bike path - WKTV Journal

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
WKTV Managing Editor
joanne@wktv.org

The giant orange spider on Gezon Park’s new splash pad. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

The all most 13-foot orange spider towers over its domain at Gezon Park. But this spider isn’t looking to weave a web of terror, but rather create some fun play with its water spouts.

The spider is the signature element to the park’s new splash pad which will be officially opened at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 27. The splash pad and spider are part of the phase three development of Gezon Park which also included new restrooms, a new shelter, and walking and biking paths as well as the city’s first bike fix-it station. Saturday’s event will feature free frisbee and beachball giveaways, as supplies last, and ice cream.

“We always want each park to have a brand new feature,” said Community Services Director Rebecca Rynbrandt, who noted that for Gezon Park it is the splash pad with its friendly spider.

“The splash pad is designed to be universally accessible so people of all abilities will be able to enjoy the pad,” Rynbrandt said. This is the city’s fifth universally accessible splash pad with the other four located at Jackson Park, Lamar Park, Southlawn Park, and Oriole Park.

Being responsive to the community

The 94-acre park has remained largely undeveloped. To the north is a playground and basketball court and in the southwest area are athletic fields. Because the park already has a playground, and Frog Hollow, which is city’s most used park, is less than a quarter of a mile awhile, the new construction area does not include a playground.

This decision also played into the overall ideas and vision of the residents who helped to develop a master plan for the park that was approved in 2018.

“Our residents were very forthright that they wanted to maintain that very natural feel within Gezon Park,” Rynbrandt said. “This area is very big with our dog walkers. It is a natural respite to get away from the stress of their jobs.

The fix-it station is located along the bike/walking trail located near Gezon Park’s parking lot. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

“They enjoy the forested area. They enjoy the walking in nature. So prioritizing and retaining the prairie area was very, very important.”

The park also is the regional stormwater catch basin and has wetlands which all had to be taken into consideration when it came to design. It also serves as the emergency release area for the pumping station which is located west of the splash pad.

“It you come here, you are going to be impressed,” Rynbrandt said. “I am confident you are going to be impressed with the splash pad, the shade structures, our new shelter and our new restroom.”

Meeting the needs of a growing community

The construction cost for the project was $2.6 million, which does not include the design phase. Funding was made possible through the dedicated Library and Parks Maintenance millage and the dedicated Parks and Recreation Operational milage.

The panhandle, which is the southern portion of the city and where Gezon Park is located, is one of the fastest growing areas in the city. The city now has more than 76,000 residents, many of the newer residents are now living in the panhandle region, according to Rynbrandt. Considering the growth, the need for a splash pad in the area was identified by residents through the planning phase.

As for when residents will be able to rent the shelter at Gezon Park as well as shelters at the city’s other parks, Rynbrandt said the Parks and Recreation Department will start taking reservations on Dec. 1.

For those attending Saturday’s event, it is recommended that you arrive early as attendance is expected to be high.

For more information on the city’s parks and Parks and Recreation programs, visit www.wyomingmi.gov.

With is voracious appetite, a gypsy moth caterpillar can eat up to 11 square feet of vegetation in its lifetime. (Public Domain)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

An idea to build a silk empire has been an ongoing century-old headache for many municipalities in the United States.

Gypsy moths were introduced in the 1800s as an alternative to the finicky silkworm, which has a limited diet of mulberry leaves. Gypsy moths, on the other had, have an appetite for oak trees as well as several other species of trees and shrubs. A single gypsy moth caterpillar can consume 11 square feet of vegetation during its life time with millions of caterpillars able to defoliate 13 million acres of trees in the United State in just one season.

It has left cities, such as the City of Wyoming, with the need to spray every spring to control the gypsy moth population.

At its regular Monday night meeting set for April 5, the city council will host a public hearing for the annual sprayings which will take place in several areas throughout the city. Properties that directly benefit from this year’s spraying will be assessed fees for the project which is $26 per residential lot that is less than one-half acre. The cost is $75 per treated acre for parcels that are larger than a half an acre. The amount would be added on the 2021 summer property tax bill.

The insecticide used in the process is a naturally occurring bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which is not harmful to humans or animals.

For more information about the City of Wyoming’s gypsy moth suppression program, click here. The City Council meeting is at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW.

In other city news

Low bids for the 2020 Wyoming Resurfacing Program has resulted in the city being able to add a 10-foot wide concrete bike path along the east side of Burlingame Avenue from Gezon Parkway to 60th Street. The bike path segment is included n the Wyoming’s Bikeways Plan and will completed a connection between the existing bike path along Gezon Parkway and an existing Kent County Parks Department bike path south of 60th Street.

The 2020 Resurfacing contract came in about $488,000 less than expect. Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Inc, which was awarded the resurfacing contract, has agreed to extend the contact to include the bike project and resurfacing of Crossroads Commerce Drive, Nagel Avenue, and Alba Avenue.