I want to welcome the newest members to the DDA Board. Thank you so much for volunteering to make the DDA District a continued success; and with your energy, wisdom, and vision, the entire district can be nurtured to allow private investment to further the development. I like to think of the DDA Board as a facilitator to enhance the attractiveness of the district both aesthetically and functionally so that new economic activity can take root and flourish.

As with many aspects of government and those agencies associated with government, the DDA’s mission is often misunderstood. This is certainly understandable and that is why I have included the “Downtown Development Authority Tax Increment Financing and Development Plan” introduction below. It states quite succinctly what the DDA is authorized to do and I believe it’s an excellent document to refer when we want to remind ourselves of what the DDA’s purpose is then, and now. 

“The legislative body of a municipality is authorized under Michigan P.A. 197 of 1975, as amended (Act 197), to create a Downtown Development Authority (DDA). The Ordinance establishing the authority must also designate the boundaries of the DDA District within which the authority may exercise its powers. The Board of Directors of the Authority must consist of between eight and 12 members, plus the municipality’s Chief Executive Officer or City Manager.

The purpose of a DDA is to prevent deterioration and promote economic growth within a business district by developing, adopting and implementing plans for new and re­development. Separate plans may be adopted for different development areas within the DDA District. The plan may include proposals for construction, renovation, repair, remodeling or rehabilitation of a public facility, an existing building or a multiple­ family dwelling unit that aids economic growth in the Downtown District.

To implement a development plan, the authority may construct, rehabilitate, equip, improve, maintain, or operate any building within the District for public or private use. The authority may acquire and own, lease or dispose of any land or real and personal property that the authority determines to be reasonably necessary to prevent deterioration and promote economic growth in the business district. The authority may also acquire and construct public facilities and make land improvements. Act 197 also allows municipalities to take private property under the power of eminent domain and transfer the property to the DDA.

Funds to finance activities of the authority may be derived from several sources including taxes, revenues generated from the use of assets, proceeds from revenue bonds, municipal funds, state and federal grants, special assessment levies and tax increment financing receipts.”

I encourage new and established board members to visit the Coopersville’s DDA’s website to refresh themselves on what our mission and purpose is under the legislation that was passed many years ago (http://www.coopersvilledda.com/dda.html - scroll down to read our Mission). We also have additional information on the various projects undertaken over the years. Obviously, one can personally visit Main Street, the North Parking lot, and other locations where the DDA has revitalized infrastructure both below the ground and above. Please give me a call if you have questions or just want to have a dialogue.
 
Tuesday night we have an important agenda that includes a discussion about the 2018-2019 Budget. Please contact me if you have questions prior to Tuesday night. Spring, with the promise of Summer, has finally arrived. Enjoy your weekends and please be safe out there.


Walk Thru Park Project
Jan Richardson and I met with Matt Levandoski (Prein&Newhof landscape architect) to review the scope of the Walk Thru Park as well as possible options to split the project into phases dependent on projected costs. Matt will have preliminary sketches in another week. We will have Matt attend our June meeting to introduce himself and to share what has been proposed to date.
 
 
Pocket Park Construction – almost ready for the public
Work commenced this week to tie up all the loose ends for completing the Pocket Park. Next week Tuesday, we have a walk-through inspection (punch list) to insure the DDA and city are satisfied with the work.
 
FYI: The water feature works, however we’re waiting for a couple of electrical parts to arrive to pass final electrical inspection: The sod placed before winter has taken root: A few pavers needing replaced are done: The pavilion needed a few tweaks, and those are done. More information Tuesday night.

Post elections have protests occurring in numerous cities across this country. Specific groups, individuals, and organizations are concerned, worried, uncertain, angry and afraid of what will happen when the President-Elect takes office. On the flip side, there is a significant sigh of relief as many now “feel” they have been heard and are filled with hope and optimism for the future and await the moment the President-Elect takes the oath of office.
 
As I listen and view the many scenarios of reaction and witness individuals express such outrage and emotionally charged rhetoric, I can’t help but think of Carl Sagan, American astronomer, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and the list goes on. As we already know in the early 1980s, Sagan co-wrote and narrated the PBS television series “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.” It was thoroughly fantastic, mystical, and intellectually stimulating in ways never experienced before and it altered the way we understood and perceived the universe and our place within it. Just as an FYI, it has recently been re-produced for National Geographic Television, which is also quite well done.
 
Anyway, the reason I bring all of this to our attention is that he developed a “Cosmic Calendar” to help the layperson grasp the magnitude of time from the “big bang” to present day, after all the universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old, obviously a VERY, VERY, long time. I say this in all seriousness because 13.8 billion years is difficult to get your head around in context of our own lives. So, what Sagan did was to condense 13.8 billion years into one calendar year. He had midnight of January 1 as the moment the big bang took place. The following is an edited breakdown of our Cosmic Calendar:
 
January 1, 12:00 Midnight:                           The Big Bang
January 22:                                                  First galaxies form
March 16:                                                     The Milky Way Galaxy is formed
September 2:                                                Our Solar System is formed
October 29:                                                  Oxygenation of Earth’s Atmosphere
November 9:                                                 Complex Cells
December 7:                                                 Simple Animals
December 26:                                               Mammals
December 31 at 6:05 PM:                             Apes Appear
December 31 at 11:44 PM:                           Domestication of Fire
December 31 at 11:55 PM:                           Beginning of Most Recent Glacial Period
December 31 at 11:59.33 Seconds:              End of Ice Age
December 31 at 11:59.53 Seconds:              Iron Age
December 31 at 11:59.58 Seconds:              Renaissance in Europe, Classical Music to the Time of Johann
                                                                                Sebastian Bach
December 31 at 11:59.59 Seconds:           Modern History; the last 437.5 years before the present
[Carl Sagan, The Dragons of Eden (1977)]
 
The juxtaposition of 2016 post-election reactions with Sagan’s Cosmic Calendar may initially seem ignorant, irrelevant and confusing. But the point is rather simple: We pour too much worth, meaning, and value into events without placing those events into perspective of time and the successful progression of our existence in this vast and complicated universe. My father used to always say, “This too shall pass” as my brothers, sisters and I would emotionally hyperventilate about some event that happened at school, with our best friend, or with each other.
 
Of course, our lives have meaning; human events have extraordinary meaning. The existence of life in the universe is truly an amazing and often incomprehensible thing. Our existence, our lives provide the very means, the vehicle, to experience and report on the essence of the universe’s evolution, its expansion, and its many wonders. But one event, such as the 2016 Presidential Elections, in context of our place in the universe should be tempered a bit. We all live, love, cry, work, play, and interact on a tiny blue globe that circles a sphere of hot plasma in a solar system on the fringe of the Milky Way Galaxy surrounded by billions of other galaxies. Let’s enjoy our stay and embrace the wonders of our lives, as “this too shall pass” and sadly all too quickly. Just a thought…
 
Now in our corner of the universe known to many as the City of Coopersville, we have a city council meeting November 28, 2016 at 7:00 PM. Mr. Jeff Sluggett (City Attorney) will be in attendance to assist in the explanation and discussion on the Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) issue.
 
One last time, mark your calendars for the Joint Council, Planning Commission, and DDA meeting on Monday, December 12 at 6:00 PM. It will be held in the Heritage Center of the Community Services Building at 182 East Street. Enjoy the last days of autumn before winter takes residence for the next few months. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving in whatever manner you celebrate the occasion. We have much to be thankful for in this country even though there is much sadness and danger around the world. See you Monday night.
 
 
WWTP Upgrade
No NEW information is available at this time. We are still waiting for CDF to respond to the city’s proposal options.
 
LAST MEMO: CDF and fairlife have received two proposals from the city to review and provide comments and questions on the attributes of each. My expectation is they will provide me with their response tomorrow Friday or early next week. Once that is done, the Utility Advisory Committee will be brought together to discuss the options and weight in on what best fits Coopersville financially and functionally. As always, please contact me if you have any questions.
 
 
Water Project Phase I
No new updates at this time on the project itself. However, Keri Rogers and I have been discussing financing options not just on this Water Project, but also how best to maybe refinance another bond that that we have with a slightly higher percentage rate than what is currently available.
 
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Garfield Road “Hidden Drive” Sign
As most of you have seen on Garfield Road going west from 48th Avenue towards the WWTP is a sign that warns of a hidden drive below the hill. The original sign was placed there decades ago as an obvious warning to slow down because cars may be pulling out of the WWTP drive. Over the years many of our employees have been very nervous about this drive because of “close calls” with vehicles traveling at high rates of speeds. They have often turned right towards 68th Avenue deciding that being hit in the rear of their vehicle was far safer that being tee-boned on their driver’s side.
 
This past summer there were other “close calls” that I experienced, the last being two young girls traveling at a high rate of speed not even looking towards the WWTP drive. This, forced me to slam on the brakes to miss being hit. At this point I had Bryan Buist order and install a flashing LED solar green light in place of the existing sign. Since installing the new sign I haven’t had any near misses but it’s far too early to collect anecdotal data.
 
So why am I informing you of this? Polkton Township has requested the city to turn off the flashing light as it is against local ordinances to have electronic/electrical signs. The Ottawa County Road Commission has also stated we didn’t pull a county sign permit as well. The result of this is, we are going to pay $500 (Special ZBA Meeting) to apply for a variance that would allow this solar powered LED light to be reactivated for the safety of our employees and the public at large.
 
We heard that some individuals find this sign “irritating.” Our reply is, great! It’s supposed to be. It gets your attention and reminds you that MORE attention needs to be paid in the immediate area. Our goal is to present our argument to Polkton Township and if all goes well the variance will be granted and we can turn the sign back on to remind drivers that a hidden drive is very close and to reduce speed and increase your attention. We don’t need a tragedy because the sign was turned off due to its irritating nature.

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.