Byron Center Breaks Ground on New Nickels Intermediate School

On Monday, October 19, the City of Walker and Kent District Library (KDL) officially opened the new Walker Library. Hundreds of community members gathered on the City Hall campus for a 9:30 a.m. ribbon cutting, and the doors opened to the public as soon as the ribbon was cut.

Mayor Gary Carey and KDL Executive Director Lance Werner kicked off the morning with remarks. Werner shared that the new library had been a topic of conversation for his entire 15-plus years with KDL. Pat Callahan of StudioGC and Josh Szymanski, PE, Chief Strategy Officer at O-A-K, also spoke, and the ceremony included a special thank-you to Meijer for its $1 million gift.

Opening day was also a homecoming for library staff, who spent 19 months serving patrons from a temporary location during construction. The celebration now carries on throughout the week, giving the public a chance to explore the new library, grab a bite to eat at one of the food trucks, and participate in activities like crafting and scavenger hunts.‍

Thank you to the City of Walker, KDL, StudioGC, Mathison | Mathison Architects (MMA), Meijer, and everyone who came out to celebrate opening day.

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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, TowerPinkster, and generous donors. 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.