State of the City of Holland
Mayor Nathan Bocks gave his annual update. He started by reminding us that the Mayor is only one of the city council members and the council has only one employee, the city manager. All of the city employees work for the manager. There are no party affiliations for any member of the city council and they are only allowed to discuss issues under their direct control. The population of the city is around 34,000 people but 140,000 people live in the Holland area.The city has a $30 million capital improvement budget, but there are $88.7 million worth of projects this year. This is achieved by leveraging public donations and state and federal matching money. The mayor detailed these projects.
- Both Kollen and Waverly fire stations have been rebuilt. Major goals were to provide privacy to the firefighters living at the stations and to isolate hazardous materials to lessen health risks.
- Moran Park has had major improvements including more pickleball courts and a soccer field.
- The outside of the Holland Museum building was rebuilt to eliminate water damage being experienced. The city owns the building, even though the Historical Trust that runs the museum is separate.
- The buildings at DeGraaf Nature Center were rebuilt with a $1.2 million gift. As the work proceeded it was discovered that the buildings had originally been picnic shelters with plywood tacked on. They had become an enormous squirrel habitat because of the easy access.
- The new Holland Ice Rink will be finished in the spring. Warm weather activities include the VeloKids program being housed and an outdoor theatre. In the winter the ice lake, speed skating path, curling, skate rental, hot chocolate vending, and multiple fireplaces will begin to be used. The designer of this facility told the city that this will be the finest skating facility in North America. This was made possible by a lead gift from a retired school teacher who loved to skate. $9.5 million of the $11 million needed for the facility has been raised.
- Lakeshore Advantage has completed its Next Center which will house the regional development agency and business incubator. This allowed the city to completely replace 6th Street adjacent to the facility. Both the street and sidewalks are now snow-melted.
- The installation of city fiber optics for broadband internet is well underway. This will allow 2 GB connections to every city resident for $45/month.
- The waterfront project is the most complicated real estate transaction the city has attempted. The city staff is working hard to figure out options and the residents will have plenty of time to have input.