Updates:
Since my election to council I have worked diligently to ensure residents were aware of the ongoing work of Grosse Pointe Park to maintain and upgrade our infrastructure.
To that end I began putting out a monthly infrastructure report to the city which is incorporated into the city council agendas.
We have also worked to update the city website,
https://www.grossepointepark.org/213/Infrastructure
To make it more comprehensive and user friendly for residents, as well as putting an emphasis on getting more concerted infrastructure information to residents. There is a section on the website that links my submitted infrastructure reports as well.
https://www.grossepointepark.org/217/Reports
I also have made a concerted effort to put out my own update on a monthly basis, on my email list as well as via social media. Should you want to be added to the distribution please sign up.
State of the GPP Infrastructure Reports:
January '22 January '23 January '24 July' 24 July'25
April 30 2026 Update:
Good Morning Everyone,
As always this is my own personal communication/opinion.
There is an awful lot going on in the Park and the Grosse Pointes right now.
The Schaap Center opening weekend is May 16th. We saw the opening of 2 new businesses in the park, Two Dudes Coffee on Charlevoix as well as Sweet Pointe Candy on Kercheval. The Grosse Pointe Park Foundation is holding a bike safety event on May 3rd at Patterson Park. Our litany of infrastructure projects are proceeding at pace, and May is also a special month for acknowledging the great work all our municipal employees are doing.
I want to again ask residents to pay close attention to what is going on with the Board of Education. At the previous BOE meeting held on April 27th there was a resolution put forward to advance architectural design for renovations of Trombly. I welcome investment being put in, but my interpretation of the resolution, it was crafted in a way that would tie the hands of the administration, restricting the possibility of Trombly being utilized as an Elementary School down the road. It is apparent to me that some on the board, Trustee Worden in particular, are hell bent on Trombly never being considered as an elementary school again regardless of circumstances on the ground.
So much has changed since Trombly was closed in ’19-20. The finances are completely different today, the previous board of education worked diligently to close the deficit and build fund equity, which they did, the community voted on a Sinking Fund Millage and then subsequently a 120 million dollar bond. We are seeing real demographic change and growth within the community (a tremendous thanks to the countless hours residents have put into surveying, compiling and analyzing data).
Good governance is defined by leaders that are willing and able to absorb information and data to inform their decisions. Furthermore, being unwilling to reconsider a situation is bad enough, but intentionally shackling an administration’s ability to adapt to reinforce your own bias is irresponsible. Fortunately, there was push back on the board for how the resolution was crafted and there will be more review at the upcoming May 3rd Board of Education meeting. Moving forward means learning, listening and being willing to change course if conditions change. I encourage residents to engage either by attending the upcoming board meeting and/or writing to the BOE members.
Upcoming Meetings/Community Events:
https://www.grossepointepark.org/calendar.aspx
· Spring Plant Exchange May 2nd 9:30-11:30 Windmill Park
· Municipal Clerk’s Week and Public Service Week May 3-May 9
· Free Family Bicycle Safety Event May 3 2-4 Patterson Park
· Beautification Commission Meeting May 6, 2026 7pm
· Volunteer Work Day at Patterson Park May 9th 9-12pm Patterson Park
· National Police Week May 10th-May 16th
· City Council Monday May 11th, 7pm
Full agenda to be posted at:
https://grossepointemi.portal.civicclerk.com/
· Motor City Makeover May 16th 930-12pm Alter Road
· National Public Works Week May 17th-May 23rd
· Michigan Native Plant Sale May 30th 930-1pm City Hall
Below is the submitted May Infrastructure Report
Grosse Pointe Park Infrastructure General Updates and Status Report May ‘26:
Here are some bullet points of current projects, work and planning is not limited to the following:
Charlevoix Street Scape
An open house review was held with all Charlevoix business owners to communicate planning and timelines for the upcoming street scape project. Project construction commencement is imminent.
Trash and Recycling bids
The opening bids for our Trash and Recycling service are expected to begin arriving in the coming weeks, we anticipate discussion to begin in the coming months at city council.
Residential Cross Connection Program
At the April City Council Meeting Grosse Pointe Park adopted a residential cross-connection program. This is in response to an unfunded state mandate that requires municipalities to verify that homes have appropriate backflow prevention in place, ensuring home water quality. For example, backflow prevention between potable home water and sprinkler systems serving a home, so contaminants from the sprinkler system or from lawn care products can not seep back into home water supply. The city is now going to be rolling out a program utilizing our district map, so that all homes within Grosse Pointe Park will be validated for safety compliance over the course of the next 5 years and coupling that with reporting to the State of Michigan.
Water Meter Replacement Program
Letters for the water replacement program have begun to be sent out to residents. The city wide changeout program will be initializing during the month of May.
Water Main Project
Bids for the water main projects in Patterson Park and on Beaconsfield are due later this month.
Sewer Scoping, Televising and Cleaning
The annual sewer scoping, televising, cleaning and root treatment program has begun for the season. This work is also going to further inform the planning of the sewer relining program that will be initiating later this year.
City Hall and Public Safety Link Roof Project
The roof replacement project for the roof section linking city hall to the public safety department has been completed.
Grant Pursuit
The city continues to aggressively pursue grant opportunities. At the April meeting the city applied for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, we recently applied for the EGLE High Water Infrastructure Grant and will soon apply for the DWRF grant.
While often these grants may have small likelihood of success, the city believes it is prudent to continue engaging. Grosse Pointe Park pursues opportunity for individual grants but also applications can have downstream impact improving prospects for other grants and permitting while also keeping our community at the forefront in southeastern Michigan regarding water infrastructure.
National Public Works Week May 17-23
Please join us in recognizing our excellent Grosse Pointe Park Public Works Department during national public works week, the week of May 17th. The unsung heroes of our city, keeping the infrastructure working and serving the residents, please take the time to acknowledge the good work they are doing.
Thank you and have a great weekend.
Regards,
Max Wiener
April 2 2026 Update:
Good Morning Everyone,
As always this is my own personal communication/opinion.
I don’t even know what to think about this weather anymore, hopefully mother nature is getting the last bit of cold nastiness out of the way so that opening day can be warm and sunny. I hope everyone has been enjoying their “spring”. My kids enjoyed a brief holiday in the sun and warmth of Florida but now it’s back to work.
There will be a lot happening in the city this coming month including the public review of the 5 year parks plan next week at the Tompkins center on April 8th. The parks and recreation commission has been busy mapping out and engaging in forward thinking planning for our park amenities and resident feedback is greatly appreciated.
Positive news on the infrastructure front, I go through in greater detail in the below report, but the Sewer Relining Program is coming in well under budget, which means we can do a larger scale and more thorough maintenance program of our sewer system, completing future work ahead of schedule. This involves installing cure in place lining in several miles of our sewer system greatly extending the life of our sewer system and improving service quality for residents.
The water meter replacement program is also about to ramp up; you will see letters and communications starting from the city in the coming weeks laying out the planning and schedule of the city wide work and upgrades. When all is said and done (scheduled for the end of this calendar year), all city residents will have modern calibrated water meters. These meters also will have upgraded digital reading heads, which residents will be able to access in real time with an application on your phone, to keep current on water usage and which can be used to identify issues such as leaks.
Upcoming Meetings/Community Events:
https://www.grossepointepark.org/calendar.aspx
· Good Friday April 3rd, city offices closed
· Parks and Recreation 5 year Plan Public Meeting April 8th 6-7pm Tompkins Center
· Recreation Commission April 8th 7-8:30pm Tompkins Center
· Planning Commission April 9th 7pm
· Hazardous Waste Drop Off Saturday April 11th 9-1pm Neff Park
· Volunteer Work Day at Patterson Park April 11th 9-12pm Patterson Park
· City Council Monday April 13th, 7pm
Full agenda to be posted at:
https://grossepointemi.portal.civicclerk.com/
· Arbor Week Beautification Commission Meeting April 15th 7pm Windmill Park
Below is the submitted April Infrastructure Report
Grosse Pointe Park Infrastructure General Updates and Status Report April ‘26:
Here are some bullet points of current projects, work and planning is not limited to the following:
Yard Waste Pickup is Underway
Yard waste pickup has commenced effective March 30th.
Priority Waste will continue weekly yard waste collection on your designated trash day, accepting small sticks
(under 1 inch), brush, and grass in the appropriate bags or clearly marked bins.
Wood Chipping Program is Underway
City wide chipping is underway twice a month (first and third week) on your designated trash pick-up day.
What to Expect
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The city pickup service will collect branches ranging from 1 to 4 inches in diameter.
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Branches should only be placed out on your scheduled pickup days (NO EXCEPTIONS). Unfortunately, we’re unable to accommodate special pickups, so anything set out in between collection days will not be picked up. However, in the event of a storm, we will make arrangements for cleanup as needed. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!
Hazardous Waste Drop off at Neff Park April 11th 9am-1pm
There is a hazardous waste drop off occurring on Saturday April 11th from 9am-1pm at Neff Park in Grosse Pointe City.
Sewer Relining Program
The city is undertaking a substantial relining program, the process is CIPP (Cured in Place Pipe), this means that rather than digging up and completely replacing sewers we can install an internal cured lining. This is an excellent, cost-effective and less invasive option for not only extending the life of the pipes but also improving the service and functionality of the pipes for residents. The rule of thumb is that this process extends the life of pipes around 50 years (with appropriate preventative maintenance) and can be done for a fraction of the cost and without major excavation.
The city had originally planned on targeting the 4 miles of most critical need within the sewer system, excellent news is that the bids came in substantially below our initial estimates, so, we are able to undertake an even broader program, potentially adding up to an additional mile of improvement. Sewer relining is a big portion of our Capital Improvement Plan, and this is a positive development allowing us to pull some work forward which will save money down the road all while providing residents with better serving infrastructure.
It is important to note that some areas may necessitate some excavation as they may be too severely damaged for relining.
Water Meter Changeout
The program to change out water meters, and/or to change out the monitoring heads on newer resident meters will be ramping up in the next 1-2 months. There should be an initial letter going out to residents in April laying out the initial schedule and routine. There will also be information put out on the city website and social media to try and make the process as smooth as possible.
Rainy Season
Public Works preparations and preventative maintenance for the pumping stations are on or ahead of schedule. The city is always actively engaging in maintenance and we would also encourage residents to do the same. Especially with older homes, homeowners getting their sewer connections snaked out every 1-2 years can ensure optimum operation of lines.
Furthermore, the city engages in street and sewer grate cleaning, but especially after harsh storms it may take time for DPW to get through all the hundreds of city grates, if you see obstructions over drains communicate the location or helping to clear grates is a big help and will facilitate better drainage and is greatly appreciated.
Thank you and have a happy and blessed Easter.
Regards,
Max Wiener