KALAMAZOO (WKZO AM/FM) — Mayor Bobby Hopewell is calling for patience from city commissioners and the community, as they work out how to spend ten million dollars to make Kalamazoo a better place.
Last night staff laid out the exhaustive process they will follow in implementing the goals, working with local vendors to keep the money in town. Commissioners got an update on the legal steps being taken and timelines on how it will be rolled out, and how it will be evaluated as it’s done.
Hopewell says they plan to start slow and build up to the big goals.
Some commissioners are anxious to get the anti-poverty efforts underway, while the public seems more interested in neighborhood improvements, like sidewalk repairs and street lights.
Summer Programs for kids are funded and ready to go. Next up will be “shovel-ready” projects that the city is already doing but will be expanded like replacing lead service lines, bike paths and racks and more free public Wi-fi.
They will be wrapping up the public input sessions for the Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 effort over the next two nights at the Rose Street Market, as the effort grinds on.
