Celery Flats Trailhead-Portage, Michigan

The City of Portage is a leader in non-motorized facilities such as on-street bike lanes and off-street trails. Wightman was contracted to help develop a trailhead at Historical Celery Flats, which would set design standards for the City moving forward, and provide outdoor recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. 

The project included demolition of the existing Celery Flats Interpretive Center and construction of a 2,300 square-foot covered pavilion with connected restroom facilities, water fountain with bottle fillers, a 750 square-foot deck overlooking the pond, and a pedestrian plaza designed with picnic areas and connections for food trucks.  

Wightman created a beautiful native landscape to provide shade and year-round color and texture at the pavilion and plaza areas. A custom pavilion for the City, with detailed stone columns and façade for the structure, was envisioned and constructed by Wightman and partner ICON Structures.

This project won an American Public Works Association (APWA) Southwest Michigan branch award, in the Structures category.