Some of you in the community may have been going to the State of the Community event each autumn, but this year was a first for me. I thought it would be a good place to meet a lot of community members at once and get oriented to the pressing issues in the tri-community area.
The event was back at the Black Box Theater inside the Van Buren Township Community Center, and that was also a new experience for me. I thought the tri-community representatives and the host, the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce, put on a really nice event, with pre-event snacks and a post-event breakfast buffet.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., opened the event State of the township event. She described efforts to keep hazardous waste out of the area and shared a proposed data center bill of rights.
After that, each community’s representative, plus the superintendent of the Van Buren Public Schools, gave a presentation about the most important developments in each over the last year.
Van Buren Public Schools Supt. Peter Kudlak reported that fourth-grade literacy reached the state average after targeted instruction.
Career pathways include cosmetology, aviation, digital media, early college, and middle-school career education; the district also highlighted athletics, arts, and student programs.
The 2025 bond supports an operations building, early-childhood expansion, and school renovations.
Belleville Mayor Ken Voigt reported an increase in community events, a planned downtown market and butcher shop, road and water-main improvements, park work, and a new municipal facility.
A Safe Streets project is planned, including a raised pedestrian crossing near the museum.
Karen Armatis, representing Sumpter Township, highlighted public safety, road and water needs, cemetery restoration, and community services. High on the township’s list of priorities is the failure of the police millage proposal in August, and which will appear again on the November ballot.
Pulling no punches, Van Buren Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara declared it The Year of the Data Center.
McNamara described ongoing public services, cemetery upkeep, public-safety work, community events, and progress on the bridge project.
He also emphasized balancing resident concerns with legal requirements in the data center approval before the township aired a promotional video highlighting the people and happenings in Van Buren Township over the last 12 months. I haven’t seen the video posted online yet, but generally the township posts this video to their website and their YouTube channel each year shortly after the event is over.
I thought this overview of what’s going on in each community was really interesting. I left feeling informed about what’s going on and very inspired about how hard the leaders in each community area working to provide not only basic services but recreation, seasonal celebrations, and more for their communities. If you’ve never been to one of these presentations, it’s worth picking up a ticket to next year’s event.