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Food, glorious food!
Blue Spoon will again be at Kentwood’s End of Summer Food Truck Festival. (WKTV)
And there will be food trucks galore! The free-to-attend event will run from 11am to 10pm, on Saturday, Sept. 15 in the parking lot of the Kent District Library — Kentwood (Richard. L. Root) Branch. Throughout the day, there will be live music, a beer tent and a variety of local eats.
Ferrand Park got quite the facelift, and Wyoming residents are thrilled. The park features a number of new amenities such as a shelter, pathways into the park, architectural features that help to identify the park, and a new, expanded playground area.
Gerald R. Ford International Airport has launched a new app that features real-time flight departure and arrival information, updates on parking availability at the airport, and security wait times. Additionally, amenities such as food and beverage locations, kids play areas, nursing rooms, and the military welcome center are featured on the app.
For many driving on Byron Center Avenue pass Ferrand Park, their reaction might be very similar to that of the wife of Wyoming’s Council Member Kent Vanderwood.
“So my wife and I have lived in Wyoming for 13 years and my wife and I were driving by [Ferrand Park] recently and she said there’s a park in there,” Vanderwood said during an August Wyoming Council meeting.
Ferrand Park is one of the oldest city park areas in Wyoming having been donated by the Ferrand family and dedicated in 1971. However a deed restriction did not allow the city to remove any of the trees, with the city leaving the park in a natural state with a small playground area.
The ribbon cutting ceremony at the Ferrand Park rededication.
“So you see the beautiful trees?” said City Services Director Rebecca Rynbrandt. “We can not remove a tree unless it is in imminent risk to the public. So for years, we have to wait for them to die a little bit of their natural death allowing us to have space in the middle, which opened up for play.”
Now some 40 years later, the city was able to invest more than $400,000 into the pocket park with money from the Parks and Recreation Fund and the Revolving Capital Improvement Fund. On Aug. 25, the city hosted a rededication.
“We are very excited to be rededicating Ferrand Park, one of our 21 parks in the city of Wyoming,” said Mayor Jack Poll. “We are excited for the major changes that have occurred in this park and we are most thankful for our citizens for once again supporting efforts in our parks that make them some of the most beautiful parks in all of West Michigan.”
The park features a number of new amenities such as a shelter, pathways into the park, architectural features that help to identify the park, and a new, expanded playground area.
The new, expanded playground at Ferrand Park.
“I personally love the dragonfly teeter-totter ,” Rynbrandt said. “We try to make something special and unique for each park.
“We also implemented the log and step rocks. We want this to be a marriage of the environment with the landscaping and then with the traditional land features. We added and expanded the playground that is available. There is climbing walls that they never had before. They have never had swing sets at this park, so we have provided an adaptive swing as well as a regular swing.”
Another important aspect is the accessible pathways into the park, Rynbrandt said.
“We have an accessible ramp into the park,” she said. “We have a sidewalk area and we have a crush aggregate, so we also have different textures.”
There are other details as well such as a table area near the park with a handicap accessible spot facing the playground area, making it easier for all to enjoy the playground space.
All of these changes are making residents take notice of the neighborhood park.
The butterfly teeter-totter at Ferrand Park.
“We have already seen an increase in dog-walkers, exercise walkers for health and wellness because now they know the park exists,” she said. “We put the architecture detail along the road of Byron Center so people are saying ‘hey what is there?’
“Before, the playground sat very low in the hollow in the area. So now people know there is a park and they are walking in, they have a safe route to access the playground and the shelter.
Now with Ferrand Park done, the City of Wyoming will turn its attention to its oldest park, Ideal Park, with work scheduled to start on that park soon and a grand reopening celebration set for 2019.
After almost six months of closure, the City of Wyoming is excited to re-open Ferrand Park, 4715 Byron Center Ave., on Saturday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m. The community and neighborhood is encouraged to join the Mayor, City Council and Parks and Recreation Commission in celebrating the renovations.
Two new features at Ferrand Park is the green half-circle seesaw and the dragonfly seesaw.
The new park features new and expanded play equipment, including swings, custom powerscape playground structure, and dragonfly see saw. There are also universally ADA accessible walkways, improved turf conditions and a picnic shelter.
“The City of Wyoming and Parks and Recreation Commission are pleased to celebrate the grand opening of Ferrand Park,” said Rebecca Rynbrandt, Director of Community Services. “We pride ourselves on excellent facilities and know that the improved accessibility of Ferrand will be a great asset to the families of our community.”
Ferrand Park is a small neighborhood park with a shady oak canopy. It also serves as a storm water collection area during large rains. The tree canopy is protected by a deed restriction that prohibits the removal of any trees unless dead or unsafe.
The grand opening celebration will feature Mayor Jack Poll and Parks and Recreation commissioner Doug Wustman.
The construction project, valued at $419,750, is made possible by the Capital Projects Revolving Fund and the Parks and Recreation Operational Millage.
Gezon Park is not the only City of Wyoming park property that will be seeing some improvements in the near future. At its Monday night meeting, the Wyoming City Council approved work to three city parks, Ferrand, Buck Creek, and Lamar, totaling about $624,366.
All of the improvements were part of the city’s 5-Year Community Recreation Master Plan, with one project falling under the 2017 approved library millage proposal for .16 of the .39 library millage money tube used for park improvements.
Ferrand Park was one of four parks that was part of the 2017 library millage. Gezon Park and its master plan process was another park under this proposal along with Ideal and Jackson parks. Ferrand Park is a small pocket park located off of Byron Center Avenue that serves a very dense residential area, according to city staff. Staff added that the park has not had any improvements or new equipment in a number of years. It currently has no shelter, pathways or swings and outdated play equipment.
At its meeting, the Wyoming City Council unanimously approved a contract for $344,376.70 to the lowest bidder, Denny’s Excavating, Inc., for work on the park. This work would include accessible pathways, shelter, new and expanded play equipment that would include swings, and improved turf conditions.
The current restroom facility at the Buck Creek Nature Preserve.
Also unanimously approved by the city council was a bid for $136,990 by by low bidder Vancer Kodde Construction for the replacement of the more than 30-year-old restroom at the Buck Creek Nature Preserve. The Buck Creek Nature Preserve entrance is located just north of the Burlingame and 44th Street intersection on Burlingame Avenue. The city had initially budgeted about $115,000 for the new restroom, adding another $64,290 to the over budget — now totaling $189,290 — to help cover the difference plus other costs associated to the project.
The city staff noted in its report that the city was able to save money on the project by re-using the architectural plans for the Frog Hollow restroom. Those plans, which were designed by Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr and Huber, Inc., were modified for construction in a floodplain. The facility will be converted from wood to brick to ensure a longer life as well as reducing a fire hazard. The new restroom also will meet ADA requirements and will be located in the general footprint of the current building.
The city council also approved a bid of $143,000 for LED sports lighting equipment to Musoc Sports Lighting, LLC. The lighting will be for the north softball field at Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW. By going through a national bid process, the city was able to save about 15-20 percent on the purchase of the lights. However, staff is expecting an increase in costs for installation as “contractors are busy.” The overall cost for the project is estimated to be around $362,730. A bid process is underway for the general contractor to install the lights.
The Wyoming City Council meets the first and third Mondays of the month at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at the Wyoming City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW. The meetings are broadcast live on WKTV Channel 26 and rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays.
On Saturday, April 29, the City of Wyoming will host the last of its three public information sessions on its request to open the city’s library maintenance fund for park improvements.
The meeting is at 10 a.m. at the KDL Wyoming Branch located at 3350 Michael Ave. SW. The discussion will center on the May 2 ballot proposal where voters are being asked to allow the city to utilize .16 of its .39 library maintenance millage to put toward some of the $23 million in park needs. The nearly $800,000 per year raised would be use to pay a 15-year bond of $4.4 million. The bond money would be dedicated for park improvements at Ideal, Jackson, Ferrand, and Gezon.
According to Wyoming’s Director of Community Services Rebecca Rynbrandt, the mill levy for the average Wyoming homeowner would be less than $12 a year.
The library maintenance millage is only to maintain the actually facility, Rynbrandt said, adding that what many people do not realize is that the library building is owned by the City of Wyoming. Kent District Library operates the library services and owns the collection. Operations of the library and the collection are funded through a Kent District Library millage, which is a 1.28 mill levy, which covers all 18 branches within the KDL system.
The Kent District Library and the Kent District Library Board are neutral on the subject of Wyoming’s request to transfer some of its library maintenance millage for park improvements, however; KDL Director Lance M. Werner said he and Wyoming Branch Manager Lori Holland have had multiple talks with the city about the proposal and impact to the library.
“We have been repeatedly assured by the City that the Branch will be held harmless and will be supported at the same level it currently is in the future,” Werner said.
The city recently completed more than $650,000 in renovations to the library facility that includes a new roof and the revamping of the former cafe to a public space. Upon review, city staff determined that there would be no major renovation projects needed for the library facility within the next 10 years, Rynbrandt said.
Every five years, the City of Wyoming meets with residents and city staff to review needs at its parks. Through that process, the city has recognized more than $23 million in park improvements. In 1994, Wyoming residents did grant a park millage which for the past 20 years the city has been able to invest and maintain the parks without an increase, Rynbrandt said.
However, within four years the city has had several natural disasters — a 2013 flood, and 2014 and 2016 tornados — which has created a greater need, Rynbrandt said. Highlighting some of those needs is Ideal Park, one of the four parks that would receive funding through the millage proposal. Ideal Park was severally impacted from the 2014 tornado with its playground equipment destroyed. The city was able to remove much of the debris and get the park reopened only to have the 2016 tornado cause more damage.
Jackson Park also was impacted by the tornados but also has a need for better stormwater control along with improved security and safety. Ferrand Park is a small pocket park that has not have any major improvements in a number of years and Gezon Park is surrounded by intense residential growth with the central area of the park needing to be developed.
For more information about the proposal or any the parks, visit WYParks.com.
With much of the necessary updates made to the City of Wyoming’s library building, Wyoming officials are now turning their attention to its parks by asking its voters to allow the city’s dedicated library maintenance millage to be opened up to make improvements at four of its parks.
The proposal will go before voters at the May 2 election. It is requesting that about .16 of the .39 library maintenance levy be used to help with park improvements. The nearly $800,000 per year raised would be used to pay a 15-year bond of $4.4 million. The bond money would be used for four parks: Ideal, Jackson, Ferrand, and Gezon.
“From a mill levy standpoint it is less than $12 a year,” said Wyoming’s Director of Community Services Rebecca Rynbrandt. “So it is the average cost for a homeowner in the City of Wyoming less than one cup of coffee a month.”
The City of Wyoming’s request is not an increase to voters but would allow the city more flexibility in using the library maintenance funds for park improvements.
“By being creative, by being flexible, we can meet the needs of this community without having to ask voters for an increase in millage,” said Rynbrandt, who oversees the city’s Park and Recreation Department.
More than $650,000 in facility improvements have been made at the library, which is located at 3350 Michael Ave. SW. Those improvements have included a new roof and the conversion of the former library cafe into a public meeting space. The library is part of the Kent District Library system, which provides for all of the materials, books, CDs, etc. Those materials are covered by the KDL millage. The city’s library maintenance millage is only for the facility and would have no impact on the operation of the library, Rynbrandt said.
“So here we are at the point now where we are saying that we don’t need to make significant investment in library maintenance for the next ten years so we have a choice,” Rynbrandt said. “Can we ask the voters to recognize maintenance and capital needs in the park system and would they allow us the flexibility to use some of those library maintenance funds on park capital.”
Every five years, the City of Wyoming meets with residents and city staff to review needs at its parks. Through that process, the city has recognized more than $23 million in park improvements. In 1994, Wyoming residents did grant a park millage which for the past 20 years the city has been able to invest and maintain the parks without an increase, Rynbrandt said.
However, within four years the city has had several natural disasters — a 2013 flood, and 2014 and 2016 tornados — which has created a greater need, Rynbrandt said. Highlighting some of those needs is Ideal Park, one of the four parks that would receive funding through the millage proposal. Ideal Park was severally impacted from the 2014 tornado with its playground equipment destroyed. The city was able to remove much of the debris and get the park reopened only to have the 2016 tornado cause more damage.
Ideal Park was closed after the 2014 tornado caused serve damage, destroy the park’s playground.
Learning from those lessons, Rynbrandt said the city recognizes that it needs to improve the security at the park along with the entrances and exits. The city also would like to replace the playground equipment as well, she said.
Another park is Gezon Park, located between Gezon Parkway and 52nd Street, which has had tremendous residential growth around it. A site plan was developed for the park in 1996, which needs to be reviewed, Rynbrandt said since things have changed so much around the park.
“We didn’t have splash pads back then,” Rynbrandt said as example of some of the changes. The south and north ends of the park have been developed, but the center of the park remains mostly open with residents asking when will the development for that area begin.
Also on the list is Ferrand Park, a small pocket park located off of Byron Center, that serves a very dense residential area, Rynbrandt said. The park has not had any improvements or new equipment in a number of years.
Jackson Park is the last park on the list. Located at 1331 33rd St. SW, this park, which at one time had a swimming pool, is in an area that was once Lake Alexandria and floods frequently. One of the goals is to improve the stormwater control along with security and safety as well as put in a restroom and improve parking.
For more about the millage request and the four parks, visit wyparks.com or visit wyomingmi.gov and go to Parks and Recreation.
Gerald R. Ford International Airport has launched a new app that features real-time flight departure and arrival information, updates on parking availability at the airport, and security wait times. Additionally, amenities such as food and beverage locations, kids play areas, nursing rooms, and the military welcome center are featured on the app.
