Working Out In Waterloo

Written by Wendy Walz, SAWC Board Member and Waterloo Township representative

With three township parks, public and private recreation spaces, a Monarch Butterfly Waystation, a Rain Garden, and miles of trails and footpaths, Waterloo Township administrators and residents embarked on a 5-year Recreation Plan outlining goals and activities through 2030. administrators and

With resident input, the plan outlines how public funds will be committed to increase accessibility and safety for all residents and improve programs to promote health and recreation.

Waterloo Township comprises 47.6 square miles of northeastern Jackson County, and over 2900 residents call it home. General Fund tax dollars are used for the maintenance of its parks and services, as well as grant funding partnerships for specific programs.

One such partnership is the collaboration with Stockbridge Area Wellness Coalition (SAWC), one of five coalitions supported by 5 Healthy Towns Foundation (5HF). Recently, SAWC voted to award Waterloo Township/Munith Community Park a grant to replace park play equipment and infrastructure.

The Township offers a variety of activities designed to reach people of all ages. They currently offer low-impact exercise classes for people 50 and up. This chair exercise class only costs $2 a class and is held Mondays & Thursdays from 9:30 - 10:30 am. For the 20+ crowd, there are strength and conditioning classes that run from September – June from 6:30-7:30 pm. Recently, a line dancing class has been very well received. This fall, those classes will also begin again with both a Beginner Class and an Advanced Class. Those classes are free!

In 2023 and 2024, the Township had Artisan Markets, which were quite well received. We felt a need to share with our community the diverse talents of those who live in the area and to help them promote their businesses. No Market has been scheduled for 2025, but 2026 may have a special Market in conjunction with the America250 special event.

“We feel these activities are important to bring people together in this very rural area, to make new connections with neighbors and to make new friends, to engage in healthy activities, and to promote local businesses.”

Another popular event is the annual Halloween Parade in Munith. Waterloo Township and Henrietta Township collaborate to have this family-fun activity which brings in families from around the area. Our youth are an important part of our community and the Parade, as well as engagement with local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts for events such as Earth Day have reciprocal benefits to both the Scout groups and the community.

Over the years, Waterloo Township’s collaboration with 5HF has also resulted in funds to support programming for adaptive movement physical activity, development of a Parks and Recreation Joint Master Plan, and a trail match for funds from Ingham County.

With these improvements, the Waterloo Township Parks & Recreation Committee can now proceed with conversations to explore many new services to meet community needs with accessible and inclusive spaces and regional and statewide trail plans.