Grosse Pointe Woods celebrates turning 75

GROSSE POINTE WOODS — Grosse Pointe Woods capped off a year of 75th anniversary celebrations with a birthday party on the date the Woods officially became a city, Dec. 11.

A crowd estimated at over 100 — including elected officials, residents and current and former Woods administrators — were on hand for the party, held inside the Community Center. Balloons in the city’s colors of green and white, along with historical photos, were on display, and there was, of course, a giant birthday cake. Actually, two of them.

“We’re delighted to see so many residents and business owners,” Mayor Arthur Bryant said as he greeted attendees.

The mayor was among those who recognized that people braved an exceptionally cold and icy night to be present.

One of the highlights of the anniversary was the debut screening of a short video in which residents and officials shared what they like about the city. The parks, the people and the small-town feel were among the comments made by residents.

“I thought it was really nice in the video (hearing) the kids talk about what they love about the city,” City Councilwoman Vicki Granger said.

Granger is the longest-serving current council member — she’s been on the council since 1997 — and the only one who was on the council 25 years ago. For the 50th anniversary celebration in 2000, she said the city had a parade that went from Parcells Middle School to City Hall, and there was a large statue of the number 50 on the front lawn that people could climb on.

“I think our celebration this year was great. … I’m glad we had good turnout,” Granger said.

A mosaic made of tiles decorated by local children earlier this year was displayed during the party. Bryant said it will be installed permanently in the City Hall entryway area.

Bryant also opened the 50th anniversary time capsule, revealing items relevant from that era, including bulky old cellphones that couldn’t access the internet, a VHS videotape, a Harry Potter book, city newsletters and calendars, and a tribute to the city on this milestone anniversary signed by then-Gov. John Engler and state Rep. Andrew Richner.

Bryant admitted that the search for the 50th anniversary time capsule led to finding it in an unexpected place. He said they started looking for the metal box earlier this year, after not finding it where they thought it had been stored.

One day, Bryant turned to City Councilman Todd McConaghy in a moment of realization.

“What’s this box that he and I have been kicking around for the last 12 years?” Bryant said. “(The time capsule) was under our feet.”

It had been locked and stored underneath the council table the whole time.

Bryant showed some of the items that were being placed in the 2025 time capsule, which will be opened in 2050, when the Woods turns 100. Yearbooks from the local schools, a Narcan kit, a COVID test, a public safety badge, newspapers — including issues of the Grosse Pointe Times — and a magazine with pop star Taylor Swift on the cover were among the items a future generation will see.

Grosse Pointe Woods can trace its history back to the mid-1700s, when many French settlers owned “ribbon farms” that ran to Lake St. Clair. By the 1800s and early 1900s, French, Dutch and Belgian families with familiar names like Vernier, Allard, VanAntwerp, Robert-John, Beaufait and Brys were tilling the soil. In 1927, the area was incorporated as the Village of Lochmoor. Under the leadership of Village President Alois A. Ghesquiere — for whom the park behind City Hall is named — the community became the Village of Grosse Pointe Woods in 1939. Then, on Dec. 11, 1950, the village was incorporated as the City of Grosse Pointe Woods.

“In the last 25 years, I think we’ve really worked hard to maintain a high quality of life with our public services,” Granger said.

That hasn’t been easy, given that property taxes — the city’s largest source of revenue — dropped 35% to 40% during the Great Recession in 2008 and have recovered slowly because of caps on taxable value in Michigan. Granger said the Woods had to delay construction projects and employees didn’t get raises for several years as property tax revenue plummeted.

“The people make Grosse Pointe Woods, but the employees make Grosse Pointe Woods as well,” said Granger, adding that the employees “have a great deal of pride in their work” and care about the city they serve.

That was evident just by looking around the room. Besides many current Woods employees, all the city administrators who’ve served over the last 25 years were on hand for the celebration, with the exception of Ted Bidigare, who died in 2020.

Mark Wollenweber was the Woods’ city administrator from October 2004 to June 2010. As someone who has helmed multiple other communities and is routinely tapped to become an interim city manager as a metro Detroit community looks for a new one, Wollenweber is familiar with most of the current and past Woods city administrators.

“I think they’ve had good leadership,” Wollenweber said.

Others echoed that sentiment.

Alfred “Skip” Fincham, who had been hired in early 2010 to be the Woods’ public safety director, was named the city administrator in October 2010 after Wollenweber’s retirement at the end of June.

Fincham said the Woods has “continued to grow” over the last 25 years. He praised city officials for preparing department staffers to step into leadership roles.

“The succession plan here is exceptional,” said Fincham.

Another former Woods public safety director who became city administrator is Bruce Smith, who was hired for the former position in February 2015. Fincham retired from the Woods in late 2015 and after a 1 1/2-year-long search process, the City Council named Smith as the new city administrator in 2017.

“I loved my time working here and I miss the city and all the people here,” said Smith, who retired in December 2021. “It was very hard for me to retire from here.”

City Manager Frank Schulte — whose title was changed after a voter-approved charter amendment in November — agreed that there’s something special about the Woods. Schulte started working for the city in January 2016 and became the director of the Department of Public Works a few months later. He was named the city administrator after Smith’s retirement.

“I love this place,” said Schulte, who’s retiring in early January 2026.

In keeping with Fincham’s observation about the succession plan, Assistant City Manager Susan Como has been working closely with Schulte as she prepares to become the new city manager — and the first woman in Woods history to hold this title. Como was sworn in during a Dec. 15 Woods City Council meeting.