Tag Archives: splash pad

Wyoming unveils new updates at Gezon Park Saturday

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Kids Activities, Recreation, Upcoming Events, , , , , , ,

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.

Resident, stakeholders think big when it comes to the future of Marquette Park

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Our Cities, Pets/Animals, Recreation, , , ,
Residents go over an existing master plan for Marquette Park with designers from the architect and landscape company MCSA. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

A pool. A splash pad. An ice rink. Heated shelters. Expand the community garden. Expand the dog park. Add more soccer fields.

These were just some of the ideas that area residents and community members offered when asked what they wanted to see at Marquette Park. The City of Wyoming hosted two meetings this week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the goal of getting input from residents and stakeholders for a new master plan for the park.

“This is the time to dream big,” said Wyoming’s Director of Community Services Rebecca Rynbrandt to those in attendance. “If the sky was limit, what would you want to see at Marquette Park?”

Rynbrandt said all of the suggestions from the meetings are added to the Marquette Park survey input with the ideas being mentioned the most considered for the park. Not every idea will be possible, she noted. For example, putting a pool at Marquette Park would be difficult as the park is in a flood zone, restricting what can be built. Also, the park has a former gypsum mine on it which does not provide the stability that a pool facility would require.

  • The keywords that came from the first meeting.
  • The keywords from the second meeting.
At the two meetings, attendees were asked to write down a word or two that best described what they wanted at Marquette Park. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

But the pool suggestion still has potential if residents really want it as the city owns 21 parks with one possibility being able to accommodate a pool or community center. In fact, Rynbrandt mentioned that at Lamar Park, land has been set aside for a possible community center.

The meetings were focused on the desires and wishes for Marquette Park, with those in attendance offering a number of suggestions.

At Tuesday’s meeting, there was some focus on the community garden at the park, which is a cooperative between the United Church Outreach Ministry (UCOM), University of Michigan Health-West (formerly Metro Health) and the city. Established in 2014, the community garden serves several residents by allowing them to grow fresh fruits and vegetables. The garden also provides fresh produce to UCOM’s Health Choice Food Pantry, which provides food to those in need.

UCOM representative Trisha Belbot said she would like to see the garden expand and possibly have the garden boxes on a cement slab to help reduce weeding. Another resident also stated her support for the garden but asked if the city had ever considered winter activities such as an ice rink.

Wyoming’s Director of Community Services Rebecca Rynbrandt talks to residents about ideas for Marquette Park. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

Others at Tuesday’s meeting talked about a splash pad, a paved trail, benches near the playground, and more trees especially along the the north and west borders, where an industrial area is located.

Some mentioned activities such as soccer and pickle ball. Sporting activities were high on the list of the online survey, which is still open for those interested in adding their input. More than 100 survey responses have been collected so far with about half of those respondents living a mile or less from the park. The survey showed a strong interest in a variety of sporting activities such as baseball, basketball, football, pickle ball, and a skate park. The park current houses Kimball Field, a basketball court, and soccer fields.

There also was strong support for facilities that accommodate groups such as family reunions and neighborhood parties as well as festivals and cultural events.

 

The survey also indicated that respondents liked a mixture of natural spaces and developed recreation facilities, which those at the meetings also indicated they preferred.

At Wednesday’s meeting, there was a group representing the Wyoming Dog Park, which is housed at Marquette Park. For the dog park, the group suggested better lighting, a larger parking lot, heated sidewalks, heated bathroom, a shelter, a second entrance, and better access for those with disabilities. The group also said they would like to see the dog park expanded into the wooded area to allow patrons to let their dogs run off lease in the woods. The Wyoming Dog Park does require a membership to use it.

Another group was from the Grand Rapids Rifle and Pistol Club. The club predates the park and has a long-term lease with the city, according to Rynbrandt. Members said they would like to see better lighting and parking. Another group was in support for expanding the community garden and a fourth group, the Michigan Power Futbol Academy, said it would like to see revitalization of the soccer fields, perhaps with turf, and better lighting so the fields could be used at night.

Rynbrandt said the city will continue to collect input from residents. Once that process is complete, the master plan process will begin. Those plans will be provided for input from residents before going through the approval process. 

Jackson Park reopening makes quite the ‘splash’

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Wyoming High School band members join area children in celebrating the opening of the splash pad at Jackson Park. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Saturday, June 5, was a sunny, 80-degree day with humidity – the perfect day to open a splash pad, which is exactly what the City of Wyoming did as it officially opened its fourth at Jackson Park.

Before the ceremony, members of the Wyoming High School band, there to help celebrate the reopening of the park, were making plans to jump in the new splash pad as soon as it was open. The minute that City of Wyoming Director of Community Services Rebecca Rynbrandt announced the countdown to start the water, the students were quickly joined by area children on splash pad’s edge for the race on who would get wet first.

“It has been 13 years of planning and fundraising,” Rynbrandt said, adding that coupled with the fact that the park has been closed for about year due to construction, she was not surprised by the excitement of residents to finally be able to enjoy Jackson Park.

“COVID made it clear the importance of our park and recreation usage,” Rynbrandt said. “It is about being outside, connecting with families, making sure we have healthy lifestyles whether it is the joy of being in an environment where nature soothes the soul to being active and physically fit.”

One of the targeted parks on the city’s improvement campaign, the City of Wyoming approved a $1.4 million investment to Jackson Park last year. This allowed for several new features at the park, such as the splash pad and playground equipment, along with playground shelter, parking lot and lighting. The features, especially the splash pad, came from residents who were given the opportunity to provide input on what they wanted to see at the park.

For the official Jackson Park reopening, Rynbrandt was joined by city officials, Kent County Commissioner Dan Burrill, State Representative Tommy Brann, members of the Parks and Recreation Commission and Historical Commission, the Wyoming High School band, residents and, of course, lots of area children.

“This park really needed it,” said longtime Wyoming resident Gene Kurt who is on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission. “They needed to bring the kids back to the park.”

Kurt, whose wife’s family has lived near the park for years, said Jackson Park has a long history. It was known as Lake Alexander, named after one of the first settlers in the area. According to Bill Branz, a member of the Wyoming Historical Commission, there were a number of lakes like Lake Alexander around the City of Wyoming, To eliminate each home having its own well, the city developed a water well system and eventually the water was drawn off and consumed, accord to the Wyoming history book “Wilderness to Wyoming.”

By 1966, due to a federal government mapping project, the name of the park had been changed to Jackson. With water from the lake decreasing, the city began to move dirt to the area to establish the park, Branz said.

From the splash pad, looking north past the new bathroom facilities, you can see signs of the water pumping station.

“I think this is great,” said Wyoming resident Chris Hall, who had students in the band and one running through the splash pad. Hall, who is on the city’s Community Development Committee, said it was wonderful that the city takes great care with its parks, which offer an array of activities for residents that are only walking distance away.

Funding for the Jackson Park project was provided through the City’s Capital Projects Revolving Fund, with staff support through the City’s dedicated Parks and Recreation Operational Millage.

Jackson Park is the third park in a period of four years to have been redeveloped. The pocket park Ferrand Park, located along Byron Center Avenue, was completed in 2018 with Ideal Park completed in 2020.

The city continues its work on the parks, turning its focus to Gezon Park with bids out for the next phase of work at the park which will include a larger splash pad. Also, Rynbrandt said the city will be opening up the process for resident input on the future of Marquette Park, the city’s most northern park located at 1251 Marquette SW.

“We are hoping for 2,000 responses,” Rynbrandt said the Marquette Park project. “We had 1,800 for [Jackson Park] and as you can see, it made it happen.”