Grand Rapids, MI

Grand Rapids, MI prioritizes small businesses in procurement with its MLBE Certification

Locally owned businesses with revenues or employees up to 25% of the Small Business Administration's size standards qualify for the certification. Micro Local Business Enterprise (MLBE) recipients are considered priority vendors with the city. Successful applicants receive 3% bid discounts if providing goods or services and 5% bid discounts if providing construction services. The program also focused on MLBE businesses for medical marijuana and river restoration projects.

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Grand Rapids, MI

United States

Grand Rapids, MI generates ARPA project ideas with Participatory Budgeting Grand Rapids campaign

Local officials and community groups created multiple channels for ideas on how to use $2 million in ARPA funds. An online portal allows any resident to suggest projects that benefit the city's three wards. Residents can also submit ideas by calling 311 or texting "pb" to 73224. Eligible projects fit one or more of eight categories including essential worker incentives and healthy childhood environments. A public vote will select projects for implementation starting in late 2022.

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Grand Rapids, MI

United States

Grand Rapids, MI Parks and Recreation Department's gear library provides access to outdoor equipment

The city of Grand Rapids' Parks and Recreation Department created a gear library to provide more equitable access to outdoor activities. The gear library offers free outdoor equipment for camping, birding, sledding, sports, games, yoga, etc. The gear library was designed to empower and engage underserved communities in order to make outdoor recreation a more accessible lifestyle.

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Grand Rapids, MI

United States

Grand Rapids, MI launched a social media photo challenge to improve the local park system

The City of Grand Rapids launched the PhotoVision challenge via social media to help shape the future of the local park system. Participating residents submit a photo of their neighborhood park to Instagram with the hashtag #YourCityYourParks alongside a description of what they currently enjoy, what could be improved, and what activities they want to see at the park. Photos will be reposted on the Parks and Recreation Department's Instagram account as a collective community gallery.

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Grand Rapids, MI

United States

Grand Rapids, MI turns parks into connectivity islands with Network in a Box pilot

Wi-Fi hotspots were installed at 10 Grand Rapids parks to deal with digital access issues exposed by COVID-19. The primary criteria for park selection were daily use and structures ideal for hotspot installation. Each hotspot works over a 900-foot range with the capacity to serve 50 devices at once. The Network in a Box pilot is funded by the CARES Act through December 2021 with city officials evaluating Wi-Fi use for potential use in 2022.

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Grand Rapids, MI

United States

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Kent County, MI

United States

Grand Rapids, MI manages interactions between motorists and emergency vehicles with HAAS Alert pilot

The city outfitted 65 fire, police, and emergency medical vehicles with transponders. Participating vehicles transmitted alerts to motorists at nearby intersections via the Safety Cloud platform. A HAAS Alert app user receives a text or audio alert with at least 15 seconds to avoid the approaching vehicle. Grand Rapids evaluated driver compliance with Michigan's Move Over Law during the four-month pilot.

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Grand Rapids, MI

United States

Grand Rapids, MI connects the dots on transit map with Spin e-scooter pilot

Spin provided 300 e-scooters at the introductory stage of this one-year pilot. A public event on opening weekend offered free rides and pilot information. Grand Rapids will allow up to 1,500 e-scooters across a 12 square mile area if there is high demand. E-scooters are stationed in 74% of neighborhoods identified by the city as underserved by existing transit options. The trial also offers micro-mobility options for visitors to downtown and business district locations.

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Grand Rapids, MI

United States