2009 Byron Days!

The 2009 Byron Days Summer Festival is coming up July 23rd - July 26th. Bring the whole family to enjoy great food, games, a farmers market, a flea market and tons of entertainment!

More information and a full schedule of events is available by visiting the Byron Township Website.

Upcoming Road Construction Projects

There are a couple of road construction projects that are about the get underway in Gaines Charter Township.

First, some of the streets in Crystal Springs are going to be reconstructed as follows:

1. Old Lantern Dr. (68th St. to Meadowgreen Ct.)
2. Crystal Springs Boulevard (Kalamazoo to Old Lantern Dr.)
3. Crystal View (68th St. to address 6879)

Second, the plater creek culvert under Hammond Avenue is going to be replaced with work scheduled to begin on June 29th. Hammond Avenue will be closed to traffic during this replacement and traffic will be detoured.

To find the most up to date information regarding road closures and construction you can also visit the Kent County Road Commission's website.

Building Department Hours of Operation

The Gaines Charter Township Building Department has adopted new hours of operation, they are:

• Monday and Friday - 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM and 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM
• Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday - 6:00 AM to 1:00 PM
• Electrical Inspector, Roger Sterk, is available on Thursday's from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM

Please call the Building Department at 616-698-6640 if you have any questions.

Summer Recreation Program!

Gaines Charter Township is partnering with Byron Township to offer a summer recreation program for children ages 6 years old and older. The children will be able to participate in a variety of activities, special events, and field trips each Friday. There is no cost for residents, except for a minimal cost for the field trips. Pre-registration is not required.

Please contact the Byron Township Recreation Department at 616-878-1998 or visit their website for more information.

Site Plan Review Committee

The Township's Site Plan Review Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 4 PM in the Township Board room. Please click here for a copy of the agenda. The meeting is open to the public.

The Site Plan Review Committee is comprised of three members of the Planning Commission. The Committee is responsible for granting site plan approval to those construction projects and land uses that are allowed by right in a respective zoning district. When special land use approval is needed, or if a project is a Major Amendment to a Planned Unit Development, the full Planning Commission is then responsible for Site Plan Review.

Avoiding Foreclosure Workshop

You are invited to a free information session about how to avoid foreclosure presented by the Grand Rapids Urban League. The session will provide information about the foreclosure process and timelines along with the various options a homeowner may have to resolve the situation. Concrete information about the steps you can take and how to take them will be provided. In addition, a League Housing Counselor will be available for private discussion after the session. The information session will be held on Tuesday, May 12, 2009, starting at 4:00 p.m. at Gaines Township Offices. Pre-registration is not necessary.

Please contact Jenni at 616-698-6640 or jennifer.lamb@gainestownship.org with questions.

Parks & Recreation - Community Attitude Survey

The Gaines Charter Township Parks & Recreation Committee is currently in the process of preparing a new Parks and Recreation Plan in order to be eligible for certain state grant opportunities. In order to gauge the opinions of residents regarding parks and recreation within the Township, this survey has been created. The survey will be sent out in the May 5, 2009 addition of the Southeast and Southwest Advance Newspapers. The Parks & Recreation Committee is asking that each household within the Township complete and return the survey to one of the locations indicated on the survey. Or you can simply print the survey from the Township website and return it to one of the locations. The Committee is hoping that a large number of surveys are returned, so please take part!! If you have any questions about the survey, please contact us via email at megan.sharp@gainestownship.org. Thank you!!