By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
The City of Wyoming’s efforts to collect as much input from residents about Marquette Park continues as the city hosts two public meetings this week.
The first meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Godfrey Lee Early Childhood Center, 961 Joosten St. SW, and the second one is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Wyoming Senior Center, 2380 DeHoop Ave. SW.
“We need the facility of Marquette Park to align, not only with the community needs of today, but well into the future,” said Wyoming’s Director of Community Services Rebecca Rynbrandt. “We really look to our community and area residents to guide this process so Marquette Park can be exactly what is needed for the neighborhood and city overall.”
The 40-acre Marquette Park, which is located at 1414 Nagel Ave. SW, is one of the city’s oldest parks. The eastern section, which includes Kimble Field and the Dog Park area, was originally purchased in 1938 when the city, which was a township at the time, paid $2,800 for sewage disposal site from the estate of William F. Keeney. The western portion of the property, which currently features soccer fields, the Grand Rapids Rifle and Pistol Club, and a playground, was added to the park in 1946. Marquette Park was officially designated as a city park in 1971.
The park is surrounded by an ethnically diverse, dense residential neighborhood and adjacent to industrial properties. Plaster Creek flows through the northeast corner of the park and the park generally serves the city residents attending the Godfrey Lee Public School district.
“With a significant increase in Spanish speaking residents, the City has taken steps to move language barriers in this process,” Rynbrandt said. All public meetings will have simultaneous Spanish interpretation services in addition to English presentation.
The September meetings are the first round of community input the city will be having for Marquette Park. The city also is conducting a 15-question survey, which is in both English and Spanish. For the survey, click here.
