Contact:
Jessica Weirauch
Michigan Municipal League
[email protected], 734-669-6311
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 17, 2024
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Michigan Municipal League is excited to announce the four finalists for the 2024 Community Excellence Award (CEA). The Cities of Brighton, Grandville, Houghton and Oak Park are moving on as finalists in this year’s competition.
The CEA was developed in 2007 to celebrate and honor the innovative placemaking projects and programs happening across the state. Finalists are determined by a small voting board, and they compete at the League’s Convention where event attendees will vote for their favorite project.
“My congratulations to Brighton, Grandville, Houghton and Oak Park for their projects that were selected as the 2024 CEA finalists,” said League Board President and Monroe Mayor Robert E. Clark. “While these CEA projects are unique to each community, they all represent the community wealth building principles of the League. Through placemaking, downtown revitalization and sense of place, these transformational projects involved collaboration and community engagement. I look forward to learning more about each project at the League Convention in September and the announcement of the winner as voted for by the League members.”
This year’s Convention is on Mackinac Island at the Grand Hotel, September 11–13. The League looks forward to having each finalist present on the main stage. This competition is affectionately referred to as “The Race for the Cup” as the winning community receives a large trophy and bragging rights for the year. The official Community Excellence Award will be presented during the closing general session. The League will put out a press release announcing the winner.
Here is a look at this year’s competition:
- Brighton—The Brighton Main Street Streetscape Project
- Grandville—Placemaking and Building Community in Downtown Grandville: The Commons & Market Pavilion
- Houghton—Connecting Houghton
- Oak Park—City of Oak Park Nine Mile Redesign Project
The League is proud to uplift and recognize the amazing work happening in our communities and would like to thank every community who entered this year’s competition.
“I would like to thank the 14 communities that submitted projects this year,” said League Board President Clark. “All projects were commendable and show the great work being completed by local leadership across the state of Michigan to build thriving communities.”
The League received submissions from the following communities: Allegan, Battle Creek, Brighton, Ferndale, Grandville, Hancock, Houghton, Jackson, Lansing, Marquette, Muskegon, Oak Park, St. Clair Shores and Madison Heights. You can learn more about this year’s submissions by visiting the CEA website.
“With deep gratitude, we extend our heartfelt thanks to each of this year’s 14 submissions,” said Heather Elliott, Member Experience Coordinator, Member Experience and Learning, at the League. “Each community project demonstrates dedication and contributions that have set a remarkable standard of accomplishment. We also want to extend our thanks to our panel of judges. Narrowing down a pool of projects can be challenging, especially when there are so many impressive submissions. Finally, we want to highlight the four finalist communities. Each project represents a variety of fantastic work. Your contributions and efforts are appreciated and have already impacted your community. We can’t wait to learn more.”
For questions about the Community Excellence Award, contact the League’s Heather Elliott, Member Experience Coordinator, Member Experience and Learning, at 734-669-6362 and [email protected]. For additional information, contact the League’s Jessica Weirauch, Director of Marketing and Communications, at 734-669-6311 and [email protected].
Michigan Municipal League is dedicated to making Michigan’s communities better by thoughtfully innovating programs, energetically connecting ideas and people, actively serving members with resources and services, and passionately inspiring positive change for Michigan’s greatest centers of potential: its communities. The League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington, D.C., and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials; and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. Learn more at mml.org.
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