I attended City of Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalyn Bliss’ State of the City Address last week and could not help but being very impressed with the progress Grand Rapids continues to make and the exciting future projected for the near future. It was also my privilege to attend Walker Mayor Gary Carey’s State of the City Address last night at the former Grand Rapids Press Building which has transformed into the Lee Industrial Contracting, My family lived in Walker for seven years during my first tenure working for Kent County and early years in Ottawa. It is exciting to see growth and prosperity rapidly increasing in Walker. Its population just exceeded 25,000 for the first time and the City is experience 1,000 new housing starts in various stages of the building process.
Last week also marked National Employee Appreciation Week and I sent a note to Kent County employees thanking them for the difference they make each day. I’m very appreciative of our public service workers throughout the County be they federal, state, city, township, village, or schools. We are hopefully nearing the end of the tunnel from the difficult years of COVID-19 and I think we all yearn for whatever the “new normal” brings.
I hope that you find the following Digest message informative and please let me know if you have suggestions for improvement.
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DPW Board Approves Project Development Agreement for Sustainable Business Park
Dar Baas, DPW Director
On Thursday, the Kent County Board of Public Works approved a Project Development Agreement (PDA) with Kent County Bioenergy Facility, a joint venture between Continuus Materials and Anaergia. This is the next step in developing a multi-faceted mixed waste processing facility capable of handling 430,000 tons of municipal solid waste and recyclables each year to produce renewable natural gas, fertilizer, and recyclable commodities.
The PDA will guide the DPW and Kent County Bioenergy Facility over the next 18 to 36 months until the project can be fully contracted and financed. If all goes as planned, the facility could be up and running in about three years. Additionally, the process includes continued stakeholder involvement to inform the project and to develop supporting policy. This group, which will be led by County Administrator Vanderberg, will include representatives from local units of government and business leaders. Click here to learn more about the agreement.
Streets Renamed to Honor Civil Rights Leaders
Teresa Branson, Chief Inclusion Officer
On February 22, 2022, a few County Commissioners and County staff gathered with community members for the Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Martin Luther King, Jr. Street Signage Unveiling Celebration. Specifically, Franklin and Granville Avenues were renamed to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Street and Cesar E. Chavez Avenue. Additionally, East Grand Rapids voted unanimously to extend the street for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. into its city limits.
The event was made possible by the Moving Ahead for Remarkable Civil Rights Heroes (MARCH) Committee. In the words City of Grand Rapids Commissioner Senita Thompson Lenear, “We celebrate Two Heroes, Two Streets, Two Cities, on 2.22.22.” Two surprise guests were in attendance, the nephew of Dr. King, Rev. Derek King, and a son of Cesar Chavez, Paul Chavez, who brought very powerful messages on this historical day in Grand Rapids.
A special thanks to the MARCH Committee for making this wonderful event possible and the opportunity to take part in the celebratory events. A special thanks to County Commissioner Robert Womack, City of Grand Rapids Commissioner’s Senita Lenear and Milinda Ysasi, Lupe Ramos-Montigny, City Manager Mark Washington and Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, for your hard work and leadership.
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State of the County
Lori Latham, Director of Communications
The State of the County address is Wednesday, April 27 at the Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. The event schedule is as follows:
- Welcome Reception – 5:30pm
- State of the County – 6:30pm
- Post Event Reception – Immediately following address
Attendance is by invitation only due to space constraints, but the event will be livestreamed. Please watch for your invitation or for more details on how to watch the event via livestream.
We Changed E-Mail Platforms
We recently implemented a new email subscription service to make it easier for you to receive our updates. A "welcome" email was sent on Wednesday, March 2, which allowed you to update your information and preference. If you did not receive the email, you can scroll to the bottom of this newsletter and select “manage preferences.” Also, please add kentcountymi@public.govdelivery.com to your safe senders list to ensure you are receiving all our mail communication.
Housing Next Partners with the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce to Expand Efforts to Improve Housing Supply and Affordability
Al Vanderberg, County Administrator
Housing Next, an organization focused on growing West Michigan’s housing supply, recently announced it is expanding its outreach in Kent and Ottawa counties. The Greater Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Foundation will partner with Housing Next to help rural and suburban communities in Kent and Ottawa counties develop zoning and planning practices that support the development of new housing.
According to a 2020 Housing Next study, the region needs to significantly expand its supply of apartments, condos, and townhomes to meet demand. However, the work to identify and remove obstacles to housing supply and affordability will be done through a broad coalition of organizations, community leaders, business leaders, and other community members.
I will be serving on this coalition and will provide regular updates on the proposed polices and projects to address the complex housing needs in the region.
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