The Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission and the Ottawa County Parks Foundation announced two key property transactions for the Grand River Greenway Initiative.
These properties are crucial to connect the Idema Explorers Trail to Kent County.
“More work still needs to be done, but we are two steps closer to achieving one of the major goals of the Grand River Greenway Initiative, which is to connect existing Kent Trails in Grandville to the future Idema Explorers Trail,” said Parks Director John Scholtz.
“With this connection, users would be able to bike and hike from Jenison to Kent Trails, Millennium Park, and downtown Grand Rapids.”
The transactions include a purchase agreement to acquire 16.5 acres of land on the Grand River with 651’ of riverfront in Georgetown Twp., expected to be complete by the end of January, and acquisition of a 1,000’-long easement that will connect a parks property on Cottonwood Dr. to the riverfront.
These purchases would not be possible without the Ottawa County Parks Foundation, providing all the funding through the Grand River Greenway Campaign. The Greenway Campaign is co-chaired by Peter Secchia, Monica Verplank, and Samantha Verplank.
“This is not only a win for the development of the Idema Explorers Trail, but also for land preservation, which is a primary focus of the Parks Foundation,” said Foundation President Bobbi Jones Sabine. “This will protect ecologically important and scenic floodplains and wetlands...”
Once completed, the Idema Explorers Trail will make it possible to travel from the lakeshore in Grand Haven to Millenium Park and downtown Grand Rapids. It would also connect the two Grand Valley State University campuses together.
