Kent County ARPA Survey

Hello Membership.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) provides $350 billion to eligible state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to aid equitable public health and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the eligible uses is Quality of Life which includes funding for new projects in Kent County Parks. (for more information on ARPA).

Kent County Commissioners will be deciding which projects to greenlight from a survey. The decisions will be made by August of this year. The survey is open to July 1st. We would like you to take the survey and consider rating Quality of Life of a higher choice. As part of the survey there is a write in section for projects. We would like you to consider writing in one of these potential trail projects:

● Johnson Park. In 2021, WMMBA brought in IMBA for a trail survey. The resulting report has been in discussion between the WMMBA and Kent County Parks for 7-8 miles of singletrack trail and an adjoining Skills Park. Additionally, Johnson Park is a southwest Gateway into downtown Grand Rapids. WMMBA holds the opinion that small technical features and bonus singletrack will complement the current paved bike paths.

● Lowell Regional Park. A 528 acre undeveloped Kent County Park. The park, located northeast of the intersection of Cascade Road and Alden Nash Avenue and about four miles south of Lowell, is currently undeveloped but features open fields, wooded hills and valleys and wetlands. Master planning is scheduled to start later this year. WMMBA believes this can be a trail system of 25-50 miles in length depending on trail density.

Please take the ARPA survey. The Link is HERE.

Thanks,

Brian/Pamela/Matt/Dave/Mark/Fred/Nate

P.S. We hope to see you on July 9th at the reopening of Merrell.