Ferndale Council to Consider Providing Free Snow Removal Service to Local Church
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 25, 2025)
UPDATE: At the Jan 27 City Council meeting this item was removed from the agenda and sent back to the Interim City Manager for further review.
Ferndale, MI – Should city employees and equipment be used to provide free snow removal for a local church?
That’s the decision Ferndale City Council members are being asked to make at the Jan. 27 council meeting.
Renaissance Vineyard is located at 1841 Pinecrest, with a parking lot on Nine Mile road, a driveway from the lot to Withington, and sidewalks along Nine Mile, Pinecrest, and Withington.
According to the memo accompanying the proposed inter-local agreement, “This is an agreement between the City of Ferndale and Renaissance Vineyard Church to support their efforts in providing community services, including serving as a voting precinct, food pantry, and warming center. The City will support these efforts by providing snow removal services on an as-needed basis.
“Renaissance Vineyard Church provides a variety of critical community services, including a food pantry, warming center, and Ferndale voting precinct location. Some of these services were once provided through the City’s Kulick Center; with the Church taking on additional efforts to support community services that were once provided in a City-operated facility, it is appropriate that the City helps to support the efforts.”
Earlier this month as severely cold temperatures approached, The City of Ferndale posted on Facebook that those needing warmth should go to the Hazel Park Community Center, located on Woodward Heights. They did not mention Renaissance Vineyard as a warming center location.
The City website also directed people to the Hazel Park Community Center, with no mention of the church as a resource.
The church’s warming center is hosted one week a year for participants in the South Oakland Shelter program, a collaboration among several churches in the area. Renaissance Vineyard has already hosted for this season, providing shelter in December.
Renaissance Vineyard has been a polling location at least as far back as 2016, when both the church and the Kulick Center were polling locations. In 2021 the City moved the Kulick Center voters to Ferndale High School, not the church.
Kulick Center provided many community services including meeting rooms, a playground, a gym, fitness room, and kitchen where meals were served to low income seniors. There was also after school programming. Kulick Center also housed Recreation Department offices and city events.
Since the Kulick Center’s closure, Recreation offices have been moved elsewhere and city-run events have taken place at the curling club and Ferndale Schools locations. The Ferndale Seniors have moved from the Kulick Center to the Hazel Park Community Center.
Renaissance Vineyard partners with regional nonprofit Forgotten Harvest on food distribution.
Like many churches they also provide support group meetings and religious services. On the Renaissance Vineyard Facebook page they describe their mission, stating “We’re a contemporary community centered on the person of Jesus, trying to be a blessing to the people around us. We’re seeking to be people of love and hope that make a difference in the world. We’d welcome you joining us in this cause.” As a church, Renaissance Vineyard is exempt from taxation.
The Renaissance Vineyard website https://renvc.com/, was not working at the time of publication.
Churchfinder.com lists over a dozen churches in Ferndale. Renaissance Vineyard is the only religious institution being considered at this time for City-funded snow removal on their property.
The contract stipulates that the church will hold the city harmless; also that the church will maintain insurance with proof available upon request.
The item is presented on the Council’s consent agenda, which is where items are voted on together unless a member of council or the public requests that it be moved to the regular agenda for discussion.
Also on the agenda for Monday is the consideration of ballot language for a proposed Headlee Override to go on the May 6, 2025 ballot. They are also considering consolidation of precincts, a contract for inspections, back-filling a DPW position, an agreement with Oakland County, approval of a deficit elimination plan resolution, and appointments to boards and commissions.
View the full City Council agenda on the City of Ferndale website.
NOTE: This article has been updated from the original post to include more information about Kulick Center services and where they have moved, as well as a map of the property.