Hamtramck_web

HAMTRAMCK, MICHIGAN impervious surface the water has to run off.We also have a combined sewer system, so your stormwater and your sewer are running in the same pipes. That tends to cause a lot of prob- lems. There is hardly any stormwater manage- ment here.When I got here, I asked about our stormwater master plan and no one knew what that was. So, we’re going to try and do that in the future to get a plan in place. “In the meantime, we have planters that are also not conducive to getting the water out. But we are going to be starting a project this sum- mer.We applied for a Transportation Alternative Program Grant. That is through the Michigan Department of Transportation and also the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. We’ve applied for this grant which, hopefully, will allow us to replace our current planters that are not helping us on the stormwater side because the bottoms of them are concrete. We’re going to be replacing those, which will allow us to get some of the water out.” Other plans include the redevelopment and/ or upkeep of the City’s three business corridors. “Joseph Campeau is our original business dis- trict,” Powell says. “Back in the day, it was com- pletely filled with clothing stores and novelty items. It was very, very successful. In the ‘60s PREFERRED VENDORS n The Huttenlocher Group www.huttenlochergroup.com n Sewer & Water Specialist, Inc. www.swsmichigan.com n Great Lakes Water Authority www.glwater.org and ‘70s, it was a thriving downtown. But now we’ve got lots of vacant businesses on that road. Then there’s the Conant Business District. On that stretch of road, we’ve got majority Arab and Bengali businesses, and you can’t find a vacant space on that road.We also have an- other street called Caniff and there are various businesses there, as well – restaurants, the post office, the newspaper. So, we’ve got the poten- tial for lots of development to happen.” Powell says she is also working on getting a grant to update a major intersection at Joseph Campeau and Caniff Streets, as well as putting in a new bike lane, there. “We’re connecting with the Inner City Greenway that Detroit is currently doing.We’re going to be partnering with Wayne County, as well, to get that in. So, we’re going to have a dedicated bike lane on Joseph Campeau. We’re going to get rid of some of the asphalt and concrete and put in medians with grass and trees to help with runoff.We’ve also got an aggressive tree program that we’re doing; we’re in the process of partnering with Wayne Coun- ty and the Forestry Group to plant about 200 trees, this year.” Finally, Powell reasserts the notion that Hamtramck’s future, just like its past, is tied to that of the Motor City. “We happen to be in the middle of Detroit,which is in a huge revitalization mode right now, so we’re trying to piggyback on that momentum.We want new businesses coming in; we want people to come here and create business that helps the residents.We want people to move into our community, not just to live here, but to work here and play here, also. Like every other community; we want the same thing.” With a stabilizing economy and newmunicipal leadership, the future of Hamtramck, Michigan, the city within a city, is looking bright, indeed.