Northville Leaders Celebrate Success at State of the City Event
(City of Northville, April 17, 2022)
Northville, MI – Three local leaders provided an upbeat update to the estimated 200 guests that attended the State of the Community at Schoolcraft College VisTaTech Center on April 13. Doug Wallace, the new executive director of the Northville Chamber of Commerce, served as Master of Ceremonies.
Northville School District Superintendent Mary Kay Gallagher kicked off the meeting by featuring the top 10 highlights of the school district. Among them are: being ranked as one of the best school districts in the state; participation in college-equivalent coursework that can earn high school students college course credit; integrated social, emotional, health and well-being programs for students; having one of the largest vocal and instrumental music programs in the state; and a top-notch athletic program.
As the outgoing superintendent who worked for NPS for 38 years, Gallagher announced and welcomed her successor, RJ Webber, who will start July 1 pending final contract negotiations. She thanked her staff, the Board of Education, and all who worked with her and her team during her DPS tenure.
Northville Mayor Brian Turnbull thanked City Council members and members of the various boards, commissions and volunteer task forces for all the work they’ve done to help move the city forward on many fronts.
He spoke of the new construction coming to town at the Foundry Flask site (apartments), N. Center and Dunlap (restaurant and condos), and at the Downs, where the preliminary site plan for commercial and residential is being reviewed by the Planning Commission. He said much work has been done and will continue to be done to reconstruct and repair the roads, and the water and sewer system throughout the city.
The mayor extolled the benefits of the waterways that flow through the city – from Johnson Creek at Fish Hatchery Park, where brown trout are plentiful in the cold water, to the section of the Middle Rouge River that is slated to be daylighted as a community benefit of the Downs Planned Unit Development (PUD). As part of the river restoration process, he foresees the creation of a riverwalk that will run alongside city waterways and serve as the last connector to Michigan’s statewide bike path system. He said the city is staying on the curve of environmental, social and economic issues. Many of the planned projects, he said, should come to light by the city’s bicentennial in 2027.
Superintendent Mark Abbo said the township is closer to transforming the former Northville Psychiatric Hospital site into a beautiful Legacy Park. The township plans to finish the demolition of buildings at the site this summer and create new pathways throughout the park for all to enjoy. A new township fire station will be built in the coming years, funded by a bond rather than taxes. He reported that the water and sewer rates will decline by 3 percent. He thanked all involved with the township for being part of the journey.
To culminate the event, Mary Kay Gallagher was presented with key awards and several proclamations for her service to the school district and to the community. She received the John Genitti Citizen of the Year Award by the Chamber of Commerce. The award was presented to her by Mayor Turnbull. She also received the Northville Citizen of the Year award from Northville Township. Terry Marecki, Wayne County Commissioner, presented a proclamation and State Senator Dana Polehanki couldn’t attend but sent a proclamation to Gallagher. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, and other dignitaries were also in attendance.
She gave heartfelt thanks to the presenters and the community who attended the event and was further honored with several standing ovations. “To all of you whose lives have crossed my path, you’ve entered into who I am as a person,” Gallagher said. “I’m blessed to have spent my career and life’s work here in Northville.”
For more on the City of Northville visit https://www.ci.northville.mi.us/