Save the Ponds, a Mecosta County nonprofit, is spearheading the effort to revitalize the Paris Park Trout Ponds. Officials say that revitalizing the ponds and other park features will boost the local economy, promote tourism and help preserve wildlife found in the area.
The Paris Fish Hatchery is the second-oldest fishery in the state of Michigan. In its prime, the hatchery was a commercial epicenter. The park first began operating in 1881 and was later expanded in the mid-1930s.
Bolstered by a neighboring railroad, the Paris Ponds were a major supplier of salmon and brown trout fingerlings to the state. The hatchery also served as a beloved community gathering place, with restaurants and other attractions available to enjoy.
After years of wear and tear, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources acquired it and closed the park in 1964. In the time since, the ponds have not been properly maintained.
In 2022, the raceway connecting the six ponds completely collapsed, causing all but the first pond to dry up. Officials say the collapse was caused by a drainage system failure.
The damage to the raceway devastated what was left of the hatchery, causing wildlife to leave and tourists to go elsewhere. Today, the park is still open seasonally, and visitors can still admire the large trout residing in the first pond. People are also able to hike the trails and camp in Paris Park.
Rick Hatkowski, chair of the Save the Ponds Committee and Mecosta County Park commissioner, is leading the charge to restore the ponds to their former glory.
“This place is beautiful,” Hatkowski said. “The history, the charm, the romance of the place. It's just a matter of bringing it back now. And that's the purpose of this committee, is to create awareness of the situation and raise funds.”
The group has put together a multi-phase revitalization plan targeting various issues throughout the ponds.
- Phase 1: Repair raceway collapse and Intake Dam to Pond 3
- Phase 2: Repair Pond 3 walls
- Phase 3: Replace Exit Dam of Pond 2 and Raceway adjacent to pavilion
- Phase 4: Raceway refurbished, repairs to Pond 1 Exit Dam and Intake
- Phase 5: Re-Enforce Pond 2 Walls and Replace Pavilion Roof
- Phase 6: Ponds 4 & 5
The revitalization, Hatkowski said, is estimated to be a multimillion-dollar project. However, the project is not going to financially burden Mecosta County residents.
“There is no tax-based funding,” Hatkowski said. “We don't have a millage for our parks. There have been millage attempts in the past, and we decided we weren't going to ask again. So we're just going to ask the community to help us out.”
Instead, it will be funded by community donations and grants.
As of now, Hatkowski said, they’ve made a dent in funding the reconstruction of the raceway. Once phase one is complete, they are optimistic funding the rest of the construction will be less arduous.
“We have the engineering and we have the cost estimates from the engineers, but we haven't actually gotten the bids from the people who are actually going to do the work," Hatkowski said. "And we can't really do that until we have the permits necessary from EGLE (Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy). They're applied for, and as soon as we get that squared away, then I anticipate we'll put this out for bid, and it shouldn't take too long after that.”
Hatkowski said the project doesn’t come without some risk. The group will have to be careful not to damage the existing structural integrity when making repairs.
The reason for revitalizing the ponds extends far beyond the economic benefits.
“There’s a lot of community spirit involved with this project,” Hatkowski said. “My wife and I would bring our kids and grandkids here. Walk the trails, visit the ponds. We weren't fishing in those days out of the ponds, but always loved the beauty here.”
Jaydin Johnson, member of the Mecosta County park commission, said the project also aims to expand the capabilities of the ponds and bring back long-lost community events.
“In the future, we would also really love to explore possibly doing native turtles, native birds,” Johnson said. “So that's another kind of environmental impact that we're really excited for is bringing more species, bringing more native aquatic animals as well.”
