Clawson Skate Park, Hazel Park John R Plan Among Projects Vying for MML Award

Clawson Skate Park, Hazel Park John R Plan Among Projects Vying for MML Award
(Michigan Municipal League, June 30, 2016)
Clawson, MI – Thirteen projects, programs, and initiatives involving communities throughout Michigan are vying for the statewide Community Excellence Award (CEA)—the most prestigious Michigan Municipal League honor.
The communities involved in this year’s competition are Ann Arbor (two projects), Beaverton, Byron, Clawson, Ferndale, Gibraltar, Hastings, Hazel Park, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Niles, Tecumseh, and Washtenaw County.
This year’s competition includes an online voting component open to the general public starting today. The online voting, which ends July 30, and a panel of judges will decide which top four projects will go on to compete at the League’s 2016 Convention on Mackinac Island, Sept. 14-16. The statewide winner will be decided by Convention attendees and announced Sept. 16.
“We are impressed with the number of placemaking projects and initiatives happening in Michigan’s communities. This program aims to recognize those efforts,” said Dan Gilmartin, the League’s executive director and CEO. “In addition, for the second year now, we’re opening this competition up to the public by offering online voting. Now everyone can take part in helping promote the innovative things happening in their communities.”
The 13 projects are competing in four placemaking categories outlined in the League’s Partnership for Place agenda. The categories are Funding for the Future, Michigan in Motion, Place for Talent, and Strength in Structure. The online voting and a panel of judges will pick a top winner in each category with the final four vying for the statewide title at the Convention.
Since 2007, the CEA has been the League’s most prestigious community award. It’s also affectionately called the Race for the Cup because the winning community gets a large trophy as bragging rights for the year. The 2015 winner was the Westland City Hall Big Box Retrofit project. View past winners here.
Here is a look at this year’s projects by category (click on each project title for additional details):
Funding for the Future:
Washtenaw Coordinated Funders: Jointly submitted by Washtenaw County Government and the City of Ann Arbor.
Michigan in Motion:
Clawson Skatepark: City of Clawson
City of Gibraltar, Rotary Kayak Launch: City of Gibraltar
Bringing Byron Back: City of Byron
Ann Arbor Area Commuter Challenge 2016: City of Ann Arbor
Place for Talent:
The City of Tecumseh’s Market on Evans: City of Tecumseh
Improvement of John R Corridor in Hazel Park: City of Hazel Park
Hastings Thornapple Plaza: City of Hastings
Ferndale City & Schools Early College Program Partnership: City of Ferndale
Strength in Structure:
Kalamazoo Water Quality Video: City of Kalamazoo
Beaverton Activity Center, The HUB of Activities: City of Beaverton
Watch Muskegon Campaign: City of Muskegon
Niles Turning the Corner: The Gallery, A Twenty-First Century Partnership: City of Niles
For additional information contact the League’s Matt Bach, director of media relations, at (734) 669-6317 and mbach@mml.org.
Michigan Municipal League is dedicated to making Michigan’s communities better by thoughtfully innovating programs, energetically connecting ideas and people, actively serving members with resources and services, and passionately inspiring positive change for Michigan’s greatest centers of potential: its communities. The League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington, D.C., and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials; and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. Learn more at mml.org.

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