Harbor Springs State of the Community covers housing, education
HARBOR SPRINGS — Business owners, community members and more made their way into a room overlooking Little Traverse Bay for Harbor Springs’ 2024 State of the Community address.
Moderated by Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bonnie Kulp, the event kicked off at noon on March 14 at the Stafford’s Pier Restaurant.
Six guest speakers addressed the crowd during the event, providing updates and information about a wide range of community organizations.
Chamber of Commerce
Brandon Leestma, board chairman of the Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce, kicked off the presentation, talking about the chamber and the work that’s been done over the last year.
He spoke about how the chamber and the community share a close relationship, and that the chamber is there to serve business members in the community.
In jest, he said the chamber is the “sweet grandmother” of the family: “We are always here to support you. We're always proud of your accomplishments. We don’t pester you about the money you owe because you're a good kid, you'll pay it back eventually.”
North Central Michigan College
David Roland Finley, president of North Central Michigan College, spoke about new initiatives being introduced at the college.
He said the college has recently seen enrollment growth, and this year is up by nearly 6 percent.
More: NCMC sees 100% first-time pass rate for registered nurses NCLEX exam
“That growth doesn't happen by accident. It allows us to better meet our mission,” Finley said. “North Central has four strategic directions: Student Success, Academics, Invest in People and Leadership.”
He also spoke about the nursing program’s recent success. The school saw a perfect pass rate on their licensure exams for the second time in four years.
“There are over 60 nursing programs in the state, and I will put up our program against anybody,” Finley said.
He also spoke about the college's athletics and the new fast track programs offered through the college.
“At last May's graduation, we had 290 traditional grads, and 100 Fast Track completers,” Finley said.
Addressing the need for child care in the community has also been a recent focus for NCMC. They will be launching a program this fall to provide child care for students, which offers child care on a true cost business model.
“North Central remains focused on its mission to deliver exceptional, accessible, relevant higher education for all learners while serving as a community convener and trusted partner,” Finley said.
Harbor Springs Public Schools
Harbor Springs Public Schools Superintendent Brad Plackemeier also spoke during the event, providing an update on the construction of a new elementary school.
Shay Elementary School is being rebuilt, and the school is still on track to be open for kindergarten through fourth grade this fall. Preschool and early childhood classes will be held at Blackbird Elementary School, which will be having some HVAC work done this summer.
At Ottawa Stadium, the district will be working on artificial turf and septic tank projects as well.
More: Harbor Springs school construction projects 'well underway'
Plackemeier also spoke about the career technical education classes available at the high school, ranging from flying drones to audio engineering to business, and the introduction of cosmetology coming next school year.
“The nice thing about Harbor Springs, that I really enjoy, is all the stuff that we have, and we can also do it in a setting where everybody knows everybody,” he said.
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
Regina Gasco, Tribal Chair of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, provided the tribe's perspective on a number of regional issues, including housing and health care.
Gasco first spoke about housing concerns, noting the creation of six elders units and four multi-generational units that are available and ready to be filled, as of Monday. Construction also just began north of Charlevoix to bring in 18 new units off of Murray Road.
Beyond housing, Gasco spoke about the Crooked Tree Wellness Center, which is available to all Medicaid patients, rather than just tribal members. Additionally, some workers there specialize in mental health and a pharmacy will be coming to the clinic this year.
More: 'Challenge and change': Petoskey hears State of the Community
Gasco also provided an update on an aviary the tribe plans to build that will allow a place for eagles to be sent when they need to be rehabilitated or no longer can be in the wild. According to the State of the Community program packet, the tribe needs a match for a $250,000 grant to bring the Archie Kiogima ba Migizi Aviary and Rehabilitation Center to fruition.
“We're going to try and make this vision come true,” Gasco said. "We're going to try and build one up here in our reservation homelands.”
City of Harbor Springs
Harbor Springs City Manager Victor Sinadinoski said 2023 was a strong year for the city, ending with a surplus in the general fund and putting the city in a good spot for future projects.
Sinadinoski made note of how the community helped raise more than $1 million to rebuild the western side of the boardwalk as well as construct the new Sk8 Park.
“Those are the two most exciting projects of the year,” he said. "But of course, there were several important infrastructure projects, such as replacing damaged sidewalks, repairing the city's water tanks at Columbus Park and upgrading many water and drain lines throughout the city.”
More: Harbor Springs parks and rec presents project list for 2024
Sinadinoski said several other projects are in the works, such as replacing equipment at different parks throughout the city and a new substation that will be built in a few years.
Additionally, Sinadinoski spoke about zoning code updates that are still pending council’s approval, and the creation of a marketing plan.
“None of these advances are possible without the daily grind of the city's hard-working staff and the hundreds of volunteer hours put in by our board members,” he said. “The city has nearly 30 full-time staff and dozens of part-time staff or seasonal staff who keep our streets safe, water and electricity flowing into your homes and businesses, and our parks clean and attractive.”
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McLaren Northern Michigan
The final speaker of the event was Gar Atchison, CEO and president of McLaren Northern Michigan hospital in Petoskey.
Atchison, who was hired to the role in October, spoke about the importance of health care in every community.
He said the hospital employs 1,300 people and has a payroll of $160 million, emphasizing that the hospital is an important business in the community as well as a health care provider.
More: New McLaren Northern Michigan CEO talks hometown and health care
Atchison said the hospital faced a lot of problems in recent years, including staffing shortages and people leaving the health field following COVID-19. But, he noted, the Petoskey hospital is having beds reopened.
“We're taking patients,” Atchison said. "We're having some of the busiest months that the hospitals have had through the last many, many years, including summer months.”
Beyond its economic impact, Atchison said the hospital is an asset in making the area a place where people feel comfortable living and working.
“We understand our mission at the hospital and I think you'll see great things out of the hospital as we move forward,” he said.
The full state of the community program can be found online at harborspringschamber.com.
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Harbor Springs State of the Community covers housing, education
