of Lakeville Elementary School.
The park will be 100-150 feet long and approximately 30 feet wide with an observation deck with two binocular viewers overlooking Koenig Lake, outdoor gym, eight pieces of play equipment, four sensory rings, two benches, a bicycle repair station with an air pump, a Koenig history sign and a park sign. A wood fiber surface will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and will make the park accessible to wheelchair users, Carnacchio said.
The park will have two mini backhoes/excavators for kids to play on, and one for adults. There will also be a tire swing, large and small tree climbers, canoe spring rider and dump truck spring rider. Four freestanding sensory features will be installed to offer kids opportunities to engage with visual, tactile and auditory sensors, Carnacchio said.
Oxford Township Parks and Recreation will maintain the park and handle the annual inspection. Carnacchio said the inspection fees and maintenance will cost the township a lot of money.
“Really, this is going to be minimal maintenance in the park. We’re talking about changing the trash, raking the wood chips, picking up litter, that kind of thing,” Carnacchio said. “These pocket parks are very minimal maintenance.”
One of the goals is to create pocket park “that raises awareness of individuals with special needs, the challenges they face when seeking medical treatment and efforts to assist them,” according to Carnacchio. It will also be a space for people of all ages to engage in outdoor exercise and play, connect with nature to improve mental health, attract new users to the Polly Ann Trail and educate visitors about local history, specifically Oxford’s 115-year-old gravel mining industry.
The park is estimated to cost $100,000, which will be funded through a combination of grants and donations. Carnacchio has already secured $7,692 in donations and commitments from four area businesses and the one from the Northeast Oakland History Society.
Anyone who would like to donate to the project can contact Carnacchio at the Oxford Village Offices, 300 Dunlap Rd., 248-628-9787 or by email at ccarnacchio@oxfordtownship.org.