May Newsletter

Welcome to the new 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, park news, township services and more! You can always find more information on our website or Facebook.

The Hofma Vision

Community Engagement Event
June 14, 2017

The Township scheduled a Community Engagement Event for Wednesday, June 14th, regarding the formation of a preliminary design and use of two recently acquired properties that were added to Hofma Park and Preserve. The project is being referred to as “The Hofma Vision”.

This new parkland includes a 40-acre parcel located on Ferris Street (commonly referred to as the Wolfe property) and a 138-acre parcel on Sleeper Street (commonly referred to as the Witteveen farm). With the addition of these properties, Hofma Park and Preserve now encompasses about 585 acres.

Nederveld, Inc., a land use consultant, has been hired to gather public input regarding how these newly acquired park properties should be developed. The consultants will design a preliminary site plan and calculate cost estimates for the park improvements based upon input from the community.

The June 14th event will include four public meetings:

10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. – Residents are invited to tour the Wolfe property with the Nederveld consultants to help formulate ideas for the parcel’s development.
11:15 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. – The public can meet at the Witteveen farm with the consultants and discuss ideas on developing this property while preserving the natural settings.
2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. – The consultants will hold an initial design workshop with residents in the Township Board room.
6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. – The consultants will hold a final design workshop with residents to formulate the preliminary concepts for the development of both properties.

All of the design work and community input will culminate with a joint public meeting on Thursday, July 6th – starting at 6:00 p.m. – with the Township Board, Planning Commission, and Parks & Recreation Committee. The purpose of this public meeting is for Nederveld, Inc. to present “The Hofma Vision”, which will include site designs and construction cost estimates.

Ultimately, these designs and cost estimates will guide the future development of Hofma Park and Preserve and can also be used to seek grant monies to offset the costs associated with the development of these properties.

If you have an interest in contributing your thoughts on the “The Hofma Vision” prior to the June 14th meeting, you can either email your ideas to [email protected] or post your design ideas on the Township’s Facebook page.

General Fund Undesignated Fund Balance

The “undesignated fund balance” or cash reserves of the Township are maintained at healthy levels for cash flow purposes (i.e., paying the bills), future capital purchases, and for any unforeseen emergencies. The Township Board typically maintains a six-month reserve.

Recently, the Township Board held a special public meeting to discuss appropriating General Fund monies in excess of this six-month reserve. With assistance from the local Chamber of Commerce, the Board identified the following five priorities:

$250,000 was designated for the future development of Hofma Park/Preserve. These designated funds are not grant dependent, and may be used at any time for either development.
$120,000 was appropriated for trail maintenance at Hofma Park and Preserve.
$115,000 was designated to raze the in-line skating rink at Mercury Park and replace the rink with pickleball courts.
$50,000 was appropriated for the purchase and development of an asset management software system with a GIS component. This management software will be used by the Department of Public Services to help manage the Township’s various infrastructure systems – such as water or sewer.
$35,000 was appropriated to install flashing, lighted “School Zone” signs for both Rosy Mound and Peach Plains Elementary Schools.

Sounds of Summer

Wednesday Evenings
June 14 - August 2, 2017

The “Sounds of Summer” concert series will be held again this summer at Pottawattomie Park.

A non-profit organization called “Walk the Beat” will be sponsoring the concert series that will be held on eight (8) Wednesday evenings beginning June 14th through August 2nd from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

Speedway Update

The construction schedule for the new Speedway fuel and convenience center located at Hayes and US-31 is as follows:

May 15: Start site preparation
May 30 - June 15: 172nd north of Hayes closed for water main construction
July 31 - Aug 15: North side of Hayes under construction
Aug 15 - Aug 28: South side of Hayes under construction
Oct 17: Construction complete
Oct 19: Speedway fuel and convenience facility opens

Meeting Packets

If you want to review the memoranda and reports (except for protected legal opinions and attorney reports) that the Township’s elected officials, Planning Commission members, or Zoning Board of Appeal members receive prior to their meetings, you can access the posted material on the Township’s web site:

View Meeting Packets

(616) 842-5988 | [email protected] | www.ght.org