Tag Archives: groundbreaking ceremony

Wyoming breaks ground at future Godwin Mercado site on 36th Street

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Development, Going Local, Kent County, Local Business, Local History, Our Cities, Voices, West Michigan, , , , , , , ,
Wyoming city officials broke ground at the future Godwin Mercado site, officially kicking off the start of construction (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)


By Deborah Reed

WKTV Managing Editor

deborah@wktv.org


(Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Wyoming city officials reached a significant milestone as they broke ground at the future Godwin Mercado five-acre parcel of land on 36th Street.

“We are excited about this because it’s been in the works for so long, we weren’t sure it was going to come to pass,” says Wyoming Mayor Kent Vanderwood. “This is a great day.”

Godwin Mercado will be situated on the north side of the Site 36 Industrial Park.

Formerly a General Motors stamping plant, the 75-acre parcel of Site 36 was sold to commercial real estate investment company Franklin and Partners (FP) with an agreement that FP would help Wyoming develop a community marketplace on the north side.

After years of community, vendor and market research, Godwin Mercado is now under construction.

The Godwin Mercado groundbreaking took place Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

“This has been something that residents have been asking for for years,” says Nicole Hofert, Director of Community and Economic Development for Wyoming. “To be standing here today and seeing the dirt moving and knowing that in eight months we’re delivering a promise to the community, I’m so excited right now.

“I’m very proud of the City of Wyoming team, all our partners and the ability to bring this to fruition after all this time.”

A community asset

City Manager John Shay says Godwin Mercado is part of the City’s [re]Imagined Wyoming.

“Our goal is to prioritize investments in the community that contribute to placemaking and strengthen Wyoming’s sense of identity,” says Shay, adding that this marketplace answers residents’ call for a community space to gather and hold private events.

An outdoor rendering of Godwin Mercado (Courtesy, City of Wyoming)

The 6,000-square-foot market space will provide year-round usage opportunities to support local vendors, seasonal farm and artisan markets, food trucks, community events and private events.

Market days will provide fresh and healthy food options with access to all food assistance currencies. This will fill key gaps in the area’s food system and help support the well-being of residents living in the Godwin Heights neighborhood and greater Grand Rapids area.

A rendering of the indoor event space at Godwin Mercado (Courtesy, City of Wyoming)

The Mercado space will also accommodate food education demonstrations, health and wellness programs, and more.

The marketplace will be easily accessible due to its walkable neighborhood location, the City’s reconfigured trail network, and its proximity to the highway and Silver Line bus route.

Celebrating culture

The name Godwin Mercado comes from extensive community input that included residents, community members and business leaders.

“We landed on a name that really connects us to this unique neighborhood and celebrates the community here in Wyoming,” said Krashawn Martin, Wyoming Director of Parks and Recreation.

Godwin Mercado is a celebration of the neighborhood’s rich heritage and thriving modern culture (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Godwin Mercado not only serves as a gathering space and point of pride for the greater Wyoming community, it honors the rich heritage and thriving modern culture of the neighborhood where it sits.

The story of Godwin Heights is one of perseverance, ingenuity and grit. Beginning in a one-room schoolhouse in 1867, Godwin Heights has become a thriving destination shaped by its melody of cultures.

Mayor Vanderwood hopes Godwin Mercado will create strong community bonds.

“We’re such a diverse community, and we feel it’s time we start giving recognition to that diversity,” says Mayor Vanderwood. “By naming it as part of this proud neighborhood of Godwin, and giving it the Hispanic market name of Mercado, we think it will draw from all across the city.”

True community development

Krawshawn Martin (left) visits with guests before the groundbreaking ceremony (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

“This project is really an example of true community development,” says Don Shoemaker of Franklin Partners. “We purchased this site from the City knowing that it was going to take a real community effort to get to this point.

“We’re really glad to be part of the team, and the City of Wyoming should be very proud of what they have accomplished here today because it really was a great community effort.”

Randy Thelen, President and CEO of The Right Place, agrees.

“This placemaking project with the market is going to help improve the quality of life of tens of thousands – if not hundreds of thousands – of people all across the region,” says Thelen.

“The partnership that brought this all together is powerful, and it allows for big things to happen. Our team is pleased to be a partner on this project throughout.”

It’s all about the people

State Rep. John Fitzgerald (left) greets Deputy City Manager Patrick Waterman (Courtesy, Deborah Reed)

Martin says the reaction from the community has been the driving force behind Godwin Mercado.

“The genuine excitement that Wyoming has about this project, it’s carried us through it,” says Martin. “People are just thrilled to see something happening after there being nothing here for so long.

“Feeling their excitement feeds our excitement and gets us where we need to go to make it happen. That’s what it’s all about – it’s about the people.”

Godwin Mercado

Godwin Mercado is funded in part by a $1.5 million contribution from real estate development firm Franklin Partners, assistance from The Right Place in securing a $450,000 RAP  2.0 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, a $50,000 grant from Consumers Energy, and city funds from sale proceeds of Site 36.

Learn more about Godwin Mercado here.

A turn of the shovel: Acrisure Amphitheater groundbreaking ceremony celebrates new centerpiece of Grand Rapids

3-bottom, architecture, Citizen Journalism, design, Entertainment, Going Local, Kent County, Local Business, Local Entertainment, Our Cities, Recreation, West Michigan, , , , , ,
The Acrisure Amphitheater groundbreaking ceremony took place May 21 at the 17-acre construction site (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)



By Deborah Reed

WKTV Managing Editor

deborah@wktv.org


Shovels turned on May 21, breaking ground at the site of what will soon be the Grand Rapids Acrisure Amphitheatre.

Buildings have already begun to be dismantled at 201 Market Avenue SW, a 17-acre site located on the east side of the Grand River. Formerly containing Grand Rapids City Buildings, the site will soon see the emergence of a 12,000-seat amphitheater and stage.

“By this time next year, the canopy itself will be standing,” said Tim Schowalter, President and CEO of Pioneer Construction. “We’re going to be ready May 2026 to have the first concerts in the venue.”

Acrisure Amphitheater Rendering (Courtesy Acrisure)

Bringing a vision to life

Mayor Rosalynn Bliss talks about how the amphitheater will bolster local economy for generations (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

The Acrisure Amphitheater, developed by Grand Action 2.0, is considered the centerpiece to a vision seeded back in 2007.

The amphitheater is expected to fill a gap in the live entertainment industry in West Michigan, draw visitors to the city, expand public access to the river and catalyze future development in the area.

“Today our headlines talk about transformation,” said Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss.  “The story is one of a collaborative community vision that will shape our Grand Rapids landscape.

“It will connect people together, it will connect people to place, it will enrich our entire quality of life in our city, and it will bolster our local economy for generations to come.”

Think boldly, plan collegially and act with a sense of urgency

In 2016, Grand Action commissioned the Grand Rapids Destination Asset Study. The goal of the study was to better understand needed steps to make Grand Rapids a better place to live, work and raise a family.

Studies have shown that maximizing the riverfront is key to city growth (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

“[The] study made clear that investments that maximize our riverfront, opened access to green space and outdoor entertainment, and attracted arts, cultural and sporting events would be key to the plan,” said Dick DeVos, Businessman and Grand Action Co-Chair.

Acrisure Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO Greg Williams said he is honored to be part of the amphitheater project and to give back to the community as the title sponsor.

“The ethos of Acrisure is to do big, bold things,” said Williams. “We want to be impactful, and this project certainly personifies and exemplifies that in every way.

“This is a big, impactful project. It’s going to have a real impact on the city itself and the community at large. We’re all going to be benefactors of this.”

Williams went on to say that the amphitheater “won’t be the last thing that we do in this community. This community has been so good to us; we need to be good to it.”

Unprecedented riverfront development 

Leading the construction effort of Acrisure Amphitheater is Pioneer Construction. 

“At today’s groundbreaking, we kick off two years of construction,” said Tim Schowalter, President and CEO of Pioneer Construction. “We’re very excited and proud to be leading the construction effort of Acrisure Amphitheater.”

Acrisure Amphitheater Rendering (Courtesy Acrisure)

That construction will include 9,720 cubic yards of concrete, 436 tons of reinforcing steel in that concrete, and 150,000 cubic yards of sand – 3,750 truck trains – that will create the sloped lawn seating along the northwest side of the site.

The amphitheater will also incorporate 3,130 tons of structural steel.

“To give you an idea, the Eiffel Tower has something in the neighborhood of 7,000 tons of steel,” said Schowalter. “So we’re not quite as big as the Eiffel Tower, but we are going to be just as iconic.”

Over the course of those two years, 700+ construction workers will be employed on the site for a total on-site labor force impact of $55 million. As part of the construction inclusion plan, $6 million of the construction budget will be invested in local minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses and micro-local business enterprises.

Belief in our community, our people and our future

“I’ve always said that what makes Grand Rapids special is the people,” said Mayor Bliss. “What happens here in Grand Rapids does not happen in other places. It is rare for economic development, business leaders, government leaders, philanthropic leaders and community leaders to come together and coalesce around a single vision for moving our communities together.

The City of Grand Rapids is built on collaborative efforts (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

“Grand Rapids, and more broadly Kent County, is a place where that happens. It happens over and over again. And the legacy of our city is built on that.”

Williams agreed. “What’s happening in Grand Rapids doesn’t happen everywhere.”

Acrisure Amphitheatre is a centerpiece of a grand vision to enrich the quality of life for an increasingly diverse community, catalyze significant investments, bring new jobs, inspire entrepreneurial opportunities and drive regional tourism.

“Thank you for sharing the vision that is creating such a wonderful attraction that is bound to inspire people from all walks seeking something remarkable that will give them access to the arts, to a remarkable green space, and our namesake waterfront,” said Carol Van Andel, Philanthropist and Executive Director of the David & Carol Van Andel Family Foundation.

For more information about Acrisure Amphitheater, click here.