GRLaker

Regarding the DEI department: From what I recall, it was put into place by the past board at the request of the larger businesses in the county. There was actually a solid working relationship between the previous board and the business community and the DEI office was the brainchild of that partnership in an attempt to draw a more diverse workforce into their ranks and the community.

I honestly think that's it. This transcends politics and ventures into the territory of Ottawa County no longer being an environment that's stable enough to do business. As much as businesses prefer no government intervention, they do rely on it in a lot of ways (roads, utilities, department of health, schools, attracting people to live there, etc.). All of these actions that fly in the face of what businesses are asking for is Ottawa County essentially saying, "we're closed for business." Also, Millennials and Gen Z take notice of these things in a time where everything is now readily available information. It will factor into their decisions when they are deciding if they want to live and work in Holland or Grand Haven when a more inclusive Grand Rapids/Wyoming/Kentwood and its share of industry is right up the road.

I removed the last sentence. The topic at-hand is an economic one IMO. The fear of businesses is that there will be talent ramifications, which then begs the question of if we’ll start to see those businesses move inland to Kent County.

Wasn't sure where else to put this topic, but things aren't looking too hot over in Ottawa County. Ottawa Impact went against the wishes of businesses and on day 1 replaced the county administrator with John Gibbs, replaced the health director with an HVAC inspector, and eliminated the DEI Office. Ottawa County businesses have said that they fear an inability to attract and retain talent in a county that is hostile toward diversity. COMPLETELY BLINDSIDED’: Ottawa Impact commissioners oust multiple top officials at first meeting (mibiz.com) Ottawa Co. leaders worry about attracting, retaining talent with incoming ‘Ottawa Impact’ majority (mibiz.com)

Is restore the rapids actually still happening? I feel like it has been like a decade at this point and we haven’t had any physical progress made on it.

Odd considering homes have been sitting on the market for months since the rise in interest rates. Listers price homes at what they would have gone for when rates were 2% and then find they need to bring the price down over time to what they should have listed at originally. By that point, though, people are spooked that it has been on the market so long.

It was a project proposal back around 2000 for the parking lot where the Warner Tower stands today. It was going to be the tallest building in the city at the time. Unfortunately, it was shelved.

Remember this beauty?

At 16 stories, I’d hate to see them build on the empty lot south of Plaza Towers. They’re better off logistically, financially, and visually at Studio Park.

Agreed. I can never figure out where the disconnect is between what the city is seeing and asking for and what the developers are seeing. Even at the height of market demand pre-Covid, the tallest building in the city was scaled down to 12 stories - completely scrapping the housing portion - due to a supposed lack of demand. Yet, we have this being built as well as a 10 story building.

Can we talk about the fact that Cornhole Health ripped off the API Healthcare logo?

In my involvement with GVSU, I haven’t seen a shift in focus. The new President’s focus has been primarily on raising scholarship money for underserved communities and getting first generation students free or reduced educations. A great concept to be sure, but I haven’t seen anything from her that screams revolutionizing GVSU.

Isn't said poster the sheriff of Barry County? It's a rare enough name that I'd be shocked if there was more than one in our area.

Bummer. That would have been a really cool project.

Without getting too in-depth, I agree whole heartedly with both of you . Two separate discussions come from this story: Is the group acting like true stewards of their faith? Simple answer is absolutely not. Second discussion is should people be able to determine content of a library (let alone existence of a library) based on said faith? Absolutely not.

To answer the question relating to the source: It was mentioned in the community meeting this week that there were staff safety issues. Someone had spoken separately with a board member for clarification and they were informed about what had taken place. So assuming the secondary source wasn't lying, it comes from a primary source.

Update to the news above: The Jamestown library board has voted to put forward another millage request. There’s still hope the residents can see the error of their ways and reverse course. It also came out that the vehicles of some library workers have been keyed and they still continue to receive hateful messages.

Jamestown Township has sure put the area into the national spotlight for all of the wrong reasons.

Will these be all custom build lots or are they tied to a builder?

Now their Google reviews match their Indeed and Glassdoor reviews perfectly.

That in itself is also needed. 131’s entrance/exit system between 28th and downtown is in desperate need of improvement. I’m hoping that’s part of what they’re looking at.

While I’m unable to find anything in a google search, I’ve been told that Asheville and Charlotte are where the most meteorologists retire to. That’s a ringing endorsement.

It could use some fake palm trees and pink stucco.

Bolded for emphasis. He'd be a D3 quality coach coaching in D1. I would be interested in knowing if host cities see any kind of positive economic impact from hosting tournaments. It may end up paying for itself in the long run if there is.

The GLIAC has lost 8 football playing schools since its height in the 2010s. Hillsdale, Ashland, Findlay, Walsh, Lake Erie, Ohio Dominican, Tiffin, and soon to be Northwood are all small private colleges that went to form their own conference. They couldn’t compete financially with the big publics in Michigan. Conference leadership has done nothing to solve the problem. Hence GV’s current predicament. I wonder if Grand Action 2.0 would get involved to make such a stadium happen.