Mayor's Corner

Welcome to 2024 Eaton Rapids!

City Council kicked off the new year with our newest council member joining the team, Deb Malewski. Deb has been a staple in our community for many years. We are looking forward to working with her for the next few years.

One of the biggest challenges council will face this year is working on the Horner Mill property. As you may have heard, the owners of the property, Mill St. LLC, had their $653,000 state land bank grant revoked, due to noncompliance. Unfortunately, this was no surprise to many of us who have been dealing with this owner for years. On a good note, the owners now have an interest in deeding the property over to the Eaton County Land Bank. The county land bank has more funding resources at its disposal than the city so this could be a great opportunity. I am hoping to hear more on this in the next few weeks and will keep you updated.

Another issue that the city has been working on for almost a year is the safety concerns at the Main/Hamlin crosswalk. After many discussions with the State, MDOT has finally agreed to install a flashing light on top of both the north bound and south bound crosswalk signs. This is to alert drivers to stop when pedestrians are about to cross. Many people do not stop and let people cross even though it’s the law, so we are hoping this solution will be effective. This work is to be sent out for bid by the end of this year then we should see the new signage with the lights in early 2025. We are happy that MDOT was willing to hear us out on the dangers and safety concerns many of you have had.

Council will start working on the next fiscal budget soon and we welcome you to join our meetings and hear your feedback. We meet on the 2^nd and 4^th Mondays of each month, both at 5pm and 7pm.

Stay safe and warm!

Mayor Pam

There have been many accomplishments for the city this year that I would like to highlight for you.

We received several grants this year that will allow improvements and important services such as the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, that will allow upgrades to our wastewater infrastructure. We received a $40,000 grant from Eaton County Parks, which will allow us to build a pavilion at the Outdoor Recreation Center and purchase a river gage that will monitor the river’s water flow. The Fire Department received a $10,000 grant to use for added equipment.

We signed a new ambulance contract with Sparrow-Eaton EMS. A 4-year agreement that will keep ambulance service here. This was a long process that we are happy to see finalized.

We welcomed 2 key department managers to City Hall: Genny Allen, Treasurer & Finance Director, and Robin Webb, City Clerk. They have added more transparency and professionalism to their positions, and I look forward to working with them both in 2024.

We are happy to report that the financial audit for the 2022/2023 fiscal year was filed and presented to City Council at its December 11^th meeting. Audits are required to be filed with the State 6 months after the close of the fiscal year. With the hard work of City Manager Ridge, Treasurer Allen and our accounting firms, the audit was filed early with no significant findings. We have a great team that makes the financial health of our city top priority.

While we didn’t see the progress we hoped for with the former Horner property, we made progress behind the scenes, working with Eaton County and State Land Banks. There is light at the end of the long tunnel regarding the cleaning up of this property and I hope to have more details to share in January.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Mayor Pam Colestock

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