To: Village Council, Media, Web Page and Staff
From: Ryan Cotton, Village Manager
Date: July 23, 2004
Re: Council Information Letter
CDBG Possible Grant(s): I invited the MEDC to meet with me next week to see
if there is any assistance for potential new developments on Exchange Street
and at Harbor Steel. Some recent
program changes make this process less onerous than before. More to follow…
Candidate Forum Packets Out:
All but one
was distributed yesterday. The final
one was done early this morning. Seven
have come back already. There may be 12
or so attendees. Most have been
enthusiastic.
Jury Duty: I am being called up. I asked to be excused from three days when I already had meetings
scheduled. They complied. It appears I can serve several days
without compromising my duties. They
will potentially need me just during August.
Cable TV Franchise
Agreement: We held our last meeting
today. I got some protections included
on emergency contacts and regarding tree trimming restrictions. The audit of their billings turned out to be
a wash for the Village. We will
basically get our audit fees back. We
will have this franchise agreement on an upcoming agenda.
Intake Status and Cost of
Grand Rapids Water: At the NOWS meeting this
week, some of us instructed the operators to minimize the use of Grand Rapids
water since their water fees are 80% higher.
(This extra cost is being partially offset by greater water flow given
no sprinkler restrictions, however.)
Water and Wastewater Survey
Results: Ottawa County completed
their latest annual survey. Two
interesting results on usage and rates follow.
Usage: The average wastewater usage per day declined
materially since 1990 for the Village (from .31 million gallons per day (MGD)
to .18 MGD. This amounts to a 41%.
Drop.) It’s a mystery why. I will be asking John and others to look
into. On water consumption, the total
average per day dropped by much less (.35 MFG to .32 MGD, or only 9%).
Rates: Our combined water and sewer rates are just above
average. Compared to the six NW Ottawa
County communities, we are at $3.85 per 1000 gallons. The average is $3.83/1000.
Coopersville is at $5.12 and Grand Haven is at $4.10. Grand Haven
Township, Spring Lake Township and Ferrysburg are below us at $$3.45, $3.28 and
$3.22 respectively.
Habitat and Privacy Fence: Their Board agreed to install three privacy fences. If you see them, thank them for a
cooperative neighborhood solution.
Lakeside Beach Plexiglas
Fence: This is the agreed upon
solution to the zoning dispute in SL Township pertaining to the neighbors’ need
to stop our blowing sand. The cost is
about $1,000. The Township will split
this cost.
Beach Traffic Issues: We continue to get feedback on the desire by some to
remove all the privately owned bushes at this tight intersection and the
concern for pedestrian safety at and around the beach. I stopped by and discussed these matters
with the lifeguards and John. We are
looking at a couple of refinements for the whole program:
1.
Signs
to keep boats away from the swim area;
2.
More
weeding and weed whacking;
3.
An
engineering review of the possibility of placing another crosswalk and sidewalk
to connect directly from Beach Drive to Lake Avenue;
4.
Reshaping
the sand to avoid tripping off the sidewalk edge at the Beach.
Overall, the guards report a
very successful summer with even more people coming. (Although they say people would like sand with fewer stones, I do
not know how to accomplish this without a major expense.)
Marina Bay, GA Richards and
Redstone Construction Coming to Planning Commission: They
will be getting a final review and an initial review respectively on Tuesday
night.
Downtown Master Plan on
Planning Commission’s Docket: Tuesday night also.
Vacation Starting Tuesday
Next Week: We will be taking Anne to her overseas
program and orientation when it departs from New York City next week. We are
leaving Tuesday morning, July 27th.
We are swinging through Vermont on the way. Our return date will be Tuesday night, August 3rd. I asked Roger DeYoung to be Acting
Manager.
Roger DeYoung to Assist Next
Council Meeting: The bulk of the meeting
items will be Roger’s. I consequently
asked him to sit in for me at the meeting.
I will do the agenda before I leave.
Village Cove Follow-Up
Meeting: This is scheduled for Monday at 9 AM
here. The meeting is intended to
resolve all the joint access questions with Marina Bay.
Trolley and Coast Guard
Parade: Each of you, your significant others and
guests are invited to ride the trolley in the parade. A banner with each of your names will be displayed.
Urn Status: The urn arrived and was not constructed properly. It was returned for reconstruction.
Ottawa County HazMat: Rick Nuvill brought in their new budget. It is almost double last year’s. I asked him to vote no until it is
communicated why.
***Upcoming Meetings***
Silent Auction and Tanglefoot Park Garage Sale: Saturday, July 24 at 7 AM.
Candidates’ Forum: Monday, July 26th at 7 PM at Barber School.
Planning Commission: Tuesday,
July 27th at 7 PM at Barber School.
Coast Guard Dinner: Thursday, August 5th at 4:30 PM at Holiday Inn.
Coast Guard Reception on the Mackinaw: Friday, August 6th at 2:30 PM.
Coasts Guard Memorial Service: Friday, August 6th at 4:00 PM at Escanaba Park.
Coast Guard Parade: Saturday, August 7th .
That is all for the week. Call with questions:
842-1393, 844-2581 or 616-638-8910 or ryancotton@hotmail.com or
ryan@springlakevillage.org.
Ryan Cotton,
Village Manager