By Jim Newell

Review Editor

With school about to get out and hot summer days ahead, members of the Lake Orion Parks & Recreation Advisory want people to go jump in the lake.

Literally.

But while families are visiting Green’s Park to swim, they can also enjoy several other activities the park offers, said Rosemary Ford, chair of the Lake Orion Parks & Rec. Advisory Committee, and village Councilmember Teresa Rutt, who is the council representative to the parks committee.

“I just want to say it’s officially open, go jump in the lake,” said Ford. “Feel free to bring your families, your kids down for a little picnic.”

Unfortunately, the two said that too many people do not actually know that the Village of Lake Orion has a park right on Lake Orion.

“It feels like more people have learned about Green’s Park, last year we saw more use, but it still feels like this little hidden gem that people don’t know about,” said Rutt.

And that’s the goal this year – make sure people know that there are outdoor activities available on the lake, right in the village.

Green’s Park officially opens Friday to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. The 2-acre park is at 66 S. Park Boulevard, off of M-24, south of Flint Street, and has about 560 feet of lake frontage. The park is one block from shopping & dining in downtown.

“There’s basketball, there’s volleyball, there’s horseshoes, there’s swimming, there’s picnicking,” Rutt said.

Green’s Park also has a playscape and fishing is allowed along the banks but not on the U-shaped wood dock. “That’s the swim area,” Rutt said.

GameOn paddleboard rental company is at the park, and guests to the park can launch paddleboards and kayaks from the launch area at the south end of the park.

A season park pass is $20 per family, which includes the members of an immediate household. A day pass is $2 per person. To get a park pass, go to lakeorion.org or to Lake Orion Village Hall in-person during business hours.

“It’s open to everybody, residents and non-residents,” said Ford, adding the price is the same for everyone who uses the park. “There is a nominal fee – which is a steal because you get it from Memorial Day to Labor Day for $20 – because we do have lifeguards, bathrooms, everything is maintained.”

Groups of 10 or more that want to have family reunions, baby or wedding showers or other get-togethers can also make a group reservation through Lake Orion Village Hall.

Alcohol and pets are not allowed in any village parks, Ford and Rutt said.

“I know people like to take their dogs to the beach, and that’s fine, there’s a dog park in the township for things like that. But it’s important for us because we’ve had families come in and thank us for not allowing dogs because their kids have had negative interactions with animals so this has become a safe place for them to be,” Rutt said.

The park is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend, or later, depending on the weather, said village Manager Joe Young.

Lifeguards will be on duty seven days a week as long as the village can hire enough lifeguards. Currently, there is a parks manager and two lifeguards.

“We’re finding that everybody – Oakland County Parks & Rec. – everybody is running into that same problem, desperately,” Ford said.

“That’s what we’re running into right now is trying to find enough people who want to lifeguard,” said Rutt, adding that the village offers a competitive wage. “It’s not a Green’s Park problem.”

Lifeguards will be on duty from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays (once school gets out) and until 8 p.m. on weekends, Rutt said.

The Lake Orion Village Council, which approved the fee increase in March, and the village’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee hope the park pass fee will help make the park safer, cleaner and more enjoyable for everyone.