Latest News & Updates from the City of Sterling Heights

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 6, 2021

LATEST CITY NEWS & UPDATES

The Clinton Township Diversity Committee and Sterling Heights African American Coalition are teaming up to encourage residents and staff to safely recognize and celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy on Jan. 18 by performing acts of service within the community and highlighting those acts on social media.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, Jan. 18. This national day of service is recognized as a way we can all achieve greatness as we serve our communities in big or small ways.

Those who participate in this year’s MLK Day of Service will have a chance to win one of 10 gift cards to local restaurants and retailers. In order to qualify, participants simply need to post a photo of themselves on social media performing their act of service and include the hashtag #MLKMacombGiveBack.

MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. Ways you can perform random acts of kindness:

Call an isolated senior to keep them company and check up on their wellbeing.
Send a thank you card to an essential worker.
Thank a veteran.
Shop for a homebound neighbor.
Clean up a park, public space or the yard of a neighbor in need.
Deliver baked goods to first responders.

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Beginning in August 2020, the City of Sterling Heights and the Van Dyke Avenue Corridor Improvement Authority partnered with Design Workshop—a planning, urban design, and landscape architecture firm—to create a master plan for the future of the Van Dyke Avenue corridor between 18-1/2 Mile Road to the south and M-59 to the north.

This master planning effort will begin with an understanding of the conditions on the ground, include feedback from the Sterling Heights community and local stakeholders to identify goals, values, and priorities, and result in a conceptual redevelopment plan for the future of the corridor and its role in Sterling Heights and the larger region.

This effort has involved a variety of opportunities to engage with the planning team virtually through our Community Workshops, and residents can still engage through a virtual “pin board” at the links below.

View materials from our Virtual Community Workshop #2: Redevelopment & Placemaking on our website!

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Macomb County Public Works -- Macomb Interceptor Segment 5 sewer lining project

Remember the 2016 sinkhole event? Well, construction is now underway on a two-year, $28 million project which will prevent future infrastructure disasters from occurring in that stretch of the Macomb Interceptor sanitary sewer. A construction firm is digging a 65-foot-deep shaft in the ITC Corridor, west of Schoenherr Road, to reach the massive sewer that carries the waste flushed by more than 500,000 people from nearly a dozen communities in Macomb County.

This section of the Interceptor is the last major stretch of unreinforced, large diameter concrete pipe on 15 Mile that needs to be lined. The project is expected to be completed in mid-2022. Little traffic disruption is expected, and the work is not expected to cause any increased sewer rates for residents.

The City is also funding preventative maintenance of its own sanitary sewer system in the amount of $1.5 million this year for the cleaning/televising and repair of our sanitary assets. This will ensure we get a good look at our underground infrastructure and make any needed repairs before they become an emergency. This comes on the heels of completing a $2.5 million SAW (Storm and Wastewater) grant where DPW spearheaded the cleaning and televising of over 36 miles of the City’s largest diameter pipe.

“The SAW grant goes in the books as one of the best projects the DPW has ever completed. The amount of debris removed from the sanitary system was the most the contractor has ever seen and reduced the flow volume of the pipes in some areas by 90 percent,” said Sterling Heights DPW Director Mike Moore. “We no doubt eliminated countless future sanitary backups with the SAW Grant.”

Sterling Heights is partnering with Forgotten Harvest to host a Mobile Pantry at the Sterling Heights Community Center throughout January.

The Mobile Food Pantry is not tied to any specific income level, rather it is a way to connect families with nutritious food at a convenient location. However, because the food is subsidized by the federal government, there is a brief information form that must be completed by anyone accepting the food.

“It is important that we continue to provide resources for our residents who may be facing food insecurity during these difficult times,” said Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor. “Partnering with organizations such as Forgotten Harvest allows us to meet our residents’ needs in a convenient way. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for all residents to access the assistance they need. It is progressive partnerships and programs like this that provide the exceptional quality of life every one of our residents deserves.”

Below are the dates and times of the Mobile Food Pantry at the Sterling Heights Community Center (40250 Dodge Park Rd.):

Thursday, Jan. 7 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.*

Thursday, Jan. 14 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.*

Thursday, Jan. 21 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.*

Thursday, Jan. 28 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.*

*or until food has all been distributed

Just in time for your "New Year, New Me" goals! Registration is officially open for our fitness classes, and we have a lot to offer!

Let us help you reach your goals of being more active in the new year! From 50+ Fitness classes to Adaptive Rec to Youth Fitness, we have something for everyone!

Please note, fitness classes will be beginning via Zoom, but could switch to in-person if state guidelines permit. For additional questions, feel free to call our office at 586-446-2700.