Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Summer is in full swing over at the City of Howell’s popular Scofield Park.

A new addition this Saturday night is “Movies Under the Stars”. Disney’s Moana 2 will be shown on the beach. Visitors are invited to “Enjoy a night of fun, community, and lakeside entertainment under the stars”. People should bring blankets, lawn chairs, and make sure to have a park pass. The new concession stand will be open and the movie starts at 9:15pm.

All of the bathrooms at the park are new and ADA-compliant, there’s an ADA-accessible kayak launch, improved beach area, and the new concession area – which is fully staffed. City Manager Erv Suida told WHMI that means garbage is getting emptied, and bathrooms are getting cleaned and properly stocked regularly.

Suida said the new concession stand is great and has all kinds of goodies like Dipping Dots, ice cream cones, Gatorade, water, Lunchables, and other items. He said they anticipated everything would be popular and create a wonderful experience but it’s really exceeding expectations and they’re getting a lot of positive feedback. Suida added he thinks Scofield Park is really becoming a destination for families to come out and enjoy a day at the beach.

Funds generated from concessions help to cover the cost of not only managing and staffing it but also maintenance. Suida said staff rakes the beach every morning, and the grass two or three times a week depending on how much activity there is with geese. He said they also test Thompson Lake twice a week for bacteria in the water. Suida said their geese management program, as well as their beach cleaning and grass cleaning programs, have really made a great impact. He said it’s a very healthy lake and you can also tell by the aquatic life – adding fishing is great on Thompson Lake.

Funds raised also cover the cost of the products being sold. Suida said they don’t have a big markup because they want residents and visitors to come to enjoy the beach and have a great experience. He said they’re not in this for profit, just costs to manage and maintain everything.

Kayaks, paddleboards, and canoe rentals are also coming.

Suida said they’re looking at all-day rentals for kayaks and then when the concessions are open, they’ll include paddleboards and canoes for rent at reasonable rates. He said they’re hoping for this season but there are always delays with materials that could have an impact.

The City is also moving forward with hiring a Parks & Programs Director, who would manage that and other fun activities at the park and beach. Suida said they’ll also be working in conjunction with the Howell Area Parks & Recreation Authority to really provide an amazing experience.

Due to the increasing popularity of the park, some parking issues have popped up.

Suida said they do have a bigger master plan to increase parking and put in a paved lot so people know where to park but there’s currently a gravel lot. He said people, rightfully so, just kind-of park and if one person gets off-line, then everybody else does so they’re looking at solutions for that. However, there are also issues now with people coming into town and parking outside of the park - congesting neighborhoods and even some areas in the cemetery.

The cemetery is marked that parking for park use is prohibited and the City is ticketing people. Suida said they’re also looking at solutions to satisfy the impacted neighborhoods, and they're hoping to have that yet this month or early August to help relieve residents.

Suida said they are trying to get the word out for visitors to buy an annual or daily pass because they do have parking/code enforcement officers and police officers out who monitor passes and again, violators will be ticketed. Suida noted the reason they charge fees for non-residents is again to help cover some of the maintenance and management costs.

More about the park and rules is available in the provided link, and a flyer about Saturday’s movie is attached.

Photos: City Facebook, and WHMI.