Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Council approves Coast Guard Festival, park hemlock treatment and water-services potholing contract
Loading...
Summary
Council unanimously approved the 2026 Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival, a $114,000 contract with GEI for Duncan Park hemlock survey/treatment, and a $559,250 contract with GFL Plumbers Environmental to locate remaining water services; staff said funding sources are existing park funds and water-bill reserves and that identification work positions the city for future grant funding.
At its April 27 meeting the Grand Haven City Council approved three items in new business: the 2026 Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival, a contract with GEI to survey and treat hemlock trees in Duncan Park, and a contract with GFL Plumbers Environmental to pothole and identify remaining water services.
Brian Jurells, the city’s waterfront events manager, described the Coast Guard Festival as an annual community celebration proposed for July 24–Aug. 1, 2026, with parades, community days, live concerts at Lynn Sherwood Waterfront Stadium, a drone show on July 31 and fireworks on Aug. 1. Staff said operations will include street closures, vendor zones and public-safety coordination; the Department of Public Safety recommended closing the Social District at 6 p.m. on Aug. 1 to help enforcement. Council approved the festival resolution by roll call.
On parks, council approved a contract not to exceed $114,000 with GEI for a Duncan Park Hemlock Survey and Treatment Project, to be reimbursed by the Duncan Park Fund at the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation. Duncan Park Commissioner Georgette Sass described a treatment plan that emphasizes a six-year imidacloprid program with dinotefuran applied as needed to address hemlock woolly adelgid and elongate hemlock scale. Commissioners and staff said the survey component was important because it provides tree mapping and DBH (diameter at breast height) measures that inform precise treatment quantities.
For water infrastructure, the council approved a contract with GFL Plumbers Environmental, not to exceed $559,250, to pothole remaining water services so the city can identify potential lead service lines and position itself to apply for forthcoming DWSRF (drinking water state revolving fund) grant opportunities. City staff said the work will create a baseline for replacements and that some funds have been set aside in water-bill reserves; staff also noted the DWSRF program currently includes partial forgiveness that could offset costs.
All three items were approved by roll call during the meeting. The GEI contract and GFL work are funded from designated local sources as described in the staff presentations; council members praised the thoroughness of the park commission’s approach and the bid competitiveness for the water work. The items will move to contracting and implementation steps with departmental oversight.
