Community Corner

This Week in Grosse Pointe: Feb. 20

Some events to know about that are happening Grosse Pointe this week.

Here are a few happenings in the Grosse Pointes this week:

1. Grosse Pointe Shores council will meet Tuesday Feb. 21 beginning at 7 p.m. There are several items on the agenda, including:

  • a brief welcoming to the new Director of Public Safety John Schulte
  • an update on the Detroit Water and Sewer District rates for the Shores
  • the Economic Vitality Incentive Program grant that will match at a 50 percent rate to the construction or conversion of a building to be used for an all-Pointes dispatch and lockup center
  • a $135,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation for the replacement of a refuse truck
  • a 12 percent decrease in property values
  • the creation of an ad hoc committee to study moving the Shores out of Wayne County and entirely into Macomb County
  • to place legal services for the city up for bid

Council will also have a closed session to address collective bargaining and a legal opinion on pending litigation. 

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2. The Grosse Pointe Shores finance committee will meet Wednesday Feb. 22 beginning at 7 p.m. An agenda was not yet available for review when this article was published. The group has already begun discussion about forecasting for the 2012/13 fiscal year budget and will likely be continuing that conversation in addition to any other agenda items. 

3. City offices in each of the Grosse Pointes will be closed Monday Feb. 20 in observance of President's Day. Refuse and recycling pickup are on schedule for all of the cities.

Find out what's happening in Grosse Pointewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

4. The Grosse Pointe Shores planning commission is holding a public hearing Tuesday Feb. 21 beginning at 8 a.m. on a proposed ordinance regulating solar panels within the city limits. The commission began discussions about solar panels last year after a resident requested a construction permit to install several panels in the roof. The commission has been working for the last several months to draft an ordinance to regulate their usage and placement. The proposed ordinance requires the following:

  • no freestanding solar panels
  • solar panels installed on a roof must not come within three feet of a peak or valley to ensure accessibility
  • the solar panels must not be higher than six inches above the current roof
  • the solar panels must have an automatic shut off that can be employed in the event of an emergency, such as a fire
  • the solar panels must have non-reflective surfaces and match the existing roof closely so as to be less noticable
  • installation of solar panels will require the approval of the planning commission and require a special land use permit
  • installation shall not require clearcutting or extensive removal of trees or greenery

The planning commission will hold the public hearind and following any public comment, are expected to vote to recommend the passage of the ordinance to city council. The ordinance must go before city council to gain official approval and become municipal law. 

5. Grosse Pointe Public Schools are on mid-winter break this week.


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