Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State Of The City topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City Manager outlines 2024 achievements, projects and grants in State of the City update
Summary
City Manager Shane Horne presented Petoskey’s State of the City highlights Feb. 3, noting park projects, a $1,000,000 grant for wheelway engineering, over $2.3 million invested in infrastructure in 2024, buried electric lines progress and several workforce housing projects supported with brownfield incentives and grants.
City Manager Shane Horne summarized Petoskey’s 2024 accomplishments and upcoming projects during the Feb. 3 City Council meeting, highlighting investments in parks, infrastructure, public safety and housing.
In parks and recreation, Horne highlighted continued engineering and design work on the Winter Sports Park all‑season pavilion and lodge improvements; the city completed a new lodge roof, windows and doors in 2024 and will begin a master‑planning effort in the first quarter of 2025. Slope restoration on the Little Traverse Wheelway was identified as a high priority; Horne said the city received a $1,000,000 Eagle High water infrastructure grant to support engineering and design with final engineering expected by March. Sunset Park improvements completed in 2024 included an accessible pathway, fencing, landscaping and new amenities.
Infrastructure work in 2024 included more than $2.3 million in city investments. The city used small urban grant funds to resurface East Mitchell Street (coordinated with Emmet County Road Commission) and completed a full reconstruction of Bayview Avenue including curb, gutter, sidewalks and water upgrades. Horne said undergrounding of electric utilities continues with roughly 78% of electric infrastructure now buried in the city; resurfacing and mill/repair work on the wheelway remains an annual capital priority.
Public safety continues as a unified Department of Public Safety. Horne reported the department’s 20 sworn officers handled 9,463 requests for service in 2024. Code enforcement closed the majority of 406 cases through voluntary compliance. Petoskey Public Schools and the department added a second school resource officer, with Officer Donovan assigned primarily to the middle school.
On housing, Horne described ongoing multi‑year projects that include the Maple Block mixed‑use workforce housing project (about 200 units), the Lofts at Lumber Square (about 60 units) supported with brownfield tax increment financing, and redevelopment of the former Hotel Del Rey (creating nine workforce units). The city received $500,000 in MSHDA grant funds for homeowner improvements and is partnering with Northwest Michigan Habitat for Humanity to serve income‑qualified homeowners. Planning commission work on zoning reform is supported by a $50,000 MSHDA housing readiness incentive grant.
Horne closed with a calendar of near‑term meetings and events, including upcoming zoning board and commission meetings, youth advisory council scheduling and Winter Wonderland weekend events Feb. 14–15. He invited questions from council; several members raised sidewalk clearing and winter maintenance concerns and said staff would follow up.
The presentation was informational; council took no formal action on the report at the Feb. 3 meeting.
