December 2023

Welcome to the electronic newsletter from

Grand Haven Charter Township!

Stay informed on what is happening in the township. This newsletter will deliver up-to-date information including upcoming meetings, development news, Township services and more!

You can always find more information on our website or Facebook.

TOWNSHIP OFFICES CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The Township offices will be closed the following days in celebration of the Holidays:

Friday, December 22nd
Monday, December 25th
Friday, December 29th (from noon to 5:00 p.m.)
Monday, January 1st

COUNTY BROADBAND INITIATIVE APPROVED

The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an agreement with 123Net (i.e., a telecommunications company) to expand broadband infrastructure in the county.

Specifically, the agreement will be a partnership consisting of a $14 million federal ROBIN (Realizing Opportunities with Broadband Infrastructure Networks) grant, a $7.5 million county ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) contribution, and a $3.5 million 123Net private capital contribution to construct about 400 miles of new fiber of high-speed access to about 10,000 residents and businesses.

Discussions will now begin with the County regarding the Township′s desire to utilize a portion of the Township′s ARPA monies (i.e., about $380k) to supplement the program and to specifically discuss what these additional monies will bring to the Township in terms of improved coverage to underserved rural areas.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GRANT

The sports fields at Schmidt Heritage Park will open next Spring. In preparation, the Grand Haven Community Foundation awarded almost $34k to the Township for soccer goals for these fields. These monies are in addition to the $10k that were awarded to the Township by the North Ottawa Recreation Authority.

It is expected that these fields will experience heavy use – with both soccer and lacrosse teams using the grounds.

EARLY VOTING CENTERS SET TO LAUNCH IN 2024

Ottawa County voters will have additional options for casting their ballot in state and federal elections coming up in 2024, beginning with the Presidential Preference Primary in February. In September 2023, the Board of Commissioners approved a plan presented by Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck in collaboration with 23 City and Township Clerks to collectively implement early voting.

Proposal 2022-2, which passed in November of 2022, amended the Michigan Constitution to provide the right to a minimum 9-day period of early voting prior to every state or federal election. The constitutional amendment places the responsibility of funding and operating early voting on city and township clerks across the state but does allow for collaborative agreements between municipal and county clerks for the conduct of early voting.

The County Clerk’s Office as well as all local jurisdictional clerks are working hard to ensure that Ottawa County residents have a secure, cost-effective, and customer friendly early voting process.

Here’s what to expect:

Early voting will be conducted at four vote center locations across the county, where any resident may cast a ballot at any vote center. These locations will be:

Grand Haven Township Hall: 13300 168th Ave., Grand Haven
Georgetown Township Hall: 1515 Baldwin St., Jenison
MDHHS Building Macatawa Room: 12185 James St., Holland
Polkton Township Hall: 6900 Arthur St., Coopersville

Voters will have nine additional days prior to each state and federal election where they may cast their ballot just as they would on Election Day. The hours of operation for Ottawa County’s Early Voting Centers will be:

Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Sunday: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Monday: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Tuesday: 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Thursday: 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Friday: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Sunday: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Monday: No Early Voting

Tuesday: Election Day. Vote at the precinct location: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Voters will soon be receiving additional information by mail and can also visit www.miottawa.org/EarlyVoting for more information.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT APPROVED

The Township Board approved a new collective bargaining agreement with Local 4475 of the International Association of Firefighters, AFL-CIO. (The current agreement expires December 31st.)

This most recent agreement will run through December 31st of 2028 and is the sixth collective bargaining agreement with the full-time fire/rescue personnel.

A major difference in this contract is that the “paramedic incentive pay” has been “baked” into the base hourly rate of the union members and tied to inflation – which is reasonable because all the full-time fire/rescue staff have their ALS certifications through the State of Michigan (and, it is expected, all future hires will also be paramedics.)

SHOP WITH A COP

Although “Shop with a COP” rhymes – in actuality, on December 12th, 100 children selected by the Grand Haven Area Public Schools were teamed up with emergency responders from the Sheriff′s Department, the Township Fire/Rescue Department and Trinity Health EMS to purchase gifts for their families and themselves.

Each child was provided a $100 gift card – with Meijer and Walmart both providing $5,000 each for their Grand Haven Township stores for a total of $10,000.

UPDATE - SPONGY MOTHS

Recall that portions of the Township have had a three-year infestation spongy moths (formerly known as “gypsy moths”) that was, at best, a serious inconvenience or, at worst, a public health issue and a threat to the Oak canopy of Hofma Park and Preserve.

The Township has completed a spongy moth egg mass survey that identified about 3,000 acres of highly infested, susceptible areas that could benefit from spraying the naturally occurring Bt bacterium. (The BT bacterium can cause the spongy moth population to collapse if it is present at the early caterpillar stage of the spongy moth development.)

The Township is currently collecting quotes on the aerial spraying of BT for early next Spring and will bring these prices before the full Board in January.

AMBULANCE AGREEMENT TO BE EXTENDED

Representatives from the area municipalities met with Trinity Health North Ottawa EMS last November to discuss the continuation of ambulance services provided … agreeing that the ambulance services received from Trinity Health EMS (TH/EMS) are better than what other West Michigan companies can provide.

Therefore, there was a strong desire to renew the contract with only two minor changes.

When area fire departments provide an EMT or Paramedic to drive the ambulance to the Hospital, communities would invoice TH/EMS $100.00 per hour (i.e., an increase from $40.00 per hour) to cover personnel, equipment, and transportation costs. This only happens when TH/EMS cannot provide two emergency providers on the ambulance.
TH/EMS is changing how often continuing EMS education is offered – from every month to once a quarter.

HOLIDAY SAFTEY TIPS

While the holiday season can bring happiness and joy to families, it also presents some serious safety concerns. Click on the link below to learn how holiday lights, trees, and cooking can contribute to house fires, and how to combat these dangers.

NFPA - Winter Holidays

Township Questions?

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

(616) 842-5988 | info@ght.org | www.ght.org