Building Wahlfield Park's North Expansion: 30 Acres of Site Development Behind Kent County's New Dog Park
On July 24, 2026, neighbors, families, and more than a few happy dogs gathered at Wahlfield Park to celebrate the ribbon-cutting for Kent County's new dog park. For our team at FCC Construction, it was a proud moment.
Every path those families walked, and every inch of shoreline those dogs splashed along, started as 30 acres of untouched greenfield. We spent months shaping that land into the North Phase II expansion of Wahlfield Park, just north of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and seeing the community enjoy it made the work worth it.
FCC Construction, Inc.
What is the Wahlfield Park North Phase II expansion?
Fritz Wahlfield Construction
Wahlfield Park is part of the Kent County Parks system, and the North Phase II expansion gives the park a whole new reason to visit. The centerpiece is the county's new dog park, surrounded by walking paths, an engineered pond, a welcoming new entrance, parking, restrooms, and plenty of places to sit and stay awhile. The project turned raw land into finished parkland made for everyday life: morning walks, weekend visits, and dogs finally getting that swim.
What did FCC build at Wahlfield Park?
Our crews self-performed the sitework that shaped the entire expansion. The scope included:
Mass excavation and sitework: 32,000 cubic yards of material moved to shape the 30-acre site
Walking paths: 4,000 linear feet of crushed stone paths, roughly three-quarters of a mile
Sidewalks: 1,200 linear feet of new sidewalk, roughly a quarter mile
Engineered pond: a 32,000-square-foot pond, roughly three-quarters of an acre, built with a liner system, pumps, and a pedestrian dock
Parking and drives: a 110-stall parking lot with site drives
Site amenities: a 24-foot-diameter custom shade structure, a timber bridge, seating areas, and new restroom facilities
Finishing touches: site and decorative concrete, a decorative entrance with ornamental fencing, hardscapes, and extensive landscaping with irrigation
Why does self-performed sitework matter on a park project?
Fritz Wahlfield Construction
Park projects live or die on the quality of their sitework. Grading, drainage, and soil conditions determine whether paths hold up, ponds hold water, and lawns survive their first season. That is why we put our own crews and equipment on the excavation, concrete, and site development from start to finish. Fewer handoffs meant a tighter schedule, consistent quality control, and one accountable team for Kent County Parks and its project partners. When a community is waiting on its park, that accountability matters.
The engineered pond is a good example. It looks like a natural pond with a dock, and underneath it works as a complete system with a liner and pumps. Building it took precise excavation, careful coordination, and craftsmanship that settles quietly into the landscape around it.
A park built for the community
This is the part of the job we love most. The finished expansion blends landscape and function, and it already feels lived in. Families stroll the stone paths, dogs paddle out from the shoreline, and visitors find shade under the timber structure on warm afternoons. The July ribbon cutting marked the start of the park's next chapter, and the sitework beneath it is built to serve West Michigan for decades to come.
Planning a park or municipal project?
FCC Construction self-performs excavation, concrete, carpentry, and steel fabrication and erection across West Michigan. From greenfield sites to facility improvements, our crews price the work and build the work, and we would love to help bring your next community project to life.
