VOL. XLIII No. 2 The Newsletter of the Eastown Community Association

EASTOWN ACCESSJune 6th, 8am

Eastown’s Annual Dumpster Day @ the Ethel Parking Lot

Eastown residents can drop off refuse items for free!

If you would like to volunteer, ECA could use help with directing traffic, loading the dumpsters, and sorting recyclables. Contact info@eastown.org to get involved.

So is the Chester Street Fire Station haunted?” I had heard rumors to that effect.

“Well, things have happened that are not easily explained,” replied Lieutenant Sean Murray, somewhat cagily. Sean was on duty the day I paid a visit to the 113-year-old fire station on the southeast corner of Chester and Diamond.

Sean and two others in his crew were putting in a 24-hour shift. They pull three 24-hours shifts every nine days, rotating shifts with two other crews. The workday for them begins at 7:30 in the morning and runs till 4:30 in the afternoon. After that they remain on the premises, on call, but

can do as they please till the next morning. If you live in Eastown and have a

fire or medical emergency, you will be visited within minutes by a crew from Chester Street. Last year they responded to more than 2,100 calls—fires, medical emergencies, car accidents—on the east side of the city, from Three Mile Road to 44th Street. That’s an average of about six calls a day. About 70 percent of those calls are medical in nature. Each member of a crew receives emergency medical training, which is constantly upgraded.

House fires are relatively infrequent in Eastown. Most of the homes are owner-occupied and in good shape. If a residential fire does break out, that’s

By Lee Hardy

Chester Street to the Rescue!

June 27th, 9am-5pm

Eastown Bizarre BazaarOnce again it’s that time of year when we shut down part of Wealthy Street between Lake and Giddings for the fantastic Bizarre Bazaar:

• Over 90 local artists and craftspeople

• Live music• Tasty food from local

restaurants• And lots of people!

Vendors can apply for a booth by filling out an application at eastown.org.

A historic photo of the Chester Street Fire Station, when the pumpers were drawn by horses. The upstairs of the station contains a hayloft.

Continued on next page 8

Chris LaPortePage 4

New Board Members Page 5

Goodwill Re:BluePage 7

People

Photo: courtesy of the Chester Street Fire Station

ECA News Business

April – May 2015

Check the Eastown calendar at eastown.org for more

upcoming events!

Eastown Access / April-May 20152

Fostering a safe, diverse, and walkable Eastown neighborhood by creating opportunities for neighbors and friends to engage and connect.415 Ethel SEGrand Rapids, MI 49506616.451.3025info@eastown.orgwww.eastown.org

ECA Board MembersShannon Cunningham, PresidentHeather Colletto,Vice-PresidentTracy Martin, TreasurerCourtney Myers-Keaton, SecretaryCourtney Burrows Chris Cork Ryan GriffithAlice Menninga-RichardsChad SystmaMiranda Ward

ECA Committees Green Space Block Captains & Public SafetyAccess Committee

ECA/EBA CommitteeSpecial Events

The Eastown Community Association board of directors meets on the second Monday of every month at 6:00 pm at the ECA Office, 415 Ethel SE. Eastown residents and business owners are encouraged to attend.

For more information visit our website at eastown.org

ECA StaffExecutive Director/Lindsey RuffinCommunity Police Officer/Jeremy HuffmanPublic Relations Intern/Elena Cangelosi

EastownA c c e s s

As the newsletter of the Eastown Community Association, the Access is published six times a year.Christa Brenner Lindsey RuffinShannon Cunningham Heather Colletto Cathy TerBeek Amy Wolterstorff Lee Hardy Charlie Lowe Kevan Ventura

The Eastown Access is delivered to over 2,200 households and 100 businesses six times a year. Place your ad today!

Advertising Rates:

Size Single Issue Six IssuesHalf-Page $150 $700 Quarter-Page $90 $4404” Column $60 $300

Access is also available online at eastown.org. Send all inquiries & advertising files to info@eastown.org. Printed by EcoPrint.

Advertising in the Access

The views and opinions expressed in Access are not necessarily those of the ECA Board. The Access reserves the right to accept, reject or edit any material submitted for publication. Supported by CDBG funds via the City of Grand Rapids.

What determines a community? In Eastown, what brings us together and bonds us to one another?

Eastown residents are lucky to have many assets in our community that promote health, happiness and wellbeing. Our lively neighborhood, the businesses that provide a main street feel and fall within a short distance of our homes, our multimodal transit corridors, and the many parks and natural places that we have to gather and play all contribute to what makes our community so special. Eastown boasts of local resources that other communities dream of having.

These resources that we love most about Eastown are things that did not happen overnight. Many of the characteristics of our neighborhood took decades to develop, and many are projects that are still in the works. As people’s needs evolve, our community has evolved and continues to evolve as a symbiotic relationship between people and space.

One of these continued evolutions is that of Wilcox Park. Established in 1917, Wilcox Park has been the keystone of Eastown and undergone many enhancements over time. (Did you know that in the 1950s, the bathhouse and pool were replaced by a shelter and adjoining wading pool?) Wilcox Park continues to exemplify the importance of inviting public spaces for sports, recreation, education, and interacting with nature. In recent months, this community gem has undergone concept planning aimed at enhancing the features of our beloved park.

Some of the most exciting aspects are a new shelter that will attract local schools to use it as an outdoor classroom, a network of paths through the woods and a bridge over Coldbrook Creek to keep people off of sensitive environmental areas and mitigate erosion, stormwater runoff management, and new playground equipment and a splash pad.

While the playground equipment and splash pad are features already slated for implementation, other features will require the help and support of community members to make the future vision for Wilcox a reality. In two years, Wilcox Park will be celebrating its centennial anniversary. A great way to celebrate our park will be to make a financial contribution towards the enhancement of this public space that brings us together.

Wilcox Park is evolving to meet our neighborhood needs, just as all public spaces must evolve to best match the community in which it serves. The end result will be an enhancement of what is already in place – Wilcox Park and Eastown! Wilcox is almost 100 years old. What qualities of Eastown do we love and want to enhance over the next 100 years?

From the BoardEnhancing Eastown for the Next 100 Years

by Ryan Griffith, ECA board member

Eastown Access / April-May 2015 3

Going into my third year in business in Eastown and mid-way through my first year of involvement with

the Eastown Business Association, I have learned so much about the neighborhood, the business district and the community as a whole. With my ongoing education about Eastown, I thought now would be a good time to take a look back at Eastown’s roots, where we are currently and possibly what the future holds for us.

To do this, I spoke with a couple of longstanding business owners, current business owners and a few people in the community to gain as much perspective as I can.

I recently had an opportunity to converse with Jaye VanLenten, co-owner of Spirit Dreams, an Eastown institution since 1994. She opened her unique gift store and chose Eastown for its other businesses that had similar paradigms as hers, like a food co-op, massage therapists, and yoga practitioners that also called this neighborhood home. At a recent Uptown GR function, I spoke to Ron Lichtenstein, the proprietor at Gallery 154 for nearly 40 years and Andrew Hetland, who opened McKendree Jewelers in 1976. They both told me the tale of strip malls, a very popular greasy spoon and a long-

lost neighborhood hardware store. The community was a walk-able, ride-able and bustling neighborhood.

Presently, many of these qualities, especially the accessibility and diversity of the community and businesses, continue to be features that make Eastown great! The business environment started with local business and this continues to be the trend as several new businesses add to the diversity of the district. Another outstanding quality of the communal culture is strongly evident with the Eastown Community Association, led by Lindsey Ruffin, and the Eastown Business Association, governed by a board of directors with the leadership of Stacy Wolfgang of Wolfgang’s. Both of these organizations continue to lead and direct our community, culture and businesses towards a bright future. Eastown is also part of the Business Improvement District and the Corridor Improvement District to lend Grand Rapids an Eastown voice and influence.

Which brings us to what lies ahead: where do we go from here? As a community, those of you reading this will dictate who Eastown is and what you want. Together, each of you will make your choices, stand for what you believe in

EBA UpdatesBy Chris McDonald, EBA Board Member; General Manager, Terra GR EBA BOARD MEMBERS

Stacy Wolfgang, PresidentLyndi Charles, TreasurerLynn HappelRyan Ogle Mary ScheidelChristopher McDonaldJaye Van Lenten

EBA COMMITTEE Marketing

EBA/ECA COMMITTEE Special Events

 

EAT. SHOP. ROCK. Join us June 11th in Eastown!

Aspara Salon Billy’s Bombay Cuisine Brandywine Cakabakery Connie's Cakes Eastown Antiques Flashlight Alley Funky Buddha Gallery 154 Harmony Brewing McKendree Silver The Mitten State  

Mulligan’s New Yorker Nona Salon Pita House Rebel Redux Books Spirit Dreams Striders Tonic Salon Terra GR Vintage on Lake Wolfgangs  

5pm-9pm in HubLot

There  will  be  tons  of  fun  activities!  -­‐ Live  Bands  -­‐ Face  Painting  -­‐ Henna  Tattoo  Artists    -­‐ Shopping  -­‐ Various  Music  Around    

Eastown    

PARTICIPATING  BUSINESSES  

HubLot music begins at 6pm Featuring Bello Sparks

& Gabrial James Lundy

and support what you’re passionate about. From a business standpoint, we

continue to have some work to do. Jason Kakabaker, proprietor of the wildly popular Cakabakery, says this neighborhood has great restaurants, pubs and bars. He would like to see a little more retail diversity, specifically with clothing and fashion. Jaye VanLenten continues to preach the point of continued growth of locally owned establishments that share common priorities and values.

Continued on page 6

Eastown Access / April-May 20154

The lines on our faces reveal who we are, according to Eastown artist Chris LaPorte. He should know—

he has drawn lots of them, including more than 100,000 caricatures as well as the pencil portraits he is perhaps better known for. LaPorte’s work has been shown at exhibitions in a number of cities in the U.S., including his new solo show at the Leep Gallery at Pine Rest.

He has entered ArtPrize four times, winning in 2010 with Cavalry, American Officers, 1921, a life-sized, powerful, expressive and moving portrait of 63 seated World War I soldiers. LaPorte feels that his 2012 ArtPrize entry, City Band, 50 percent larger than Cavalry, reveals a progression of his technical drawing skills. LaPorte uses words like “empowering, engaging and validating” to describe his ArtPrize experience but also, after such a large investment of time and emotion composing the pieces, likens it to revealing a page from his diary. Winning the award, he says, has allowed him to take on more commissions and exhibitions and to continue making his large-scale drawings. He has also been able to give back to the community by donating prints of his works to nonprofit organizations for their fund-raising auctions.

A native of Bay City, LaPorte studied engineering at the University of Dayton until transferring to Aquinas’s BFA program. He spent a summer earning money for college by drawing caricatures at Cedar Point. He studied art in France and New York City, where he lived for six years, and then returned to Grand Rapids and has taught drawing at GRCC, GVSU and Kendall. He likes to teach and engage students and currently serves as associate professor of art at Aquinas College where he teaches drawing and painting. He has lived in Eastown since 2003 and likes “the energy that is inclusive and positive.” He loves its walkable, urban neighborhood, its

sense of community and its history.LaPorte’s drawings are inspired by

photographs that allow him to “take something something that’s long gone and make it alive.” That proved true for him personally as well as professionally. In September 2009, mourning his father’s recent sudden and tragic death, he purchased the old photograph that would provide the inspiration for Cavalry. Until then, he had focused largely on smaller oil paintings and figure studies but, wishing to push himself in a new direction, he decided to use the photograph as the basis for a drawing. The second ArtPrize competition, to be held a year later, provided a deadline and a venue. Intuitively, he sensed that the drawing would have to be conceptual, it would have to be rendered in pencil, and it would have to be life-sized (which he realized

would make it nearly 30 feet in length!). Space limitations in his (then) home studio meant that he would have to draw it on seven separate four-foot by eight-foot panels. Many months later, when he saw the completed panels placed together for the first time, and only after showing it to a colleague, did he realize that the work was an attempt to draw his father back to life and keep his memory alive.

A Portrait of The Artist Chris LaPorteBy Amy Wolterstorff

Chris LaPorte: Portraits, New and Old is showing at the Leep Gallery at Pine Rest’s Postma Center at 300 – 68th Street SE and continues through June 30. Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Continued on next page

Photo: by Lee Hardy

Eastown Access / April-May 2015 5

In the last issue of the Access we introduced you to Miranda Ward and Courtney Burrows, two of our newly appointed ECA Board Members. For this edition, we’ll focus on the

other new reps, Tracy Martin and Ryan Griffin.Ask Tracy Martin about herself and she’ll quickly change

the subject. But when she signed up to run for treasurer, we couldn’t think of a better woman for the job.

Tracy grew up in Eastown and even owned a business here. Those days are behind her and she’s now in the business of lending as a loan officer at Lake Michigan Credit Union.

She and her family live on the 1200 block of Thomas Street, and have cultivated (arguably) one of the best block parties in Eastown. When she and husband Tony (former long-serving board member) returned to Eastown in 1994, they settled in and started making friends on the block right away. She thinks being a good neighbor is sometimes as easy as sitting outside and being nice.

Ryan Griffin shares many of the same sentiments, loves the sense of community on her 200 block of Benjamin and finds it to be a true gift. “People are always willing to lend a hand and wild packs of kids run freely from house to house, because parents feel comfortable enough to let them do so.”

As an urban planner she is inspired by the walkability of Eastown and the integration of residential and commercial areas. This mix, she says, makes the livability of any community more complete. This works out well for Ryan—a self-proclaimed “Avid Eater” she’s often found walking her pack of five dogs to neighborhood eateries. Her passion for food includes chickens, and she’s excited for urban chickens and future urban farming initiatives in Grand Rapids.

Her previous experience running non-profits and writing grants has made Ryan a great fit for the Wilcox Fundraising Committee. And since she’s also a master gardener, it seemed only appropriate we have her on the Green Space Committee as well.

Together with Miranda and Courtney, Ryan and Tracy are excited to serve on the ECA board and continue improving our awesome community.

Neighbor SpotlightMeet the ECA Board: Part 2

Money Concepts Financial Planning Center

1514 Wealthy St SE, Suite 226 Grand Rapids, MI 49506

(616) 233-9773

Providing income taxand financial planning

services to thiscommunity since 2000.

We welcome Justin VanSpronsen to the EFS team this year!

Making the drawings involves, as LaPorte puts it, “lots of left-brain stuff at first followed by a window of right brain.” He relies on a grid to enlarge the scale and uses plumb lines to keep the figures aligned. Because the faces in the photographs are small, the fun, creative part comes when he gets to “play and discover” as he draws the faces and “exaggerates the expressions,” thereby making the works “psychologically three-dimensional” and infusing them with narrative and feeling.

LaPorte points to the dense pencil strokes in his portraits and describes the lengthy drawing process as meditative. The finished artwork is an expression of that meditative process; viewing it is a meditative experience as well. “The weight of it ends up being what it is about,” he says. The portraits’ rich, dark pencil lines masterfully portray the subjects’ personalities, relationships and histories, whereas the monumental scale draws the viewer in. The portraits “are in the room, they’re present and alive,” says LaPorte.

A Portrait cont. from page 4

and the city ofGrand Rapids

True Leadership

Eastownfor

Connect at blissformayor.org,facebook or call 889-1277

Co�ee with Bliss:Tuesday, May 5 at noonat Kitchen 67

Friday, June 14 at 7:30 a.m.at Sparrows Co�ee ShopThursday, July 9 at noonat SpeakEZ on Monroe

By Christa Brenner

Eastown Access / April-May 20156

Let us help you live happy.

Buying and selling a home should be an exciting experience, not a stressful one.

The Grand Rapids Police Department is partnering with the Parks and Recreation Department to start

a new baseball program that will target at-risk, inner-city youth. Police officers from the Community Affairs Unit will be coaching teams twice per week from June until mid-August. The goal of the program is to not only revitalize a sport that seems to be in decline in inner cities, but also to provide kids with an opportunity to have positive interactions with police officers in a non-enforcement capacity. Practices will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (with lunch provided), and the program will culminate in a tournament with a championship game played under the lights at a large community event on August 13th.

This new program is funded entirely by business and private donations, so your help is needed! Because participants are coming from lower-income neighborhoods, we will provide them with

By Officer Aaron Rossin

OnBase with GRPD A New Baseball Program For Inner-City Kids

gloves, cleats, bats, helmets, etc. After a few weeks of collecting, cleats are the greatest need. Monetary donations are also needed. Tax-deductible donation forms, as well as corporate sponsorship forms, are available on the program’s website at onbasewithgrpd.com.

We also hope to take the kids to a Detroit Tigers baseball game. Many of these kids will not have the opportunity for such an experience outside of this program, so we appreciate any help you can give us to make that happen!

We anticipate having somewhere between 50-100 kids participating, so volunteers will be needed. Opportunities will be posted on the program website and Facebook page. Therefore, we’ll be looking for anyone that can commit to helping out occasionally with practices and games. You can have experience coaching, umpiring, playing the game or just like working with kids!

Maintaining a growing shopping and dining vibrancy will continue to make Eastown a Grand Rapids destination.

Together, our voices, our values and our economic cohesiveness will allow us to remember where Eastown came from, look at where we are today and will ultimately decide where we go in the future. So my question for all of you is: where would you like it to go?

EBA cont. from page 3

Eastown Access / April-May 2015 7

On April 25, Goodwill opened a new Blue retail store in the Kingsley Building between Terra Restaurant and E.A. Brady’s Butcher and Meat Market. The new

concept store, which formerly resided in the MoDiv shops downtown and on Cherry Street in East Hills, specializes in men’s and women’s clothing and accessories and fashionable home decor. There will be specifically chosen goods from designers, vintage donated goods, re-purposed items, graphic limited edition t-shirts, and more. The staff will put together clothing ensembles and various handpicked wares specifically for customers from Goodwill’s donated goods. Like all Goodwill stores, proceeds from the store support the Goodwill mission.

The new look for the boutique can be attributed to Lance Marconi. He recently established INVENTUARY(tm), a design safe haven. He offered his services to Goodwill for this project after relocating from Chicago to Grand Rapids this winter.

“The new location speaks to the unique and trendy items available in this urban boutique,” said Jill Wallace, Goodwill’s chief marketing and communications officer.

Re:Blue will be open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

By Cathy TerBeek

Goodwill Re:Blue BoutiqueOpens in Eastown

What does Grand Rapids have in common with Paris, Lima, London and Bangalore? It will hold a Global Water Dances festival, its first ever. On

June 20, 2015, participants in these cities and over 70 others worldwide will “assemble to revere, renew and inspire solutions for our precious resource of water,” according to the website globalwaterdances.org.

The brainchild of two Eastown residents, Lea Sevigny and Amy Wilson, the Grand Rapids event will include water-themed family activities and will be held 12 noon to 3 p.m. at the green space on Lyon Street adjacent to Grand Rapids Montessori School (159 College NE).

Wilson will head up the dance portion of the festival. According to the Global Water Dances Initiative, “dancers use dance and music to blend local water issues with the global struggle to ensure safe water for all human beings.” In the spirit of unity, one of the dances will be performed at all events worldwide. Joshua Dunigan, the event’s music director, along with area students, will compose and perform original music.

Still in the planning stages, details are subject to change. Contact Sevigny at lsevigny@gmail.com for more information.

Global Water Dances FestivalBy Amy Wolterstorff

www.eastownvet.com1350 Lake Dr. Grand Rapids | P:616.451.1810

Don’t forget to stop by our open house during Eat. Shop. Rock on June 11th.

Approximately 50% of dogs and 30-40% of cats will develop cancer at some point

during their lifetime.

May is National Pet Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout the month, all cancer screening

packages will be $375. Schedule your appointment today for a healthier tomorrow.

Eastown Access / April-May 20158

usually because the old wiring has been overloaded. The original post and tube circuits were not designed to handle all the modern appliances we hook up to them, especially air conditioners. Other common causes: leaving food unattended on a hot stove or storing combustible material next to the hot water heater or furnace.

By the beginning of this summer, the Chester Street Fire Station should be sporting a brand-new fire engine. The latest model offers a variety of options for spraying foam as well as water. The new equipment will join the old. In the other bay of the garage stands a 1937 La France pumper, now owned by the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Vintage clocks and photographs adorn the walls; the oak file cabinets in the office look like they came out of an antique store. Of course, the classic fire pole is still there, running from the upstairs dorm down to the garage.

Does all of this talk about fires make you nervous? The Grand Rapids Fire Department offers free home inspections to install smoke detectors in your home free of charge. To ask for an inspection, call 456-3966.

Chester cont. from page 1

Yes, real fire stations have fire poles. This pole at Chester Street Fire Station runs from between two beds in the upstairs dorm room to the garage below.

Orion Construction and Orion Real Estate Solutions (ORES) are proposing two 3-story mixed-

use buildings at the southwest corner of Carlton and Fulton. The project is still in the initial planning stages, but is anticipated to include approximately 45 residential units, on-site parking, retail/residential space, and green space. Orion intends to deliver one building that will feature ground floor retail/restaurant space and apartments on the upper two floors, and a second building that will feature ground floor town homes and apartments on the upper two floors.

The site of the proposed project, which

is located near Aquinas College, next door to the Van Andel Opera Center, and across the street from Family Fare, has been vacant for years. According to Jason Wheeler, Orion’s PR Coordinator, “we love the Eastown neighborhood and we feel that the Aquinas College area would better serve students, faculty and young professionals if it had additional restaurant and retail options in the neighborhood.”

Orion intends to submit its initial proposal to the Grand Rapids Planning Commission on May 7, 2015. The project does not have a completion date or a grand opening date, as final project approval has not yet been obtained. Orion

Carlton One Retail & Restaurant Project By Kevan Ventura

hopes that construction will be ready to begin within a few months of receiving necessary approvals, and will have a better idea of timing after the May Planning Commission meeting.

“We just want people to know that we are carefully considering design and functionality on this site so we can propose and hopefully develop an asset in the community that can be enjoyed and appreciated by the neighborhood,” Wheeler said. “We don’t want to force anything here. Our intention is to work with the planning and zoning commissions and neighborhood association to deliver an end product the community can embrace.”

Photo: by Lee Hardy

Eastown Access / April-May 2015 9

A new physical therapy treatment center, Good Life Physical Therapy, opened in February on

1331 Lake Drive SE. Owner Ryan Gary (PT, DPT) has certification in several different therapies such as Active Release Technique (ART), Astym, and manual manipulation treatments.

Originally from Grand Rapids, Gary graduated from Hope College with a degree in psychology and a minor in Spanish. He relocated to Denver, Colorado where he earned a doctorate in physical therapy at Regis University and completed his clinical work. In December 2013, Gary moved back to Grand Rapids with his wife, Ashley, a physician assistant at Cherry Street Health Clinic.

“We wanted to offer some different services and different styles of treatment allowing for a more personal, individualized touch,” says Gary. These services include Active Release Technique (ART), a soft tissue mobilization and release technique, as well as Astym, which utilizes instruments to promote tissue healing, and scar tissue and fascial release.

Gary also engages in more manual

Seats AvailableCall 616-248-3390 Today

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New Physical Therapy Center Offers Alternative Pain Relief TherapiesBy Cathy TerBeek

manipulations and mobilization as a therapy approach. He explains that most physical therapists focus on exercise to deal with pain, muscular problems, and a range of injuries. Fabrication orthotics is a treatment strategy that allows Gary to use an iPad to, for example, analyze a patient’s foot by creating a 3-D model of the foot with pictures. This model fits better than traditional molds that can shrink and fail.

Good Life Physical Therapy also has an Alter-G anti-gravity treadmill available for participants to walk at 20 percent of what they weigh with a low-impact advantage for the body. Pay-per-use rates allow athletes and runners to benefit from working out on the treadmill. Currently, Gary is pursuing certification for trigger point dry needling and may potentially practice acupuncture techniques at Good Life Therapy.

Says Gary: “In trying to do something different than other physical therapists, Eastown seems to be a progressive neighborhood where we can offer these types of services and where people are open to different and new treatment styles.”

To make an appointment at Good Life Physical Therapy, call 616-248-9842.

Embrace Life. Live well.Be mindful.

Holistic Health - Wellness - Spiritual Growth1430 Lake Drive SE

www.spiritdreamsgr.comOpen 7 days a week

Eastown Access / April-May 201510

Community NotesTrees Need Your Help!We received a grant through the Urban Forest Project which allowed us to plant 15 new trees at Sigsbee Park! Now we need your help to keep the trees watered until fall. Please call us at 451-3025 if you are able to help us water the trees at Sigsbee Park (1250 Sigsbee).

Block PartiesAs we enter into the summer months, many residents throughout Eastown will celebrate community, friendship, and summer by closing their street and hosting a block party.

If you are interested in hosting a block party, contact the ECA today. There is a one-page application that must be filled out in order to close the street and receive barricades from the City. The majority of the residents on your block must all agree to the road closure. Contact the ECA to get your application.

Construction UpdatesThe continuation of the Carlton Reconstruction Project started on April 6th. Until it is done in May, Carlton will be closed to through traffic, with local access maintained, and Fuller Ave. can

be used as a detour. Visit our website for all of the details about this project: http://www.eastown.org/carlton-construction/.

Backyard ChickensHave you considered raising chickens right in your own backyard? Applications to raise Backyard Chickens in Grand Rapids are now available! The application, permit procedure, and regulations now posted on The City of Grand Rapids website, grcity.us. For more information regarding the Backyard Chicken ordinance or permitting process, please contact the City’s Development Center at (616) 456-4100 or by emailing devcenter@grcity.us.

Get your free smoke alarms!If you have not signed up for the FREE residential safety program through the Grand Rapids Fire Department, do it today! In about 20 minutes, they will install new smoke detectors throughout your home, replace any smoke detectors you have with new ones, and provide you with good info on fire safety. You can call them at 456-3966 to make an appointment.

Have you signed the pledge?The ECA has CFL light bulbs for residents who pledge to turn their porch lights on

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your farmers your foodM o r e t h a n y o u r n e i g h b o r h o o d g r o c e r y s t o r e !

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and to light up all entrances to the home EVERY NIGHT! Stop by the ECA, 415 Ethel Ave, to pick up your free light bulbs and to sign the porch light pledge.

Vendor Applications online!For the convenience of our vendors (and by popular demand) applications for both Eastown Bizarre Bazaar and Eastown Streetfair are now online.

Eastown Bizarre Bazaar features local artists, potters, sculptors, and jewelry designers in the heart of Eastown. Eastown Bizarre Bazaar is June 27th, 9am-5pm and the fee for artists is $70 and $150 for outside food vendors. Please remember this event is for quality, handmade items ONLY. Commercial products are prohibited at this event.

Eastown Streetfair is a community event featuring art, local businesses, food, and music by local and regional talent. Eastown Streetfair is September 12th, 9am-8pm and the fee for vendors is $100, $75 for nonprofit organizations and $250 for outside food vendors. Vendors will be selected for participation on a first come, first serve basis.

Visit our website to fill out an application: http://www.eastown.org/eastown-vendor-applications-now-online/.

RE-ELECT2nd Ward City Commissionerrkelly@grcity.us 616.238.9370

RUTH

www . k e l l y f o r g r . c om

Eastown Access / April-May 2015 11

Contribution $ Your gift at any level will help support the organization.

Name:

Address:

City: State: Zip:

Phone: Email:

I would like to volunteer for the following:

Green Space Block Captain Access

Useful NumbersEmergency 911Police: Non-emergency 456-3400Silent Observer 774-2345

Eastown Community Association 451-3025

Community Police Officer Jereremy Huffman 520-3478

Captain Jeffrey Hertel 456-3499 Grand Rapids Customer Service 311

Bob Crow, Calvin CollegeDean of Student Development 526-6165

Heather Bloom Hall, Aquinas CollegeDirector of Campus Life 632-2457

Eastown Community Association:www.eastown.orgwww.facebook.com/eastowngr

The City of Grand Rapids:www.grcity.us

Second Ward Commissioners(North of Wealthy):Rosalynn Bliss: rbliss@grcity.usRuth E. Kelly: rkelly@grcity.usThird Ward Commissioners(South of Wealthy):Senita Lenear: slenear@grcity.usElias Lumpkins: elumpkins@grcity.us

The Rapid Bus System:www.ridetherapid.org

Kent County:www.accesskent.com State of Michigan:www.michigan.gov Get the Lead Out!www.healthyhomescoalition.org Heart of West Michigan United Way www.211.org or call 211

The Eastown Community Association is a nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization. Donations help us cover operating costs, hold events, facilitate public dialogues on key issues, and support neighborhood improvement—all in service to the Eastown community.

We encourage you to make your donation online at www.eastown.org/donate or by sending in the form below. Checks and money orders should be made out to the Eastown Community Association and can be sent to the ECA at 415 Ethel Ave SE.

WEBSITES/EMAILSIf you’re not recycling your paper, glass and cans, start now by calling the city for a free recycling bin: 456-3232

If you have electronic components you need to get rid of, you can take them to:Kent County Recycling Center977 Wealthy SW/Grand RapidsMonday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.CompRenew629 Ionia SW/Grand Rapids Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Have an item to recycle but not sure where to take it? Visit www.recyclekent.org/ for locations to accept most household items.

Used auto oil can be taken to the Auto Zone, on Fuller just south of Leonard, for free recycling.

If you wish to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive, try:www.41pounds.org or www.dmachoice.org

Tired of telemarketing calls at dinnertime?Register your phone number atwww.donotcall.gov

Clean & Green

NON-PROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID GRAND RAPIDS, MI

PERMIT NO. 277

Eastown Community Association415 Ethel Ave SEGrand Rapids, MI 49506-9907

“We feel so great abou t the staff and leadership at Congress and at GRPS.”

EMILY & JONO KLOOSTER See our full story at WeAreGR.com

.COMWWW.GRPS.ORG

We Are Proud Parents at

CONGRESS ELEMENTARY* Strong partnership with neighborhood associations

and businesses* Major academic gains * Committed principal, teachers, and staff

Enroll Today @ grps.org/enrolltoday

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GIVEAWAYSENTERTAINMENT FREE FOODINFORMATION ON SCHOOLS & SERVICES

When: August 13* | 4-8 p.m. Where: John Ball Park1300 Fulton St. W, Grand Rapids Cost: Admission is FREE! *In case of rain, event will move to City High Middle School.

Admission to the zoo is a separate fee not included in the GRPS Back to School Celebration Event. JUMP passes are not valid for zoo admission during this event because the GRPS Back to School Celebration is a special event at John Ball Zoo this evening.