Mayor's Corner

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Several months ago, the city applied for a grant through the State of Michigan’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). This grant provides necessary funding to cities so they can make upgrades to their wastewater system. Based on projected costs of $4,200,000, we received a grant in the amount of $2,120,000 for this project. We issued bonds for the remaining $2,120,000.

The work will start in the spring, and 2 contractors have been awarded to complete the capital improvements to the Wastewater Treatment Plant, and three (3) lift-pumping stations. This work is necessary to improve our sanitary/wastewater system throughout the city and ensure the health and safety of our residents. I want to thank City Manager Ridge, Utility Director Pierce, and Treasurer Allen, for working so diligently to make sure we would get this grant and subsequently, the important improvements to our wastewater system.

Congratulations to William Steele and Kenneth Nicholas for being re-elected to City Council, and in January, we will welcome new councilmember Deb Malewski, who will represent precinct 1. I also want to thank outgoing councilmember, Suzanne Politza, for her hard work and dedication to the City the last 4 years. It’s been great working with her, and I thank her for her contribution to our recycling committee, selling bricks, passing out numerous flyers and for being a dedicated member of our council. She will be missed but wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

As we enter the holiday season, a reminder that Hometown Family Christmas, sponsored by the Eaton Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, will be Saturday, December 2^nd, with all day events, the lighted parade at 6pm and the grand finally of lighting the city’s Christmas Tree immediately following the parade, at the entrance of G.A.R Island Park.  You can find more details on the Chamber’s Facebook page.

Last, we have several openings on various board. If you have an interest in serving our community, please reach out to me at pcolestock@cityofeatonrapids.gov.

Mayor Pam Colestock

Happy Fall! We’ve had a lot happening so far this fall in Eaton Rapids. We kicked it off with the 3^rd Annual Color Triathlon. We had 40 participants, plus 10 for the 5K run/walk. Congratulations to all who participated and all of the volunteers and sponsors.  Mark your calendars for next year, as this will be the first Saturday in October. Next year, we hope to add a few more events to this day as well.

We have the annual Downtown Trick or Treat scheduled for Wednesday, October 25^th from 5pm-7pm. There will be a lot of kids and adults walking downtown so please be alert when driving during this time.

The Downtown Development Authority has approved a “winter market”, that will start November 4^th and run every other Saturday from 9am-1pm at Union Street School.  We have 35 vendors already signed up and have room for more. Anyone interested in being a vendor, visit the Eaton Rapids Community Market Facebook page or contact Lisa Barna at Black Dog Coffee.

Many have asked about the Horner Mill property and the scheduled demolition.  Eaton County Treasurer and Land Bank Director Bob Robinson is working with the property owner to complete their development plan that must be submitted to the State Land Bank prior to the demolition being scheduled. They have until the end of the year to complete the due diligence and we will keep all of you updated as we learn more.

As a reminder, we have a city election on Tuesday, November 7^th. Three precinct city council positions are on the ballot along with a special education millage from Eaton RESA (Regional Education Service Agency). For more details on the millage, please visit www.eatonresa.org. City residents can vote in person at the Public Safety Building at 101 Line Street, or through an absentee ballot that you can pick up at City Hall.

Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Mayor Pam Colestock

I wanted to give updates regarding topics I often get asked about. First, the recycling center. As you know, the city closed its’ recycling center a year ago, but we’ve been working with our township neighbors to come up with a collaborative way to build a new center for our entire community.

We created a committee made up of both City, Hamlin and Eaton Rapids township board members and have been meeting regularly. We were accepted into a program called Next Cycle, that helps develop our building plans, the types of items to accept for recycling and gets us in front of companies that offer grants for infrastructure and building equipment. We estimate that this new structure, located in the south industrial park, will cost around $400,000. We will be making a pitch to these companies on October 23^rd and hopefully will be awarded some if not all the funding needed. Even with some grant funding, we will need to have an interlocal agreement with the townships to fund the operational costs of the center. It is our intention, the City’s, and Townships, to make this work for our community, but there are many details that have to be considered, that is why it’s taking longer than first anticipated. We have an opportunity to make this a great recycling resource for our community so if it takes a little longer to bring to fruition, then it does, and we will keep you updated as more progress happens. We thank you for your continued patience!

Another issue of concern is the crosswalks downtown, especially the one at Hamlin and Main. We are currently working with MDOT (Michigan Department of Transportation) on coming up with a way to highlight or emphasize this crosswalk, but until we can do that, it’s important to STOP when pedestrians are in the crosswalk. This makes it unsafe for those crossing the street and it’s the LAW so please watch for pedestrians crossing. We want our downtown to be safe and enjoyable for everyone!

Have a great fall!

Mayor Pam Colestock

I can’t believe it’s almost the end of August. Kids will be going back to school soon so please watch for more pedestrians and buses. Speaking of pedestrians, did you know it’s the law to yield to pedestrians and bicyclists in a crosswalk? We have a few that cross Main Street, so please be mindful by stopping and allowing them to cross safely.

I recently learned that two of our long-standing service clubs voted to discontinue as a club, due to low membership.  The Business and Professional Women’s Club has been in Eaton Rapids since 1978, and the Lions Club has been in Eaton Rapids since 1944! It’s sad for me personally that both of these clubs will no longer be serving our community. I was a member of the BPW for six years, including two years as President. It taught me leadership skills, but most importantly, I gained life-long friendships and was able to provide thousands of dollars in scholarships to young working women wanting to further their education. The Lions Club is a club that my dad belonged to for over 40 years. They provided services to Eaton Rapids residents, free of charge, including building handicap ramps, providing eyeglasses and donations to the schools, among many other services. I wonder who will pick up the slack that these two clubs gave for so many years? At one time, Eaton Rapids had many service clubs, such as the Lions, BPW, Kiwanis, Rotary, Optimists, Garden, and Women Working Wonder (I am probably missing a few). Today, we have two; Rotary and Women Working Wonders. We need service clubs, but the only way to make them work is to get involved. You don’t have to commit a lot of time; every little bit counts, but so many amenities that we have in our community are because of a service club. Please consider joining, or just volunteering to help with a project. It makes a difference to the community we call home. Thank you BPW and Lions Clubs, for all that you did for Eaton Rapids!

Mayor Pam Colestock

Happy July!

Once again, we enjoyed a fantastic 4^th of July celebration. The parade was one of the longest we’ve had in a long time. Thank you to all who participated! I also want to thank the Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring the Crafter show, it was very well attended. Another thanks to our neighboring townships, Hamlin, and Eaton Rapids Township for their support of our 4^th of July, and for participating in our parade.

Recently, the Eaton County Land Bank received $653,000 that will be used in the demolition and clean up of the former Horner Mill property. There are 3 structures identified as being the worst conditions and once those are removed, the owner of the property will be responsible for removing the remaining structures to bring the property into compliance. The City has been working with Eaton County Treasurer Bob Robinson, who will be the one managing this process with the State of Michigan.  We owe a huge thanks to Eaton County Treasurer Bob Robinson, without his vision this would not be possible.  Demolition is set to start sometime in August.

We continue to work with Hamlin and Eaton Rapids Township on a collaboration for the Eaton Rapids Recycling Center, which will be located in the south Industrial Park. We’ve applied for an infrastructure grant to EGLE (State of Michigan), and we have other grants we are applying for. While it seems like it is taking a long time, we are making sure we have all the information and plans in order to make this a top-notch facility for all of Eaton County. I personally never knew there was so much that went into recycling! We will continue to update our residents as this continues to develop.

Don’t forget, we have music in the park Wednesdays at G.A.R Island Park, from 6pm-8pm during the Cruise-In. The list of performers is on the city’s website and Facebook page. We hope you will check it out.

Have a great rest of your summer!

Mayor Pam Colestock

Welcome Summer! 

City Council has been working on the budget with city administration and held a public hearing on Monday, June 19th. This is required by law and is a great way to give residents an opportunity to ask questions. Council will consider adoption of the budget at its June 26th meeting, 7pm. The public is welcome. 

The DDA (Downtown Development Authority) recently voted to end participation in Michigan Main Street. We have been a part of Michigan Main Street since 2019. I know a lot of people worked very hard to bring this program to Eaton Rapids, but it was no longer financially viable to remain a participant. We learned a lot and feel we can continue to deliver many of the benefits Michigan Main Street provided, without having to financially support a director position. The DDA’s main source of revenue is through captured property taxes in the downtown districts. We believe putting these funds back into the downtown is the best way to promote the DDA. We provide grant funding for exterior façade improvements, sponsor the Farmer’s Market, participate in downtown beautification and will be working on a new incentive program for new business start-ups. 

Speaking of the Farmer’s Market, come visit the market on Saturdays from 9am-Noon, located on W. Hamlin Street. Lisa Barna, owner of Black Dog Coffee, is assisting the DDA on running the market this year and has done a fantastic job. There are baked goods, honey, fresh eggs, crafts, and once gardens start, fresh produce will be available. Come check it out! 

The 4th of July is right around the corner and as always, Eaton Rapids has planned a fun celebration. Please check the City’s Facebook page and website for more information and schedule. There will also be a Living History, presented by the G.A.R. Memorial Hall and Museum, Saturday, July 1st-4th at Howe Memorial Field. This is a great opportunity for kids and adults to learn how soldiers and civilians lived during the Civil War. 

Hope you are off to a great summer! 

Mayor Pam Colestock