City Administrator David Haag said the Range came about from the Bay Area Community Foundation looking for a municipality that had a chunk of undeveloped land it could use for a disc golf course. Auburn did have a piece of land that could be used, so a grant was awarded to the city.

The Range will contain multiple amenities, including an 18-hole disc golf course, Haag said. This will be the first full disc golf course in Bay County, he added.

Other features will include sledding hills, ski trails, a shooting range, hiking trails, and a bird sanctuary. The snow attractions are ready to use for this winter, said Robin Devereaux-Nelson, grant writer for the city.

While she was not able to give an exact dollar amount for the project, Devereaux-Nelson said the city received $130,000 in grants from the Bay Area Community Foundation, Healthy Living Fund, and the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce. Haag does not have an exact date yet for the Range’s opening.

The already existing Auburn City Park will be receiving some attention shortly, too, most immediately being a new 8-10-foot-wide, 1.4-mile-long paved path that will go through the whole park, Haag said. This will continue to make the park ADA-compliant and connect those compliant pieces together. This project also includes an ADA-compliant aluminum dock for the park’s pond and more accessible parking.

Devereaux-Nelson said the Michigan Department of Natural Resources awarded a $247,000 grant to the city after the state legislature awarded funding for park projects earlier this year. The city hopes to do demolition work this fall and begin construction next spring, all weather permitting.

Another project that Devereaux-Nelson said the city hopes to start in 2023 is a memorial wall for those who have helped donate money to the city park.

Other updates in the planning stages for Auburn City Park include a new playground with senior physical therapy amenities, new ADA-compliant…