2022 Annual Report
Community Development
Message from the Director
Welcome to the Community Development 2022 Annual Report, which highlights the excellent work our six departments accomplished in 2022. The Community Development team is made up of talented professionals who collaborate across departments in all stages of a project, which often leads to new ideas and better outcomes. If two minds are better than one, then what can be accomplished with 13!
Our departments are unique because we don’t serve from the office; rather, we are regularly out in the communities of Calhoun County sharing information, assisting with local initiatives, and interacting with the public. The collaborative nature of Community Development provides opportunities to leverage manpower, resources, and funds to achieve better outcomes. I see how the Community Development team has a sense of pride in the work that they accomplish each day. We share in our successes across the team and troubleshoot together when we encounter obstacles. It makes the work we do more meaningful to the team and results in a better community to work and live.
Support from other County departments, such as Human Resources, Finance, and Administration, make it easier for us to do our job and focus on our areas of expertise.
As you read through this annual report you will see examples of the immense work accomplished by the Community Development team last year. What I also see, is the behind-the-scenes collaboration by a talented and resourceful staff that is focused on listening, understanding, and supporting each other and our residents. This team of professionals is dedicated to providing quality services and making Calhoun County the best it can be!
I am proud of, and grateful for this team, for the work that they accomplish. I hope you enjoy this overview of the work we tackled in 2022!
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The Calhoun County Community Development Office is made up of six departments—Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Parks and Recreation, Planning and Economic Development, Recycling and Solid Waste, Senior Services, and Veterans Affairs.
Our office is located on the first floor of the Marshall County Building, which is located at 315 W Green St in Marshall, Michigan. Calhoun County Veterans Affairs is located on the third floor of the Toeller Building, which is located at 190 E Michigan Ave in Battle Creek, Mich. Information about each department and contact information can be found on our website, calhouncountymi.gov/communitydevelopment .
Scroll down for information about Community Development successes in 2022.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Traffic on Interactive Maps
One of the many resources GIS provides the community are interactive maps. In 2022 these maps were collectively viewed over 21,000 times, with Snowplow Tracker being the most utilized. It had over 14,000 views during 2022's winter months. Below is a visualization of other interactive maps offered and how often they were viewed based on time of year.
A new interactive map that was created in 2022 was the interactive disc golf course map for the Park’s Department. Between the time the map launched in August and the end of the year it was viewed over 350 times by those interested in learning the course.
Election Night Dashboard
GIS also provides live results on election night using interactive dashboards. Over the years these dashboards have increased in popularity, as seen in the timeline below. The 2022 Gubernatorial Election dashboard surpassed all previous dashboards in number of views.
Assistance with Countywide Initiatives
In 2022, GIS assisted the Calhoun County Broadband Task Force in challenging the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) National Broadband Map. This process was necessary to ensure the data provided about Calhoun County is accurate, which directly relates to grant funding available to improve internet access for unserved and underserved households. GIS focused primarily on challenging internet availability. Using a state-provided dataset containing an inventory of broadband infrastructure, any location further than 150 feet from fiber internet infrastructure was submitted as a challenge to the FCC. Ultimately, Calhoun County submitted challenges for nearly 9,000 households.
Parks and Recreation
Millage Projects by Municipality
Since the Calhoun County Parks Millage was passed in 2020, numerous parks have been improved, which was previously unfeasible due to a lack of funding and staff. The interactive map below outlines most projects funded by the millage, and also highlights improvements from a Michigan DNR grant to renovate Kimball Pines. In addition to helping with large projects, the Calhoun County Parks Millage has also helped with smaller projects such as invasive species control, snow plowing and year-round maintenance, grill replacements, and more.
Kimball Pines Park Improvements
In 2022, with grant funds from the Michigan DNR totaling $388,000, numerous improvements were made to Kimball Pines Park in Emmett Township. The renovation included a new entrance to the park on Michigan Ave, planting seven acres into native pollinators and grasses, additional parking, a walking and biking path, and more. These renovations will be complete in the Spring of 2023. Also, using funds from the Parks Millage, dedicated volunteers installed nine additional holes to the disc golf course at the park, making it a full 18-hole course.
Additional improvements were made in Historic Bridge Park, which is connected to Kimball Pines Park via the Calhoun County Trail. Damaged decking was replaced on the Charlotte Highway Bridge, which marks the entrance to the park. All grills in the park were replaced, including an oversized option that was added near the public pavilion.
Construction Completed on Ménwabek Meadow Park
In spring 2022, a ribbon cutting and trail-walking event was held at the new County Park in Albion called Menwabek Meadow Park. The name is a Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi translation of “beautiful metal.” This name symbolizes the park’s purpose as an Iron Belle Trailhead and its restoration to a wildflower meadow. The newest County Park hosts 65 acres of scenic, restored prairie habitat and woodlands, along with a paved trail, kiosk, and benches. The park also serves as a trailhead for the Albion River Trail, Great Lake to Lake Trail, and the North Country Trail.
Planning and Economic Development
Calhoun County Planning Services
The County Planning Department provides planning and zoning administration through a contract with various townships in Calhoun County. These services include assistance with all zoning inquiries, permits, site plans, special use applications, variance requests, as well as staff support to their Township Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. This work has proven insightful and provides staff with a county-wide view of emerging land use trends.
Additionally, Community Development provides staff support to the County Planning Commission (CCPC). In 2022 12 proposed zoning amendments, one township master plan and eight PA 116 Applications were reviewed and acted on by the CCPC.
Site Readiness Provided for Marketable Properties
Calhoun County received two grants from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) in 2019 for the Build Ready Sites program. The grants focused on the study of two sites, one in Emmett Township and one in Marshall Township, to understand the suitability of each site for future industrial development. The majority of this research took place in 2022, including the following site studies:
- Survey and Title Research
- Environmental Review
- Archaeological & Cultural Assessment
- Protected Species Investigation
- Wetland Delineation
- Traffic Impact Study
- Utility Capacity Review
Calhoun County’s Community Development Office collaborated with the State of Michigan, Cities of Marshall and Battle Creek, and Marshall and Emmett Townships on these important site studies. The data gathered through these studies provides important information to assist in drawing prospective industries to the community.
Government Leaders Forum
Community Development began hosting the Government Leaders Forum in 2022 with assistance from the County’s Economic Development Corporation, which is led by Community Development Director Jen Bomba. The forum is designed to provide networking opportunities for municipality leaders from every city, village, and township in Calhoun County. Two forums were held in 2022, which included information on the topics of countywide transit, parks millage, and broadband. This program will continue in the future and provide opportunities for learning and networking amongst the County’s local leaders.
Recycling and Solid Waste
New in 2022: Calhoun County Mobile Recycling Trailer
In 2020 Calhoun County was awarded a Michigan Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Recycling Infrastructure Grant to purchase a mobile recycling trailer and truck, so Calhoun County could implement a rural recycling center program. The pandemic slowed down the implementation of the program; however, the trailer and truck were ordered in 2022 and the rural recycling trailer program began in September. Informed by data collected on use of the C&C Landfill recycling center, Athens Township and Tekonsha Township were selected as our pilot locations for this new program. This program is ongoing in 2023.
Tire Cleanup Collaboration
The Recycling Department led an initiative between multiple organizations to remove tires from properties owned by the Calhoun County Land Bank and the Calhoun County Treasurer’s Office. Over 2,000 tires had been illegally dumped across multiple sites in Battle Creek. Despite state and local agencies being aware of these piles of tires for years, until 2022 no cleanup solution had been identified. The Recycling Department amended an EGLE scrap tire grant that would pay for the process of cleaning up these tires. All parties agreed to work together and provide the labor needed to cleanup up the massive dump pile and haul the smaller piles to grant funded trailers. Once loaded in the semi-trailers, the tires were hauled to Environmental Rubber in Flint where they were processed to be used in the construction of tire-based asphalt roads. Click here to read an article about this initiative.
Collaborating parties: Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Treasurer’s Office, Parks Department and Solid Waste Department, Calhoun County Land Bank Authority, City of Battle Creek, EGLE, and neighborhood residents and business owners.
Ongoing Programming Progress
For the first time since 2019, the Marshall Recycling Center was open for the entire year. Although the center’s volume has not fully recovered from its pandemic closures, it is continually improving. The top three items recycled at the center in 2022 were cardboard, newspaper, and magazines/catalogs. The new enhanced glass recycling program was fourth with almost 8 tons of glass collected from Calhoun County residents. The introduction of glass recycling was new in 2022.
At the C&C Landfill in Convis Township, a new compactor was installed for recyclers, who can request a free recycling pass on the Recycling Department’s website. The compactor allows more material to fit in the recycling container and reduces the number of trips to Republic Service’s transfer station in Kalamazoo to empty it. It runs automatically, so all recyclers need to do is open the door, drop loose recycling, and the compactor will be initiated.
Check out the Solid Waste and Recycling 2022 Annual Report for more statistics about 2022 collection events and the tons of materials collected at the Marshall Recycling Center.
Senior Services
Reaching More Seniors in 2022
In 2022, Senior Services spent $4.1 million and served 6,760 seniors through 21 Millage-funded programs, thus fully recovering from decreases in persons served in 2020 and 2021. More people were served in 2022 than in 2019, which is a great sign of reaching more people than pre-pandemic. In 2022, 772 seniors ate 23,656 meals and socialized at six group meal programs, and 705 homebound seniors received 43,031 home-delivered meals. Also, 557 seniors took 19,947 rides to medical appointments or for grocery shopping. And 484 exercised 9,176 times at 11 fitness sites throughout Calhoun County.
Accomplishments and Programming
During 2022, Senior Services hosted six special events with the highlight being the popular Senior Fair, which had been absent for two years due to the pandemic. The event was held at Kellogg Arena on September 8 and featured 98 vendors and nearly 400 participants. As part of outreach to rural areas of Calhoun County, the first Tekonsha Senior Health & Safety Fair was held at the Fire Station in Tekonsha on October 6, 2022, with 41 vendors and 147 participants.
The Centenarian Project had 18 new centenarians tell their stories and 13 attended the July celebration. The 2022 Centenarian display featured 40 people who are 99 years and over, with their life story and a professional photograph. This celebration of aging was highlighted in the Senior Times magazine and during an exhibit at EastEnd Studio in Marshall.
The Joanne Konkle Lifetime Leadership Award was presented to two people in 2022—Chuck Asher, retiring chief operations officer for Community Action, and Cathie Davids, a long time Meals on Wheels volunteer for Milestone Senior Services. To round out the year, Senior Services gave out free Merry Mile coupons and were redeemed by 301 seniors to enjoy the holiday light display at the Calhoun County Fairgrounds.
Senior Ambassadors
Senior Ambassadors are volunteers who represent cities and townships within Calhoun County, and they help spread the word about Senior Millage-funded programs and provide feedback to the County about what is working and what is not. Senior Ambassadors meet once a month to receive training on the variety of programs funded by Senior Millage. Since the creation of this group, it has gone from 13 members to over 18 with funded programs seeing increased participation in Senior Millage funded programs and special events.
Check out the Senior Services 2022 Annual Report for more statistics about seniors served and the events hosted by staff last year.
Veterans Affairs
Wall That Heals in Battle Creek
Harper Creek High School hosted The Wall That Heals the week of July 14, 2022. The Wall That Heals is a ¾ scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., that memorializes the 58,318 men and women who were killed in the Vietnam War. The traveling wall also features a mobile education center and a replica of the In Memory plaque in Washington that reads, “In memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died because of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice.” The Wall That Heals visits approximately 30 communities each year and each must go through a rigorous application and selection process. Battle Creek was the only host site in Michigan in 2022 and no Michigan sites were selected for 2023.
Operation Green Light
The National Association of Counties and the National Association of County Veteran Service Officers started an initiative called Operation Green Light that is intended to raise awareness for challenges that veterans face and to highlight available resources at county, state, and federal levels. As part of the initiative Calhoun County lit the County Building, Justice Center, and Toeller Building with green lights during the week of Veterans Day. In conjunction with Operation Green Light, a veteran’s monument and the County Building’s flagpole were relocated from the west side of the County Building to the south courtyard. The monument and flagpole were also restored as part of the relocation.
Emergency Needs Programs
Calhoun County Veterans Affairs administers two emergency needs funds. The Veterans Relief Fund (VRF) is open to both wartime and peacetime veterans who reside in Calhoun County if they completed their initial training and do not have a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge. VRF is funded through the Calhoun County Veterans Affairs millage and a grant from the state. The Michigan Veterans Trust Fund (MVTF) is only open to wartime veterans with a least 180 days of wartime service (unless discharged because of a service-connected disability). The MVTF is funded by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency. Both programs are open to surviving spouses and dependents of eligible veterans. In 2022, these programs combined to approve $122,417.55 in emergency needs funding for Calhoun County Veterans.
Millage Renewal
The Calhoun County Veterans Affairs millage was renewed in 2022 by Calhoun County voters. Check out this commercial that was produced in 2022 of local veterans reciting the Oath of Enlistment, which was used to share information about the office.
It was our pleasure to serve you in 2022 and we look forward to many great opportunities in the coming year!