The future of municipalities in eastern Washtenaw County and how that impacts the economic vitality of the entire county will be the forefront of discussion at the fourth annual Eastern Leaders Group summit Monday.
The event, entitled The Future of this Place, will feature several county leaders.
The Eastern Leaders Group's Spring Summit will focus on the future of eastern Washtenaw County, including Ypsilanti.
AnnArbor.com file photo
"It's not exactly tied to the Shape Ypsilanti initiative, but it kind of takes a cue from that, that we’re looking into our future and we want to be as inclusive as possible," said Melissa Milton-Pung, the ELG Project Manager. "What are we doing for economic vitality? We're going to have a number of people that are going to be talking about that."
ELG is a partnership between Washtenaw County, Eastern Michigan University, and civic and private sector leaders. The members include business, education and government leaders from across the county.
Several Washtenaw County leaders, including U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, and State Rep. Adam Zemke, D-Ann Arbor, will share information about several initiatives affecting the Ypsilanti area. State Rep. David Rutledge, D-Superior Township, also is slated to attend.
Updates will be provided on on local and state level trends and the future of several initiatives serving the Ypsilanti area will be discussed.
Some of the presentation highlights include:
- Pittsfield Township Supervisor Mandy Grewal will speak and provide an update on the Washtenaw ReImagine Project.
- WISD Superintendent Scott Menzel will discuss the future of the newly established Ypsilanti Community Schools district and how it will impact the quality of life in eastern Washtenaw County.
- Ann Arbor SPARK CEO Paul Krutko will speak about the former GM Willow Run Plant and the Willow Run Airport Aertropolis idea. Krutko also is expected to speak about what SPARK is doing to attract and retain employees.
Milton-Pung said the ELG is focused on eastern Washtenaw County, predominantly the area east of U.S. 23 and portions of Pittsfield Township, Augusta Township, Superior Township and Ann Arbor Township.
"It's nice to see that we as a county are starting to recover more quickly than anticipated from the recession," Milton-Pung said. "It is occurring because one we're lucky and two, we work hard together. We continue to work in a collaborative manner."
Some of the other expected attendees include:
- Washtenaw County Administrator Verna McDaniel
- Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners Chair Yousef Rabhi
- EMU Government and Community Affairs Executive Director Leigh Greden
- Washtenaw County Parks & Rec Director Robert Tetens
- ELG Executive Director Tony VanDerworp
The event is free and open to the public, but online registration has closed. However, Milton-Pung said a limited number of seats are still remaining. Those interested in still attending the event should check in at the registration table before the event begins.
The event will be held at the EMU Student Center at 900 Oakwood on Monday, April 8 from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m.
Katrease Stafford covers Ypsilanti for AnnArbor.com.Reach her at katreasestafford@annarbor.com or 734-623-2548 and follow her on twitter.