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City of Eaton Rapids

Michigan's Island City

News

June Mayor’s Corner

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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 

Tax Assessor Notice

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Property owners should be aware the assessor will be out updating photos of properties within the City. This is done annually in order to keep the assessing records up to date. He will be wearing a bright yellow vest and his vehicle will have a “tax assessor” sign. He will not be asking to enter your property. If you have any questions please feel free to give Randy a call at 517-541-1555 or email randy@taxassessing.com. If he discovers a reason to inspect any part of your property he will contact you at that time.

May Mayor’s Corner

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 Happy May! 

City Council is busy this month working with city administration on the 2023-2024 budget. There will be a public hearing on the budget in June. This is a requirement to get public input, or answer questions. Watch the city’s website for dates. 

At the May 8th City Council meeting, Council approved the Planning Commission’s recommendation for a lot-split in the south industrial park. This parcel of land was part of a larger parcel owned by the city and will be used for the future Eaton Rapids Recycling Center. This was the first step in moving forward with plans for the center. The next steps will be to develop site plans and apply for grants for the infrastructure. Stay tuned for more! 

Eaton Rapids Teen Space held a talent show to raise funds for a new building they will build across from the High School. Eaton Rapids has some very talented young people! If you’d like to get involved with this program, you can reach out to them at www.erteenspace.com. 

Memorial weekend is right around the corner. Many celebrate this holiday as the start of summer, however, it’s to pay tribute to the military heroes that made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we appreciate. The G.A.R Memorial Hall & Museum’s Memorial Day committee has planned several events starting at Rosehill Cemetery with flag placement on veteran’s graves, Saturday, May 27th at 9am. This is a volunteer effort so if you’d like to help, meet at the city maintenance building at the back of the cemetery. There will be a luminary display placed Sunday night, May 28th at Memorial Park on Main Street. There will be a luminary representing each Eaton Rapids veteran who died in battle. On Monday, May 29th the Memorial Day parade will start at 11am. We are looking for parade entries so if anyone is interested in being in the parade, please let me know. You can reach me at pcolestock@cityofeatonrapids.gov. Following the parade, there will be a brief ceremony at G.A.R Island Park. All are welcome! 

Have a safe and happy May! 

Mayor Pam Colestock 

April Mayor’s Corner

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 It’s starting to look like spring! 

The City just received 2 awards for the restoration of G.A.R Island Park, submitted by the City’s engineering company, c2ae. It’s exciting to be recognized for the work put into making this park a showpiece, however, the best part is hearing from residents and community members about how much they enjoy the park. We will have a lot of activity this summer with events and concerts in the park, so watch for more information and announcements. 

Spring has been busy for City Council and administration. We’ve applied for several grants including one that will help us make important upgrades to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. This plant has been in operation since 1954 and while it has received upgrades since then, it’s been several years since major upgrades were made. The cost is 9.5 million dollars to make the upgrades and grant funding will help keep costs to you, the taxpayers, to a minimum. We also received news that a program called NextCycle, which helps communities find funding for building recycling centers, has accepted Eaton Rapids into their program. We will work with NextCycle to apply for infrastructure funding which, when successful, will help us build a state-of-the-art recycling center for our entire Eaton Rapids community. 

We are also busy working on the next fiscal budget. Part of that process is working on capital expenditure projects not just for the next year, but for 5 years from now. As our infrastructure ages, we have to find ways to keep up with upgrades and replacements. This includes street pavement, sidewalk replacement, and utility upgrades. 

The Downtown Development Authority will be starting the Farmer’s Market starting June 3rd. It will be located next to Black Dog Coffee Shop on Hamlin Street, on Wednesdays, during the cruise-in, and Saturdays from 9am-Noon. Lisa Barna from Black Dog has graciously agreed to help run the market, so if you are interested in being a part of this, please reach out to Lisa at Black Dog coffee. 

Have a great rest of April! 

Mayor Pam Colestock 

Eaton Rapids Project Wins Prestigious Award 

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Patman Droneography

EATON RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – On April 20, the American Society of Civil Engineering (ACSE) Lansing-Jackson Branch will honor the City’s recent transformation of their historic island and surround area in the heart of Eaton Rapids. 

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Island is a two-acre landmass in the Grand River, connected to the rest of Eaton Rapids by a bridge on either side of the island. This park has been closely tied to Eaton Rapids’ history, recreation, and public events for generations. But in recent years, the park was beginning to show its age: deterioration in the seawalls, outdated playground equipment, erosion, and more. 

With the help of $2.8 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant, also known as the CDBG Program, Eaton Rapids was able to invest not only in repairs but in placemaking amenities that will attract more visitors to the city’s downtown district. 

Under the direction of Lansing-based engineering firm C2AE, this project reconstructed seawalls and replaced a pedestrian bridge, introduced a new walkway system to the city’s recreation center, replaced playground equipment, enhanced connectivity to the city’s trail network for pedestrians and cyclists, brought in two ADA-compliant fishing and observation piers, and rejuvenated the landscaping to reduce stormwater runoff into the river. 

Key stakeholders on the project included City of Eaton Rapids, various community groups, Upper Grand River Watershed Planning Initiative Steering Committee, Eaton County Drain Commissioner, Michigan Department of Energy, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE), Community Development Block Grant, Laux Construction, and C2AE. 

Representatives from Eaton Rapids and C2AE will receive ASCE’s Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Award at Lugnuts Stadium in Lansing later this month. 

“We are so proud of the work our city and community partners have put into restoring this historic park and in enhancing our downtown recreation and shopping district,” said Mayor Pam Colestock. With this project complete, we hope to see G.A.R Island Park thrive for another 100 years.”