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City of Eaton Rapids

Michigan's Island City

Mayor's Corner

November Mayor’s Corner

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Hello Eaton Rapids!

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.
I want to give kudos to City Clerk Laura Boomer, and the election team for running a seamless
election. It’s no small feat to run these elections, especially when there are so many candidates
running plus ballot proposals. These folks work very hard to make sure we have the highest
election integrity, so Thank You!

The city will be very busy the next few weeks getting our town ready for Christmas. Kicking it
off is the Hometown Family Christmas on Saturday December 3rd. There will be many activities
throughout the day, concluding with the annual Christmas parade. This is a very well attended
parade so mark your calendars now, so you don’t miss it! If you are interested in participating in
the parade, please contact the Eaton Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce at
info@eatonrapidschamber.org.

Did you know we have a gem in our city? We do! The Jean Bradford Kline Senior Center, located at 201 Grand Street. This nonprofit serves all of Eaton Rapids, and you don’t have to be a “senior” (55 and over) to enjoy it, OR to be a member! They provide resources for seniors, such as tax assistance, hearing and foot clinics, exercise classes, games, meals, and entertainment. They have Bingo each Wednesday and their famous Swiss Steak suppers once per month. They will be holding a membership drive after the new year, so if you need more information please contact Director Rita Honeysett, at 517-663-2335. They also have a Facebook page at The Jean Bradford Kline Senior Center so check them out and consider becoming a member.

City Council in conjunction with our Township partners is working on a new Recycling Center for
our community and have identified a potential location in the south Industrial Park. We are
working through the formalities and will have more information to share after the new year. We
are mindful that this is something we not only want but need in our community, so watch for
more details as they become available.

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 or 517-410-9472.

Mayor Pam

October Mayor’s Corner

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Happy October Eaton Rapids!

I’ve been asked by residents what the city is spending its ARPA funds on. ARPA stands for American Rescue Plan Act. This is federal financial assistance due to the Covid-19 pandemic, that states, counties, schools, and local municipalities received. The City of Eaton Rapids received approximately $550,000. There are guidelines on how to use this money. If a municipality received $10 million or more then the guidelines were more restrictive on how you could use the funds and a timeline of when it had to be spent. Less than $10 million, you could add it to your general fund and spend it the same way you would other revenue, with no timeline on when it had to be used.

Currently, City Council has earmarked $150,000 for projects including an Opticom system, that allows our public safety officials to safely travel through the downtown during an emergency. This system changes our traffic lights when an on-coming emergency vehicle approaches in order for them to safely travel to the emergency destination. We also used the funding for hazard pay for both our Police and Fire Department associates, since they were on the front lines during the pandemic. As Council considers future projects, we can use this extra funding to help with grant fund matching, or use for unexpected expenses.

At the September 26th meeting, City Council approved the hours for Halloween Trick or Treat, for October 31st from 6pm-8pm, but also approved the annual Downtown Trick or Treat, to be held on Wednesday, October 26th from 5pm-7pm. This is for our business district to pass out candy to the kids and has always been a well-attended event. Please be alert when driving through the downtown during this time as there will be many kids and adults walking across the street and we want everyone to stay safe.

At the October 10th Council meeting, City Council approved the appointment of 4 residents, to the Local Officers Compensation Commission. Dale Erion, Cereita Erion, Robert Napieralski, and Deb Malewski. We are very appreciative to these residents for stepping up to serve our community. We have one more spot to fill on this board, so if you are interested, please let me know.

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.

Enjoy the rest of your October!

Mayor Pam

September Mayor’s Corner

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 Hello Eaton Rapids! 

Mark your calendars now for our annual Downtown Trick or Treat, on Wednesday, October 26th from 5pm-7pm. The downtown merchants will be passing out treats to all of the kids who want to show off their costumes. Watch for more details to come. 

The Eaton Rapids Arts Council will hold its annual Scarecrow Contest, between Oct 1st-31st. Contest is open to individuals, businesses, organizations, and clubs. Entries must be fully assembled to their desired location on Main Street by 8pm on October 1st. Judging will take place on the Eaton Rapids Arts Council Facebook page where you can vote for your favorite Scarecrow. Voting will be open October 7th-26th and the most “likes” will win! You can get the full scoop on the City’s website. 

As you may have noticed, we have a major street project happening on Hall Street. We are doing everything we can to reduce the inconvenience to both our local businesses as well as residents. The work will include important utility work and the projected timeframe will be 4-6 weeks, weather permitting. 

At the September 12th City Council meeting, council passed several resolutions and ordinances, including a new ordinance to allow Chickens in the city limits. This is by permit only. If you are interested, stop into City Hall to get all the details. This takes affect October 2nd. Council also passed a resolution in conjunction with the Eaton County Road Commission to take over the portion of Spicerville Hwy from M-99 to West Street. This has been under the county road commission authority but will now be under City jurisdiction. 

This month city board highlight is the Local Officers Compensation Commission. This board was established by State statute, and their function is to determine the compensation for the Mayor and City Council. This is a 5-member board appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by a majority of council members. You must be a registered elector of the City. No member or employee of the legislative, judicial, or executive branch of any level of government or members of the immediate family of such member or employee shall be eligible to be a member of the commission. We’ve had several great city residents serve on this board, but like a lot of volunteer committees, people move on to do other things. The board meets annually, or as requested by City Council. Let me know if you are interested in serving on this board. 

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 fall! 

August Mayor’s Corner

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 Hello ER! 

Mark your calendars for August 20th, starting at Noon, former Mayor Paul Malewski will once again do a 24-hour paddle around the Island, to raise money for 3 causes: Pawsability, Siren Shelter of Eaton County and Team River Runner Veteran organization. All very worthy causes that can use our support! We will have live music on the Island beginning at 5pm with the Island City Jam Session folks (this is OPEN to ANYONE that wants to Jam!) and Thick and Thin from 7pm-9pm. Yours truly may even sing a tune or two. 

This month we welcome new City Manager, Yvonne Ridge. Yvonne officially starts her duties on Monday, August 15th. Yvonne is from Charlotte and brings a wealth of experience, from working in County government, to being an elected official on Charlotte City Council and being Mayor, to becoming a City Manager. She most recently served as Assistant City Manager in Albion. We are all excited to welcome Yvonne to Eaton Rapids and hope that you will stop by to welcome her as well. 

I get asked by residents what the city boards do, so starting with this article, I want to highlight one of our city boards, so you know more about what they do and hopefully, spark an interest and get more participation. This month I want to highlight the Downtown Development Authority, or the DDA. The DDA is served by a 9-member board of residents, mostly business and professional leaders. The functions of the DDA are to correct and prevent deterioration of the downtown district; to encourage historical preservation; to create and implement development plans, to promote the economic growth, and to encourage the expansion of commercial enterprises. In 2018, the City of Eaton Rapids was named a select Michigan Main Street community so all of the functions of that now reside with the DDA. Michigan Main Street’s mission is to assist communities interested in revitalizing and preserving their traditional commercial districts. Michigan Main Street provides grant opportunities to businesses, offers outreach and marketing assistance, as well as many other re-development programs. You can read more about Michigan Main Street by going to their website at www.miplace.org or attend one of our DDA meetings. They meet on the 2nd Friday of each month at 7am at City Hall, 2nd floor. 

School will be starting up soon! Please remember the laws regarding stopping for school buses and be sure to be on the lookout for pedestrian traffic. We wish all of our Eaton Rapids kids the BEST school year ever!! GO HOUNDS! 

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. 

Mayor Pam Colestock 

May Mayor’s Corner

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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!

April Mayor’s Corner

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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 11th, 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!