For immediate release - November 30, 2018
Press contact: Jessica VanGinhoven, 616-738-4810
High resolution images available for download here. See file name for photographer's credit. 

Grand Ravines wins state award for Park Design

The Michigan Recreation and Park Association (mParks), an organization dedicated to the advancement of public spaces, recreation and natural resources, announced that Ottawa County Parks was awarded the 2018 Park Design award for Grand Ravines. Park Design projects typically contain landscape and facility components, such as splash pads, playgrounds, and trails and linear parks.

The award application included a narrative describing the park’s natural features and constructed amenities, such as the renovated lodge, 21-acre dog park, universally accessible kayak launch, restored barn, and 275' suspension bridge. It also included photos of the site, many of which were contributed by park users and local photographers. "We can't thank David Michael Lawson, Lee Koets, Mike Lozon, Robert Woonacott, and Blair Celano enough. Their photos were included in the application and we have no doubt that their work helped us achieve this honor," said Jessica VanGinhoven, Ottawa County Parks Communications Specialist. 

Grand Ravines is the centerpiece of the Grand River Greenway, which is a multi-decade effort to preserve land along the Grand River from Lake Michigan to the Ottawa County border and connect the land with a multi-use pathway – the Idema Explorers Trail.

“A major goal in designing this park was to show off the beauty and potential of the Grand River,” said John Scholtz, Ottawa County Parks Director. “Grand Ravines is the foundation for the experience we hope to create along the entire Grand River and it is exciting to have it recognized in this way.”

A section of the Idema Explorers Trail has already been constructed in Grand Ravines. The next step is to construct a 0.75 mile section of the trail in 2019 that will connect Grand Ravines to the Grand Valley State University Allendale campus. Design and construction of the trail will be ongoing over the next five years. 

Read the application narrative & view the photos included in the application: news.miottawa.org/grand-ravines-park-design-award

The Park Design Award will be presented to Ottawa County Parks staff on Friday. February 1, 2019 at the mParks Conference & Trade Show in Kalamazoo, Michigan. 

A view of the Grand River, covered bridge, and Idema Explorers Trail from the renovated lodge. Photo by David Michael Lawson.

More information about Grand Ravines

With a half-mile of frontage along the Grand River and 187 acres of unique high quality natural area, Grand Ravines County Park is an important component in Ottawa County Park’s continuing effort to preserve key natural and recreational lands along the Grand River through the Grand River Greenway Initiative. The Grand River Greenway Initiative is a long-term plan to highlight, conserve, and utilize the lands adjacent to Michigan’s longest river as it traverses the entire width of Ottawa County. The park also meets the growing open space and recreational needs of rapidly expanding suburban communities in eastern Ottawa County, an area that has been lacking in larger natural resource-based parks and facilities. Although Ottawa County Parks is known for its beaches on Lake Michigan, Grand Ravines represents the culmination of a decades long effort of Ottawa County Parks and Recreation professionals to acquire, plan, design, and develop what has become one of the most distinctive and popular sites in the Ottawa County Parks system.

Grand Ravines is located on the edge of Georgetown Township, Michigan, adjacent to Grand Valley State University’s (GVSU) main campus in Allendale Township. All of these entities have seen tremendous growth in recent years, and it is anticipated to continue in the foreseeable future. The 2010 U.S. Census reports that Allendale Township is the fastest-growing municipality in Ottawa County, with a 58.8% increase in population from 2000-2010 and an estimated additional 25% increase from 2010-2017. Georgetown Township is projected to see growth of 23% through 2030. Because of the rise in population, there is an increased demand for greenspace and natural recreation areas. Grand Ravines’ close proximity to neighboring Kent County and the City of Grand Rapids allows it to serve their growing populations as well.

Read more of the narrative here: https://news.miottawa.org/grand-ravines-park-design-award