By K.D. Norris
The new master plan for Wyoming’s Gezon Park was approved by the City Council Monday night, following what the city’s Director of Community Services called “arguably, the most vetted park development plan ever presented to the City Council for approval.”
Highlights of the new plan, which updates a 1996 park master plan, includes significantly less development in the center portion of the park than the original plan but expanded parking in the south end and more modern recreational amenities in both the north and south ends. The total cost of the project is estimated at about $6 million and would begin in 2020.
Gezon Park, which was a city-owned well field, encompasses about 94 acres between Gezon Parkway and 52nd Street. It has entrances from both Gezon Parkway and 52nd Street. team sport fields and restrooms are currently located near the south Gezon Parkway entrance and the 52nd Street entrance has playground equipment and walking trails.
The southernmost portion of the park has been developed as an athletic complex featuring baseball, softball and football fields. The northernmost portion has been developed with a small shelter, playground and basketball court. The interior of the park is undeveloped.
“There is more development in the sense of shelters (than the original plan) but less development in overall active recreation, such as soccer fields,” Rebecca Rynbrandt, Director of Community Services, said following the City Council action April 2. The middle portion of the mostly undeveloped portion of the park “is relatively undeveloped with the exception of the bike path.”
For the complete, approved design map, produced by Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio, see the City of Wyoming City Council full agenda link. (It is the large graphic about halfway though the agenda package.)
The plan, designed by consultant Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio, has been developed through extensive input from the community, according to a report given to the City Council, including more than 3,000 contacts via social media and electronic surveys, personal correspondence, and public input meetings.
“The final park master plan had been developed through extensive input from the community, through surveys, personal correspondence, and public input meetings. Complementary input was also received from staff, including representatives recreation programming, maintenance, engineering, and utilities,” the report states. “… The final development master plan concept has been reviewed by both the Parks and Recreation and Planning Commissions and has been unanimously recommended to the City Council.”
“We want that participation and that transparency,” Rynbrandt previously said about the public input process. “I think, when we have that type of public focus, it reaffirms the values the citizens put on parks and recreation in our community.”
The construction cost estimate is just over $6 million, and construction of the new development proposal will occur in phases, initially using the recent, successful millage proposal to flex funds from the Library Maintenance Millage to park development. The library millage would be used to fund bonds for park development.
The City Council report stated that it is anticipated that the first phase of Gezon Park development will occur in 2020 at a cost of about $2 million, after current plans for repair and development of other city parks.
“That is just trying to balance our workloads” on planned city park improvements and restoration, Rynbrandt said. Future funding for the next phases of Gezon Park development “will most likely be from grants,” not from the library millage flex funds.
“We made a commitment that we are not going to to over-leverage (the library millage), we still need that core of the library maintenance funds to support library services. We are not going to do anything to hurt that,” she said.
With City Council approval, the new master plan will be used as the primary strategic planning tool for the redevelopment of Gezon Park, and is necessary for the City of Wyoming to seek and obtain grants from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the City Council report stated.
