May 2021

Transportation Puzzle Presented at Living Sustainably Along the Lakeshore

On May 18, the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council participated in “The Transportation Puzzle”, a webinar highlighting sustainable transportation efforts happening in the Holland area. Organized by the Herrick District Library and Living Sustainability Along the Lakeshore (LSATL), the event included presentations about autonomous and connected vehicles, carbon emissions in the City of Holland, new approaches to providing MAX bus services and how Holland/Zeeland-area residents can get involved in the transportation planning process.

To view a recording of the event, visit the LSATL Facebook page.

Rain Gardens Planted on 20th and 21st Streets

The MACC worked with several homeowners to plant rain gardens on 20th and 21st Streets in the City of Holland on May 21. The City of Holland is installing these rain gardens as part of road reconstruction projects. The MACC received a grant from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to help pay for both the City’s and the homeowners’ costs to install the rain gardens. The grant is available through June 2022, so we will only install a few more rain gardens on College Ave with this funding. We hope to secure a sustainable, long-term source of funding to keep installing these types of projects.

Another Successful Spring River Cleanup

On May 22, 47 volunteers removed over 150 pounds of trash from Lake Macatawa and the shores near Kollen Park! We hold this annual cleanup in partnership with the ODC Network and it rotates among various locations. We also partner to hold a fall cleanup event each year.

This year, the MACC received a grant from the EPA’s Trash Free Waters Program to support this cleanup. With this grant funding, project partners are also hosting events throughout Ottawa and Allegan County. A current list of scheduled volunteer cleanups can be found on our website: www.the-macc.org/cleanup-events/