New Year’s Re:Solutions 2020
by Tina Cole-Mullins
As people offer wishes to one another for a happy new year and make their own new year’s resolutions, this reporter asked local Stockbridge residents to consider what wish for their community they would like to see fulfilled in the new year. Here are some of their hopes and wishes:
- “I wish for a new grocery store in Stockbridge for the New Year! God bless the Ransoms for 45 years of serving our community.” A wish and feeling most in our area share with Dawn Mayer-Kapalla.
- “I would like to see Stockbridge cleaned up!” While acknowledging how lovely Stockbridge looks during the holidays and the many “face-lifts” to area buildings, businesses, sidewalks and trails, many hoped for more work eradicating blight, as succinctly put by Marsha Williams.
- Joyce Jensen wishes Stockbridge had a laundromat: “A laundry mat would really be nice. I’m really surprised there isn’t [one] and we have to go 20-30 minutes away. That’s ridiculous!”
- “I would love for the political environment to be such that it fosters new businesses rather than fears competition…Providing a welcoming environment, rather than a self-defeating one,” explained Cheryl Norton. “Many of the wishes and concerns could be easily solved by the board. Unbiased blight enforcement. Unbiased approval for new businesses,” affirmed Norton.
- Both Letha Allen and Audra Leigh believe Re:Solution can be found for adding more businesses: “Creating tax breaks for new business would help folks to stay in business longer than a year.” Allen continues, “Some concessions and perks to draw new businesses could very well mean a chance to bring more revenue long term…take a chance on us!”
- Lucy Cano wishes for more civic involvement to help address concerns. “Going to the meetings and making your voice heard is a good step.”
If you have hopes for improving the community you live in and would like to be part of a re:Solution for 2020, consider attending a local government board meeting.
- Stockbridge Village Meetings – 1st Monday of the Month, 7pm in the village office council chambers, (room 112) at the Stockbridge Activity Center, 305 W. Elizabeth Street, Stockbridge.
- Stockbridge Township Meetings – 3rd Monday of the Month, 7:30pm in the basement of the township hall, downtown Stockbridge.
- Stockbridge Downtown Development (DDA) – 4th Thursday of the month at 5:45pm in the Village Office Council Chambers, 305 W. Elizabeth Street, Room #112, Stockbridge.
- Unadilla Township Board — 2nd Thursday of each month at 7pm at the Township Hall, 126 Webb St., Gregory, MI
- Waterloo Township Board– 4th Tuesday of each month at 7pm, (except when it conflicts with Christmas Eve! Next meeting is December 19, 2019) at 9773 Mt Hope Road Munith, MI 49259.
- Bunkerhill Township Board – 7pm, 3rd Tuesday of each month, at Bunkerhill Town Hall, 871 DeCamp Rd, Stockbridge, MI
- White Oak Township Board– 7pm, second Wednesday of each month at 1002 S M 52, Webberville, MI 48892
- Henrietta Township Board– 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm at 11732 Bunkerhill Rd, Pleasant Lake, MI
- Lyndon Township Board– 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7pm at the Lyndon Township Hall, 17751 N. Territorial Road, Chelsea, Michigan.
No Matter your 2020 new year’s wish for the community, if we all pitch in, I’m sure re:Solution can be found. This paper will continue to address the progress, if any, on these wishes in future columns.
