By: Dean Vaglia | Macomb Chronicle | Published January 23, 2025
MACOMB TOWNSHIP — On Jan. 8, the Macomb Township Board of Trustees approved a plan to set aside up to $1 million to develop a Town Square at the Macomb Township Municipal Complex.
“The township is in the process of applying for a grant from the state of Michigan Economic Development Corporation for the purpose of making improvements to the Town Square, which is the lawn area right in front of the town hall between us, the recreation center, the library and old town hall,” Macomb Township Treasurer Leon Drolet said.
At the time of the meeting the final cost of the project was yet to be estimated. The grant in question, an MEDC Revitalization and Placemaking program grant, has a required 50% match. Prior to the meeting, Drolet estimated the project cost with the match could be $750,000 and said during the meeting that $1 million would be on the “very high end” of estimated costs.
Plans for the Town Square include building restroom facilities and a fountain with interactive jet features. Funds have been set aside annually for this project and grant approval would speed up the project’s timeline. As of the 2024-25 budget, $400,000 has been committed to the project.
The unanimous voice vote cast by the six present trustees — Township Clerk Krisit Pozzi was excused from the meeting — is a formal step in the grant application process. Should the township not be awarded the grant, the project will remain in the township’s plans with funds set aside for it.
Catalog contract
Trustees awarded Drive Creative Services the contract to produce and distribute the REACH catalog, the township’s triennially-published newsletter.
REACH currently only contains content from the township and the Parks and Recreation Department, but the new contract would bring advertisers into the fold.
“As part of this agreement there will be a revenue share, where the vendor will be selling ad space in the catalog,” Township Supervisor Frank Viviano said. “We hope that over time we will ultimately be paying less per issue than we are paying now. We don’t believe that will be the case out of the gate. We think we will be paying a little bit more, but we will also be getting more for our value.”
The current cost to publish REACH editions is around $17,000.
Drive Creative Services works with neighboring Chesterfield Township on its newsletter, but owner Scott Chambers told trustees the arrangement has more in common with The Clementimes newsletter in Mount Clemens.
The Clementimes publication’s costs are split between the city government and Mount Clemens Public Library, as well as about $15,000-16,000 in advertising revenue.
Circulation of REACH goes out to every household and business in the township with additional copies printed for direct distribution. The five-year contract can be terminated by the township if the arrangement does not work out as expected.