County expands Johnson Park improvements with DGRI funding; plans bridge and trail connections

The Kent County Board of Commissioners on April 24 adopted a resolution to accept Downtown Grand Rapids Inc (DGRI) funding to expand Johnson Park improvements as part of the Grand River Greenway program.

Commissioner Oliver King moved the resolution. Parks staff described the action as an "additional scope" appropriation: the project was part of the larger Greenway vision but had not been included in the original appropriation and is being added now with DGRI funds and county ARPA dollars.

Parks director Ben Swayze told commissioners DGRI originally received a $55,000,000 award and that Kent County has worked with DGRI to secure about $20,000,000 of those funds for greenway work and related park projects. He and other staff said the DGRI process paused briefly in 2024 over funding concerns but has restarted; the county expects reimbursements for certain grants to be processed on a quarterly basis.

Swayze and another staff member (identified in the transcript as Donnie) described project elements: construction of a four-season restroom, replacement of the playground, new gathering spaces, and development of adaptive mountain-bike trails. Staff said Phase 1 — an expanded parking lot — was completed in February 2023 and the current action funds the additional scope to support four-season use.

Commissioner Hildenbrand asked whether the Greenway connection to Lowell and a potential pedestrian bridge over the Grand River was moving forward. Parks staff said the Lowell Area Recreation Authority (LAARA) has secured funding for the section from North Riverfront Park to Lowell Recreation Park and that additional MDOT TAP funds will help the remaining segment to the Grand River Valley Rail Trail. The county plans to begin engineering work for a pedestrian bridge and the final trail link.

Staff also said they have applied for a Michigan DNR trust fund grant to acquire abandoned rail properties that would help create a north–south connection from the Greenway to the Kent County Youth Fairgrounds and facilitate the final trail segments.

Commissioner Seck and others called the project "visioned" for multiple phases; funding for later phases will come from a mix of ARPA, DGRI, and state grants if appropriated. The board approved the resolution by voice vote.

Next steps described by staff include coordinating engineering work for the bridge and final trail sections and pursuing remaining grant and acquisition work to connect the Greenway through the area.