TCFD EMS EQUIPMENT UPGRADE

PREPARATION FOR EMS TRANSPORT TRANSITION JULY 2026

As the Traverse City Fire Department (TCFD) prepares to become the City’s primary EMS transport provider, the department has taken another major step forward in elevating emergency medical care with the recent upgrade of its video laryngoscopy equipment.

Video laryngoscopes, which assist paramedics in safely and effectively placing breathing tubes, are a cornerstone of modern airway management in the prehospital setting. TCFD’s new, upgraded devices offer enhanced image quality, better durability, and improved ergonomics, all of which contribute to safer and more efficient care for patients experiencing respiratory or cardiac emergencies.

Advanced airway management is one of the most critical and high-risk procedures in EMS. Evidence consistently shows that video laryngoscopy increases first-pass success rates, reduces complications, and improves outcomes, especially in high-acuity patients. By investing in this technology now, TCFD is demonstrating a clear focus on patient-centered, evidence-based care.

The video laryngoscope upgrade is part of a broader initiative to enhance EMS capabilities ahead of the department’s official transition to full transport operations in July 2026. TCFD continues to invest in equipment, training, and quality improvement processes to ensure the safest and most effective care for the community.

FOURTEENTH STREET MILL & PAVE

BEGINS AUGUST 25TH

The City's Streets Division will begin the Fourteenth Street mill and pave project on Monday, August 25, 2025. Sections of Fourteenth Street between Cass Street and Maple Street will be closed to traffic to complete asphalt surface repairs as part of the large-scale mill and pave project. Starting Monday, August 25, 2025, Fourteenth Street will be closed to westbound traffic between Cass Street and Union Street. This segment is expected to be completed by Wednesday August, 27, 2025. Once this segment is complete, the Streets Division will continue working west block by block. The project is anticipated to be completed September 12, 2025, weather permitting. 

This work may cause disruptions to pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular traffic. Appropriate signage will be in place for the detour, and access to all homes and businesses will be maintained at all times. If possible, please use alternate routes avoiding this area to reduce congestion, delay, and

promote worker safety.

About the Project

The project scope includes milling two inches of asphalt along both the curb and centerline, then overlay three inches of new asphalt on the drive lanes between Cass Street and Maple Street. The Veterans Drive intersection will be excluded due to its good condition, helping to minimize traffic disruptions. This temporary improvement is expected to extend the roadway’s life, improve drivability, and reduce emergency maintenance needs for the next three years until a full mill and overlay of the corridor is planned to take place.

In 2023, Traverse City and the surrounding region earned Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) designation, a federal status for urbanized areas with populations over 50,000, based on U.S. Census data. This designation provides access to federal funding for transportation improvements through coordinated regional planning. The City's first MPO-funded project was the Veteran’s Drive reconstruction project. Fourteenth Street has also been approved for MPO funding, with a complete mill and fill of the corridor, including upgrading pedestrian crossings to current ADA standards, planned for 2028. The current proposal serves as a stopgap measure until that full mill and fill begins.

CDBG FUNDS TO SUPPORT HOUSING ORGANIZATIONS

ALLOCATIONS APPROVED

The City continues to address housing and community development needs through the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. In 2024, the City of Traverse City was designated as a CDBG Entitlement Community, gaining access to annual funding that supports housing, community infrastructure, and services for low-to-moderate income individuals. For the 2025/2026 program year, the City’s allocation is $367,861.

Funding Allocations for 2025/2026

On June 24, 2025, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to eligible nonprofits within City limits. By the July 18, 2025 deadline, three applications were received, requesting a combined $649,928.

At its August 18, 2025 meeting, the City Commission approved funding recommendations totaling $294,289, with the remaining $73,572 allocated to administrative costs.

Approved Subrecipient Awards

• Goodwill Northern Michigan: $96,000 for rental vouchers
• Jubilee House: $55,179 for staffing
• Homestretch Nonprofit Housing Corporation: $143,110 for new housing construction

PARK IMPROVEMENT PRIORITIZATION SURVEY

BROWN BRIDGE TRUST FUND DOLLARS

The City is preparing a ballot proposal for November 2025 that would allocate $3 million from the Brown Bridge Trust Fund to enhance portions of our 34 City parks. This is a rare opportunity to make a lasting impact—your voice is essential to help shape these priorities.

The survey focuses on prioritizing projects in three key categories:

Access to Parks – Safe sidewalks, crossings, and connectivity

• Brown Bridge Quiet Area New Trailhead: Spring Lake (newly acquired land)
• Bryant Park Access: Improved pedestrian and bicycle access
• ADA Access Improvements: For example, Hannah, Lay, and Ashton Parks
• Boardman Lake Loop Trail Access: For example, safe crosswalk at Sixteenth and Cass Street
• Pedestrian Scale Lighting: For example, Hull and Wags West parks

Park Improvements – Facilities, recreation spaces, and amenities

• Hickory Hills Mountain Bike Trail Design & Development
• Trees: Increasing canopy and shade
• Covered Pavillions: For example, Hull, F&M, and Darrow Parks
• Playground Equipment (including traditional and interactive features like musical elements): For example, Sunset, Hull, Jupiter, and Lay Parks
• Lake Shore Restoration: For example, erosion control (bank stabilization), water quality improvement (storm water and e. coli), native vegetation, access (recreation use and beach), and education (signage)
• Pickball & Tennis Court Reconstruction at Slabtown Corners
• Vault Toilets: Brown Bridge Quiet Area (Spring Lake and Additional Trailhead)
• Picnic Tables & Benches: Increase and replace for unified look
• Waste Receptacles: Increase and replace for unified look

Acquisition – Opportunities for expanding or enhancing parkland in City neighborhoods

The draft list gathers ideas from the public and builds upon more than 500 survey respondents, recommendations from the Parks and Recreation Commission, input from the Hickory Hills Advisory Committee, and City staff assessments.

Take the survey today, it only takes minutes!

ASHTON PARK PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT UPDATE

This week, the Parks & Recreation Department began taking down the playground equipment at Ashton Park to make way for the new equipment.

The improvements include the installation of new playground equipment and enhancements to trail access. The project features a nature-based playground design that uses only natural materials, with no plastic components. A key element is the reuse of Black Locust logs sourced from trees removed at the Senior Center. These logs were cured over two years and prepared for construction by TC Millworks. The playground will include separate play areas for ages 2–5 and 5–12, climbing structures, boulders, a spider net, and a craft table, aiming to maintain the park's wooded character.

The project also includes a trail extension that will connect the existing wooded trails to the Safe Route to School sidewalk on the south side of the park, near the Wayne Street entrance.

Installation of the new equipment is anticipated in September 2025.

ELEVENTH STREET PROJECT UPDATE

The Eleventh Street reconstruction project is well underway. Watermain work has been extended at the intersection of Union and Eleventh Streets and is now anticipated to be completed by Friday, August 22, 2025, weather permitting.

During work, the roadway and sidewalks at the Union and Eleventh Streets intersection will be closed. All traffic will be detoured to Cass Street, with the intersection at Eleventh Street open. Access to driveways and nearby side streets will be maintained as much as possible; however, some temporary restrictions may be necessary during specific construction activities. Proper barricades and signage will be in place to ensure safety and provide clear directions.

In early September, the Union and Cass Street intersections at Eleventh Street will be closed at various times to complete work activities that include gravel, curb, sidewalk, paving, pavement markings, and restoration. The project is anticipated to be completed September 12, 2025, weather permitting. 

The City is a great place to work! As an employer, we offer a wide range of rewarding jobs. Our employees take pride in their work and in making Traverse City the best it can be!

The City of Traverse City is an equal opportunity employer. Full-time positions receive a competitive benefits package, paid time off, short-term leave, health, dental, vision, and life insurance, employer retirement contribution, and participation in Michigan’s Municipal Employee Retirement System pension benefit program. 

Open Full-Time Positions

• Hickory Hills Manager
• Firefighter
• Patrol Officer
• Water Treatment Plant Operator
• G.I.S. & I.T. Support Specialist

WATER SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT

WEEK OF AUGUST 25TH

Michigan's 2017 Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) designates galvanized water services as lead service lines if they "are or ever were" connected to a lead gooseneck, requiring utilities to pay for replacing private water services from the curb stop to the building. Lead goosenecks, installed before the mid-1940s, are 3-foot lead pipes used between the brass connection to the water main and a galvanized pipe.

The City has since installed copper services and has no known fully lead service lines. Not all private galvanized lines need replacement; those originally connected to City-owned copper services don't require replacement. The water service line replacement project started in May 2025 and is anticipated to be completed in fall 2025.

Week of August 25th Locations

The week of August 25th, the project will be conducted on the 1000 block of Locust Street, the 500, 700, 800 and 900 blocks of S. Union Street, the 500 block of Eighth Street, the 400 block of W. Ninth Street, the 600 block of W. Tenth Street, the 400 block of E. Eleventh Street, and the 200 block of W. Thirteenth Street. The work will cause sidewalk and intermittent street closures.

PUBLIC BEACH

MONITORING & TESTING

The Environmental Health Division of the Grand Traverse County Health Department works closely with the City of Traverse City, Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay, and the Traverse City State Park to ensure the health and safety of several public beaches in Grand Traverse County.

The Watershed Center administers grants from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to sample surface water from swim areas of the beaches. The water samples are analyzed for E. coli, a relatively harmless organism that may indicate the possible presence of harmful pathogenic microorganisms.

The Beach Monitoring Dashboard is updated weekly on Thursdays. If any beaches report a "Level 2" or higher, those specific beaches will then be resampled. Resample results will be available and published 24 hours later.

On Thursday, August 21, 2025, Sunset Beach was reported at a Level 2, partial body contact. All other beaches were reported at a Level 1. As a precaution due to an accidental sewage discharge, Kids Creek was tested and reported at a Level 1.

IN THE COMMUNITY

THANK YOU DONOR!

Thanks to the generosity of a donor, the City received two Mobi-Mats that were installed at the Senior Center Beach and Clinch Park Beach! A Mobi-Mat is a portable, assistive device that allows wheelchair users access to sandy beaches, dirt trails, or other surfaces that may be challenging for people with limited mobility.