Tis the season for visiting loved ones this holiday season - keep peace of mind while your home is unattended with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office.

Security checks are available to residents who will be away from their homes or businesses for extended periods. 

The deputies will periodically check the exterior of the premises. This service is offered to deter potential burglars while your premise is unoccupied. 

Please click here to prepare today for any upcoming trip away.

If your plans change and you return ahead of schedule, please notify the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office at (616) 738-4000 to stop the home security checks.

The Grand Haven Charter Township Fire Rescue Department has been following the research that Underwriters Laboratories Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) is conducting on rechargeable batteries. There has been a significant increase in fires resulting from rechargeable battery failure within our community and throughout the nation. These failures cause the battery to go into “thermal runaway” and create a very dangerous situation for the public and responding firefighters.  

The FSRI and the New York City Fire Department recently initiated a partnership to better understand how these batteries fail and why. Based upon this research, the Township Fire/Rescue Department suggests these Lithium-Ion Battery Safety Tips: 

If a battery overheats or you notice an odor, change in shape/color, leaking, or odd noises from a device discontinue use immediately. If safe to do so, move the device away from anything that can catch fire and call 9-1-1.

The Centers for Election Excellence – a nonpartisan initiative of the U.S. Alliance for Elections Excellence – announced that Ottawa County′s Elections Department was one of ten finalists for a national award on election integrity and excellence.

Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck noted that the Ottawa County Elections Department′s “motivation is to deliver the very best in transparency, integrity and access for our voters.”

Grand Haven Charter Township Clerk Laurie Larsen and Deputy Clerk Kristi DeVerney work closely with Ottawa County to effectively run elections at the local level. The Township hires and trains about sixty-five (65) part-time election workers each year to work in the Township’s seven voting precincts and to process ballots for the Absentee Voter Counting Board.

Public Services Director Chappell notes that Riverworks Construction has completed the base course of paving of the parking lot and non-motorized path connectors into the existing pathway system along 172nd Avenue.

Clearing and grubbing of the trail network in the Hofma Preserve area is continuing with chips and fines installation ongoing. Chips and fines have been placed in the Hofma Park area from the parking lot to near the boardwalk area. Boardwalk construction continues with work to be complete by the end of the year…if weather allows. (See following photos.)

Public Services Director Chappell, Ottawa County Public Utilities Director Staskiewicz and Township Consulting Engineer Kieft met with state officials regarding the Township′s Notice of Intent to apply for a loan under the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) for the FY2024 Transmission Main project (i.e., $6+ million). In brief, it was determined that the Township will not qualify for this loan program – i.e., 1.875% 20-year loan rate.

More specifically, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has a scoring criteria that awards a maximum of 100 points based on five categories, (1) Drinking Water Regulatory Compliance, (2) Public Health Protection, (3) Drinking Water Quality Standards, (4) Improving Infrastructure and (5) Affordability/ Disadvantaged. After reviewing this criteria, the Township would immediately have a reduction↓ of 45 points from the maximum score of 100. 

Within these categories, EGLE determined that the Township was as ineligible:

As a result, the Township will proceed with municipal bonding for the 2024 Transmission Main #3 project in partnership with Ottawa County.

The Township is bringing back an old tradition this holiday season … staff are “adopting” a family through the Salvation Army.

Public Services Coordinator Kristi Walsh notes the family consists of a mom and her three children – the oldest is a student at Michigan State, a 13-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl. Earlier this year, the family was homeless. They have come a long way since then and we can help them further their journey!

If you would like to help this family over the holidays, you may drop off a cash donation at the Township offices to Walsh any time prior to December 16th - or - Venmo a donation to @Kristi-Walsh-9.

The Township Fire/Rescue Department recently renewed their “EMS Agency Operating License” with the State of Michigan. The department was praised by the state inspector for “having it together”. 

The annual review looks at dozens of polices, staff certificates, new hire training procedures and apparatus inspections. The State Inspector noted that most departments have a pile of paperwork he must sort through; but Grand Haven Charter Township has a self-created “Renewal Book”. 

This book has a working table of contents that is in chronological order of the state inspection checklist. Each specific item has the policy scanned and listed. All insurance paperwork, pharmacy and medical waste licenses are also scanned into the book for quick review. The state representative said it is outstanding to have a department so well-organized. Further, the state inspector asked if he was permitted to share the documentation with his internal staff and try and move other departments in the State of Michigan in this direction.

The Township Fire/Rescue Department is the only Non-Transport Advanced Life Support (ALS) Agency in Ottawa County – i.e., certified at the Paramedic Level. The Township licenses two (2) ALS trucks and three (3) Basic Life Support vehicles as backups. It is worthy to note that the lowest level of certification for the Township’s “backup vehicles” is still higher↑ than any surrounding municipality. All the Township′s adjacent neighbors are only certified at a First Responder level.

The Township has linked Cemetery data with the Township’s mapping software. All the maps have been updated for both the Historic and Lakeshore cemeteries.

Further, the Township has added a link that reads “Plot Status” that will display the availability burial lots for purchase. Click here to view the cemetery maps.

If you have specific questions about Township operations, please send an email to bcargo@ght.org .