Livingston Today

City of Rockford issued the following announcement on Dec 23.

As we near the end of another year, I had the privilege of speaking at the Annual Chamber State of the Community luncheon.  Last year, it regrettably was yet another victim of Covid and was cancelled.  But this year it returned and for the first time it was held at the new Creative Learning Facility, which was recently added to the high school complex.  The learning center is an incredible space and provided plenty of room for social distancing.   The space certainly is top notch and impressive, but the highlight of the luncheon for me was the incredible food the school provided.  Definitely, not the school lunch I remember.

Each year I give a brief overview of the state of the City for those in attendance, and I think some who were not able to attend may find it of interest as well.  The current City Council consists of Ed Ross, who is serving his second year as Mayor.  The Mayor Pro Tem is Tamara Bergstrom, who has been on Council previously, followed by Cheryl Scales, new comer Dale Dalman and Terry Konkle, who has seniority on the rest.

This year has marked another significant year in personal investment in our community. I measure this each year, in terms of value added in personal properties, as reflected in building permits.  2021 we had another tremendous year of investment, with a total investment of $17.6 Million in building permits (not including the month of December).  For reference, the previous year, we completed about $12 Million in permits; in 2019, we completed about $14 Million. Even with Covid supply issues, we still saw a record year in personal investment in our City. 

Another investment I am proud to reflect on was the Garden Club Park Stage.  This represents the first phase of completing the improvements adopted as part of the Master Plan for this park.  What I think is most notable, is that this was done substantially through donated funds.  The Lions and Rotary Clubs, took the initiative by contributing $20,000 towards the project.  Another private citizen donated $15,000 towards the project.  Other major contributors included RACE ($3,500) and Consumers Energy ($12,500).  In all, we received more than $90,000 in donations to make this park improvement a reality.  I am quite excited to see the United Bank Rogue River Blues Series use this space next year now that this project is complete!  Next year we hope to begin raising funds to continue completing the amenities included in the Master Plan. 

We are well in the process of updating our 20-year Master Plan for the City.  Thanks to all who took the time to complete our online survey, spoke to our planning consultants at the Fall Harvest Festival, the Farmers Market, or attended one of our visioning sessions.  The planners are now reviewing and compiling the communications which will be used in the future Master Plan.  This is a year-long project, that began in July, so we still have a ways to go.  Be sure to watch for updates on the City website, and future open houses to display drafts of key components of the plan.  Special thanks to the members of the Planning Commission, who volunteer their time to lead this effort!  Current board members include: Jon Minor (Chair), Tom Mester, Frank Nelson, Jeff Lipe, Tricia Anderson, James Scales, Jeff Harwood, Drew LeBlanc and Dave Rasmussen. 

There is so much going on, yet space limits me.  We are currently working with Algoma Township and EGLE to provide municipal water to specific residents who have been impacted by PFAS ($5 Million in grant funds to assist).  We are completing a major renovation to the Rotary Pavilion in the Squires parking lot, with financial and labor assistance from the Rotary Club.  The Rotary club has donated $40,000 towards the improvements to this project.  We expect to see two new restaurants in our downtown in the near future.  The DDA recently approved a Redevelopment Liquor License for a sushi restaurant that will be located in the Promenade. We are sad to see Ramona’s Table leave, but a new restaurant will be filling that space in the near future as well.  Also new to downtown is a store called Era. They are occupying the former Great Northern Trading building. And coming soon is Monarch Bakery, specializing in vegan baked goods and Pour-d, a tea shop and art gallery.

I do hope all of our residents find the time to wander around our beautiful downtown.  It will put you in the Holiday spirit if you make the time to leisurely walk through the lighted trail, stop and enjoy the beautiful new Christmas tree (donated by our Mayor) or participate in some of the many activities the Chamber of Commerce plan each year.  Thanks to the many service groups, sports teams, and school groups who volunteered to hang lights in the downtown.    

I always close with the acknowledgement that Rockford is such a great community, because of the people who work and volunteer their time to make it so.  A group of about 20-dedicated seniors give of their time to get trained in order to volunteer their time to assist our Public Safety Department.  There are also about 75 volunteers that give of their time to serve on our Boards and Commissions.  With the volunteers, the City employs about 36 paid staff.  It is because of the dedication and pride of these people, that my family and yours can enjoy a great life in Rockford.  Thank You!

Thad Beard

City Manager

Original source can be found here.