January 6,2021 FridayMusings is your source for Livonia Cultural Happenings
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During January and February through Valentine's Day Musings will be exploring the issues that community leaders feel can impact our hometown and that will help define Livonia in the 2020s. January 4: R William Joyner, Volunteerism, January 6: Chris Last, Sustainability, January 8: Conrad Schwartz, Home of Art, January 11: Brandon McCullough, Progress, January 13: Laurie Pohutsky, Young families, January 15: Chuck Dardas, Kindness, January 18: Liz Jarvis, STEM Center, January 20: Jim Jolly, January 22: Kellie Whitlock.
On February 12 in a special edition Musings will offer up the opportunity for you, our faithful readers, to tell Livonia what it is you love about the town you call home. That issue will have a special message to our readers from Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan.
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Councilman Jim Jolly first to file for re-election |
The first candidate to file for Livonia City Council is incumbent Jim Jolly. He is seeking his second term on the council.
In filing his papers for re-election he commented "I am happy to announce that after a family discussion and unanimous vote I filed to run for Livonia City Council today with Katie as my sponsor and the kids by our side. I love Livonia and there are roughly 100,000 reasons why I hope to continue to serve. I am looking forward to the campaign and the interaction with residents. Livonia is a special place and together we will continue to make it better."
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Livonia City Council
Meeting Schedule
January & February
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Council Study Meeting 1/6/2021 8:00
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Mayor Brosnan salutes the New Year |
One year ago today my first year as Mayor of Livonia began. I’ve loved absolutely every day on the job. Thank you to all who helped make it possible and entrusted me with the leadership of our city. My prayer is that we step into 2021 with bold courage, bringing the kindness, compassion, and resilience we’ve built this past year to forge a bright future. |
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What will the decade of the 2020's hold for Livonia? |
Livonia:
the home of sustainability
2020 goal for Livonia offered by Chris Last
The concept of sustainability is drawing much attention these days. Conserving scarce
resources and re-using recyclable materials rather than consigning them to landfills makes both environmental and economic sense. Combining this idea with community involvement in Livonia gives our city an opportunity to take things to an even higher level of goodness.
For some time, I have pitched the benefits of a community program to use reclaimed wood from trees cut down by the city rather than sending usable tree trunks through
woodchippers. Diverting this material to Greenmead and engaging community members
in processing and applying it would benefit Greenmead, the city of Livonia, and the people involved in the new projects.
Many Livonia citizens are aware of their city’s past lack of attention to Greenmead’s needs but do not see the park’s full potential. This project would not only provide sustainable materials for buildings that are in disrepair but would also illuminate the site’s history through demonstrations and classes on how the builders of these historical structures processed and used the materials they had available.
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My proposed program takes recycling to the next level and, by involving students at every grade level, brings history to life and exposes career options in the construction trades for those not bound for full-time college. Properly executed, this program could serve as a model for other historical sites nationwide.
The opportunity for community involvement extends beyond the schools. Veterans’ groups, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Rotary Clubs, and other civic groups could be invited and encouraged to get involved. Projects designed and built by students, with the guidance and assistance of adult volunteers, would be directed back into Greenmead to enhance the buildings, the park aesthetics, the nature trail, the community garden areas, and wildlife domains.
Going green has become important to many people. The message has often fallen short
because folks are unconvinced that their actions can make a difference. Many people do
not understand how finite our natural resources really are, especially in the cities, and how crucial it is for Millennials, in particular, to take environmental action today to ensure a livable tomorrow. Carrying this project forward is a small but significant step toward a better tomorrow that delivers a “win-win” outcome for all concerned.
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Kathleen Bilger wrote with an idea that will benefit the schools and the city: Several years ago, Bay City did something similar. They kept a book of volunteer experts so that groups, schools, etc could find a volunteer speaker easily or that volunteer with a special skill.
Tamara Oliverio writes that volunteerism will help us heal after the pandemic: I 100% support your recommendation of a centralized volunteerism opportunity effort. As our community continues to move through 2021 (and beyond) we will need to support one another to continue to recover from all things 2020. There are long-lasting impacts in all sectors of our community (businesses, kids, families, seniors, vacant buildings, physical AND mental health, etc.) that are and will continue to struggle in the years to come. Focusing these volunteer efforts on these most vulnerable stakeholders/causes will help us as a community not only heal but grow.
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Congresswoman
Haley Stevens sworn in for a second term
As Rep. Haley Stevens was Sworn into the 117th Congress she sent FridayMusings the following statement after executing the oath of office to represent Michigan’s 11th Congressional District during the 117th Congress:
“I’m honored to continue representing Michigan’s 11th District and excited to get back to work to deliver for hardworking Michiganders. I will continue to work with Republicans and Democrats alike to stand up for Michigan workers and small businesses. In the 117th Congress, we will work with President-elect Biden to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, get our economy back on track, and help the American people get back on their feet. We also have tremendous opportunities to invest in our public schools, tackle climate change, and strengthen our manufacturing sector. This is an exciting day for our country, and I look forward to serving with a bold, productive, and forward-thinking 117th Congress.”
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What does our Livonia Community
Foundation provide for Livonia? Lots.
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