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East Express | June 17, 2021
CITY COMMISSION UPDATE At its June 7 meeting, the City Commission approved the Mobility/Bike Action Plan and continued its discussion of the Parks Improvement Plan Millage among several agenda items. You can watch the full meeting on our YouTube channel. Following are the major items to be considered by the City Commission at its June 21 meeting: - Parks Improvement Millage
A complete agenda is available at eastgr.org/agendas. Please note the Monday, July 5 City Commission meeting has been rescheduled for Tuesday, July 6 at 6 p.m. due to Independence Day closures.
CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE & FINANCE
4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION PRESENTED BY SPECTRUM HEALTH Join us on Independence Day for three main events! Kick off the celebration at the 11th Annual Reeds Lake Trail Blazer 5K Run/Walk, then watch the City-wide parade as it passes through your neighborhood and finally join us for a fireworks show over Reeds Lake after sunset. | 8:30 a.m. | Reeds Lake Trail Blazer 5K Run/Walk | Community Center | | 11 a.m.-noon | Parade | City-wide | | Dusk/9 p.m. | Fireworks | Over Reeds Lake |
During this transitional period, these events will allow the community to celebrate America’s birthday while staying safe. A special thank you to our title sponsor, Spectrum Health, for making this celebration possible. The City continues to follow CDC, State and local COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. More details at eastgr.org/4thofjuly. Contact Parks & Recreation at 616.949.1750 with any questions.
REEDS LAKE TRAIL BLAZER PRESENTED BY SPECTRUM HEALTH There’s still time to register for the Reeds Lake Trail Blazer! We’re also looking for volunteers to help direct traffic, pass out water and cheers on the participants. Register for the race or sign up to volunteer today at reedslaketrailblazer.com. As a reminder, packet pickup will occur only the morning of the race between 6:45 and 8 a.m. Take a look at the course map to know which roads will be closed during the race between 8:15 and 10 a.m. We’d also like to thank our title sponsor, Spectrum Health, and supporting sponsors, Varnum, Grand Wealth Advisors and Andrew Norden Realtor, for making this race possible. Thanks to them, we’ve been able to bring this fan-favorite event and 4th of July kick-off back every year for the past 11 years. For more information and to register, visit reedslaketrailblazer.com. All proceeds from the event will benefit the East Grand Rapids Community Foundation. View this event on Facebook.
SUMMER PROPERTY TAXES Summer property tax bills will be billed on Thursday, July 1 and are due Monday, Aug. 16. Residents can pay property taxes in one of the following ways: - Dropbox: The City has a drop box located in the Community Center vestibule at 750 Lakeside Drive.
- Online: Online payments using a savings or checking account (EFT) will be free for the 2021 property tax cycle. Credit and debit card payments may be made online but will still have a 2.75% convenience fee added at the time of the transaction.
- Mail: Payments must be received on or before the due date. Postmarks are not accepted. If you desire a receipt, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope along with both portions of the tax bill or supply an email address on the tax bill stub for an electronic receipt.
More information can be found at eastgr.org/taxes. 
JUNE WATER BILL Due to a printing issue, water bills were not mailed until Tuesday, June 14. Residents should have them by the end of this week. If you would like to look up your balance prior to receiving your bill, follow the instructions below. Please remember that, by ordinance, bills are due by June 30. Contact the City at 616.949.2110 with any questions. Instructions - Visit eastgr.org and select the green "Property Information" icon. (You will be redirected to the City’s BS&A page).
- In the top menu bar, use the drop-down menu to search for your home by address or name.
- Select the Utility Bill Information tab located directly below the picture of the house.
COVID-19 UPDATE & RESOURCES Beginning July 1, all broad epidemic orders will be lifted. Learn more at michigan.gov. Not vaccinated? There are several opportunities for you in West Michigan including both scheduled appointments and walk-ins. Visit vaccinatewestmi.com for details.
PUBLIC SAFETY
 LOCK YOUR DOORS Keep your family and possessions safe! Please make sure to lock all doors — vehicle, house and garage — to prevent theft. Need to get in the habit? Set an alarm on your phone or clock for 9 p.m. (or another time most convenient to you) each evening to help remind you to check that all your items have been brought inside, your doors are locked and your lights are on. These simple steps will make a drastic difference in the number of larcenies that take place in EGR, as most are due to unlocked doors. Remember, you are your first line of defense.
PARKS & RECREATION 
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: 2021 PARKS IMPROVEMENT DEBT MILLAGE Special thanks to all those who joined us on June 10 to discuss the Parks Improvement Millage. Couldn't make it? No worries! We still want to hear from you and have two more upcoming opportunities to provide feedback: Wednesday, June 23 - 7-8 p.m.
- Commission Chambers and virtual
Wednesday, June 30 Please note that while representatives from EGRPS will be in attendance to answer questions regarding the schools’ millage proposal, this meeting will focus on the City’s millage proposal. Residents and community members can also provide feedback in writing to Mayor Favale and City Commission at 750 Lakeside Drive SE, East Grand Rapids, MI 49506 or by email to City Clerk Karen Brower at kbrower@eastgr.org. The City asks unvaccinated individuals attending the in-person meeting on June 23 to wear a mask. Zoom links, background, details and resources regarding this proposal can be found at eastgr.org/parksmillage. View these events on Facebook. REEDS LAKE RUN Register for the Reeds Lake Run! This community favorite event will take place on Saturday, June 26 and all are welcome to participate. For more information, registration and volunteer sign-ups, visit reedslakerun.com. Please note the 2021 Reeds Lake Run racecourse has been modified due to important construction projects throughout the City. Beginning at 6:30 a.m. on June 26, Reeds Lake Boulevard and Lakeside Drive will be closed, restricting access in and out of some homes. The race will begin at 8 a.m. and will continue until 11 a.m. We ask drivers traveling along other streets on the route to be conscious of the racers to ensure everyone’s safety. Plan ahead for delays and closures by viewing our course map. Contact the Parks & Recreation Department with any questions at 616.949.1750. View this event on Facebook.
KYAKS As we ease into summer, please note that if you use the canoe/kayak launch behind the Public Safety building boats must be carried down to the water's edge from the parking lot or on-street parking. City vehicles need access to the driveway and parking spots along the building for safety reasons.
MOVIES & CONCERTS IN THE PARK Your movie and concert line up, presented by The Brouwers Agency, Auto-Owners Insurance and Consumers Credit Union: Concerts - June 21 – Coty Bouchard
- June 28 – Daves at 7
- July 12 – Reeds & Steel
- July 19 – Rachel Curtis
- July 26 – Josh Rose
Movies - July 9 – “Moana”
- July 16 – “Sing”
- August 20 – “Aladdin” (2019)
- August 27 – “Raya and the Last Dragon”
PUBLIC WORKS CONSTRUCTION IN EGR Visit our regularly updated Construction webpage to stay updated and learn more about upcoming projects. As a reminder, residents impacted by construction projects will receive mailed notices with project details. Public Works also posts notices at project locations. MOBILITY/BIKE ACTION PLAN & HALL STREET UPDATE The City Commission approved the updated Mobility/Bike Action Plan at its June 7 meeting. Mobility/Bike Action Plan documents, including plan updates and draft plan, are available at eastgr.org/2020mobilityplan. The first road segment to see improvements is the 2021 Hall Street Project. The Mobility/Bike Action plan draft identified Hall Street as an actionable priority with suggested treatment options. City staff and consultants engaged with residents and the community to align planned changes. Please note the Hall Street Project is slated to begin on Tuesday, July 6. For more information on the Hall Street project, please visit eastgr.org/hallstreet.
STREETLIGHT OUTAGE REPORT TOOL Is a streetlight out near you? Report it to Consumers Energy via its new Outage Reporting Tool at consumersenergy.com/outages. This system enables you to: - Search for the streetlight outage location by address or by panning and zooming on the map
- Select the streetlight
- Report the outage
- Check the map for status updates
2021 EUROPEAN FROG-BIT IN REEDS LAKE UPDATE Efforts towards eradicating European frog-bit in Reeds and Fisk Lakes have been underway since 2016 and will continue in 2021. This is a joint response effort between the City of East Grand Rapids, Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy — Water Resources Division, PLM Lake and Land Management and the West MI Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA). To date, response efforts have been able to remove all EFB from Fisk Lake and have seen minimal regrowth within the channel between Reeds and Fisk Lakes which were previously heavily infested. In 2021, response efforts will include using a combination of hand removals and herbicide treatments focused on the remaining patches of EFB within Reeds Lake. These target areas include portions of the lake front around Waterfront/Gilmore Park and John H. Bonnell Park. Both regions have dense wetland vegetated and are acting as nursery habitat for EFB plants which then spread to more open areas. Crews will be frequently monitoring and conducting treatments of EFB throughout the growing season which runs May-October. If you would like more information, please contact Bill Keiper at keiperw@michigan.gov.
TREE MAINTENANCE In order to improve the reliability of electric service to residents, Consumers Energy and its contractors continue to conduct tree trimming and removal in private utility easements in various areas around EGR. To learn more about the tree trimming process, FAQs and contact information for Consumers Energy, please visit the Consumers Energy Trees and Power Lines webpage. If you have any questions regarding this work, please call our local work planner at 616.530.4306.
WATER QUALITY/CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT (CCR) The City is proud to present our annual Water Quality Consumer Confidence Report, which provides important information regarding residents’ drinking water. We have continued to meet the challenge of providing safe, quality water which meets or exceeds the requirements set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality now the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. This report can be accessed by our Environmental webpage.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS DO YOU HAVE YOUR REAL ID? The Secretary of State has extended the Real-ID deadline to May 3, 2023. You will need a REAL ID-compliant document to fly in the US after that date. Learn more. 
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