A ribbon-cutting took place Thursday for the new playground equipment installed this summer at the ToT-LoT play area within the village of Wells. From left are Township Supervisor Tony Millette; Wells residents Andy and Kristine Ambeau; Township Trustee Vicki Kositzki; township receptionist Dawn Hess; Wells Lions Club member Scott Ravet; Township Trustee Gloria Johnson; McCoy Construction & Forestry representative Jeff Carlson; one of our young workers, Brody Berube; Don Cugini of Midwest Truck Driving School; Dennis Johnson of North Country Heavy Equipment School; and Township Trustee/Detroit Lions fan Brett Way. (Courtesy photo) 

WELLS — Wells Township this summer installed new playground equipment at the ToT-LoT play area within the village of Wells.

The Wells Lions Club was heavily involved, providing 15 volunteers. Many nearby residents also volunteered their time; some even brought their own machinery to help move the dirt and wood chips.

Midwest Truck Driving School and North Country Heavy Equipment School was a huge help, doing a lot of the prep work before installation had begun. McCoy Construction & Forestry also had a hand in the project; it’s nice having a forklift nearby.

“It was long overdue that a project of this scope was accomplished for the youth in our area,” said Wells Township Trustee Brett Way.

“By and large the parks in both Soo Hill and Wells have been put on the back burner for the past 30 years or so. The ARPA funds not only allowed us the money for this playground equipment but also allowed for us to update our Township Hall, convert existing unused tennis courts into popular pickleball courts, build a dog park, a pavilion and spend more money on roads,” Way said.

The American Rescue Plan of 2021, or ARPA, was a federal stimulus package that provided $350 billion to state, local, territorial and tribal governments during the COVID crisis.

Way said the board has plans to install the same kind of equipment at the Soo Hill Park next summer, “and we may have a few more things up our sleeves for the good people of Soo Hill.”

On behalf of the Wells Township board, Way thanked everyone involved in this project.

“We had volunteers ranging from nine years old to 89 years old — what a great community we live in,” he said. “We most certainly couldn’t have done it without all of them. It takes a village!”