Byron Center Breaks Ground on New Nickels Intermediate School

On September 16, 2026, the Grand Rapids Public Museum welcomed the public into its newly renovated Archives. Located at 223 Washington St. near downtown Grand Rapids, the Archives holds about 95 percent of the museum’s collections, totaling more than 250,000 artifacts and specimens.

Back in March, O-A-K Project Manager Dave Fleece and Project Superintendent Trevor Anderson gave a construction update tour alongside Kristin Pfauth, Project Manager at the City of Grand Rapids. Because the renovated space sits right next to where the collection is stored, protecting those irreplaceable objects was a top priority throughout construction.

The project came together through a partnership between the museum, the City of Grand Rapids, Kent County, the State of Michigan, and generous donors, including former Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land. Thank you to every project partner and trade partner who helped bring Grand Rapids history closer to the people who made it.

Thank you also to our video partners at Taproot Pictures for helping us share this story.

East Riverfront Park is reconnecting Grand Rapids with the Grand River. O-A-K Superintendent, Michael Schneidt, and Mike Staal, Project Manager for the City of Grand Rapids, walked the park to see how the former industrial site is taking shape.

Located just west of the Acrisure Amphitheater on the city's former public works site, the project broke ground in August 2025 and marks the first significant public green space investment on the Grand River's south side in generations. Phase One cut down the flood wall along the river's edge and replaced it with a gentle slope, inviting people to step closer to the water. The work adds 4.5 acres of green space, a half-mile non-motorized trail, seating areas overlooking the river, water access for recreation, and new trees and native plantings that support biodiversity and help manage stormwater. It also creates a direct connection to the Acrisure Amphitheater and leaves room for future public art.

"We are taking what was a very industrial site and creating an inviting space for the community to be here," Staal said.

Phase Two, now underway, brings universal access down to the river and a new kayak launch, giving everyone a way to reach the water, whether they come to paddle, walk, or simply take in the view.

East Riverfront is also a vital link in the Grand River Greenway, an 85-mile network of parks and trails connecting communities across Kent and Ottawa counties. For neighbors in Heartside, Black Hills, Roosevelt Park, and across the city, it becomes a new front yard on the river.

As Staal noted, East Riverfront is one of six projects reshaping the Grand River, and O-A-K is proud to be part of three of them. Together with the City of Grand Rapids and Viridis Design Group, our teams are also building Canal Park, opening late fall 2026, and recently completed the Grand Rapids Public Museum Riverfront.

Special thanks to Taproot Pictures for bringing this story to life on video.

O-A-K Superintendent, Michael Schneidt, walked the site at Canal Park with Kristin Pfauth, Project Manager for the City of Grand Rapids - Engineering, touring the different areas of one of downtown's most significant riverfront transformations.

Located at 905 Monroe Ave NW, the project broke ground in April 2025 and continues the Grand River Greenway, extending the city's riverside trail network. The half-mile renovation raises the site for improved river views and includes a River Story playground inspired by Anishinaabe design and culture, a multi-purpose plaza with an enclosed pavilion available for rent, scenic river overlooks, and a fully accessible kayak and canoe launch. The design, led by City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation and VIRIDIS Design Group, also strengthens flood protection along the Grand River.

The Grand River Greenway is a decades-in-the-making effort to connect West Michigan communities to the Grand River from Lowell to Lake Michigan. Once complete, the Greenway will offer more than 60 miles of trails, anchored by the Idema Explorers Trail linking Grand Rapids to Grand Haven. Canal Park falls within the stretch that Grand Rapids envisions as a regional recreation hub, connecting Millennium Park to Riverside Park just north of downtown.

"This has been a great partnership," Pfauth said of working with O-A-K. "They understand what it is like to work along the river and what the code requirements are, and working with all the officials to not only keep the river safe and clean, but construct these new beautiful parks that will allow the public to enjoy it."

O-A-K has been on site at Canal Park for nearly a year. As Pfauth noted, O-A-K is involved on several of the city's riverfront projects, including East Riverfront Park in front of Acrisure Amphitheater and the Grand Rapids Public Museum Riverfront. The public can expect to enjoy the new space starting late fall 2026.

Thank you to our video partners at Taproot Pictures for helping us tell this story.