New splash pad coming to Garfield Park

Published on November 10, 2021

Construction begins next spring

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The City Commission yesterday awarded a contract to Pride Builders, LLC. to construct a new universally accessible splash at Garfield Park. The splash pad will be located off the west side of the gym near the playground. Construction is expected to begin in early spring 2022 and be complete in late summer 2022.

“Garfield Park is one of our most visited and most cherished parks in the city,” Parks and Recreation Director David Marquardt said. “The new splash pad will serve as a summer destination for the nearly 6,000 kids living in the Garfield Park neighborhood as a way to get active, stay cool and connect with neighbors. I am thankful for the collaborative work that the Garfield Park Neighborhood Association, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks and our department did to make this splash pad project a reality.”

Additional improvements for the park, 250 Burton St. SE, include new accessible concrete pathways, shade sails and picnic areas, improved restroom facilities, and new landscaping around the splash pad area.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $809,000. The project is funded by a $300,000 Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund grant, a $10,000 donation from the Meijer Foundation to Friends of Grand Rapids Parks and the dedicated parks millage passed by Grand Rapids voters in 2013.