There is never a shortage of positive things happening around the SEMCOG region. Leaders from around the state recently had the opportunity to see some of the great work going on in Southeast Michigan.
City of WestlandLast week, the City of Westland won the prestigious Community Excellence Award for 2015, the highest community honor given by the Michigan Municipal League (MML). Westland was recognized at the 2015 MML Convention for their new City Hall – a big box retrofit. SEMCOG also highlighted this impressive project in a recent Semscope article.
Westland City Hall
Westland City Hall
Adding to the significance of Westland’s award is that the winner is determined by peer communities in voting that takes place at the MML annual convention. Congratulations to Mayor William Wild and Council President James Godbout!
At Westland’s State of the City last night, this prestigious award, appropriately nicknamed “the Cup,” was ceremoniously transported to the event with the same amount of pomp and circumstance given to its “namesake” – hockey’s Stanley Cup!
Making the Community Excellence Awards even more exciting for me was that two of the three other finalists in the competition were also from Southeast Michigan. These were the North Oakland County Water Authority (NOCWA) and a shared vision for transit along Woodward Avenue. These large, collaborative projects really highlight the great things that can be accomplished by working together.
NOCWA
NOCWA is collaboration of Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills, Pontiac, Orion Township, and the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s office. The NOCWA operations plan relies on effective operation of Pontiac’s oversized storage tanks during peak water use periods. The authority has achieved $3.8 million in collective annual savings for the communities, significantly reduced water rates for each participating community, and increased peak demand water pressure.
Transforming Woodward Together – The Journey to Better Transit
The transit vision for Woodward Avenue was supported by Berkley, Birmingham, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, and Royal Oak. Sparked by three newly-elected leaders, these communities rallied together, established guiding principles, and formed a collaborative foundation that unified the 27-mile Woodward Avenue corridor around a shared, common vision of safe, reliable transit options as a “linear city.”
(l-r) Mark Nickita, Birmingham Commissioner and Steve Baker, Berkley Councilmember, promoting transit on Woodward Avenue.
At Westland’s State of the City last night, this prestigious award, appropriately nicknamed “the Cup,” was ceremoniously transported to the event with the same amount of pomp and circumstance given to its “namesake” – hockey’s Stanley Cup!
Making the Community Excellence Awards even more exciting for me was that two of the three other finalists in the competition were also from Southeast Michigan. These were the North Oakland County Water Authority (NOCWA) and a shared vision for transit along Woodward Avenue. These large, collaborative projects really highlight the great things that can be accomplished by working together.
NOCWA
NOCWA is collaboration of Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills, Pontiac, Orion Township, and the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s office. The NOCWA operations plan relies on effective operation of Pontiac’s oversized storage tanks during peak water use periods. The authority has achieved $3.8 million in collective annual savings for the communities, significantly reduced water rates for each participating community, and increased peak demand water pressure.
Transforming Woodward Together – The Journey to Better Transit
The transit vision for Woodward Avenue was supported by Berkley, Birmingham, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, and Royal Oak. Sparked by three newly-elected leaders, these communities rallied together, established guiding principles, and formed a collaborative foundation that unified the 27-mile Woodward Avenue corridor around a shared, common vision of safe, reliable transit options as a “linear city.”
(l-r) Mark Nickita, Birmingham Commissioner and Steve Baker, Berkley Councilmember, promoting transit on Woodward Avenue.
In the presentations by both the NOCWA and Woodward Avenue teams, SEMCOG was recognized for supporting their work – we are proud to have contributed to these local success stories!
Southeast Michigan really shined at this convention. From General Session speakers to Breakout Session leaders, representatives from at least 10 cities in Southeast Michigan shared their insights and expertise.
It is really great to live, work, and play in Southeast Michigan – thanks in large part to the great work being done by our local government and public education leaders!
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