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.
Note: In this continuing series, we take a look at some of the 18 boards, commissions and committees that address specific needs within the City of the Wyoming.
Every second Wednesday of the month (except for July and August), you’ll find Dr. Lillian Cummings-Pulliams at Wyoming City Hall. A school psychologist for the Wyoming Public Schools. Cummings-Pulliams is at the city hall as a representative of the district on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission.
She is not a resident of Wyoming, but lives in Kentwood. Since her daughter attends Wyoming Public Schools as part of schools of choice, they have participated in a number of Parks and Recreation programs and because of that, discovered she had an interest on serving on the Parks and Recreation Commission. Once she learned that the school district position was open, Cummings-Pulliams, along with a few others, applied for the open seat.
Dr. Lillian Cummings-Pulliams
“I put a plea into our superintendent to say ‘Hey, if anyone is as passionate as I am about this city and about the committee, then definitely put them in.’ and so I was picked,” she said.
It is an opportunity she has not regretted taking as it has given her an inside look as to what the Parks and Recreation Commission does and the work that goes into maintaining the city’s 21 parks along with the Wyomig Senior Center and library facility.
“When you go to the parks, at least when I do, I think that the parks are just there,” said Dr. Lillian Cummings-Pulliams. “I never have ever considered what goes on behind the scenes to make the parks what they are.”
The Parks and Recreation Commission reviews recreational program and park needs of the community and advises the City Manager and City Council on recommended changes. The commission also plans and coordinates recreational activities and park development.
Ideal Park
Most recently, the Parks and Recreation Commission has been focused on Ideal Park because of the tornadoes that came through in 2014 and 2016, destroying a portion of the park, and the Gezon Park master plan.
There are currently two at large positions open on the commission. For those positions, a person must be a City of Wyoming resident. Because the area public schools play such a role in the parks — several schools are located close or next to a city park — the board has positions for the following schools within the City: Godwin, Godfrey-Lee, Kelloggsville, Wyoming and Grandville. Currently the Kelloggsville and Godfrey-Lee school positions are open. A person for those positions should be a school staff member.
For more information about the city’s boards, commissions, and committees, click here. To apply, click here for the application, which must be sent to the City Clerk’s office, located in city hall at 1155 28th St. SW.
Fundraiser for Kentwood ranch designed to educate residents about programs, impact
This Saturday, Equine Assisted Development open its gates for its second annual Barn Bash Saturday, June 23, at the ranch located on 32nd Street near Shaffer Avenue. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. For more on the story, click here.
Valentiger
WY-FI concert set to kick off Fourth of July celebrations
Wyoming’s Concerts in the Park next week (Tuesday, June 26) will be the WY-FI concert with Valentiger and the Kari Lynch Band followed by fireworks. For more on the story, click here.
Discover what the Wyoming Parks and Recreation Commission is all about
This month, we sat down with Dr. Lillian Cummings-Pulliams, a member of the Wyoming Parks and Recreation Commission, to talk about the commission, its role within the city and current openings on the commission. For more on the story, click here.
