Residents urge improved emergency planning after neighboring water crisis; business owner cites delayed facade grant and trash service

Multiple residents used public comment at the Oct. 13 Lincoln Park City Council meeting to press the city on emergency preparedness, multilingual communications and assistance for local small businesses.

Joanna Whaley, a Lincoln Park resident, described responding to a water emergency in neighboring Melvindale and said volunteers delivered bottled water to about 40 homes that lacked access. She urged the city to include homebound residents in emergency plans and translate emergency communications into languages such as Spanish and Arabic.

Nut graf: Speakers argued the city should prepare to assist residents who cannot leave their homes during municipal emergencies and ensure official notices are accessible in the community’s languages. Separately, a local business owner said he has waited months for a façade grant and for city trash service at a corner adjacent to his property.

What speakers said

- Cara Clemente, Wayne County commissioner, provided a county update and reminded the council that traffic-light timing on Fourth Street is determined by MDOT; Wayne County maintains signals along Fort Street but timing requests must go through MDOT’s Taylor Transportation Service Center. She confirmed Wayne County will…