|
Join us in congratulating Elizabeth Lange from Ottawa County Clerks/Register of Deeds Office and Brad Gamby from Innovation & Technology, who have been recognized as Ottawa County’s Outstanding Customer Service Award recipients for the second quarter of 2017. You can read the nominations which earned each recipient an award plus learn more about them at miOttawa.org.
 “Liz’s standard of customer service is second to none. She relentlessly provides excellence in accommodating the needs of each of the Clerk/Register of Deeds guests; often times rising above customer expectations. Her commitment and dedication to promoting the Ottawa Way is a true reflection of her sincere and caring persona,” said Jody Hansen, Clerks/Register of Deeds Office Supervisor.
|
 “Brad incorporates a blend of patience, empathy, vision, and efficiency that allows him to give the customer a great service experience no matter how frustrated they may be with their technology issue,” said Michael Morrow,Manager of Technical Infrastructure.
|
A new Leadership Council has been formed to collectively focus on workforce
housing solutions. The Leadership Council, composed of the area’s top community
and business development organizations will work to ensure housing is available
for all area workers.
Mike Goorhouse, President of
the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area and Holly Johnson,
President of the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation will serve as co-chairs
of the newly formed Housing Next Leadership Council. The Council also
will include representatives from the
West Coast Chamber, Chamber of Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Ferrysburg, United
Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties, Ottawa County, Lakeshore Advantage and
Community SPOKE.
“Affordable housing was already a
big problem in our community and it is getting bigger. Recent estimates of the
shortage have grown to between 12,000 and 15,000 units, said Goorhouse,
co-chair of the Housing Next Leadership Council. “Local businesses, government, and nonprofit organizations
are all seeing the lack of affordable housing creating tremendous difficulty in
many families’ day to day lives and constraining our overall ability to grow
and thrive as a community.”
The Housing Next Leadership
Council was formed due to the extensive housing research effort lead by the United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties –
Ottawa Housing Next. The Leadership Council’s first order of business
will be to hire a director fully focused on workforce housing solutions. This
individual will be the champion for workforce housing solutions in our
community. The position description for
any interested applicants can be on the United Way website: https://www.ottawaunitedway.org/employment. The Council plans to have its new director in
place by the end of 2017.
“Lack of affordable housing is both a social and an economic issue, and
will require government, business and nonprofits all working together to make
significant progress towards a solution,” said Johnson “I can’t remember a time
when these eight organizations have collaborated so closely to address a key
community priority.” In addition to the Leadership Council, there will be a
broader Advisory Board which will have representation from developers, businesses,
philanthropy, housing nonprofits, government and residents.
Housing Next has identified
four strategies to help our community better access these market-driven
solutions:
- Matching private and nonprofit developers’
interests with local housing needs.
- Working with local units of government to
collectively clarify their vision for the types of affordable housing
developments they desire for their communities and establishing the
regulatory environment that will allow those developments to happen.
- Assisting developers in accessing public
and philanthropic resources to fill financial gaps that might otherwise
prevent projects from moving forward.
- Connecting new developments with local
nonprofit partners to ensure critical services and supports are available
for future residents. This strategy will be accomplished primarily through
increased grant funding from the Housing Initiative Fund at United
Way.
In addition to Johnson and
Goorhouse, other members of the newly formed Leadership Council include:
Patrick Cisler, Executive Director of
Community SPOKE
Jane Clark, President of the Michigan West
Coast Chamber of Commerce
Joy Gaasch, President of the Chamber of
Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Ferrysburg
Patrick Moran, President of United Way of
Ottawa and Allegan Counties
Jennifer Owens, President of Lakeshore
Advantage
Al Vanderberg, Ottawa County Administrator
Lyn Raymond, Director of the
Lakeshore Housing Alliance will serve as liaison from the Leadership Council to
the broader Advisory Panel.
“United Way is pleased to transition
the leadership on this effort to this Leadership Council, while still keeping
all the important members of Ottawa Housing Next informed and engaged,” said
Patrick Moran, President of the United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties. “This cross sector council is the right group
at the right time to increase market driven housing solutions.”
(Submitted by Kristina Wieghmink)
Community Health Workers (CHW) seek to promote the community's voice within the health care system. They are a front line public health worker who are trusted members of and have an understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables CHWs to serve as a link between health/social services and the community. In addition, they facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.
Meet Glorie
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIOTTAWA/bulletins/1b022e6?reqfrom=share
Meet Shandra
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIOTTAWA/bulletins/1af64d3?reqfrom=share
Meet Brittney
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIOTTAWA/bulletins/1b23354?reqfrom=share
Meet Judy
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIOTTAWA/bulletins/1b23fe0?reqfrom=share
Meet Maria
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIOTTAWA/bulletins/1b40362?reqfrom=share
(Submitted by Linda Falstad)
The Ottawa County Ag
Preservation Board is excited to announce its inaugural fundraising
event, Farms
are the Tapas. Your taste buds will be treated to
delectable dishes at this tapas dinner that features fresh, locally grown
food. Exceptional local chefs from Butch’s Dry
Dock, The
Farmhouse Deli, The
Toasted Pickle, and Ultimate
Catering will prepare the evening’s delights during a friendly cooking
competition.
The
event will take place at Walters
Gardens on Tuesday, September 19 from 6-7:30pm. The speaker for
the evening is Representative Roger Victory of the 88th District.
Roger is the owner of Victory Farms and an advocate for farmers. Tickets
are available for $50 per person. All proceeds from the event benefit
Ottawa County farmland preservation. A variety of sponsorships for the
event are also available.
Ottawa County Farmland Preservation Program is a
voluntary program that preserves farmland by purchasing or receiving donations
of development rights from actively farmed properties. Landowners are
compensated for lost development potential, yet still own the land and retain
all other rights associated with it. The land must continue to be
used for agricultural purposes, or remain in a natural state perpetually
regardless of transfer or sale of property.
The
Program is funded by a USDA ACEP-ALE grant, a minimum 25% in-kind donation of
the fair market value of the parcel by the landowner, and monies raised by
events such as this. All private donations are held at the Community
Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area in a non-endowed fund for
Farmland Preservation.
"The
Community Foundation is thrilled to support the Ottawa County Ag Preservation
Board in their efforts to raise funds for the Farmland Preservation Fund and we
are looking forward to this inaugural fundraising event," said Mike
Goorhouse, President/CEO at the Community Foundation.
Mark your calendar to attend this event
supporting farms and food for future generations. We are limited to 100
people. Reserve
your tickets now!
(Submitted by Keith Van Beek)
Ottawa County representatives:
Don Disselkoen, Joe Baumann, Al Vanderberg, Keith Van Beek and Paul Sachs
Road Commission representatives:
Brett Laughlin and Jim Miedema
Meeting at 8:30 AM on Wednesday,
August 30, 2017
Review of Michigan Transportation
Fund - Brett distributed and reviewed the Michigan Transportation Fund
budget (click here). There are two months left in the fiscal year to
receive funding, August and September. On track to receive budgeted
amount of $22,300,000.
Review of Projects - Brett
distributed and the group reviewed projects for the year, specifically; primary
roads, local roads, bridge improvement, drainage improvements, countywide
millage projects, cape seal surfacing, gravel road surfacing, seal coat (chip
seal) surfacing, gravel road reconstruction and subdivision resurfacing.
All projects can be seen by clicking here, and almost all projects are already
complete as we experienced a good construction season.
Salt Prices and Preparation for
Winter - Brett reviewed bids for salt at $36.46 per ton, which projects
to a $269,000 savings as cost has dropped from $49.27 last year and $66.63 the
previous year. The Road Commission successfully negotiated a pilot
program with MDOT this year for maintaining State roads that makes some
positive changes in operations and expectations on the road commission to meet
MDOT needs.
State
Funding for Zeeland Area - $2 million earmarked in the State budget for property
where 231 interchange would intersect in Zeeland, and also $2 million in the
MEDC budget for road improvements supporting industry in Zeeland.
Discussions and planning for this funding and projects are underway.
The Ottawa County Water
Resource Commissioner’s Office has been awarded $600,000 from the Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Grants
Program. The funding will reduce Nonpoint source pollution within the
upper Sand Creek watershed, located in Wright and Chester Townships in
northeast Ottawa County. Sand Creek flows into the lower Grand River and
ultimately Lake Michigan.
Nonpoint
source pollution is caused when rain, snowmelt or wind carry
pollutants off the land and into lakes, streams, wetlands, and other water
bodies. Officials will reduce this polluted sediment reaching the Sand
Creek by stabilizing the unnaturally eroding stream banks, restoring the
filtering wetlands and promoting the farm bill pollution prevention practices. The improvements
along the creek will reduce sediment by an estimated 1,250 tons per year,
improving water quality throughout the watershed.
The Sand
Creek has been identified among the top ten priority Grand River sub‐watersheds
for restoration. The creek is a coldwater and designated trout
stream. Unfortunately, the coldwater fishery is no longer supported due
to excessive sedimentation, siltation, nutrients, temperature and flow regime
alterations.
Ottawa
County Water Resources Commissioner, Joe Bush, oversaw the Upper Sand Creek
Restoration Assessment Study conducted in 2014-2015 by GEI Consultants. The
assessment was funded by a $260,919 grant from the MDEQ. The study laid the
groundwork for the work that will be completed with the assessment, planning,
and design of best practices to improve the health of Sand Creek.
The grant is funded under the federal Clean Water Act - Section 319 and
the Clean Michigan Initiative – Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Grants
Program.
(Submitted by Megan Boos)
The Ottawa Conservation District has been hard at work this summer! The District partnered with the West Michigan Watershed Collaborative, a regional initiative focused on establishing funding opportunities for watersheds and clean water projects throughout 53 watersheds in 13 counties. The Collaborative is in its developing stages; however, the Conservation District is excited to see what opportunities the partnership can bring to the residents in Ottawa County.
 In
the month of August alone, our West Michigan Cooperative Invasive Species
Management Area (WMCISMA) Strike Crew visited over 100 sites to survey and
treat various invasive species including Japanese Knotweed, Chinese Yam,
European Frog-Bit, Yellow Floating Heart (pictured on the right) and Oriental
Bittersweet. The Crew removed 50lbs of European Frog-Bit and 700lbs of Yellow
Floating Heart!
|
 Our
Watershed Technician for the Bass River and Deer Creek Restoration Project has
been out in the community promoting various cost-share opportunities available
to farmers and homeowners within the Bass River and Deer Creek watersheds,
including cover crops and septic-system replacements. He has overseen two
septic system replacements in the month of August in the Bass River watershed
(one replacement pictured on the left). The Bass River and Deer Creek tested
very high for both human and animal E.Coli bacteria caused by failing septic
systems and manure run off. If you or someone you know reside in either of
these watersheds and are interested in a septic tank inspection, replacement,
or in learning more about the cost-share opportunities available within the
Bass River and Deer Creek watersheds please contact the Ottawa Conservation
District.
|
 The
Ottawa Conservation District lead a program at the Allendale Public Library on
Critical Dunes for 26 children. The kids learned about the minerals found in
Great Lakes sand, extracted magnetite from the sand with magnets and made their
own sand dunes with straws (pictured on the right). The program ended with a
discussion about the dangers facing sand dune ecosystems today, including
construction, erosion, and vegetation removal. If you or someone you know is
planning any construction or landscaping on the sand dunes contact the
Conservation District. The Ottawa Conservation District can help obtain the
necessary permits for construction on dunes areas from the Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ).
|
The Ottawa Conservation District can be reached by:
www.ottawacd.org ottawacd@macd.org (616) 842-5852 Ex: 5
@OttawaConservationDistrict
Ottawa Conservation District
16731 Ferris St. Grand Haven, MI 49417
 (Submitted by Tim Smith)
At the APCO convention in Denver this week, Ottawa County
Central Dispatch Authority dispatcher Elvita Lewandowski was recognized at the
Tele-communicator of the year by NICE Corp. Elvita was selected out of 40
nominees nationally based on her continued high performance and going above and
beyond in her duties here at Dispatch.
Elvita has been with us since 2006.
Please see the link below to the story in the Holland Sentinel.
Ottawa County dispatcher earns national award
Please join us in congratulating Elvia on this achievement.
|
 |
 (Submitted by Shannon Felgner)
Registration is OPEN for the M23.1k Run and 4 Miler scheduled for October 21. The purposes of the event are to raise funds for West Michigan trails and promote the trails; advocate for wellness; build community; and showcase West Michigan as a healthy, active, growing and thriving community. There have been some positive changes to the run this year. We have a great team planning the event, including staff from the Parks, Public Health, Community Mental Health, Sheriff’s Office, Road Commission, MDOT and others. We also are hosting the event at the beautiful Connor Bayou County Park. Finally, along with the 23.1k run, a 4-mile event was added. Space is limited to the first 300 runners. Register early. Volunteers will also be needed on the day of the event. Opportunities to sponsor the event and the trail projects are also still available
|
 (Submitted by Anna Bednarek)
Join Lakeshore Clubhouse for
our 3rd Annual Running for Recovery 5K, August 26 at 9:00am.
Registration begins at 8:30am. This year’s event will be officially timed
by Michiana Timing Company and will begin at 490 Century Lane in Holland, MI.
You can register online by clicking HERE.
The fee is only $20 per participant or $75 for a family of 4 or more!
Although nearly one-in-five
people will be affected by serious mental illness this year,
misunderstanding and stigma still abound. Eighty-five to ninety-five percent of
adults with serious mental illness are chronically unemployed, and traditional
treatment continues to focus on maintenance instead of recovery.
The
Lakeshore Clubhouse is a Clubhouse International accredited program with the
singular mission of assisting people in their recovery from mental illness and
reintegration into the community.
The Ottawa County Agricultural Preservation Board is seeking a young adult to serve on its membership. This position is open to all high school and college students who are residents of Ottawa County. The board see the position as a mutually beneficial relationship. A young member on the board will bring fresh ideas and perspective to agricultural planning while gaining valuable experience. Applications are currently being accepted. The term is for one year.
The Board oversees the Purchase of Development Rights program, which preserves farmland by purchasing or receiving donations of development rights from actively farmed properties. The first farm preserved by the program was the Hehl Farm, a 34.9 acre hog and cattle farm in Polkton Township. This year the Board will close on a 55.6 acre cattle farm in Chester Township.
Farmland preservation adds to our quality of life in West Michigan, providing access to a local food supply and employment.
(Submitted by John Weiss)
To view the GVMC weekly updates click here.
| 
