Gezon Park in Wyomong - guaging interest

[rootc]

(oops. I thought I was posing this in the advocacy thread. Can a moderator move it please.)

Gezon Park in Wyoming

I have recently started trolling the forums here on mmba. I’ve seen a few references to Gezon Park in Wyoming (the city) but I haven’t seen anything specific to building a trail at this location. Has this site been looked into in any way in regards to mountain biking?

Gezon Park is 94 acres of mostly woodland and overgrown fields located just North of Gezon (aka 54th street) about two miles west of 131. There are a few swamps/ponds within the park and there is currently a wide all purpose trail that winds through a portion of the park that appears to be mowed on a regular basis. I ride this trail about twice a week, it’s short but the location is convenient so I ride it often. In a small section of the acreage there is a ball park that includes parking and bathroom facilities. On the opposite side of the park there is a small playground and basketball court and more parking that is accessible from 52nd Street. In the center of the park there is an overgrown BMX track that hasn’t been used for years. The old BMX track could make for some fantastic and unusual terrain. Other interesting locations is the Kent trails system runs about a mile from this location. The new Wyoming health village is about .25 miles from this location.

I blew a tire the other day so I figured I’d walk around a bit to see what type of potential this place held for a single track. The change in elevation is lame but the terrain could definitely be fun if well designed. I imagine a speedy 2 – 3 mile loop could be created; however, it would have to wind around a bit to get decent mileage. With all the rain we’ve had recently the area is surprisingly dry. The biggest problem that I saw was the large amounts of poison ivy. I was actually surprised at how much poison ivy surrounded one of the ponds, it was an incredible amount, but easily avoided. These ponds are surrounded by trees and I believe they are mostly dry or very low during the summer. The wooded areas were thick and brushy on the perimitr, but were well developed hardwoods once though the perimiter.

Bottom line. The bulk of the acreage is largely unused and has decent potential for a mb trail within the city limits of Wyoming. The parking and bathroom facilities already exist.

I have not approached anyone outside of this forum as to the feasibility of this idea. Currently, it’s merely an idea that is interesting to me.

Any thoughts?

[mauser21362]

that would be a great location i ride there for a quick ride.

[2WheeledWarrior]

Talk to Jason Dew, Western Chapter MMBA. He'll give you the right direction on getting this trail started. Mind you, he ain't gonna do any work for you, he'll give you the tools to get the job done, though.

[rootc]

Already done. The city of Wyoming has been contacted and we have the five year plan for the park. I’m not certain if this location is worth the effort as of yet. The master plan for the park doesn’t leave a lot of room for a bike trail but then again I’m fairly certain the master plan is a figment of imagination. The written five year plan doesn’t say much about the actual development of the park which leads me to believe that the master plan drawing is just a grand idea that has no current funding. Anyway, It’s definitely being looked into.

[nate.phelps]

Already done. The city of Wyoming has been contacted and we have the five year plan for the park. I’m not certain if this location is worth the effort as of yet. The master plan for the park doesn’t leave a lot of room for a bike trail but then again I’m fairly certain the master plan is a figment of imagination. The written five year plan doesn’t say much about the actual development of the park which leads me to believe that the master plan drawing is just a grand idea that has no current funding. Anyway, It’s definitely being looked into.

I work near there. Possible to meet up and go for a tour?

[rootc]

I work near there. Possible to meet up and go for a tour?

Sure, I'm available after 5:30PM any weekday but Mondays. Just say when.

[kms662]

Any new developments since the last post?

[nate.phelps]

We have walked the property and have a rough plan of where trail could go.


City of Wyoming has a master plan for the park. We have to make a presentation in September
to an advisory board.

[Mud_Blaster]

wait, where is this? is it right on 54th street? also, is it big enough for a small group ride?

[nate.phelps]

it is on 54th street, near the metro hospital village.
half mile from kent trail and the M-6 trail.

This wouldn't be a large trail, hard to say what final length will be until there is a approval.
Presently there isn't much in the way of riding trail.

[kms662]

The link below leads to a map showing the location. Gezon Park is #6 on the map.

http://www.ci.wyoming.mi.us/ParksRec/ParkMapII.pdf

[Mud_Blaster]

i'd definitely be down to help if/when a trail gets approved. keep us posted!