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City of Eaton Rapids

Michigan's Island City

Mayor's Corner

State of the City Address

By

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 4th 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 15th 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 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month, both at 5pm and 7pm. We’d love to see you!

January Mayor’s Corner

By

Mayor’s Corner-January 2022

Happy New Year Eaton Rapids!

Your City Council has already been busy in this new year. First, we welcome new Council Member At-Large, Stacee Robison, as well as returning Council Member William Steele, who represents Precinct 3 and is also our new Mayor-Pro Tempore.  Susie Politza is your representative for Precinct 1, and we approved the appointment of Ken Nicholas as your representative for Precinct 2. It feels great to start the new year with some fresh faces and ideas!

We are also making history in Eaton Rapids! First, you elected me as your first ever female Mayor, and on January 17th, we welcome Susan Montenegro, our first female City Manager. We are all excited to serve this great city and to represent YOU!

One of our priorities this new year is to bring you more information and transparency about our city government. We are working on a new website that will be easier to use, and we are working to broadcast our council meetings online, not just through Facebook.  This will make our council meetings more accessible to more people. The new website should be up and running by early spring and we hope to bring easier access to the information you need.

Another important decision City Council will be making soon is the allocation of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). You have probably heard of this in the news, and from other local governments. The city received approximately $560,000. While that is a lot of money, it’s not a lot when you can only use it for specific tasks. We can use the funds to replenish loss public sector revenue. We can use it to give a one-time payment to essential workers, (Police, Fire, DPW). This is because these folks could not work from home during the pandemic; they had to keep our city safe and operational. We can also use the funds to invest in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure. I think it’s important for our residents to know about this and rest assured, your City Council will work diligently and responsibly to make sure these funds are used correctly, and that we can get the most value for the funds. We also only have 2 years to obligate these funds.

We have several board positions coming up this year, so if you have been looking to get involved, let me know! I’d love to speak with you and see where you could help our community. There is always something to do, and even if it’s not a board position, please let me know where you’d like to help. Don’t forget, our service clubs are always looking for new members. These clubs, such as The Lions Club, Rotary, Business & Professional Women, Women Working Wonders and several more, were also greatly impacted by the pandemic and are working hard to keep going. These clubs do so many great things for our community that without them, many services would not happen. If you are looking to get involved, please also consider joining one of these very important and necessary clubs.

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 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month, both at 5pm and 7pm. We’d love to see you!

We wish you a very Happy & Safe New Year!

Mayor Pam Colestock

December Mayor’s Corner

By

Dear Eaton Rapids,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a wonderful Christmas and splendid New Year.

You have all weathered the tumult. Whether it be the remnants of the Pandemic, an election wrought with accusations and counter accusations, uncertainty over the economy, school upheaval, mask mandates, vaccines etc. The list goes on and on and every news cycle brings something more. What it often doesn’t bring is the “Flip side.”

 

Let’s concentrate on the “Flip side” in our own back yard. The mini food banks are being kept stocked to give a “ hand up and not a hand out.” The community coat tree is back. I hear about it. “ Oh, we look like ‘hobo ville.” Well, that doesn’t hold true to the grateful person that obtains a gently used coat for their child so they can stay warm when they go to school. The attendance at our Christmas parade and making George our Grand Marshall. Not a person of means but a person that is pure of heart and spends his days giving back to all that pass. A welcoming smile and wave. How our Community came together when the Magnesium Products of America plant exploded and fund raisers were held to keep the families impacted on their feet. How citizens, City officials, Fire Fighters and Police Officers worked side by side to fill sand bags during significant high water events in 2018 and 2019.

 

I recall coming to Eaton Rapids as a member of the newly formed Eaton Rapids Police department. It was December 14th of 1981. The original department was housed in the Eaton Rapids Fire department downtown. The “new crew” consisted of 10 members. We built the department from scratch. I mean we built it. We hung cabinets, built counter tops, designed the patch, re-cycled old equipment and learned the town. All this in 17 days. It was a difficult first year but gradually we became acclimated and assimilated into the town.

 

When I took office in January of 2018 I had a pretty firm agenda. I wanted to see upgrades, changes, measured development and a restored sense of pride in our community. I think we did pretty well. We upgraded much neglected equipment for our DPW. We gave our employees the tools with which to serve you better. That came with an understanding. We are making an investment in you, our employees, so that you can pass that on to those that you work for. We lit and built 2 bridges, both of which had been in disrepair for several years. We wrote and enacted a new Parks and Recreation Master Plan and a Master Plan for our city. Kudos to our Parks and Rec department and our Planning Commission. We became a Michigan Main St and Rising Tides Community to spur development and put forth several new programs to aid the downtown. Nice work DDA. We created a Property Maintenance Code upgrade and a Residential Rental Inspection Ordinance. This was done to make the community more attractive and hold land lords to rigorous standards to make sure that they maintained their properties. One of the intended results was that several of our “absentee land lords” that had allowed their properties to fall into states of disrepair sold these properties and they were converted into owner

occupied dwellings. People take more pride in something that they own as opposed to something that is owned by someone else. I asked a lot from our Building Inspection department and they delivered. We have rehabilitated our river front with a new Riverwalk and re-do of our G.A.R. park. Needed upgrades at the Howe Memorial Field and the creation of several grant funded projects to aid our residents in upgrading their own homes (Curb side grants, Façade grants and MSHDA housing grants).

 

Paved several streets and completed much needed upgrades to both the State St and Brook St corridors in the form of new water and sewer lines and a smooth surface on which to drive.

 

The Farmers market has become a “come to” event and draws folks from other communities.

We have experienced an expansion at our much coveted Eaton Rapids Medical Center, truly a jewel that the entire community can be proud of.

 

All in all, a pretty good 4 years.

As I write to you I bid you Peace. I hope that the projects that were started and the vision for our Community that has been worked towards continues to travel a good path. I hope that the City Council continues to keep in mind that they serve the citizens and not vice versa. I ask all of you that you offer to volunteer to help and not sit on the side lines watching the parade pass by. After all, it can’t be done alone and if you aren’t part of the solution you shouldn’t be part of the problem.

Take the opportunity and be part of the “Flip side.”

 

Thank you for allowing me the honor of serving as your Mayor.

Keep making Eaton Rapids a great place to live, work and raise your family.

Best Always,

Paul

June Mayor’s Corner

By

MAYORS CORNER

     JUNE 15TH

    2021

 

As I look out my office window I see “life” in abundance, a far cry from last year at this time. People are sitting in front of Moo-ville eating ice cream. There is a couple having lunch on the front patio at Darb’s. There is a line at the walk up window at Las Flores.  People are walking down the street and kids are riding their bikes.  There is actually traffic backed up, just a little, on Main St.  We have persevered and adapted to a new way of doing things.  You may ask yourself “Will it ever be the same?”  Short answer “No it won’t.” Our Country, over the last 15 or so months, has gone through some profound changes.

A pandemic swept our nation. It caused both human and economic devastation on several fronts. Loved ones were lost. Many without having the comfort of family at their sides. Businesses and livelihoods were dealt a crushing blow because of safety concerns. Travel was banned between houses.  It was as if we were in prison, viewing our tiny corner of the world via a computer or television screen or the windows in our homes. But slowly and surely, as Americans often do, we are re-capturing what was briefly lost. It may not look exactly the same but that doesn’t mean it is better or worse, just different than what we are used to.

We survived a tempestuous election.  It was almost like the Civil War. Neighbor against neighbor and brother against brother.  The only difference was the reason for the upheaval. A lack of tolerance, understanding and a refusal to accept other points of view.  In the end, I hope that the PRIDE that we have in our country over shadows the desperation and we unite to share our sameness and celebrate our uniqueness and differences.

Speaking of PRIDE. I hope you took the time to attend the first, of what I hope will be an annual event, on Saturday June 12th at Howe Field.  This event, hosted by Lee Carmody, featured food, music, facepainting, a bean bag toss tournament, good conversation and plenty of information about and for Eaton Rapids.  It was the opportunity to celebrate diversity in its many forms.  While we may be diverse we are, after all, all human beings.  That is the one thing that truly is shared.

I wish to take this opportunity to say Thank you to Pastor Marty Debow.  Marty has served his community for several years as the Pastor at the Eaton Rapids Methodist Church.  For those of you that don’t know, his wife Cindy, is a Counselor at the VFW Home.  For several years Marty has been a fixture at our City Council meetings where he would deliver his invocation. Marty is also a long time member of the Eaton Rapids Rotary Club and also serves on the Eaton Rapids Medical Center Hospital board.  One of the tenets of Rotary is “Service above self.” Both he and Cindy have filled that role a million times over.  I bid him well in his retirement, of which I’m sure will be short lived.

 

The Eaton Rapids River Recreation sub-committee is planning on hosting a kayak/canoe water event on July 24th at 11:00 am.  It will be open to all ages and equipment may be available for use.  Keep an eye open for additional information.

The Independence Day celebration is quickly approaching. There will be activities on both Saturday the 3rd and Sunday the 4th.  Arrive early and stay late.  Most of the activities will be taking place at either Howe Memorial Field or Martin Hansen Amphitheater on W. Knight St. Watch the City Facebook page, website and this publication for more information.

This Sunday, June 20th, is Father’s Day. Talk about diversity. Fathers are as diverse as the species.  No two alike but all have something in common, the love that they have for their children. Even in our darkest hours we, as fathers, can be cheered by those cherubic gazes or an impish grin. A homemade card or that special sea shell emblazoned with the words “I love you daddy.”  Fathers, this Sunday, celebrate your children for who and what they have given you. The chance to be called a father.

As always I bid you Peace and hope you continue to call Eaton Rapids home and make it a great place to live, raise your family and recreate.

Paul

May Mayor’s Corner

By

                          MAYOR’S CORNER

                            MAY 4TH

                            2021

 

Welcome to May 2021 Eaton Rapids.  I hope you are faring well and the COVID cloud is almost lifted.   As Americans, we have proven our resiliency, determination, empathy and compassion. We have all sacrificed, in one form or another.  If you have lost a loved one I am sorry. Each person that has been lost has been a piece of our American landscape puzzle.

We have all learned a valuable lesson.  Live each moment. Cherish those around you.  Find out what you are able to do to make our town, country and world a better place.

The last 18 months have seen so many rifts and challenges. People not being heard. Other people hearing but not listening.  Perspectives lost in a flurry of protests and civil disobedience.  Disrespect from both sides.  Accusations and counter accusations. A lack of empathy for the plight of others and a feeling of entitlement on the part of some.  It’s time to put down the signs, the clubs, the guns but most of all, the anger.  Instead of hunting for others hunt within yourself for your humanity and for that common ground that binds us all together.

As Mayor, I have a myriad of duties. Some mundane, some exciting, some fulfilling and some not so much. One of the best parts of my job is receiving communication from the various community members, groups etc.  Upon coming to my office in the beginning of March I discovered a large envelope under my office door. The outside was addressed as “ To the Mayor from Ms. Cooper’s class of First graders at ICA (Island City Academy). We learned about human characteristics this week and wanted to share with you some of our recreational feature ideas! Hope you enjoy!” Inside of the envelope were 19 individual letters letting me know what these kids wanted to see in their community.  Monkey bars, trails, a bigger skate park, a zoo and aquarium and laser tag. The list went on and on.  I shared the information with the Quality of Life director.  What I learned is that these children have an awareness of their community and are willing to let me, us, know what their desires are.  If we want Eaton Rapids to be a great place to live, work and raise a family we need to listen to our smallest component.  They matter.  Thank you Ms. Cooper for taking the time to share your children with me.

May has been declared, by council resolution, to be Monarch Butterfly Awareness month.  Every year millions of Monarch butterflies (those are the orange and black ones for those of you that are uninitiated) travel north from their wintering grounds in Mexico to bless us with their splendor.  Such a delicate creature yet it travels thousands of miles on the air currents to lend us their majesty.  Much of their habitat is being diminished and their numbers have drastically been reduced over the last 20 years.  I encourage all of you to plant some milkweed or nectaring plants to provide these wayward travelers with a meal.

The Eaton Rapids Outdoor Recreation Center anticipates opening to the public on Memorial Day weekend (May 28-31st). Hopefully, the weather and water co-operate.  Come down to the ORC and rent a kayak and take a trip down river. A shuttle service between Mill Pointe Park and Bunker Rd is available for a nominal fee.  Nothing beats a day on the Grand.

The Riverwalk project is progressing at a quick pace.  Much of the new break wall has been installed, the walk way is taking shape and the new bridge is being manufactured. If you haven’t made a trip down to watch the activity I encourage you to do so. For me, the most amazing part is “How in the world did they get a tug boat in the river?”  I asked. They brought it in on a couple of flatbed trailers.  The 120 ft tall multi ton crane then lifted it and dropped it in the water and it was assembled by the construction crew.  This long needed project was funded jointly by you, the MEDC and the DDA.  It will truly be a show case when completed. Several City staff members spent countless hours seeing that this project would go forward. I owe them a debt of gratitude.

The City Council held a special council meeting on Monday, May 3rd. This was the final component in our budgetary process.  The City Manager, Aaron DeSentz, presented council with detailed budget documents explaining and accounting for every dime. Everything from street paving projects, to park and recreation initiatives, to funding the fire department and the police department.  We are in excellent financial shape and have done well in managing the recent upheaval.  I would like to thank the City Manager, the city administrative staff and the City council for their diligence and desire to be fiscally responsible while seeing to it that the amenities that you desire are not over looked.  I would especially like to recognize Councilman Wichman for taking his time to serve on the budget committee. He is our “numbers guy.”

We are still in dire need of folks to serve on several of our boards and committees.  Council and city staff can’t do it all alone. Invest in your town if you want to make a difference and see changes.  If not you, then who?  You can call City Hall at 663-8118 or send me an email (pmalewski@www.cityofeatonrapids.gov).

The Eaton Rapids Memorial Day observance will take place on Monday, May 31st.  This event is sponsored by the Eaton Rapids Grand Army of The Republic museum organization and the Heroes Haven Veterans group.  The parade is scheduled to start at 11:00 am and will travel north on Main St from Family Fare to Knight St. There will be a wreath laying event at Memorial Park (next to Red Ribbon Hall) and we are honored to welcome State Senator Tom Barrett as a guest speaker.  If you are interested in being a participant please contact the GAR via facebook or email.

Finally, this Sunday is Mother’s Day. Take a moment to say thank you. That means more than all of the cards, flowers, candy and dinners.

As always, help to make Eaton Rapids a great place to live, work and raise your family.

I bid you Peace,

Paul

 

 

January Mayor’s Corner

By

MAYOR’S CORNER

     JANUARY 19TH, 2021

 

Dear Eaton Rapids,

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to a new year. Hopefully, it will bring about changes on many fronts.  No matter your perspective on the current state of affairs in Washington D.C., in far off lands or in our own back yard it is time to put our differences aside and work together.

Annually, I like to take the first column of each year and recognize our city employees for their years of service and dedication to their community. They keep the lights on, the water running, the streets paved and cleared and protect us. They work indoors and outdoors. On the weekends, at night and holidays.

0-5 years:

Aaron Desentz-city administration, Lindsey Zeller-city administration, Paul Creger-Lieutenant ERPD, Laura Boomer-city administration, Corey Cagle-city administration, Corey Crusen-patrol officer ERPD, Lee Haynor-patrol officer ERPD, Tyler Willison-patrol officer ERPD, Sean Bailey-patrol officer ERPD, Jeremy Kuykendoll-DPW/WWTP, James Morrison-DPW, Kenneth Bigelow-firefighter-ERFD, Greg Duff-firefighter ERFD, Matt Holben-firefighter ERFD, Jacob Holzhei-firefighter ERFD, Mat Holzhei-firefighter ERFD, Jennifer Lenneman-firefighter ERFD, Daniel Reams-firefighter ERFD, Mark Shumaker-firefighter ERFD, Rob Pierce-DPW/Electric Dept., Ben Heinritz-DPW/Electric Dept., Jared Warsop-DPW/Electric Dept., Coty Olmstead-DPW/WWTP., Anthony Twichell-DPW/WWTP., Dennis Antone-city administration, Randy Jewell-city administration.

6-10 years:

Marrie Jo Carr-city administration, Leroy Hummel-city administration, Larry Weeks-Chief ERPD, Sheila Camp-city administration, Craig Briscoe-patrol officer ERPD, Richard Dover-patrol officer ERPD, Jon Nobach-DPW, Doug Kunkel DPW, Jeremy Milam-Lieutenant ERFD, Mike Tanner-firefighter ERFD

11-15 years:

Dan Paling-patrol officer ERPD, Lee Sifton-DPW/Electric Dept., Dale Hills-firefighter ERFD.

16-20 years:

Julie Kunkel-city administration, Mark Lease-DPW/Water Plant, Chris Scott-DPW/Water Plant, Jason Freer-Captain ERFD, Robin Freer-firefighter ERFD, David Hendon-Lieutenant ERFD, Kevin McNutt-Captain ERFD, James Ray-firefighter ERFD, Kevin Towsley-firefighter ERFD.

21-30 years:

Kim Eddy-Administrative assistant to the Chief ERPD, Scott Perry-Assistant Chief ERFD, Troy Craven-DPW/Electric Dept., Jon Flower- DPW/Electric Dept., Todd Verhelle-DPW.

31-40 years:

Steve Fuller-DPW

40 (plus) years:

Roger McNutt-Chief ERFD

The City Council and myself appreciate your dedication and your hard work and we wish you many more years of service to our community.

I wish to present to you the State of the City.  I asked each of the department administrators to provide me with a “snap shot” of this past year.  While the “mess” somewhat impaired our ability to provide services all was not lost.  I will share with you what they shared with me.

CITY HALL;

Through diligence and hard work the City has been able to cut expenses while increasing our fund balances. These fund balances will help us to fund infrastructure improvements and pay down our unfunded liabilities associated with retiree obligations.

A $2.9 million dollar Community Development Block Grant was received that will create a lighted Riverwalk from GAR Park to Mill Pointe Park. The antiquated east bridge will be replaced, new playground equipment will be installed and the retaining walls will be replaced/refurbished.  We were able to secure funding and  repave/replace State St. and much of the infrastructure. Working together with the Eaton Rapids Public Schools we were also able to redo Greyhound Drive and Inverness. This will make a much safer corridor for our school children and for the community as a whole. As I’m sure many of you have experienced in your homes the need to upgrade and enhance our technology was brought to the forefront. To that end, the City has engaged a new IT company to upgrade our services both internally and externally.

Moving forward, both our water treatment facilities (fresh water and waste water) will require upgrades. This will be a major project and will be city wide. As the analysis and planning progress we will keep you updated.

We saw 61% of our registered voters participate in our general election this year. City hall underwent a design change to offer better accessibility to our patrons. A storage area was also completed at the Public Safety Building.  In the past, the voting equipment was stored at City Hall even though the polling location was at the PSB. This change is more efficient and requires fewer man hours in the set up and take down.

Our finance department was hard at work. New software was obtained to allow for purchase order tracking and timesheet updating. Both are critical to ensure we are compliant with accepted accounting practices and internal controls. We were also able to set up health savings accounts for our retirees.  We were able to provide better access to services at a reduced rate.

FIRE DEPARTMENT;

The Fire Department ordered a new pumper truck to replace one that was 28 years old. A grant was obtained to purchase all new radios and pagers to accommodate a statewide 800 mhz system. This covered both the ERFD and the ERPD. Communication is a key element in providing quality service to our community not only today but in the future.  We will be moving forward in the upcoming year to purchase another truck to replace an aging one in the fleet and also the rescue boat that is in dire need of replacement.

We also entered into an efficiency study with Eaton Rapids Township to study how our two fire departments can work together in areas of training, service, cost sharing and manpower.  This is a win for both of us.  More to come.

DPW:

Upgrades to several facilities took place. The City isn’t immune from the Property Maintenance ordinance. Several of our facilities were repaired and painted and reroofed. Security fencing was installed around our water wells and access was limited to employees only. Our SCADA (automated meter reading and billing system) was upgraded and lift stations were replaced, along with control modules.  Our electric department is in the process of replacing poles and upgrading transformers and street lights (LED to save energy and be more efficient).

Quality of Life (Parks and Recreation):

Our QOL department worked very diligently this year. Upgrades to facilities was made easier by the various shut downs that were experienced. This didn’t stop them from doing over $30,000 in grant awards to help our resident’s re-hab homes. We completed the census education program, obtained grants to install recycle bins, bicycle repair stations, break away base systems for the Howe Memorial Field, purchase batting helmets, catchers gear and even give away books through the “Give a kid a Book program.”

We offered several “virtual” art classes and even held a couple of basketball competitions. We had summer ball clinics and the Outdoor Recreation Center continued with its free paddle events.  We held movie nights and a myriad of activities for the community.

Building Department:

My Building Inspector(s) faced a lot of challenges. We implemented the Rental Inspection ordinance and this was extremely challenging. They are being diligent in their efforts and are working with landlords and homeowners to ensure compliance with both the Rental Inspections and the property maintenance requirements. They are also working with our Planning Commission to update the city’s Master Plan and Zoning Ordinances. A truly daunting task.

POLICE DEPARTMENT:

We were finally able to fill a number of vacancies. This was a challenge as the Law Enforcement field is coming under increased scrutiny and condemnation from the public. That, coupled with the lack of advancement opportunities, makes recruiting for a small agency difficult.  I’m happy to see that we were able to fulfill this goal.  Our officers remained healthy and were able to deliver a good quality of service.

Of particular note, Officer Richard Dover was able to assist in the apprehension of a dangerous escapee from the Ingham County Jail. Diligence and persistence, aided by an observant member of our community, led to a successful conclusion to this “news grabber.”

Downtown Development Authority:

Our Main Street transformation strategy of “America’s Small Town is in full swing. The DDA partnered with the City of Eaton Rapids and the Eaton Rapids Medical Center on several projects including the CDBG Riverwalk project, the Farmer’s Markets and the Façade grants program to aid local businesses.

In closing, we are working hard every day to bring new and innovative things to our community. We were finally able to get the cameras installed so that we can broadcast our council meetings live-just in time for the shut down. We will be replacing a bridge and adding a spectacular Riverwalk. A major construction project in the W. Knight St/Brook St. area will be underway shortly.

I encourage all of you to continue to invest in our community. Whether it be your hard earned dollars, your time or just your positive attitude.  It takes all of us to make that vital difference.

Thank you. As always I bid you peace and good fortune.

Paul