HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Mar. 10, 2022) – A couple of substantial gifts to the City of Holland were announced during Wednesday night’s City Council work-study session.
One was a $1 million donation by Frank Kraai, through the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area, towards the construction of a permanent outdoor skating rink. It culminated what was described as a “significant amount of work” between the city, the CFHZ and Kraai in bringing his dream to reality, as he had donated $116,000 over the past decade to the project.
In a city statement, Kraai said, “an ice rink will bring people together, it’s something people can be proud of in their community, and a rink is a place that permits people of all ages to have fun … Ice skating is magic for building relationships.”
“Frank embodies a spirit of generosity that is contagious,” added CFHZ President Mike Goorhouse. “He is doing this for others and the community. Frank is the perfect example of a person who gives back in all the ways during his lifetime, as a teacher in his profession, as a volunteer with his time throughout many community activities and now with this most generous financial gift. He is doing this because he believes Holland is a great place that can be even better.”
Once the standard protocols of planning, community input and finalization before seeking construction bids are done, the city hopes to begin work on the rink at Window on the Waterfront Park sometime next year. Community fundraising efforts for supporting the project and additional amenities are pending.
The other gift was $5 million from the estate of James P. Herringa towards construction of a new Recreation Center. Herringa, whose gift of $2 million six years ago sparked the renovation of the Holland Civic Center into the George and Lucille Heeringa Holland Civic Center Place, passed away in October of 2020 at the age of 77.
“Mr. Heeringa was tremendously generous in his life and now through his estate to this community,” City Manager Keith Van Beek said in a city statement. “He not only gave back to the Holland community through his gift towards the Civic Center in honor of his parents, but also to Hope College and now this gift towards the recreation center.”
City officials are considering the area around Fairbanks Avenue and East 16th Street, near where a playground, skate park, Bouws Pool and Hope College’s outdoor athletic complex is currently located, as a possible location for this new building. Planning for this project is preliminarily set for 2024, with construction to begin over the next 12 to 24 months after that.
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