Hello ER!
Mark your calendars for August 20th, starting at Noon, former Mayor Paul Malewski will once again do a 24-hour paddle around the Island, to raise money for 3 causes: Pawsability, Siren Shelter of Eaton County and Team River Runner Veteran organization. All very worthy causes that can use our support! We will have live music on the Island beginning at 5pm with the Island City Jam Session folks (this is OPEN to ANYONE that wants to Jam!) and Thick and Thin from 7pm-9pm. Yours truly may even sing a tune or two.
This month we welcome new City Manager, Yvonne Ridge. Yvonne officially starts her duties on Monday, August 15th. Yvonne is from Charlotte and brings a wealth of experience, from working in County government, to being an elected official on Charlotte City Council and being Mayor, to becoming a City Manager. She most recently served as Assistant City Manager in Albion. We are all excited to welcome Yvonne to Eaton Rapids and hope that you will stop by to welcome her as well.
I get asked by residents what the city boards do, so starting with this article, I want to highlight one of our city boards, so you know more about what they do and hopefully, spark an interest and get more participation. This month I want to highlight the Downtown Development Authority, or the DDA. The DDA is served by a 9-member board of residents, mostly business and professional leaders. The functions of the DDA are to correct and prevent deterioration of the downtown district; to encourage historical preservation; to create and implement development plans, to promote the economic growth, and to encourage the expansion of commercial enterprises. In 2018, the City of Eaton Rapids was named a select Michigan Main Street community so all of the functions of that now reside with the DDA. Michigan Main Street’s mission is to assist communities interested in revitalizing and preserving their traditional commercial districts. Michigan Main Street provides grant opportunities to businesses, offers outreach and marketing assistance, as well as many other re-development programs. You can read more about Michigan Main Street by going to their website at www.miplace.org or attend one of our DDA meetings. They meet on the 2nd Friday of each month at 7am at City Hall, 2nd floor.
School will be starting up soon! Please remember the laws regarding stopping for school buses and be sure to be on the lookout for pedestrian traffic. We wish all of our Eaton Rapids kids the BEST school year ever!! GO HOUNDS!
As always, if you have any questions, comments, ideas or would like more information about serving our city, please reach out to me at pcolestock@cityofeatonrapids.com or call me at 517-489-3064.
Mayor Pam Colestock
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