I hope everyone enjoyed our 250th anniversary of America over the July 4th weekend. Our city worked very hard to make it special and we hope you all enjoyed it. I would like to thank all of our City staff for their hard work in making the event fun for the community. I would also like to thank those outside agencies that helped us, including City of Charlotte Police, Eaton County Central Dispatch, UM-Sparrow Eaton EMS, Eaton Rapids Township Fire and Hamlin Fire departments. Without the support of these agencies, we would not be able to put on such a great and safe event.
It is with disappointment that I report that for the second year in a row, we were not considered for funding in the State’s budget for the Horner Mill property, or for a new fire truck that we’ve requested as well. This presents an opportunity for bipartisan unity to support Eaton Rapids and address the blight that affects our community’s economic future. Tangible commitment from our Representatives is necessary to demonstrate through action, that Eaton Rapids and public safety are indeed their priorities. As we all know, actions speak louder than words. We will continue to work with the Eaton County Land Bank, and both State and Federal representatives to fund the blight removal and bring this property to a meaningful use for our community. We will also continue the search funding so that we can replace the very old and outdated ladder fire truck. With the height of the buildings in our downtown, it is imperative to have this equipment but like everything else, it’s very costly, so we will continue speaking to our representatives in Lansing and D.C to get us this needed equipment for our city and community.
We know that it’s been a bit frustrating with detours around the city with all of the improvements being made, including outside the city, but please know that we are working hard to make our infrastructure better and safer and that means some inconveniences and delays will happen. If you experience any issues with these projects, PLEASE let me know, or call City Hall at (517) 663-8118. We can’t do anything to help if we don’t know about it. We thank you for your patience while we make these very important upgrades to our city!
As always, you can reach me at pcolestock@cityofeatonrapids.gov or (517) 410-9472. Or join us at one of our City Council meetings. We meet the 2nd and 4th Monday’s of each month at 5pm and 7pm. Both meetings are open to the public.
Hope you have a great rest of your summer; fall is right around the corner!
Mayor Pam Colestock
