Greetings Village of Hopkins!
Each year I am amazed at how quickly the school year seems to wind down and come to an end. Though spring “came early” this year, it still seems to have given way to summer so quickly. The month of May has been filled with all of the regular great things we do as a community. We had our community garage sales, yet another gloomy day… just to keep with tradition, and the community clean up the following week. Our High School Seniors have had their last day and will be graduating tomorrow (as I write this). This is a very fun and exciting time for Hopkins.
Though you will not receive this prior to the event, on Memorial Day, we will hold a Bell Ringing Ceremony at the newly improved Veterans’ Memorial in the “old park”, downtown Hopkins. This ceremony will be held at 12:45 PM. Our goal is that this will become a regular part of the local Memorial Day celebrations in and around the Hopkins area.
As we move into summer, we find ourselves with many of the regular summer activities and events. Many sporting events happen at the North Park and we’re thankful for the use that those fields get. Please remember to be courteous with your parking and respect people’s wishes to not park where signs indicate “no parking”. We also want to encourage being good neighbors through appropriate lawn care, not blowing grass into the streets (it’s illegal), and following our burning ordinance (no trash or leaves, only cooking campfires).
While it is over a month away, the 4th of July celebration will also be coming up soon. The 4th of July Committee has been hard at work preparing for this event and we are looking forward to it. A new part of the event this year will be a social district that has been created for that day. The Committee will be selling cups that you can use at our local restaurants and have outdoors within the defined area. Proceeds for this will go to funding fireworks for future events. More information about this will be available on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hopkinshometowncelebrations
One other thing that is going on this summer that I want to encourage you to check out: the Hopkins Cruise Nights! These will be happening on the last Friday of each month May 30, June 28, July 26, and August 30 at 5:30 PM. Each of these events will feature live music (including Hark-Up! On June 28), food, really cool cars, and a lot of friends and fellowship. We are incredibly grateful for all of the local organizations who have sponsored these events. As always, it is amazing how everyone pitches in to support local events to make Hopkins the best place to live in West Michigan!
Finally, I wanted to offer a couple of quick updates on some work being down in the background:
At our Regular Meeting on May 13, 2024, the Village Council passed a new Animal Control Ordinance. This Ordinance is a major update to our existing rules regarding the keeping of animals within the Village. Some of the highlights include the new ability to have “domestic fowl” (chickens, ducks, and/or Quail) within the Village. There are a number of specifications that I would encourage you to review about how to keep them and it is limited to 6 birds in any combination. The Council is excited to have this passed as it provides new opportunities for families within the Village and fulfills a longstanding request from many of you. You can find this Ordinance on our Website.
The work to revise the current Village Charter from 1921 was completed on August 1, 2023. As I wrote in the previous letter, we are going through a process of amending the Charter a few sections at a time due to the easier nature of getting it approved by the State. As such, we have been diligently working to get our first amendment (or set of amendments) approved to be on the ballot in November. We will release more information on this as it becomes available. In the meantime, there is a link on our website’s homepage that you can go to for information and an overview of what we are seeking to do.
The joint Master Plan and Parks & Recreation Plan with the Township is in its final phase of approval. Following the approval of the Recreation Plan, we turned our attention to the Master Plan. A final draft has been completed and will be voted on in June. Both the Village and the Township will then hold a public meeting to get final feedback from the public on the joint Master Plan. Following that meeting, we will hold a final vote on that plan and have submitted it to the State. I am pleased at this process and looking forward to seeing it finished.
Earlier this year, the Village of Hopkins and Hopkins Public Schools also entered into a process to pursue a grant called “Safe Routes to School”. SRTS is a federal grant that is available to communities that are seeking to create and/or update infrastructure and/or education for families and communities that have people walking, biking, or participating in other non-vehicle related transportation to school. We will be pursing a large grant for the purpose of updating lighting, sidewalks, crossings, etc. throughout the Village of Hopkins. You have likely seen information come from the schools seeking surveys and input. We STRONGLY encourage you to give your feedback on this as it helps position us well in this competitive grant process.
Finally, I wanted to take a moment to remind you of when meetings happen. You can find all the following information on our Facebook page and our website. All meetings are open to the public.
The Hopkins District Library Board meets on the Second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at the library.
The Hopkins Area Fire Board meets once a quarter at 7:00 PM on 3rd Wednesday of January, April, July, & October in the Hopkins Fire Barn.
The Hopkins Village Downtown Development Authority meets at 7:30 AM on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at the Village Hall.
The Township Planning Commission meets at 7:30 PM on the 4th Tuesday of each month at the Township Hall.
If you ever have any questions or concerns that you would like to bring our way, please feel free to reach out! You can email me or Mike, our Clerk, at Clerk@villageofhopkins.org. You can call the Village Office at (269) 793-7344 as well and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
We also invite you to the regular meetings of the Village Council. They happen on the Second Monday of each month at 7:30 PM at the Village Hall located at 128 Franklin St. Hopkins, MI 49328.
As always, it is a privilege to serve you as the Village President, and for each of us to lead and serve on the Village Council. We are grateful for the opportunity.
On behalf of the council, we wish you the best this summer as you enjoy the outdoors, good weather, and freedom we have here in our community of Hopkins.
Sincerely,
Jonathon VanderWall
Village of Hopkins President
President@villageofhopkins.org
www.villageofhopkins.org https://www.facebook.com/HopkinsVillageCouncil (269) 793-7344
Village of Hopkins 