July 27, 2023 General Meeting at Turnstiles

SBA General Meeting - July 27, 2023

The SBA General Meeting commenced at 12:03 p.m. with Mitch Cook, President of SBA, at Turnstiles, presiding.

Introductions were made, with attendees including:

  • Captain PJ Baker, GRPD - new WestSide Captain

  • Jessica Gutowski-Slaydon with Swift Printing Inc.

  • Annette Vandenberg with WestGrand Neighborhood Association

  • Monica Hall with John Ball Area Neighbor

  • Sue Berklin from Elks

  • Michael from Elks

  • Julie Grevengoed with Clarity Realty

  • Expereince GR

  • Chi Benedict with WestGrand Neighborhood Association

  • Lucas Leverett, Independent

  • Phil Tower with 88.1

  • Gary Szotko with Lewandoski's Market

  • Erin & Kevin Tracy with Mobile GR

  • Paula Veneklase with Help Pregnancy

  • David Ringler with Küsterer Brauhaus

  • Alberto Garza with General Woodshop

  • Joe Johnson with Turnstiles

Meeting Updates:

  • Mitch read the new ordinance amendments that will take effect in 30 days (as per Josh Lunger's email).

  • Josh Lunger from The Chamber of Commerce sends informative political emails weekly. To be added to his distribution list, contact him at josh@grandrapids.org.

  • Mitch shared updates from Commission Drew Robbins and Rich App from The Chamber & Jennifer Posqua, Broadway on Bridge, regarding a possible 35-year celebration.

Captain PJ Baker provided an update and introduced himself as the new WestSide Captain.

Alberto Garza shared exciting news about his new bar, The General Woodshop, emphasizing that it is an LGBTQ+ bar warmly welcoming all.

Presentation from Mobile GR revealed that Dash is free to ride, and the full loop takes 45 minutes, now going in both directions.

Neighborhoods Update highlighted important reminders, including locking up guns and businesses sharing "use your voice" paperwork. A city survey is underway, and dumpster day is approaching. For further details, contact Annette Vandenberg.

View Neighborhood Resource Guide Here

Membership Dues: Attendees were encouraged to pay membership dues. Current members in good standing include:

  • Bridge Street Ministries

  • Lucas Leverett

  • Fratellis

  • Rockford Construction

  • Elks Lodge

  • Grow Hub GR

  • Help Pregnancy

  • Swift Printing

  • Chris Huntoon

  • General WoodShop (through Oct 2023)

Member Suggestions/Comments:

  • A request for a Port-a-loo on the WestSide was raised.

    • HELP Pregnancy sought clarification on why Line 18 was discontinued.

      Here’s the response from the Rapid: Hi Jessica. Below is a response from our Senior Planner Max Dillivan with his contact information below.

      Technically, Route 18 Westside was not terminated. The unproductive portions of the route had service removed, namely the corridors of Tremont, Valley, and Walker. The remainder of the route was consolidated with Route 12 West Fulton. The new combined route includes Route 18’s more productive segments of Lane and Butterworth are now served by the newly-established Route 12 Westside. Outside of the specific trips around school bell times, Route 18 suffered from very low utilization. Correspondingly, productivity was also low and ranked among the lowest performing routes in our fixed route system. Since consolidating with Route 12, the route boasted the 7th highest productivity rating in our system in FY22. This is a marked improvement from the former Route 12 (15th most productive) and Route 18 (19th most productive). Prior to the implementation of the COA, we (myself and Bill Kirk or our strategic comms consultant, Steve Faber) held meetings with John Ball Area Neighbors, West Grand Neighborhood Organization, and the Stockbridge Business Association to gather feedback. Happy to provide any additional information you may want. The attached presentation slide deck includes some additional explanations of the Route 12 and 18 consolidation. Maxwell Dillivan, AICP Senior Planner The Rapid Follow us on Twitter & Facebook P: 616.774.1159

  • SBA Tour the Dash? The possibility of conducting the next meeting on the route was suggested. - After much discussion, we decided not to pursue riding the dash for our meeting. Maybe an after hours event sometime.

The meeting adjourned at 1:02 p.m.

Jessica Slaydon