By: Dean Vaglia | Macomb Chronicle | Published January 24, 2024
MACOMB TOWNSHIP — As the many elections of 2024 draw closer, the Macomb Township Board of Trustees voted on Jan. 10 to make casting votes easier.
New signage will be placed around the township municipal complex and along 25 Mile Road to help residents find the township’s early voting location at the recreation center, at 20699 Macomb St.
“The signage is largely wayfinding, but it will also assist with elections throughout the year,” said Josh Bocks, township planning director. “The signs are fabricated in a way that they can be removed, so the election signage won’t be there all year; it will be there when needed.”
At least three elections are scheduled for Macomb Township in 2024, all eligible for early voting. The primary for presidential candidates will be held on Feb. 27. The primary for county government and legislators at the state and federal levels will be on Aug. 6 and the general election will be on Nov. 5.
Grants update
Early in the meeting, Liz Roe, of Team Roe, presented a report about the township’s grant pursuits over the past year. More than $790,000 was awarded from three grants, including a Southeast Michigan Council of Governments grant to plan the extension of Broughton Road and a Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant to acquire land along the Clinton River North Branch.
Four grants have been applied for but have not been awarded: a $739,598 MI Community Center grant, to finish renovations to the senior center; a $300,000 Consumers energy grant, to build a playground at Pitchford Park; and two Wilson Foundation grants — a $28,392 grant for portable lighting a Macomb Corners Park and a $50,000 grant for a pathway to connect the township hall to parks.
“There’s still a lot of outstanding grant funding we’re still waiting on an answer for, and in the meantime, we’re going to continue researching grants, work with various departments in the township in finding priorities for grant opportunities and writing away,” Roe said.
Asked by Treasurer Leon Drolet about what the grant landscape will look like as federal COVID money runs out, Roe said the township should remain competitive due to already not meeting the requirements for grants funded with American Rescue Plan Act money.
“The federal government has many pots of money,” Roe said. “The ARPA funds were obviously kind of a windfall for a lot of different communities throughout the county, but there’s still plenty to go around. I think there’s going to be definitely a lot of opportunity, especially with what the township has planned for the future.”