Fire/Rescue Chief Sipe announced that this year’s Grand Haven Charter Township Fire/Rescue Open House – which was scheduled for October – will be cancelled due to the increasing↑ COVID-19 infections.

This decision was discussed among the area chiefs and the Ottawa County Department of Public Health – which notes that the COVID-19 positivity rate is currently at 13.9%.  

Although this decision was not easy and is disappointing, Chief Sipe believes that this decision is in the best interest of the health and safety of our community and our staff.

Grand Haven Charter Township staff (i.e., Manager Cargo, Chief Sipe and Public Services Director Chappell) reviewed the Buchanan Street road end last week. Based upon the site conditions (e.g., the steepness and height of the drop-off and very limited strip of land at the lake’s edge), the beach access will remain closed – with a re-evaluation next Spring. 

The State gave the Township final approval for the release of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) monies. The initial tranche, which will be half of the award, or about $921k should be provided prior to October 3rd. The second tranche will be provided to the Township in September of Fiscal Year 2023.

The Township′s ARPA monies (i.e., a total of about $1.84 million) must be obligated by the Township no later than December 31, 2024. 

Recommendations on spending the ARPA funds have not, yet, been offered by staff for Board consideration. However, proposed final rules are expected to limit the Township’s options to Water, Sewer or Broadband projects.

Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck was awarded the “County Clerk of the Year” by the Michigan Association of County Clerks. There are 83 Counties within the State of Michigan.

Justin is one of the many County officials that provide great support for Township staff – who have great respect for Justin’s work ethic and knowledge base

Grand Haven Charter Township Assessing Director Roger Schmidt announced his retirement – effective December 31st. Roger has been an exceptional Assessor – handling numerous appeals, preparing assessing rolls, and working closely with other staff and department directors. Further, Roger was able to step forward and successfully fill this critical role when the previous Assessing Director retired in July of 2017.

A replacement for Assessing Director Schmidt is expected to be selected by early October.

The ridership numbers below indicate that Harbor Transit has a long-way to go before it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, we are beginning to see an increasing number of riders return to this important community service.

If you have specific questions about Township operations, please send an email to bcargo@ght.org .