As you know, last week I was at the ICMA Conference and as usual it was solid with content and more importantly the presence of the “how to” element thrown in for good measure. One of the more notable presentations by one of the keynote speakers David Brooks, yes that David Brooks. He mentioned that throughout his travels around the world he observed that the truly healthy communities were those that had “community healers.” As soon as he spoke those words I understood what he was expressing and what he meant.
 
What makes Coopersville such a unique and pleasant place to work, live, and play is the effect of community healers. Those individuals that care and have empathy for others and for the efforts and accomplishments of residents and business owners alike. Without naming names, I can think of at least a dozen people here in Coopersville that go out of their way to smooth “trouble waters,” to provide direction and a sympathetic ear to someone that is having difficulties, to provide resources either financial or otherwise to a group requesting assistance. I have always believed there was something “special” about this place we call Coopersville, but it wasn’t until Mr. Brooks spoke those words “community healers” that the awareness became defined and real.  Thank you to our own community healers; you’re loved and appreciated more than you know.
 
Monday night, we have a rather light agenda. A few bills to be paid with a discussion on a proposed change to the Fire Authority Agreement with Polkton Township. Please review your packet and if you require additional information or clarity please don’t hesitate to contact me. Enjoy this “fair” weather while we still have it, be safe, and have a grand weekend!


​WWTP Upgrade

We received two proposals from two engineering firms last Friday for the Phase II Upgrade for the WWTP. Each proposal actually has within it two separate proposals as instructed by me. The first proposal is what can we build with $5 million and more specifically what the load and volume limits are. The second proposal is what would the upgrade cost to treat a certain level of loading and volume. Those numbers are under review and will be provided to council for review either Monday or a few days after.
 
 
Water Project Phase I

As was stated in the last council packet, work/efforts continue to explore reasonable funding options. As with the WWTP project I’ve requested two different proposals that are quite different in scope. The reason for this is to be prepared for any changes in water requirement demands from fairlife and/or CDF. When these proposals are complete, hopefully in a couple of weeks, we will meet and discuss the attributes of each. Please call if you have specific questions.

Recently the City of Coopersville, the Coopersville Rotary Club, and the NEO Forum organized and hosted an annual event known as “Celebrate Coopersville.” Everyone is, and was welcomed in the community to attend and many did, including Rotary members, city employees, Coopersville Area Public School staff and facility, elected officials from Ottawa County, City Council, the Board of Education, and even elected officials from Lansing. It is a special night where individuals who have demonstrated something unique or have shown a higher level of performance are recognized and awarded in front of the community that has benefited from their involvement. There is a silent auction where money is raised to support the NEO Forum program that has received much praise for its success with our youth and their families as well.
 
For some undefined reason after the event, I began to contemplate seriously about what “Celebrate Coopersville” really stands for and why. It’s obvious that many of us who work for the City of Coopersville have a rather unique view of the city. Yes, we’re responsible for roads, we’re responsible for water and sewer, we’re responsible for community policing, we’re responsible for recreation programs, and we’re responsible for economic development, planning, and many, many more services. We see it from a perspective that involves citizens and business owners but at the end of the day, the city staff is responsible for infrastructure that allows the rest of the community to function. As an example, roads with two feet of snow covering them can serious hinder transportation requirements.

But our unique perspective allows us to witness many other elements that truly is the “glue” which binds everything together into one cohesive community. We have many volunteers that maintain our beautiful landscapes from the Roundabout to Perennial Park. We have volunteers that spread mulch downtown in the spring, saving the DDA significant costs. Rotary picks up trash along the roadways at certain times of the year for beautification. The many, many coaches and other volunteers who are critical to the success of our recreation department’s varied programs. The volunteers who ultimately determine the aesthetics and feel of our community, such as the Planning Commission, the Downtown Development Authority Board, the Recreation Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals, and the countless other volunteers that assist with Del Shannon Days, the Outhouse 500, the Chili Cook-off, Miss Coopersville, the Historical Museum Board, Christmas Parade, etc. The list can literally go on and on.

Thus back to the second paragraph. What does Celebrate Coopersville really mean? For me, it’s something I haven’t really experienced in my earlier life. My family moved often when I was young from California to Michigan, back to California and finally back to the lakeshore near North Muskegon. My sense of community was limited (and even foreign to me) to a certain degree of definition. But Coopersville demonstrates year after year that “community” is much more than a word: it is a way of life; it’s the human glue that binds the community and brings a unique lifestyle that is different from other cities. Not better, for that would be presumptuous and alienating, but it is still unique nevertheless. The blending of individuals with diverse backgrounds and skills creates a special sense of place that anyone who spends enough time here affectionately calls it home.

I have met many people that live in the surrounding townships that call Coopersville their home. They shop, they bank they visit their doctor, lawyer, and insurance agent all in Coopersville. There are many business owners that live elsewhere but ALWAYS attend Coopersville events. Why? Because Coopersville is special, just ask them. I have. They tell me that there is a “can do” attitude here and people come together to make the improbable happen. Think about this next time you travel through the roundabout. When you’re downtown on Main Street, look up at the clock tower. Slow down on Ironwood and visually savor the flowers under the Coopersville sign; count the number of businesses that sponsor recreation next time you’re visiting Vets Park during a softball game.

Celebrate Coopersville? Absolutely! Everyday!

Monday night at 6:00 PM we will have a Budget Workshop prior to the council meeting. Our discussion will focus on more of the details, especially the larger capital equipment expenditures and many of the road maintenance projects. Draft A has us spending in the red over $500,000. We have a fund balance to support it but our job as policy makers and budget engineers is to make decisions on the needs of today in context of the financial future of the city.
 
As always, I wish all of you an enjoyable and safe weekend. Life is short, as they say, and our obligation as beings of awareness is to live it each day, drinking in the beauty as well as the bitterness, if it so happens to get in the way. You got to admit that life can be a lot of fun. 


Water Project Phase I

City Treasurer Keri Rogers and I have met with our bond attorney and have given him a series of tasks as his homework assignment. One of the series of tasks is to analyze what the city’s obligation for a $9.6 million bond and a scaled down version of the Water Project – Phase I, which is closer to $5 million would be for 30 and 40 years. The “how” in which we would pay for the bond is still under discussion and, fortunately for the city, we have a couple of options available for us to consider. Once those numbers are in, I will schedule a workshop to study those options open to us and how best to proceed. 
 
 
WWTP Project Phase II

I believe we are close to making a recommendation to council as to what is the best route, in terms of policy and practice, to accommodate the growth that CDF and Fairlife are experiencing. There are still interested parties coming to the “party” wanting to participate in this project. Staff and I will evaluate as necessitated. As always, I will keep Council and the Utility Advisory Committee (UAC) updated as more information becomes available.
 
 
Strategic Planning

The arrival of our Assistant City Manager Jonathan Seyferth has allowed more attention and time to revise the City’s Master Plan (Comprehensive Plan). I would like to begin exercises in strategic planning from the City Council as to how we want to control the city’s future. Yes, the Planning Commission does extensive work and drafts the Master Plan, and will perform professionally in that task. But the City Council must take action on the approval/disapproval of that plan. According to the ICMA (International City/County Management Association) and Gerald L. Gordon PHD, strategic planning is:
 
“…a means of understanding change, forecasting change, and setting a course of action to manage the expected implications of change. Even in the most negative situations in the life of a community, strategic planning is a positive means of moving forward.”
 
City Council must begin a conversation of where you want the community to grow and what our future will look like in the next five, ten, and twenty-five years. More information will come to you in the next few months.

Michael Young was the City Manager of Rockford. Michael passed last week due to complications from a stroke; he was 48 years old. He was respected for his accomplishments and successes and I learned a few things from those accomplishments that helped me in my role here. He had his detractors, which is unavoidable in this profession, but he made notable differences nonetheless. While we were professional associates whose paths crossed on occasion at various board meetings and conferences, we were not personally close but we knew of each other’s communities and some of the issues that occupied our attention. I always wanted to tell Michael that I learned a number of valuable lessons from him, but I didn’t, and the opportunity is now lost.
 
I write about this now because his passing reminds me that I need to be more in the moment, to communicate in a timelier manner how much I appreciate the special relationships I have formed over these many years as City Manager both in the community and in my personal life. The opportunity to share with friends, family, and colleagues how much they add value and depth to my life is TODAY, not tomorrow. The moment is ours, tomorrow is not. I must remember this simple truth as I move through my life so there will be fewer lost moments and fewer regrets. Thank you Michael for this lesson and may you be blessed with ever lasting peace. 


20th Anniversary Policing Partnership

Recently I talked with Sheriff Gary Rosema and he expressed a desire to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the relationship between the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Coopersville. Sheriff Rosema subsequently sent me an email that stated, “…Steve, as I had mentioned at the Policy Board,  I would like the opportunity to stop into your first City Council meeting in February 2016.  As you know it is our 20 year anniversary of our policing partnership with the City of Coopersville and what a GREAT partnership it has been.  I truly believe because of Coopersville and the relationships that have had over the years that it has really allowed other communities to move forward in their initiatives as well…”  Monday night we had a brief acknowledgment of the occasion and a few words from Sheriff Rosema and maybe Councilman Bush, as he is the only one standing that was present when the partnership began. What a truly remarkable achievement and I congratulate everyone involved as it took vision, dedication, and WILL to make this experiment a success.


Water Project Phase I
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Information is still being gathered on the feasibility to inspect the interior diameter of the 16 inch water transmission main under the Grand River. Preliminary study is leaning towards not inspecting the line due to the possible need of significant downtime required to complete the inspection. A detailed scope of the project should be finalized by the end of next week.
 
 
WWTP Project Phase II
 
Since our last council meeting, very little action/progress on the WWTP Phase II has been done. Most of my time has been spent on permit issues with CDF and personnel related tasks. My expectations for the next two weeks, is to meet with Utility Advisory Committee and begin discussing in more detail relevant options to pursue in the forthcoming months. As was stated in previous memos, the difficult work of formulating long-term utility policy must take place so we as council and staff have a logical and deliberate course to follow. (1-25-16)

On June 3, I had the privilege of attending the Grand Valley State University Enrichment dinner with around 2,000 of Michigan's business and civic leaders. Ed & Nancy Hanenburg were honored as the 2015 Enrichment Award Recipients, for their generous and selfless contributions to educational, advocacy, and preservation organizations both in Coopersville and greater West Michigan. I was truly moved by the event and was proud to represent our small town of Coopersville. 

Here is the great video which they shared about Ed & Nancy.