Grand Rapids will soon have rapids once again.
A nearly 20-year local mission has sought to restore a rapid-running Grand River through downtown — the rushing waters that gave Grand Rapids its name long ago. That effort cleared a major hurdle this week with the federal government approving more than $11 million for the project. After an earlier federal environmental assessment found the project would have no significant impacts, construction can move forward on the Lower Grand River Habitat Restoration Project.
“This is a historic moment for Grand Rapids,” Mayor David LeGrand said March 23 in announcing the funding by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service…