Veterans Park will see a number of improvements this summer

A new playscape is going up in Veterans Park thanks to a donation by the Roger and Elaine Zatkoff legacy fund.

By Charles Sercombe
It’s been about 10 years since the city installed playground equipment in the front section of Veterans Park, and that equipment has seen some hard use over the years.
Thanks to a generous donation by Roger and Elaine Zatkoff, from their legacy fund, kids will have new equipment this summer.
The Hamtramck Park Conservancy (HPC) recently announced the refurbishment project, and said the new equipment will be placed behind the memorial in the front of the park.
The playground, the HPC said, “will be a high-quality, modern, safe, and fun set of play structures especially designed for younger children. Features will include climbers, tunnels, slides, swings, and sun shades.”
HPC Executive Director Thomas Habitz said “Members of the HPC and the Zatkoff family worked closely together on the design of the playground and selection of materials in order to deliver a product that best serves the community, recognizing the continued high demand for play structures in the parks for the many children in the surrounding area.”
Habitz said he cannot release how much funding that the Roger and Elaine Zatkoff Legacy Fund donated for the project. The Zatkoffs were native Hamtramckans, and the play area will be named after them.
An educational panel “describing the importance to the development of children of using all their senses will be prominently displayed,” according to a press release issued by the Parks Conservancy.
“In addition to providing enjoyment for children and families, the playscapes selected are shown to contribute to whole-body strength and aerobic workouts for their users, which aid in kids’ healthy development.”
The Zatkoffs made the donation to “positively impact their hometown and its residents,” said Habitz.
“The Hamtramck story of Roger and Elaine Zatkoff will be celebrated by the development of this project,” he said.

“Their devotion to family and community is the legacy that is being preserved by their family, and the HPC is proud to be a steward of that. And our community has a very simple way to honor that legacy – by using the playground, spreading the word, and enjoying all it has to offer!”
Habitz also added:
“We receive continual feedback from community members that more and better play equipment is a primary concern of Hamtramck families.

“So we are very pleased to introduce this new playground with multiple playscapes to Veterans Park. The children of Hamtramck, of all ages, deserve to enjoy the latest and greatest of opportunities, including with regard to playgrounds, which have advanced rapidly in recent years.
The new playscape is almost completed, Habitz added.
There is more to come, he added.

“Along with new restrooms coming to Hamtramck Stadium nearby, this promises to be a banner year for this section of the parks district,” Habitz said.
This latest addition comes after last year’s installation of a large playscape in the rear of the park.
Posted June 7, 2024