Alpena’s Culligan Plaza Redesign to Begin in Spring Following Huge Grant
The redesign of Culligan Plaza is set to move forward after the City of Alpena secured $991,000 in grant money from the 2023 Public Gatherings Spaces Initiative.
The popular space has been in the public eye for a long time now as city officials look to make it more modern. “It’s going to be a universally accessible space,” said Rachel Smolinski, city manager of Alpena. “So, it can be used year round, it’s going to include new downtown restrooms. It’s going to pull down that dated infrastructure that’s really not working well for us, and it’s really not that usable for the community.”
Besides bathrooms other improvements include lighting, a public stage, new concrete and a new water fixture.
Renovations are expected to begin in the spring and the project is not expected to interfere with any holiday activities. The city is hoping to keep it’s effect on the busy nearby intersection to a minimum. “We will try to make it as little impact as we can, but with a major intersection there, we will work with surrounding businesses and entities to make sure that’s as smooth as possible,” Smolinski said.
The redesign is being led by Drost Landscaping out of Petoskey. The project is now expected to cost about $1.2 million with this latest grant making up 90 percent of the price.
