La Grande Vitesse sculpture by Alexander Calder, in front of Grand Rapids City Hall. /Scott Warren
City of Grand Rapids resuming in-person government meetings next week
The City of Grand Rapids is resuming in-person government meetings starting July 13, it announced Thursday.
The meetings had been held virtually since March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and Michigan’s related public health orders.
Located in City Hall’s ninth-floor City Commission Chambers at 300 Monroe Ave. NW, the government meetings include City Commission and morning subcommittee meetings. Their schedule will continue to follow the schedule in place during the health orders for the near future:
- 8am | Committee on Appointments
- 8:30am | Fiscal Committee
- 9:15am | Community Development Committee
- 10am | Committee of the Whole
- 7pm | City Commission
“All staff will present to the committee/commission in-person,” the City of Grand Rapids said in a Thursday statement. “As normal practice, the public can speak on public hearings, agenda items, and general comment periods during the evening commission meeting.”
Spanish interpretation is also available at the evening commission meetings, according to the city.
In addition to in-person access, the commission and subcommittee meetings broadcast live on the city’s Comcast government access channel 26, as well as its YouTube and Facebook pages.
More details about the city’s government meetings and their schedule are available on the city’s website.
Kent County Health Department, community partners launch mobile vaccine unit in southeast Grand Rapids
The Kent County Health Department (KCHD) and its community partners are operating a mobile COVID-19 vaccine unit in southeast Grand Rapids throughout July, aiming to make it easier for area residents to get vaccinated.
In collaboration with Seeds of Promise and Grand Rapids Proactive, the mobile clinic will run every Thursday in July from 1-3pm. It will be stationed in the parking lot of the Great Giant Supermarket at 1226 Madison Ave. SE, operated by KCHD nursing staff.
“The team at Seeds of Promise understands there are notable disparities in vaccination rates and hesitancy by the black community,” said Ludie Weddle, Chair of Seeds of Promise’s Health and Wellness Impact Team. “We decided to take the vaccination process to the people in the community.”
The KCHD’s Medical Director, Dr. Nirali Bota, notes that the effort is part of the department’s effort to move away from a mass vaccination approach to a targeted approach of reaching local communities where the disparities in vaccination rates are the greatest.
The Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available at the mobile clinic. Appointments are not required and there is no charge for the vaccine.
More details about area vaccine sites are available at VaccinateWestMI.com.
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