Mayor's Corner

Hello ER!

I want to start off this edition by giving a big THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped on April 30th to spruce up our downtown trees! A large group of volunteers pitched in to dig out the old mulch around all the trees and beds, rake and install fresh mulch. The old saying “many hands make light work” really held true as this was done in just a few short hours. Special thanks to the Downtown Development Authority who organized this event and the City of Eaton Rapids DPW for assisting us with the equipment, mulch and giving us extra hands! We had past and present City Council members, business owners, residents and teens from the Teen Center participate. It was truly a great event!

River Clean Up

Mark your calendars for a RivER clean up on June 4th. Volunteers will meet at 11am at Mill Pointe Park to get instructions on how to safely clean the river, with plans of being in boats by Noon. Bring your own Kayak, Canoe, or other vessel. The group will paddle down to Bunker Rd to clean debris and other “treasures” along the Grand. Speaking of this, it reminds me that years ago (mid 90’s maybe?) we did the first river clean up and named it “Give the Grand a Hand”. We cleaned out just surrounding the Island, but it was fun and had a lot of volunteers who helped. Would be great to get a lot of folks to turn out for this event on June 4th. If you would like more information, please contact Paul Malewski at paulmalewski@gmail.com.

Sign Dedication – Public Safety Building

Another event was held on May 14th for a sign dedication at the Public Safety Building. The new digital sign was sponsored in part by former police Chief Mike Seely’s family who wanted to donate to the city in Mike’s honor and for other fallen public safety officials. Former Mayor and Police Chief Paul Malewski gave the dedication of the sign, and the event was attended by many former Eaton Rapids Police officers, current Police Chief Larry Weeks and officers, Fire Chief Roger McNutt, and several firefighters, as well as City Council. Mike was a great guy who loved Eaton Rapids and was especially proud to be a police officer in our community. We miss him but every time we see the sign, we will think of him and smile.

City Manager

City Council has had a busy couple of weeks, as well as some challenges, but it’s all good. We learn the most when faced with adversity and usually come out stronger. With the separation with the City Manager, we’ve implemented Interim-Managers with City Treasurer Marrie Jo Carr and Public Works Director Rob Pierce. We have no doubt that with their leadership and experience the city will continue to function in a professional and positive manner.

Memorial Day Parade

The annual Memorial Day parade is on Monday, May 30th at 11am. Line up starts on Marilin St. with the parade route going north on Main St. and ending at Knight St. If you would like to participate in the parade, please get in touch with me. Remember, this is a solemn event, no candy or political campaigning will be allowed. This is to honor our fallen heroes. There will also be a ceremony on newly renovated G.A.R Island Park immediately after the parade. G.A.R Museum & Memorial Hall Board President Keith Harrison will read the Memorial Day Order, along with guest speaker and Iraq War Veteran Jeremy Whittum will give a few words. The High School Choir will perform, and a gun salute and laying of wreaths will take place at the end of the ceremony.

Placing of Flags – Rosehill Cemetery

There will also be placing of flags at veterans’ graves on Saturday, May 28th at 9am at Rosehill Cemetery. Volunteers are welcome! Meet at the back of the cemetery where the maintenance building is located. Flags and flag holders will be provided.

Board Opportunities

We still have opportunities on several boards, such as our Zoning Board of Appeals, Local Development Finance Authority, and our Local Officers Compensation Commission. These boards function best when we have full membership. If you are interested in serving on any of these, or have questions, please contact me.

Questions?

As always, if you have any questions, comments, ideas or would like more information about serving our city, please reach out to me at pcolestock@cityofeatonrapids.com or call me at 517- 489-3064.

Have a great rest of May!

Spring is Here in Eaton Rapids!

Even though I really don’t mind winter, I am always glad for the fresh start. I have been busy trying to attend as many of our advisory board meetings as possible as I feel it’s important to be engaged and know what our boards have coming before them. These boards work very hard to make the best decisions for our city. City Council cannot work alone; we rely heavily on the advice of these boards to guide us in our decision making as many times that is where the information and research starts. 

Board Opportunities

We still have opportunities on several boards, such as our Zoning Board of Appeals, Local Development Finance Authority, and our Local Officers Compensation Commission. These boards function best when we have full membership. If you are interested in serving on any of these, or have questions, please contact me. 

City Council

Spring is a busy time for City Council. We must start reviewing the proposed budget so that it is ready for public hearing and adoption no later than end of June as our fiscal year starts July 1. We also have several projects in the works that will be coming to us to consider such as street repaving, sidewalk repairs, and upgrades to some of our parks. 

New Website!

We also have a new city website! Please check it out and let us know what you think. I think you will find it much easier to locate what you need, including information on our boards, our meeting dates, and you can even apply for certain permits. This is all intended to make things easier for YOU. 

School Resource Officer

I am very excited to announce, in collaboration with Eaton Rapids Public Schools and Eaton Rapids Police Department, we have entered into an agreement for a School Resource Officer. This will be an excellent opportunity for our police to engage with our youth with the goal of making a positive impact on their lives. I remember when I was in high school, we had an officer that walked the halls, talked with all of us, helped us when we needed it and was just there to provide support. It was a very positive experience and one that we desperately need again. I commend Chief Weeks and Superintendent DeFrance for working to bring to our community. 

Local Wildlife & G.A.R. Island Park

As we live on an Island, we are surrounded by nature. We have ducks and geese that are living amongst us. Please be cautious when driving that you stop when you see these “locals” trying to cross the street. They will appreciate it! As well, G.A.R. Island Park remains closed to the public until we can complete the spring repairs. We have both pedestrian entrances blocked off, but we know that people are getting anxious to check it out and walk across the bridges. Please refrain from doing this until we have it fully opened. This will be very soon! Mark your calendars, we are planning a Grand Re-Opening on Saturday, June 11^th, but a soft opening will happen prior to that. Watch our website for more details!

Recycling Center 

Also, did you know that we have a Recycling Center in our City? This is located on Market Street, next to our DPW. This is for any Eaton County resident to use; HOWEVER, we strongly urge you to make sure you are placing the correct items in the proper bins. This is for recycling materials only, NO trash, garbage, or large unwanted items. We’ve had a lot of issues with people dumping their trash at this location. If we cannot get this corrected, we may have to close this center and we certainly don’t want to do that. This provides a great resource not just for our city but our entire community. Please use it correctly.

This drop-off center accepts:

• Glass
• Tin
• Paper
• Plastic

It does not currently accept cardboard.

If you are not sure what you can recycle, please check out Eaton County Resource Recovery’s Facebook page or website, through eatoncounty.org. 

Questions?

As always, if you have any questions, comments, ideas or would like more information about serving our city, please reach out to me at pcolestock@cityofeatonrapids.com. 

Have a great Spring!

The pandemic created challenges in all aspects of our lives. Some greater than others. Many had major losses to endure, while others were able to find new ways to meet the challenges. For your city government, we faced obstacles as well, but I am proud to say that we achieved many more accomplishments. Below are some of the major accomplishments that I feel is important to recognize.

Public Safety:

While many areas of our government went “remote”, our public safety folks did not. They were there each day on the front lines, helping our citizens during some of the most challenging times of their lives. Just as they do every single day. Some of the accomplishments in 2021 were:

• Replacement of a 30-year-old fire truck.
• Continued monthly fire department training with Eaton Rapids Township.
• We replaced interior and exterior lighting at the public safety building with LED lights-cutting down on the costs to operate the building.
• Computers in the fire station were updated allowing our fire department to operate with more modern and up to date equipment.
• Police Department welcomed Officer Malory Southward to the department.
• Successful prosecution of guilty or no-contest pleas for the perpetrators involved in the shooting at one of our officers in 2020.
• Our Police Department and Fire Department helped welcome back safely to the community the 4^th of July celebration, which was sorely missed in 2020. This team works very hard to make this celebration safe for all who attend, and they did a great job.
• Actions taken by our officers on December 15^th to rescue the victim involved in a shooting incident and render first aid in a timely manner.

Department of Public Works:

These folks worked day and night during the pandemic to make sure the city services you rely on never miss a beat. Some extra accomplishments include:

• Major street replacement on State Street, Greyhound Drive, Inverness and Brook Street. These also included many new utility lines.
• Purchased a new Chipper
• Purchased a new Vactor Truck
• Assisted with the new Riverwalk construction & Island Repairs
• Assisted in the repair and replacement of several areas of sidewalk
• Assisted with the roof replacement at the Mausoleum at Rosehill Cemetery
• Replaced the roof at the Wastewater Treatment Plant
• Numerous water line replacements, and continuous streetlight replacements to LED

Building Department:

Our building officials are always looking for ways to help our residents, whether it’s helping with a permit for a new garage or fence, to finding ways to help local developers with larger projects. A few of their key accomplishments were:

• Issued 410 permits, this includes building, zoning, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and ROW.
• Rental inspections, 88 buildings – 438 apartments
• Property maintenance, issued 195 violations
• Annexation of 60 plus acres to the north boundary of the city
• Assisted in creating 5 marijuana ordinances
• Working with 4 developers on developments proposed in the city

Quality of Life:

The Quality of Life department worked on several different grants and initiatives that helped our community, including:

• The city received an approximately 3-million-dollar Community Development Block Grant that was used to make major repairs and replacements to G.A.R Island Park. This included repairs to the island walls, a new pedestrian bridge on the east side of the park, and brand-new River Walk on the west side of the park, that extends from the Hamlin Park entrance north to Mill Pointe Park (Outdoor Recreation Center) and will soon have new playground equipment. Many city departments and staff were instrumental in making this happen.
• Received $35,000 from MSHDA to assist 4 homeowners with much needed infrastructure repairs to their homes, making them safer for years to come.
• Completed another round of successful Residential Curbside grants that assisted 11 homeowners with non-critical repairs to the exterior of their homes.
• Implemented the first year of the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge to bring awareness to the public regarding the conservation of the Monarch Butterflies, and the importance of creating a habitat that is conducive to their continued survival. This included creating awareness through education, and planting of Milkweed seeds in various locations, as well as encouraging the community to plant milkweed seeds at their own homes.
• Hosted our first annual Grand River Color Tour Triathlon where 35 athletes competed in a kayak, cycle and run event and were blasted with Holi color at the finish line.
• Brought back the popular movies and concerts in the park during the summer.

Administration: (City Hall)

I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to Clerk Laura Boomer and Treasurer Marrie Jo Carr for the job they did as Interim-City Managers; they didn’t flinch when asked if this was something they could take on. They jumped in and did the job and for that we are all very grateful.

We have many employees who work behind the scenes every day. They don’t always get the recognition they deserve but I want to personally thank ALL City of Eaton Rapids employees who work for the PEOPLE of Eaton Rapids. It’s not always an easy task and sometimes we fail. But getting back up each day and trying again, is what makes the difference and if you can make the difference in people’s lives, then you should be proud of what you do every day.

As always, feel free to reach out to me at pcolestock@www.cityofeatonrapids.gov if you have any questions, concerns, ideas, or you’d like to learn more about getting involved in our wonderful city. Feel free to also join us at our Council Meetings. We meet the 2^nd and 4^th Mondays of each month, both at 5pm and 7pm. We’d love to see you!