GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For years, the City of Grand Rapids and an organization called Grand Rapids Whitewater (GRWW) have been working to restore the rapids to the Grand River. On Wednesday, April 6, they announced they're one stop closer to making that happen.
The city is now soliciting a request for qualifications from companies that hope to work on the river between Fulton and Bridge streets. The companies selected will be responsible for removing "four concrete low-head dams" in the river, and for building other structures in the river that will help "improve aquatic habitat."
According to a release, the selected construction company will be "an innovative and collaborative partner that will embrace the values and ambitious thinking behind the project, and who is committed to leading the construction with equity. They must understand that all river-related decisions made today will have an immense generational impact on the residents of our city."
Those qualifications are due on April 25. From there, the city and GRWW will start reviewing submissions and will interview the finalists before making their recommendations to the City Commission in June. They hope to start preliminary construction in late 2022.
“For the last decade we have been diligently working through the design and engineering phase to deliver a project that restores the spirit of our iconic rapids. It has been a painstaking and meticulous process, but we have not lost sight of our vision," said Grand Rapids Whitewater President and CEO Steve Heacock in a release.
"To select a construction management firm and shift our conversations from design and development to construction and implementation is very exciting."
If your company is interested, follow the PDF below.
