Dwight Lydell Park
2020 Mill Creek Restoration Project
A few years ago, Kent County Parks (KCP) did an extensive review of the infrastructure and buildings at Dwight Lydell Park. It was determined that the condition of the retaining walls was degraded to the point where it needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.
As a result, KCP reached out to representatives from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) regarding the best approach to address various issues with the walls and concrete lining of Mill Creek. It was the professional recommendation of these two agencies that for the health of the Mill Creek stream corridor, it was best to remove the walls and concrete lining and begin the process of restoring a natural floodplain for Mill Creek. After working with these two agencies, an overall project plan was developed and implemented.
The project removed the retaining walls, concrete lined creek channel, ponds, as well as some of the existing paths in order to safely remove the walls and to develop a floodplain area along the edge of the creek. The park has been regraded, paths re-built, a boardwalk connection from the parking lot to Lamoreaux Drive is completed, a new bridge crossing near the library has been installed, an overlook deck constructed, and new playground equipment was installed.
Construction Updates
Please Note: The park remains closed to all users as construction continues on the boardwalk and overlook deck, we expect these to be completed sometime in February. We know that it is tempting to be able to walk up to the creek and walk along the banks, but the grass and vegetation is not yet mature and walking on these sensitive areas will increase the chances of the creek edges washing away during spring flooding.
January 2021
Park Renovations at Dwight Lydell are nearly 85% complete. The wet fall pushed completion of the project into 2021.
The boardwalk and overlook decks will be the first items completed this year. Once weather allows, the paved paths will be installed, final site grading and restoration will be completed and, finally, the new play area will be installed. These final items will all require a dry area to work so timing will depend on our spring weather. The tentative schedule is to begin finishing these items in May with completion in June.
For the time being, we ask that you find another Kent County Park to enjoy while we finalize our work. When the park does open it will initially be limited to paved paths, shelters, boardwalks and the play area while we give our lawn areas time to mature. We hope to have another update for you in May!
September 2020
The crew has been hard at work and they are making great progress
The new clear span bridge is in place, which connects the library to the park. We would like to thank Comstock Park DDA for their contribution in funding the new bridge.
Additionally, the new flood shelf has been created along the creek. This flood shelf will allow wildlife easier access to the shore and water while providing an area for rising water to dissipate during heavy rain events. This will slow the flow of the creek and allow sediment to settle before reaching the Grand River. As you can see, the ducks approve!
August 2020
The restoration project is underway and the old retaining walls are in the process of being removed.
The northern wall failed several years ago and had to be buried to stabilize it. This failure caused the stretch of Mill Creek from the north bridge to Lamoreaux Drive to become more narrow, which in turn caused more erosion on the opposite bank, undermining trees and vegetation and causing damage and instability. This was an important update, as it was only a matter of time before the wall collapsed into the creek.
