Thank You to our AWESOME Calvin StreetFesters for getting our Brikyaat Clean Up projects off to an excellent start! All told, volunteers and Midtown staff & interns were able to:
1. weed and clean up the entire Houseman Field PLayground, the parking lot and the perimeter of all of Houseman Field
2. execute street clean ups on Zeeland, Holland, Lilac and the 0 block of Diamond NE
3. remove a truck-bed full of perennials from a residents yard on Holland for transplant to Lilac on Sept 4th!
Thank you’s also go out to Janette Tazzia, Tazzia Lawn Care, for the lent tools & wheelbarrows and to Tom Miller and the City of GR Parks Staff for generously agreeing to pick-up the overspill of weeds pulled at the playground. Midtown residents are fortunate to have wonderful community partners like Calvin College, Tazzia Lawn Care and GR Parks Dept.
Lilac Court residents Liz and Cherrie have blazed a trail for thier neighbors. Spending their own time and money they have created a beautiful butterfly-attractor garden on their cul-de-sac just north of Fulton off Diamond. Perennial plants, encouraging & uplifting signs and a mural now take the place of what was once overgrowth from weeds. On September 2nd and 4th Lilac Court neighbors, Midtown Community Organizers Kelly & Amy, and volunteers from Calvin College StreetFest will join together to help edge sidewalks, plant perennials, mow yards, trim hedges and in general make the street more beautiful.
If you have a green thumb or would like to see what the determined efforts of neighbors can bring to a block, please join us on Lilac Court between 11:45a-2:30p on Saturday, September 4th, 2010.
Christine Helms-Maletic explains details of new design
Established in 1922, the Fulton Street Farmers Market (FSFM) has been a Grand Rapids mainstay for nearly 90 years, and plans for improving the Market have been in the making for the past five. Finally, on Tuesday, August 31 at the Market’s Fulton Street entrance, the Midtown Neighborhood Association unveiled the plans for FSFM improvement and expansion. Invited guests and media representatives saw the plans at 1:30 pm, and the general public was allowed to view them beginning at 2:30.
The new Market design preserves the single aisle concept of the current Market while making the entire site more accessible and extending the operational season to year round. A permanent covering for the open air stalls, wheelchair accessible restrooms and major infrastructure upgrades are also part of the plan.
Proposed site plan
In the spring of 2005, Midtown Neighborhood Association, which operates FSFM, began working on its Brikyaat Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, which emphasized the need for Market improvements.
Over the years, Midtown organizers and volunteers attended countless block club meetings; engaged city staff and elected officials, business associations and market vendors; and landed grants to fund a feasibility study and architectural plans for the FSFM.
“Though the Brikyaat Plan has many elements, we looked at what made most sense for us to do next in terms of neighborhood improvement, and it was the Farmers Market,” said Christine HelmsMaletic, who steered the Midtown Neighborhood Association through the planning process, first as Midtown Board President, then as the Brikyaat Project Director. Now Helms-Maletic manages the FSFM Development Project for Midtown as an independent consultant.
Rendering shows aerial view facing northwest
Among the extensive feedback gathered from customer surveys, vendor interviews, resident meetings, and consultant reports were suggestions on keeping the Market’s rustic charm, avoiding demolition of nearby residential properties and prioritizing accessibility. With funding from the Frey, Steelcase, DyerIves and Grand Rapids Community Foundations, as well as support from Grand Action, the City of Grand Rapids, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and from the FSFM itself, the Midtown Board of Directors hired Ted Lott of Lott3Metz Architects to draw up the designs and Keith Hopkins of Hopkins Fundraising Consulting to put together a philanthropic feasibility study.
Rendering of view from Fulton Street
“Respondents believe that the Market is one of the few places in the region that appeals to an eclectic mix of area residents urban and suburban, wealthy and moderate income, professional and blue collar,” said Keith Hopkins, who finished the feasibility study in July. The study indicates a favorable charitable climate for a FSFM capital campaign.
Sustainability was something stakeholders were especially interested in. The Market designs incorporate green technologies and capitalizes on the already environmentally friendly aspects of a local farmers market. “We’re going to be able to get Silver,” said Ted Lott, referring to the projected level of LEED certification, an environmental construction standard.
Market Manager Melissa Harrington says the improvements were long in coming.
“There was a study done by housewives in 1928 of all the markets in the area that outlined recommendations on how to make them better.” Harrington said. “Among the suggestions for FSFM, one was to cover it and another was to fix the parking problems and the traffic congestion.” Harrington says this plan addresses those issues and will help make the next 90 years as successful as the first.
The FSFM leadership team anticipates a community based fundraising campaign to initiate this fall to complete the proposed renovations. A final budget for the project has not yet been determined.
Thank You’s go out to The Bean Pole’s, Ballet Folklorico el Mexicano, Martha’s Vineyard, Mafia Mike’s Pizza, GR Children’s Museum, Farahs Bar, Salvation Army, Red Cross, Safe Kids, Fulton Street Farmers Market and the American Legion Post on Michigan at Benson for their generous donations.
Thanks, too, are also in order for GR’s Police Chief and Lt. Chief, Captain P. Carrier, Midtown’s GRPD Community Officer J. Trigg, K-9 units from GR and Kent County as well as all of the residents and community members who came out and made the 2010 Celebration a smashing success.
Midtown’s Board of Directors, whom also deserve some recognition for their donations of time & talent, to the evenings events, were happy to meet and greet so many of you and to better enable themselves to know who it is they serve as Board members.
Soon a photo album of the evening event will be posted. Be sure to check it out.
Here’s to looking forward to next year! and more community events that are so well attended.
Attention Kent County Senior Citizens:
The Commodities Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
is currently accepting new clients
You must be at least 60 years of age, Income can not be more than:
$1174 month for a household of one, or
$1579 a month for a household of two
This program provides a monthly distribution of cheese, canned meats, vegetables, fruits, grains and cereals and juices.
We are accepting new or transfer clients at the following locations:
Alto Library – 6071 Linfield, Alto
Free Methodist Church – 135 N. Grant, Cedar Springs
Byron Center Community Ministries – 8250 Byron Creek Dr., Byron Center
North East Complex – 836 Fuller NE, Grand Rapids
Porter Hills/Harvest Way – 100 Ida Red, Sparta
West Side Complex – 215 Straight NW, Grand Rapids
North Kent Service Center – 10075 Northland Dr, Rockford
You must provide these items to register: Proof of household income
Photo ID with current address
Social Security card
For distribution dates and times,
or for more information about this program, please call:
Northeast Complex 336-7740, Cherie at 336-4188
This program is provided by
Area Community Services Employment & Training Council
Community Action Program (ACSET-CAP)
Midtown’s Community Garden is blossoming! New raised beds have been built, fresh soil and wood chips have been brought in and volunteers are building a water capture structure. Thanks go out to Midtown’s very generous donors for all of the supplies and sweat equity. It is a wonderful sight to behold…driving down Holland Ave to see families mingling with neighbors preparing to plant-out the beds with wonderful, fresh vegetables.
If you would like to get more involved with the garden or other Midtown Activities, please call our office to speak to an organizer about becoming a valuable Midtown volunteer! Organizers can be reached at 732-9191. (*we could really use some help with mowing the right of way and garden edges in July–let us know if you can help out with this small task)
Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of unintentional death by poisoning in the United States. 450 Americans are killed by carbon monoxide each year, and more than 15,000 others are rushed to the emergency department with severe symptoms. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is the byproduct of incomplete combustion and often comes from malfunctioning furnaces, water heaters, or other appliances.
To help keep families safe, the Healthy Homes Coalition was recently awarded a FEMA grant to install carbon monoxide and smoke detectors for families with young children. Eligible families must reside in the cities of Grand Rapids, Kentwood, or Wyoming, and must have a full-time resident child 5 years of age or younger.
Supplies are limited to only the next 300 homes! The carbon monoxide alarms retail for more than $40 and the smoke alarms retail for $20, but we INSTALL them for free! To request an alarm, call (616) 241-3300 or email info@healthyhomescoalition.org.
“GRAND RAPIDS — The Grand Rapids Police Department will unveil an online crime-mapping system today that will inform residents about incidents in their neighborhoods.
The Internet-based system will allow people to see the type of crimes happening across the city, narrowing the scope by offenses, date and geographic areas.
Data comes directly from force complaints and will be updated twice daily, said Officer Phil Porter, who works in the department’s crime analysis unit.”
On the new website you can pick from 15 categories of crime and see where they have recently taken place. If you want to check for a specific day or range of days, you can select that by clicking on the date above the map.
You can also sign up for email alerts to automatically be sent when crimes happen near your residence by clicking “Receive Crime Alerts” in orange in the upper right corner. Simply enter your email, the address or intersection you are tracking, the distance from your address for alerts to be sent, and select which categories of crime are sent in the email alerts.
Jennifer, Ashby Row resident for over 10 years and Midtown’s Board President. Jenn continues to be involved with the neighborhood association, its Board and committees and has been for over 8 years.
Kevin, longtime Brikyaat resident and Midtown’s Board Vice-President. Kevin is very involved with the revitalization of the Brikyaat and planning-stages of improvements at the Farmers Market.
Amber, Old East Resident and Midtown’s Treasurer. Amber is very active on the Public Safety Committee and was instrumental in making the “2009 Back-to-School” backpack giveaway a success during August’s Community Celebration.
Josh , resident of the Woods and Midtown’s Secretary. In addition to being very active in the GR Biking Community, Josh is a member of Midtown’s Communications Committee.
Board members at large are:
Denise, Woods resident and writer for the Rapidian
Jennifer, Woods resident, super-volunteer at Midtown’s Community Garden and member of the Neighborhood Improvement Committee
Jorja, Ashby Row Resident, Board member responsible for tracking House Plaque Sales as part of the Neighborhood Improvement Committee
Jeffrey, Brikyaat Resident, Board member on the Communications Committee
Thank You to our AWESOME Calvin StreetFesters for getting our Brikyaat Clean Up projects off to an excellent start! All told, volunteers and Midtown staff & interns were able to:
