The Coopersville City Council will meet Monday, August 10, at City Hall. Please note that the meeting will begin at the new time of 6:00 p.m.

Here is a look at the items under Petitions and Communications.

8.A. City Treasurer and Finance Director

Council will consider appointing Abbey Rudolph as the City’s next Treasurer and Finance Director and approving a three-year employment agreement.

The City received 50 applications and interviewed eight candidates. The hiring committee unanimously recommended Rudolph, who has nine years of accounting and financial management experience and is a Coopersville resident.

8.B. Rotary BBQ, Bags, & Brews Fundraiser

The Coopersville Rotary Club is requesting permission to hold its rescheduled BBQ, Bags, & Brews fundraiser at Veterans Park on Saturday, September 19.

The event would include food trucks, a BBQ cook-off, cornhole, community activities, and a tent with alcohol sales. Because the event would be held on City property and include alcohol, City Council approval is required.

8.C. 68th Avenue Water Transmission Main

Council will consider a Memorandum of Understanding with Allendale Charter Township related to the proposed 68th Avenue water transmission main.

The agreement establishes how the two communities would cooperate on engineering, permitting, utilities, rights-of-way, and other parts of the project. Coopersville would retain ownership and control of the new water infrastructure.

The agreement does not provide Allendale Township with additional water capacity or change the existing water capacity agreement.

8.D. East Street and Cleveland Street Intersection

Council will discuss whether to ask the Ottawa County Road Commission to consider converting the East Street and Cleveland Street intersection into a four-way stop.

The Road Commission identified 13 crashes within the intersection since January 2023, along with three crashes nearby. The available data may support consideration of a four-way stop, although the Road Commission has concerns about traffic backups and the ability of large trucks to make turns.

This is a discussion item.

8.E. 2027 Danforth Street Improvements

Council will consider approving up to $47,500 in engineering services for the planned reconstruction of Danforth Street between Eastmanville Street and First Street.

The future project is expected to include street reconstruction, water main and storm sewer work, sidewalks, and accessibility improvements. The preliminary construction estimate is approximately $715,000.

The design will also be coordinated with future plans for the North Bank Trail.

8.F. Main Street and East Street Resurfacing

Council will consider approving up to $9,900 in engineering services for resurfacing Main Street from Church Street to East Street and East Street from Randall Street to Homer Street.

The preliminary construction estimate is approximately $295,000, with construction planned for summer 2027. The Main Street work will also be reviewed alongside future North Bank Trail plans to avoid unnecessary road work later.

8.G. $17 Million Water Infrastructure Grant

Council will receive an update on the State of Michigan’s contingent award of $17 million for Coopersville water infrastructure improvements.

The funding is expected to provide approximately $15.5 million toward a second water transmission main and $1.5 million toward a future one-million-gallon elevated water storage tank.

The new transmission main would provide a second water supply route into the City and approximately 1.1 million gallons per day of additional capacity. The storage tank would improve water pressure, storage, system reliability, and fire protection.

The grant agreement has not yet been finalized, and no formal Council action is requested on this item Monday.

Feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions about these items before the meeting, and I’ll do my best to help answer them.

Update 8.11.26

Here is a recap of the main items discussed during the August 10 Coopersville City Council meeting.

This is not the official meeting minutes. It is based on my notes from the meeting.

8.A. City Treasurer/Finance Director

Council approved the appointment of Abbey Rudolph as the City’s next Treasurer/Finance Director.

The City received 50 applications and interviewed eight candidates before the hiring committee recommended Abbey. She has nine years of accounting and finance experience and recently moved to Coopersville.

She will also have some overlap with current Treasurer/Finance Director Keri Rogers before Keri’s planned retirement in January.

8.B. Rotary BBQ, Bags, & Brews

Council approved the Coopersville Rotary Club’s request to hold its rescheduled BBQ, Bags, & Brews fundraiser at Veterans Park on September 19.

The event is expected to include food, a BBQ cook-off, cornhole, community activities, and alcohol sales under the City’s special-event rules.

8.C. 68th Avenue Water Transmission Main

Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding with Allendale Charter Township related to the planned 68th Avenue water transmission main.

The agreement is primarily about cooperation as the project moves through engineering, permitting, grant requirements, and construction.

It does not give Allendale additional water capacity or ownership of the new infrastructure.

8.D. East Street and Cleveland Street Intersection

Council had a fairly detailed discussion about whether the East Street and Cleveland Street intersection should eventually become an all-way stop.

The Ottawa County Road Commission has said that the traffic and crash history could potentially justify an all-way stop, although they have concerns about how large trucks would make the westbound Cleveland to northbound East turn if southbound traffic were also stopped.

Several ideas were discussed, including:

• Converting the intersection to an all-way stop
• Adding larger or flashing stop signs (I do not think this is appropriate as it is in a residential location, no one wants a flashing light in their window.)
• Looking at additional warning signs for traffic entering the City
• Reviewing vehicle speeds approaching the intersection
• Making sure any future design works with trucks and the City’s long-term sidewalk plans

There was no formal vote. Staff was directed to continue the discussion with the Ottawa County Road Commission and bring back additional information and options.

My own view is that I support moving toward an all-way stop. I think the truck-turning concern is legitimate, but it is something that can be evaluated through engineering, including turning-path analysis and stop-line placement. I also think a more predictable intersection fits better with the long-term goal of extending sidewalks and improving pedestrian connections in that area.

8.E. 2027 Danforth Street Improvements

Council approved up to $47,500 in engineering services for the planned reconstruction of Danforth Street between Eastmanville Street and First Street.

The future project is expected to include roadway reconstruction, water main work, storm sewer improvements, sidewalks, and accessibility improvements.

The preliminary construction estimate is approximately $715,000.

The design will also be coordinated with the future North Bank Trail so the City does not reconstruct the road and then unnecessarily disturb it again later.

8.F. Main Street and East Street Resurfacing

Council approved up to $9,900 in engineering services for resurfacing Main Street and East Street.

The preliminary construction estimate is approximately $295,000, with work currently anticipated for summer 2027.

The City is also looking closely at how the Main Street work should be coordinated with the future North Bank Trail and the eventual Main Street bridge project so we are not putting money into pavement that may need to be disturbed again shortly afterward.

8.G. $17 Million Water Infrastructure Grant

Council received an update on the State of Michigan’s contingent $17 million grant award for Coopersville water infrastructure.

The City is still waiting for the formal written grant agreement, but staff indicated that they were hopeful to receive additional documentation soon.

Approximately $15.5 million of the grant is expected to support the new 20-inch water transmission main along 68th Avenue. The project would provide the City with a second water supply route and approximately 1.1 million gallons per day of additional capacity.

The remaining $1.5 million is expected to go toward a future one-million-gallon elevated water storage tank.

The estimated cost of the tank is around $8 million. The City is also pursuing an additional $3 million federal EDA grant to help reduce the amount that would ultimately need to be financed locally.

No financing decisions were made Monday night.

Overall, a lot of the discussion this month centered on infrastructure, both maintaining what we already have and planning ahead for future growth.

As always, if you have questions about any of these items, feel free to reach out.