What’s Happening At Ah-Nab-Awen Park? All Grass Removed, Construction Vehicles Everywhere

It's Memorial Day weekend, and for many, it's the unofficial start of summer. More than any in recent memory, this summer feels like it's taken the longest to make its appearance. But it has made its presence felt in other ways, such as the extensive construction taking place across the state.

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But if you've been to downtown Grand Rapids' biggest park in the last few days, you'll have noticed a rather drastic change taking place: fences have been up, much of the grass has been removed on the riverfront, and construction vehicles are all over.

Grand Rapids River Project Construction Staging

The dramatic facelift is part of a decades-in-the-making project: the Grand Rapids WhiteWater "Restore the Rapids" project, the first step in the dam removal process that will restore the city's namesake rapids to the Grand River.

READ MORE: The History Behind Ah-Nab-Awen Park’s 'Mounds'

Ah-Nab-Awen Park is being used as the construction staging area for the river project dam removal. The project is being done in two parts, the Upper Reach and the Lower Reach, with work on the Lower Reach expected to start on July 1st.

Matt Chapman, Executive Director of the WhiteWater Project, detailed in a Facebook video how construction will proceed and how long it will take. In 6 weeks, a contractor will begin building a causeway, or a series of small roads, over the river, drive an excavator over the water, and begin tearing away the dam.

It is expected to take two construction seasons, so, in an ideal world, the rapids in the Lower Reach could return by November or December. As a result, a portion of Ah-Nab-Awen Park will be closed for the rest of the year.