Community Updates: Friday, August 11

Grand Rapids City Commission Holds First Meeting of August at City Hall

On Tuesday, the Grand Rapids City Commission held its first meeting of the month at City Hall. 

Mayor Rosalynn Bliss called the meeting to order. After a moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance, the City Clerk took roll call. All six City Commissioners, Mayor Bliss, City Manager Mark Washington, Deputy City Attorney Philip Strom, and City Clerk Joel Hondorp were in attendance at the meeting. The mayor then opened up the first public comment session, specifically for residents who were there to discuss agenda items. However, nobody got up to speak and the mayor closed the public comment session. 

The City Commission tackled the next few items on the agenda: petitions and communications, reports of city officers, consent agenda and reports of standing committees, and ordinances to be adopted. All seven ordinances that were listed on the agenda were approved by the City Commission.

• "Ordinance amending Section 4.2 of Ordinance 2022-33, New Classification - Engineering Accountant, Range and Title Change - Accounts Payable Manager, Range Change Financial Analyst II"
• "Ordinance amending Section 4.2 of Ordinance 2022-33, New Classification - Strategic Marketing Communications Specialist"
• "Ordinance amending Section 4.2 of Ordinance 2022-33, New Classification - Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation"
• "Ordinance amending Section 4.1 of Ordinance 2022-32, Range and Title Change: Investment Officer"
• "Ordinance amending Section 4.5 of Ordinance 2022-32, New Classification - Wastewater Plant Operator III"
• "Series Ordinance for Sanitary Sewer System Improvement Junior Lien Revenue Bonds in an Amount not to Exceed $15 Million"
• "Consideration of amendments to the Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 61 of the City Code) pertaining to the Billboard Exchange Program"

Mayor Bliss then opened up the last opportunity for public comment. A few residents spoke on issues such as housing, policing, and access to firearms. Clevon White (who identified himself as a resident of Grand Rapids, a small business owner, and a veteran) also took the podium to speak about an incident that occurred to him recently. 

White stated that, while he was downtown, he was profiled as being unhoused. He also mentioned the recent changes to the "Nuisances" and "Disorderly Conduct" chapters of the City Code, amendments that were adopted by the City Commission at the July 25 meeting. "They're not hitting the correct people," he said to the Commission. "Now I gotta pay these legal fees for something that... I've been doing for years since I've been here." 

After the Commissioners made their final comments, Mayor Bliss adjourned the meeting. Overall, the meeting lasted just under an hour.

To watch the full meeting, visit the City's YouTube channel or watch below:

Grand Rapids Art Museum to Host Family Day Event on August 19

On Wednesday, the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) announced that it will be hosting a "Family Day" event on Saturday, Aug. 19. 

Family Day: Animals in Art will feature several animal-related activities for guests to enjoy, including an arts and crafts activity where participants can make their own animal puppets. There will also be a safari-themed scavenger hunt, a face painting station, and an opportunity to have conversations with docents at the GRAM "about the animals featured in artwork." Additionally, the Grand Rapids Art Museum will be partnering with Blandford Nature Center to have a "nature center station" at this event. Here, participants will be able to interact with things such as "pelts, skulls, and turtle shells." There will also be more arts and crafts activities at this station.

According to the GRAM's website, the activity schedule is as follows:

Registration is not required for this event.

For more information, visit the GRAM's website. 

Also in the News:

• The Grand Rapids City Planning Commission had a meeting on Thursday, August 10. To watch the full meeting, visit the City's YouTube channel.

• A Glimpse of Africa Festival is scheduled to take place in downtown Grand Rapids this weekend. For more information, visit AGOA's website.

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