Grosse Pointe City welcomes Eaton Rapids officials during community exchange

GROSSE POINTE CITY — The Grosse Pointes keep close tabs on what their immediate neighboring municipalities are doing and often adopt similar practices or purchases if a new addition is a hit, but Grosse Pointe City is going farther afield this summer to see how another community does business.

The City and Eaton Rapids are participating in a community exchange program run by the Michigan Municipal League. On June 26, Eaton Rapids Mayor Pam Colestock, the Eaton Rapids City Council and several top Eaton Rapids administrators toured Grosse Pointe City, stopping by the new public safety and public works buildings, City Hall, Neff Park, a redevelopment project at the old school administration building at 389 St. Clair Ave. and more.

“The staff was so welcoming and down to earth,” Colestock said. “They made us feel right at home.”

In August, Eaton Rapids officials will return the favor by leading Grosse Pointe City officials on a tour of their community and showcasing what they do there.

Colestock said Eaton Rapids had participated in the exchange program before, but it’s been a few years since they last did it. It was a first for Grosse Pointe City.

Cities that want to do this fill out a form and submit it to the MML, which finds them a match.

“They try to pair up communities that are of equivalent size,” Grosse Pointe City Mayor Sheila Tomkowiak said.

Communities that choose to participate can also state how far they’re willing to travel for the exchange. In the case of Grosse Pointe City and Eaton Rapids, officials from both cities wanted to team up with a community they could travel to and from within a single day, rather than having to stay overnight. Colestock said the drive between Eaton Rapids and Grosse Pointe City is roughly an hour and a half each way, making it ideal for a day trip.

“It was a very good experience,” Colestock said. “We really enjoyed meeting (the City officials).”

Eaton Rapids, which is located near Lansing, is surrounded by water, including the Grand River; Colestock said they have multiple bridges leading in and out.

Besides both having waterfronts, there are some similarities between the two communities. Both are mayor-city manager municipalities, in which the mayor and city council are elected but the city manager — who oversees day-to-day city operations — is appointed by the council. Both have female mayors — Colestock is Eaton Rapids’ first female mayor, while Tomkowiak is only the second woman elected to lead the City. The two municipalities also both have downtowns.

However, there are a number of differences, too. Colestock said Eaton Rapids is more rural. Unlike the City, whose DPW workers collect residential trash, Eaton Rapids contracts out this service.

Eaton Rapids supplies electricity to its residents and businesses by purchasing power with other cities through a co-op and selling it to those in the city at a reduced rate. Colestock said some members of the Eaton Rapids DPW are licensed electricians, so they can repair and replace downed wires and transformers after a storm, rather than having to wait for a utility company to send its contractors into town. She said Eaton Rapids has its own water and sewer plants as well for residents.

Participating in the exchange can introduce officials to new ideas and ways of providing services.

“It is always important to stretch (outside) of your comfort zone and see best practices,” Tomkowiak said. “There are lessons to be learned by seeing how other cities are dealing with the same challenges.”

Colestock echoed those sentiments.

“It helps us to (see) if there’s things we want to do differently,” Colestock said. “It also gives you an appreciation for what we do, too. It’s a good way for us to get out of our box and see something different.”

Colestock and Tomkowiak have since become fast friends and discovered that they both serve on a legislative committee together — something they only learned after meeting one another, because the committee’s meetings have taken place virtually.

At press time, administrators and elected officials from the City were slated to go to Eaton Rapids Aug. 21.

“I’m looking forward to going there and seeing what they have,” Tomkowiak said.