Berkley

Local cities partner with Oakland County on new sustainability project

By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

BERKLEY — The Woodward 5 communities will soon begin working together on a long-term plan to improve the sustainability and environmental health of the region.

The Berkley City Council did its part to get the project off the ground on Feb. 6 by unanimously approving a resolution in support of a partnership between the five cities and Oakland County, which includes grant funding and services totaling $75,000.

The project’s main objective is to integrate economic, community and environmental goals, and identify needed efforts for advancing local sustainability through the development of a strategic plan. This plan will determine new opportunities to enhance the region through community development, environmental sustainability, and upgrades to local transportation and energy use.

According to City Manager Jane Bais-DiSessa, “This is a way for us to preserve what we have right now and protect our environment for future generations. The good part is that we already have strong relationships with these other cities, so that makes it easier for us to get together. I’m very excited about this partnership and very anxious to get started.”

The Woodward 5 was established over three years ago and includes the cities of Royal Oak, Ferndale, Berkley, Huntington Woods and Pleasant Ridge, as well as Ferndale Public Schools and the Berkley School District. The goal of the group is to brand the five communities as a collective unit and help attract potential homeowners, businesses and tourists to their stretch of the Woodward Avenue corridor.

The sustainability partnership includes a $50,000 contribution from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) through a Community Pollution Prevention (P2) grant received by Oakland County Planning and Economic Development Services. The county will also provide an additional $25,000 in staff time and resources as a match to the MDEQ grant.

The participating communities are not being asked to provide any direct funding for the project, but will instead be expected to provide over 100 staff hours, as well as available resources such as computers and meeting rooms. The 20-month partnership will run from January 2012 through August 2013.

Nina Ignaczak, a senior planner for Oakland County Planning and Economic Development Services, pointed out that all the Woodward 5 communities need to get on board with the project by the end of March.

“This grant money is meant to develop a coordinated plan for all five cities,” she said. “We will work together with them to determine what their goals are and then try to leverage their shared resources to increase sustainability in the area. Ultimately, we hope to create a toolkit that other Oakland County communities can use in the future.”

Ignaczak noted that each community will appoint city officials to serve on the partnership’s executive committee. They will also seek out local residents, business owners, educators, nonprofit leaders and other community stakeholders to be part of an advisory committee made up of 25 to 30 members.

At its Feb. 6 meeting, the Berkley City Council selected Councilwoman Lisa Platt Auensen to represent Berkley on the executive committee. As an advocate for various environmental issues, Platt Auensen was happy to be chosen for this new role.

“I want to help create a plan that will help move our region forward,” she said. “Anything that we can do to establish the connections necessary to make this area more desirable in the long run, I think, is a win-win. Just the fact that we’re doing this is pretty monumental to me.”

While no specific improvements have been discussed yet, Platt Auensen said that she will attend her first meeting with the group on Feb. 23. She plans to push for advancements in Complete Streets concepts that will make the region more attractive for bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as upgrades to both residential and commercial recycling.

“I’m really going to be looking for areas of commonality where we can try to make people’s experiences even more positive and enjoyable when they come here,” Platt Auensen said. “I definitely have high hopes for this project.”

Bais-DiSessa also believes that the sustainability partnership will be a step in the right direction for the Woodward 5 initiative. While the group has been around for a few years now, its name is still not as widely known as city officials hope that it will someday become.

“Our original intent and our primary focus with the Woodward 5 was to promote our communities as a joint venture,” she said, “ but we always knew that it could develop into other things down the road. This collaboration could be the next step toward our cities working together as a region rather than individually.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jeremy Selweski at jSelweski@candgnews.com or at (586)218-5004.