Ever since the City switched (mostly) from conrete fixes instead of asphalt for side streets, I think we have made great progress on fixing the damn roads. And I mean fixing the roads in the LONG TERM. Ashpalt provides a quick fix, but for the City Council to be back at it again 15 years later when the road starts falling apart and needs a full fix again. With concrete we can fix a little at a time for a smaller amount of money, and the materal lasts much longer.

Have you always wanted a tree in front of your house? The boulevard is a perfect place for one, and the City has put together a set of nine trees that work best depending on the amount of space available. John Kraus, a fellow of the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan working for the City of Eastpointe, interviewed with the Macomb Daily, and is hitting the ground running to get trees planted.

We planted 54 trees this past fall, and are looking to plant at least 50 more this upcoming spring! Help us make it happen! If you're interested, contact myself or John Kraus at 586-601-4122 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Today marks Nine Years since I was appointed to City Council in 2014 after the death of Councilman Bill Sweeney. Bill was a huge supporter of sports & recreation in the community, and the City named the sled hill at Spindler Park after him.

Since then, I believe we have made a lot of strides in our parks. This year we had a duo of innovative changes at Spindler Park: a story walk, and permanent corn hole boards. Many other positive changes have been made over the recent years also, not only at Spindler Park, but also at Kennedy Park, Memorial Park, Goetz Park, Roxana Park, and others. This past year we made an awesome change at Rein Park, creating a walking path around the outside of the park, along with benches and garbage cans.

The City's contract with GFL Environmental (formerly Rizzo Environmental Services) has ended and we are now working with Priority Waste for garbage, recycling, and compost.

No action needs to be taken on your part. We are keeping the same 96-gallon bins for garbage, and 64-gallon bins for recycling. Your garbage will be picked up on the same day as it previously was. Now that ten years have gone by, the cost will increase from $10.86 to $15.56, still charged on your monthly water bill. This price was the lowest price received. Independence Day is of course on Tuesday, and the same rule applies as previously, that if your garbage day is Tuesday (July 4) or later in the week, your garbage day for that week is pushed back by one day. The observed holidays are New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

Recycling items seem to be the same. To be sure, you can refer to their acceptable recycling materials flyer.

Bulk pickup will also stay the same. The same items that could previously be set at the curb, can still be set at the curb. Here's the text from their brochure on bulk items: "Items included in the bulk waste collection are furniture (i.e. couches, chairs, tables, beds, wrapped/bagged mattresses, box springs), refrigerators with freon removed and tagged by a licensed technician, and up to 5 rolls of carpet and padding (cut into 4 foot widths, rolled folded, and tiedmanageable for one person to handle). All doors on appliances must be removed for safety purposes. If you are not sure about an item, we are here to help. You can call us at 586-228-1200 or 855-WASTE-65. Excluded items are large amounts of building refuse, bricks, concrete blocks, and large quantities of furnishings and materials resulting from fire, basement flooding, or similar occurrences."

Need a new bin? Here is the language from our RFP: "The Contractor will be responsible for delivering carts to new customers throughout the duration of this contract and make repairs to damaged carts at no additional cost to the City throughout the duration of the contract."

Priority Waste can be contacted on their website.

Don't be surprised when the next truck to pick up your refuse is yellow instead of green or red!