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.
Armed Services Marathon
The Armed Services Marathon, ½ Marathon and 5k will occur on Sunday, May 19th.

Participants will start and finish inside the High School football stadium. Participants exit the stadium to the Ferris Street pathway, turning north onto Greenleaf connecting on the Lakeshore Drive pathway to Kirk Park and returning the same route.

Sheriff deputies, EMS and volunteers will be on the course with aid stations every mile – staff by military members.

Monies raised will be contributed to “Folds of Honor.”
DDA Bid Opening
The Downtown Development Authority budget had $1.875 million allocated to jack and bore a watermain across US-31 and the railroad at Buchanan Street. 

The bid opening for this capital project was held on Tuesday and three (3) “good” firms offered bids on the project with the low bid from Jackson-Merkey Contractors (Muskegon) at $1.382 million – which is about $493k (or about 26%) under↓ budget. Jackson-Merkey is a well-established contractor in West Michigan and the Township has worked with this firm on numerous open-cut construction projects. The project would be starting in late summer and early fall – but would be dependent upon the availability of the subcontractor performing the bore and jack work under the highway.

Most of the Township’s capital projects have been under budget over the past two years. It appears that the influence of the COVID pandemic on construction pricing is no longer a major factor.

Property Fraud Alert Program
Ottawa County is participating in a property fraud alert program that is free for all residents. (See the information following.)
Street Paving Bids
Street paving bids were received by the Ottawa County Road Commission (OCRC) – and the Township′s proposed re-surfacing (at an estimated cost of $926k) was awarded to Rieth-Riley at a cost of $750k. This is a savings of about $176k.

The Township requested an agreement from the OCRC to use $39k of the savings for crack sealing streets and an additional agreement to add Payne Forest Drive and Steve′s Drive to the re-surfacing list. 

The updated list of streets that will be re-surfaced is listed below:
Fiber to be Extended
The Township Board designated $380k of the Township′s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) monies to supplement Ottawa County′s efforts to extend broadband into underserved, rural areas of the Township.

The proposed route map below indicates where fiber lines will be installed. The “red” lines will be the fiber installed using Ottawa County funds. The “purple” lines will be fiber installed using the Township ARPA monies. 

An agreement with 123Net will be discussed by the Township Board at an upcoming Board meeting. Pursuant to the ARPA rules, the monies must be obligated by December 31st of 2024 and spent by December 31st of 2026.
Annual Financial Audit-Complete
The auditing firm of Vredeveld Haefner completed the Township′s Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Audit – with no issues or problems to report. Auditor Doug Vredeveld was complimentary of the Township′s financial staff.

Vredeveld will present the audit to the Township Board at the Tuesday, May 29th Board meeting. (The Board meeting will be on Tuesday because of Memorial Day.)
Low Bid - Lakeshore Pathway Resurfacing
The Township budgeted about $776k to re-construct the pathway along Lakeshore Drive from Buchanan Street south to the Little Pigeon boardwalk. 

There were five (5) firms that bid on the project with Bob′s Asphalt Paving, Inc. from Ravenna having the low bid of $453,778. This is about $332,222 – or 41.5% – under↓ budget. 

That said, the aforementioned did not include the tree removal along this section of Lakeshore Drive, which was bid separately at a cost of $26,625.
Low Bid - Ferris Street Forcemain Replacement
The Township budgeted $667,300 to replace a section of the Ferris Street sanitary sewer forcemain that has degraded due to sulfuric acid gas. 

Two (2) bids on the aforementioned project were received with a low bid of $493,847 from Wadel Stabilization, Inc. from Hart, which is about $173,453 or 26% under↓ the budget estimate. 
 
That said, the aforementioned did not include the tree removal along this section of Ferris Street, which was bid separately at a cost of $24,375.
Township moving to .gov domain name
The Township is migrating from a .org to a .gov domain name. This is considered a “best practice” as part of a robust cybersecurity program.

Specifically, from a public perspective, the Township’s emails will move from name@ght.org format to name@ghtmi.gov format.  

This change of domain process will take a couple of years during which time the “old” ght.org domain will continue to work as the myriad of links are re-directed and changed to the “new” ghtmi.gov domain name.
State Required Water Inspection Program
The State of Michigan requires each municipality to maintain a Cross Connection Control Program and a Backflow Testing Program. While the two programs are related, the two programs are completed very differently. 
A Cross Connection Inspection is done by the staff of the Township′s Public Services Department through scheduled appointments. The inspections are required every ten (10) years. The Public Services Department has divided the Township into sections and inspections will be based on those sections. When your address falls in the section to be inspected, a notice will be mailed to you. You will be responsible to contact the Public Services Department to schedule the inspection. If you would like your inspection completed prior to receiving notice, staff will be happy to accommodate your request. There is no cost for this inspection.

A Backflow Test is performed by an ASSE Certified Plumber. All irrigation systems connected to a public water system are required to have a backflow device installed on the system and the State of Michigan requires that each device must be tested every three (3) years. 

You will receive a notice from the Township when your device needs to be tested. For a complete list of Certified Testers, go to watercustomer.com. 

Each plumber establishes their own fees for the test.

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