$9.8M Upgrade to Transform Canal Park: Enhancing Grand River Access

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — City officials came together on Wednesday to mark the beginning of a $9.8 million refurbishment project at Canal Park located alongside the Grand River in the city's Monroe North area.

As part of the city’s plan to bring life to the Grand River through additional parks, trails, and recreational activities, this initiative encompasses a brand-new plaza along with an accompanying pavilion, a play area for children, pathways designed for pedestrians, vantage points offering picturesque views, and facilities for launching canoes and kayaks.

Mayor David LaGrand stated that these enhancements will result in an improved area for people to appreciate one of the city’s key natural assets.

Let’s be honest, we're not near Lake Michigan — this is what we naturally have," LaGrand stated, gesturing towards the Grand River. "Instead of having Reeds Lake, we have the river.

$4.9 million out of the project’s total budget of $9.8 million is being financed. via the city's park funding proposal The remaining funds were sourced from the Monroe North Tax Increment Finance Authority and a $750,000 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The organization known as The Right Place assisted the city in obtaining the MEDC grant.

Along with LaGrand, the event on Wednesday included speeches from city personnel, city commissioners, along with participants from Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., The Right Place, and the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians.

Work at Canal Park, located at 950 Monroe Avenue NW, commenced over a week back with laborers starting to clear out old trees and lights set for replacement. This undertaking is projected to last around eighteen months, as mentioned by David Marquardt, who heads the municipal parks and recreation division.

Highlights of the project, as described by the city, include:

• Versatile square & pavilion: An all-in-one communal area featuring a leaseable indoor pavilion designed for hosting community occasions, festivities, and activities throughout the year.
• The Owashtanong Playscape has been developed in collaboration with the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians. This engaging riverside playground aims to offer both education and interaction through themes related to the Grand River’s history and importance within the community. It includes easy-to-access, safety-first poured-in-place surfaces designed for enjoyable and secure recreational activities for all visitors.
• A fourteen-foot-wide multipurpose paved path: Offering a direct link to downtown Grand Rapids and interconnected trails, improving access for walkers and cyclists.
• Accessible paddle sport entry point: Providing inclusive access to the Grand River for everyone, enabling people with varying capabilities to partake in aquatic activities.
• Scenery viewpoints and facility improvements: Recently added benches, picnic tables, illumination, cycling paths, waste bins, directional signs, and barriers will enhance both the visual appeal and practicality of the park.
• The design for the new trail system includes enhanced flood resistance features aimed at guaranteeing enduring sustainability and robustness against climate changes.

The cost of refurbishing Canal Park has increased compared to last year.

In February 2024, the city of Grand Rapids projected the initiative would cost around $7.5 million However, the amount has risen to $9.8 million, which Mr. Marquardt attributes to increased expenses for construction and extra design elements added to the project.

We're observing construction expenses exceeding the initial projections," he stated. "However, for this particular project, we decided to include certain aspects that we aimed to finance; these components had been incorporated into earlier master plans prior to releasing the first cost estimation.

Marquardt mentioned that extra components of the project encompassed the three-season pavilion.

We were not entirely convinced about constructing that three-season pavilion," he stated. "This addition represents an investment of around a million dollars for this project by itself. This contributed significantly to the overall increase in costs.

The event on Wednesday also included comments from Ron Yob, who chairs the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians.

He discussed his tribe's origins and their bond with the Grand River, as well as the historic relocation of his forebears from the region. He expressed gratitude to municipal officials for including his tribe in the initiative.

I simply wanted to express my gratitude to everyone for what you're doing," he stated. "You've truly welcomed our indigenous community members who were once excluded and have now been invited to take part.

Related: The Grand Rapids board received $55 million for parks and trails alongside the river. Here are the initiatives they're considering.

Canal Park is merely one of several initiatives taking place along the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids.

Other developments encompass the creation of Acrisure Amphitheater located at 201 Market Ave. SW on the southwest corner of downtown, along with Lyon Square, the Grand Rapids Public Museum, Oxford Trail, and additional projects.

Collectively, their purpose is to generate enhanced areas for gatherings alongside the waterfront, along with establishing a riverside trail system stretching from the amphitheater all the way to Riverside Park at the northern part of the city.

This marks another milestone in our community’s journey to transform into a riverside city," stated Tim Kelly, president and CEO of Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. "Soon enough, cyclists will be able to travel from Canal Park all the way to the amphitheater, then head over to Riverside Park and further destinations.

These initiatives are also crafted to enhance the scheduled upgrades along the river.

The city of Grand Rapids together with the nonprofit organization Grand Rapids Whitewater aims to dismantle four low-head dams located between Bridge Street to the north and Fulton Street to the south. They also plan to introduce approximately 20,000 tons of natural rocks and boulders into the river.

The initiative, which has been contemplated for over 15 years, has turned out to be one of the most difficult to initiate.

Initially, the river restoration project planned to employ rocks, boulders, and other materials to generate rapids and whitewater waves within the stream. Nevertheless, this element was removed in 2023. due to opposition from state and federal authorities .

Ultimately, a reduced-scale plan was developed, and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy took charge. approved the city's permit application in December 2024 The city along with Grand Rapids Whitewater aimed to start the project in 2025, however, The city recently revoked its application for construction bids. because of a delay in the federal review process.

On Wednesday, LaGrand conveyed his irritation over the postponement yet mentioned he remains hopeful that the project will get finished.

"It’s disheartening for your belief in government when processes drag on due to poor cooperation between different governmental levels," he stated.

Nevertheless, he remarked, "This is a normal part of the process. We'll handle it. We won’t cease our efforts."

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