Ball/Perkins Park Status?

[Scotty]

Wondering if there's been any info in the past 6 months or so regarding Ball/Perkins park? Since my house is within sight of the property I'm very interested in what if anything has gone on regarding dialogue with the powers that be since it first bubbled up some time ago.

[rexdog]

Unfortunately I do not have any news on this subject as this is the first I've heard of it, however it sounds very appealing to me. I found a little info online but it was all at least a year old and seemed very preliminary. I live very near to this park as well and I would love to be able just hop on without having to drive somewhere.

I'm pretty new to mountain biking but I would love to help build a trail that I would ride on a regular basis. Man, I hope this happens.

[Scotty]

If this is on the radar for any of the leadership in the Western Chapter and you want some help, get in touch with me. I'm willing to do some work on this. IE. follow up with the city, act as trail coordinator, etc.

[kms662]

You may want to try contacting Steve Faber, the Executive Director of Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, for the latest info on this park.

http://www.friendsofgrparks.org/contact

[kms662]

I emailed Steve Faber and asked him the status of plans to develop the park space. Below is his response:

I think it's going to be a ways out yet. The Parks and Rec. Master Plan is heading to the State in December. That is a 5 year master plan that includes Ball Perkins. The Master Plan is required to access certain grant dollars. All those grants also require a 25% minimum local match. So they require fund raising and the City to put dollars on the table. However, there are likely 2 other parks of higher priority in line before Ball Perkins.

Ball Perkins and the Butterworth Landfill are big enough that they may require more time. My estimates would be 2013-2014 timetable if the economy gets better and the Parks Dept. budget improves. But anything can happen.

[kms662]

Some more info from Steve Faber regarding the parks that are higher priority than Ball Perkins and the city's master plan...

We are breaking ground on Joe Taylor, then Pleasant Park, and then hopefully securing some public school land for a park on the West Side. All these projects are working in neighborhoods that experience park/greenspace deficiency.

I don't think the plan is online yet. I know that the City will submit it in December and then a copy will be available. I'd check the parks and recreation website.

Anyone know if there's a way to move Ball Perkins up on the City's priority list? This park isn't far from where I work and I'd love to see some trails there.

[nate.phelps]

Ball/Perkins is going to be a tough nut to crack. But well worth cracking.
There is serious opposition to mtb trails and moving the time frame up on this, in my opinion almost guarantees no mtb access other than the wide cinder surface trail system that is currently on the plan. From the JAJ playbook this is where we need to promote persuasion.

For those that remember, there was a public planning session about a year and a half ago. The WMMBA put out the call for people to get out and exercise their opinion. Roughly 100 mtbers came out for a dot vote, many pulled up curbside in their car, ran in and voted and then left. Later that evening there was a public meeting to summarize the forum. There was one mtber that showed up and spoke to an angry crowd. Simply said we *beep* off the neighborhood association, the neighbors and a few city officials.

Where are we now? The city of Grand Rapids recreation master plan has been adopted by the city council. What is significant about this? To the best knowledge of the mtb advocacy world we have the first recreation master plan that includes singletrack and bike parks as a compatible form of recreation in city parks. What does this mean? This does not guarantee mtb access in every park, but it does mean we do not have to seek city council approval for each project. We are a part of the Green Grand Rapids master plan and recognized as a champion in the master plan. This ties the WMMBA into the now being written bicycle master plan. This plan again does not guarantee mtb access, but gives us a voice in bicycle transportation plans. Additionally there was a large push by a group of advocates to proclaim Ball-Perkins a nature preserve based on the grant money used to purchase the property. This effort has been neutralized, but is still trying to gain traction.

What do we need now? Much of the groundwork has been laid to ensure we are involved, but we need political clout. We need a person(s) to become involved in the neighborhood association. People to attend informal public meetings like the Coffee with Bliss or the Mayor's breakfast. And at each step, patiently educate.

This is the side of trailbuilding most folks don't realize.

The next WMMBA chapter meeting is in Janurary, but I'd be happy to meet and speak in more detail prior to then.

[Scotty]

Nature preserve? That's laughable. It's surrounded by subdivisions and apartment complexes. The only nature in there are the deer that cross into my neighborhood at night to eat my neighbors' shrubs.

I'd like to know how the current WMMBA officers or people in the know view the opportunity for single track on that parcel of land. Having only walked the edges of the land, I don't have a clear idea of how much single track could be built there. If we had free reign to do what we wanted, I could imagine a farily long trail, but if there are topographical constraints, or there's a limit to what can be built there AND accomodate other uses (like handicapper paved paths or interpretive foot trails). Is this a potential 3 mile long trail? 2 mile long trail? 1 mile long trail?

What would we be fighting for? If the end result is a trail so tame and short that it doesn't get any real use from cyclists, the approach and commitment of time and energy ought to be different than, for instance, pushing for something as simple as "multi use" on whatever does get built there.

All I know is that when I look at it on Google Maps I see a big blank spot!

[eric.patterson]

Scotty,

I am doing the same thing as you only with a local park in Kentwood (Stannaback). I saw the WMMBA proposed single track when they had a chance to survey it and it came out to 4 to 5 miles in a 20 to 30 acre plot of woods for Stannaback. I am not sure of the Ball-Perkins size but I am sure it would be some what proportional to that since the 4-5 mile mark was determined using the latest trail building sustainability knowledge.

Unfortunately the next WMMA meeting is in January but finding the interested groups is key. I have found that bikers are way out numbered by runners (in active people in each discipline) so you should try and find the runners in your area to help take up the cause. I am not sure if there is a running shop in your direct vicinity but Gazelle's out on 28th is a good place to go and meet people whom would know the active runners in that area.

I am also trying to work up measures to get valid data for use and economic benefits of such trails. If you have any ideas or want to help out with my current ideas/plans on this then let me know.

[Scotty]

Scotty,

I am doing the same thing as you only with a local park in Kentwood (Stannaback). I saw the WMMBA proposed single track when they had a chance to survey it and it came out to 4 to 5 miles in a 20 to 30 acre plot of woods for Stannaback. I am not sure of the Ball-Perkins size but I am sure it would be some what proportional to that since the 4-5 mile mark was determined using the latest trail building sustainability knowledge.

Unfortunately the next WMMA meeting is in January but finding the interested groups is key. I have found that bikers are way out numbered by runners (in active people in each discipline) so you should try and find the runners in your area to help take up the cause. I am not sure if there is a running shop in your direct vicinity but Gazelle's out on 28th is a good place to go and meet people whom would know the active runners in that area.

I am also trying to work up measures to get valid data for use and economic benefits of such trails. If you have any ideas or want to help out with my current ideas/plans on this then let me know.

Yeah, I was thinking there was room for several miles of trail, but I wasn't sure if it had been surveyed in any real way.

I might be able to make the WMMBA meeting in January. Probably touch base with the powers that be at that point.

[eric.patterson]

Scotty,

There is suppose to be a planning committee being brought together in the next couple of weeks for Stannaback within the WMMBA. I will keep you posted on when that is so you can join if you wish. I would assume the strategy produced for it would be very similar to Ball-Perkins.

[nate.phelps]

Part of the property, to the south, is wetlands. The part of interest to us is on the northside. How the actual acreage splits up, I'm not sure.
There will be some multi-use trail throughout the park. I think at this point our ask would be to work singletrack into the trail plan. So the multi-use stuff would be
either an easy loop or used as a connector to the singletrack. How much trail? Hard to say. The park will develop and it will have something of a preserve area, Paul Hann already has urban gardens there, a parking lot, picnic area and so on. I guess the point is, no it won't develop as trails only, but there won't be ballfields and playgrounds either. It is the last large undeveloped public owned property in the city and everyone wants a piece. So I hesitate to put a trail mileage figure on it.

[Derek Graham]

I would also be very interested in helping develop trails here. I live about a block west of this area.

Does anyone know if this property is open to the public now? I saw the article on Pedal GR, which says the park is 82 acres. I would love to explore it on snowshoes. That is if we ever get any decent snow cover.

[nate.phelps]

I would also be very interested in helping develop trails here. I live about a block west of this area.

Does anyone know if this property is open to the public now? I saw the article on Pedal GR, which says the park is 82 acres. I would love to explore it on snowshoes. That is if we ever get any decent snow cover.

Yes it is open, parking is off perkins in the community gardens.

[Scotty]

Scotty,

There is suppose to be a planning committee being brought together in the next couple of weeks for Stannaback within the WMMBA. I will keep you posted on when that is so you can join if you wish. I would assume the strategy produced for it would be very similar to Ball-Perkins.

Anything more happening with this??