HICKORY HILLS DAY CAMP

REGISTRATION OPENS MAY 13TH

The City, in partnership with the Grand Traverse Conservation District (GTCD), is excited to announce a new Summer Day Camp experience at the City’s Hickory Hills Recreation Area for ages 7-12 years old. This camp is an extension of GTCD’s long-standing Nature Day Camp, bringing the same mission-driven outdoor learning to a new, inspiring setting. Registration for GTCD’s Hickory Hills Day Camp will open at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 via GTCD’s digital camp registration system.



Rooted in GTCD’s mission to lead, facilitate, and inspire exploration, appreciation, conservation, and restoration of our natural world, campers can expect hands-on exploration, nature-based play, environmental learning, and opportunities to build connections with the natural world.

Strategic Alignment

Expanding childcare opportunities was identified by the community as the top priority in the Strategic Action Plan and aligns with the City Commission’s OKRs.

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION 2026 HUMANITARIAN HONOREES 

COMMUNITY CELEBRATION MAY 18TH

The City's Human Rights Commission (HRC) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Sara Hardy Humanitarian Award and the 2026 recipients of the Humanitarian Business/Organization Award.

Sara Hardy Humanitarian Award

The HRC is honored to recognize Marcello Betti as the recipient of the 2026 Sara Hardy Humanitarian Award. This annual award honors individuals who embody the Commission’s core values of mutual understanding, respect, and inclusivity within our community. Marcelo Betti is the Legal Director of Immigration Law & Justice Michigan (formerly Justice For Our Neighbors), a nonprofit organization that provides pro- and low-bono immigration legal services to low-income individuals. Marcelo has more than 10 years of experience practicing immigration law, helping clients with family-based applications and humanitarian applications. As the only attorney at the ILJ-MI office in Traverse City, he regularly represents vulnerable populations, including refugees, victims of domestic violence, and unaccompanied children seeking lawful status in the United States. Marcelo speaks Portuguese and Spanish, and is a graduate of Vermont Law School, Grand Valley State University, and Northwestern Michigan College. Mr. Betti states: "As an immigrant myself [from Brazil], I find it fulfilling to help clients navigate a complex bureaucracy so that they can best contribute to our communities. I also firmly believe that immigrants are at the essence of what makes the United States special.”

Humanitarian Business/Organization Awards

The HRC is proud to announce the recipients of its 2026 Business/Organization Humanitarian Efforts Award. This award was established to honor and publicly recognize businesses or organizations that have shown a sustained and meaningful commitment to helping others in the Traverse City region. This year, two outstanding organizations will be recognized.

HelpLink (formerly Spark in the Dark), is a tech-enabled nonprofit that connects businesses, nonprofits, and communities in one space to deliver fast, dignified, and discreet help in times of need. They exist to remove barriers to work before they become missed shifts, lost income, or termination - and to make support easier to offer, easier to access, and more dignified to receive for those who are struggling. From President and founder Abagail McKiernan: “We're deeply grateful to the City of Traverse City for this honor, and to the individuals and companies whose partnership makes our work possible. HelpLink exists to ensure urgent needs are met quickly and with dignity, connecting community generosity with the neighbors and employers ready to help. This award is a reminder of what's possible when a community shows up for one another."

The Neurodiversity Support Center (NSC) at Northwestern Michigan College supports neurodiverse students in making a smooth transition from high school to college while developing skills needed in the workplace. Neurodiversity encompasses a range of learning differences, often including but not limited to anxiety, autism, ADHD and OCD. Founding coordinator Nancy Gray had a vision of what was needed to help neurodiverse learners thrive in college. Although Nancy Gray passed away in the past year, she is greatly missed and the work she started will continue at NMC. The NSC serves essential roles in helping NMC’s neurodiverse students find a calm place on campus to decompress and hang out with friends, as well as offering assistance for life and study skills.

Honoree Celebration

Monday, May 18, 2026,

Governmental Center, 2nd Floor Training Room

400 Boardman Avenue

5:30 pm

7:00 pm, awards will be presented at the City Commission meeting.

EAST SIDE PLACEMAKING PROJECT

COMMUNITY SURVEY

A community survey is available for those who were unable to attend the community workshop on that focused on improved placemaking for the East Side Social District. The survey will close on May 18, 2026.

This effort builds on exciting momentum: the City was recently selected as a national recipient of a $100,000 Community Placemaking Grant from Project for Public Spaces, supported by General Motors. The award recognizes the City as part of a highly competitive cohort of transformative, community-driven public space projects across the country.

As part of this initiative, the City is partnering with Project for Public Spaces to engage the community in shaping a shared vision for the East Side Social District, an evolving neighborhood gathering space along E. Eighth Street and Garfield Avenue corridor.

Building on a Community Space

Established in 2024, the East Side Social District has quickly become a popular neighborhood gathering space, featuring seasonal street closures, outdoor seating, and access to local food and beverages.

Through this placemaking process, the City is looking to build on that success by addressing key opportunities, enhancing accessibility, improving pedestrian safety, strengthening connectivity, and expanding programming that supports both community use and local businesses.

A Community-Driven Approach

With support from Project for Public Spaces, this work will follow a “lighter, quicker, cheaper” approach—focused on practical, high-impact improvements that can be tested, refined, and expanded over time.

The East Side Social District will serve as a model for how community-driven design can strengthen neighborhood connections and inform future corridor improvements across the City.

Strategic Alignment

This effort also directly aligns with the City’s Strategic Action Plan and adopted Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), advancing priorities related to placemaking, walkability, and creating inclusive, people-first spaces.

WATER SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT PROJECT

2026 PROJECT KICKS OFF

Michigan's 2017 Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) declares that a galvanized water service is a lead service line if it "is or ever was" connected to a lead gooseneck, and requires the water utility to pay for replacing private water services from the curb stop near the right of way into the building or home. A lead gooseneck is a 3-foot-long piece of lead pipe used as a transition between the brass connection to the water main and a threaded galvanized pipe. These were installed prior to the mid-1940s. Since then, the City has been installing copper services for the City-owned portion between the water main and the curb stop. The City has no known fully lead services (lead pipes). Not all private galvanized water service lines need to be replaced. For example, if a private galvanized service line was originally connected to a City-owned copper service from the water main, it was never connected to a lead gooseneck, so it doesn't need to be replaced.  

The City received a $3,510,500 DWSRF loan and a $1,504,500 DWI grant in 2022 (totaling $5,015,000) to fund a three-year project to replace approximately 300 private galvanized water service lines previously connected to lead goosenecks. Additionally, the City was awarded a $2 million grant from the Michigan Department of Great Lakes and Energy to support further replacements under the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) criteria.

In 2023 (Year 1), 116 service lines were replaced. In 2024 (Year 2), 217 replacements were completed. In 2025 (Year 3), 223 replacements are planned, bringing the total to 554 replacements over three years. An estimated 320 additional service lines still require replacement.

The 2026 project will kick off the week of May 12, 2026 on the 500 and 600 block of Monroe, the 300 block of Spruce, the 800 block of W. Front, and 100 block of Sixth Street. The work will cause sidewalk and intermittent lane closures.

MONTHLY COMMUNITY OFFICE HOURS

PLANNING COMMISSION

The Planning Commission hosts community office hours at rotating locations once a month on Wednesdays at either Noon or 6:00 pm.

Come chat with Planning representatives on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 6:00 pm at Tank Space, 1110 E. Eighth Street. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and learn more about what’s happening in City Planning.

ASSET MANAGEMENT SEMINAR

Kudos to Chrissy Black, the City’s Asset Management/GIS Analyst, for representing the City at the 2026 MWEA/MI-AWWA Asset Management Seminar. Chrissy shared her expertise in asset management and GIS, highlighting the important work being done to support data-driven infrastructure planning and long-term system stewardship. Thank you for your professionalism, leadership, and commitment to advancing best practices in our industry.