Learning Opportunity

The Shiawassee River as a Key Piece of Community and Economic Development will be the topic of a presentation on Tuesday, February 23, 5:30-7:00 pm, at Caledonia Township Hall, 135 N. State Road.

David Lossing, Mayor of Linden, will describe how their community has taken advantage of their riverside location to further community development, including providing for recreational access, and describe upcoming plans. Mr. Lossing has been the Mayor of the City of Linden since 2004 and has been involved in a number of regional discussions in southern Genesee, Oakland and Livingston counties dealing with land use, multi-use bike paths, and the establishment of the Shiawassee River Heritage Water Trail. He’s involved with a number of local and statewide organizations and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Michigan Municipal League. He also serves as the director of government relations at the University of Michigan-Flint.

Shiawassee River

Two workshops in the next few weeks will present some tools the City of Owosso can use to preserve, develop, and utilize its most vital natural resource, the Shiawassee River. Looking both backwards and forwards in history, one sees the Shiawassee River at the center of our community's economy and quality of life. Owosso started here in the 19th century because of the River, and the River again offers the community a chance to create a special sense of place in the 21st century.

The Friends of the Shiawassee River (www.shiawasseeriver.org) are offering two opportunities to help understand the ecological and economic importantce of the River. On January 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the Baker College Welcome Center, experts from the planning and engineerng firm Wade Trim will present Fish Passage and Recreation Potential on the Shiawassee which will discuss the very successful replacement of a dam in Chesaning. This act of river restoration replaced an aging dam in danger of failure with a set of scenic rock rapids (see photo below). Importantly, this change provides for the passage of walleye and other aquatic life, which improves both the environmental quality of the river and opens up large stretches for increased sport fishing. Owosso has three small dams, and Corunna has one large one, all of which are various states of disrepair. Wade-Trim will outline options for replacing these dams and enhancing the natural qualities of the Shiawassee.


The Shiawassee River as a Key Piece of Economic Development is the second important learning opportunity. Originally set for January 28, the date is now being rescheduled. The workshop will feature David Lossing, the Mayor of Linden, a small town upstream on the Shiawassee that has used the River as an asset to promote downtown development and recreation opportunities. He will highlight other mutli-jursidictional efforts in Genessee and Shiawassee County which seek to promote a green community using a blue asset, the Shiawassee River. Check in with the Friends of the River website (www.shiawasseeriver.org) for exact date and location of this meeting.

Both of these sessions will be valuable for anyone who cares about our communities, the Shiawassee River, and the life--human and aquatic--that makes good use of our most precious water resource.

2010 Goals

Like any successful organization or team, the City of Owosso needs a set of goals to guide its efforts. Otherwise, good initiatives may not be achieved because of a lack of policy focus or insufficient dedication of resources. Without goals, an organization tends to become reactive, not proactive. With goals, an organization states clearly its objectives so that those on the inside know how best to direct their energies; those on the outside can align their efforts to complement or support an organization's goals that agree with their own.

At the first meeting of the year, the City Council continued a discussion of priorities for municipal action in 2010. It is the responsibility of elected representatives to set direction; the execution of goals are the responsibility of city staff. Both activities must be informed by, and actively involve, community residents and others with a stake in the success of the City.

After considerable discussion, the City Council voiced its support for the following seven goals. The language, with some modification, for each goal comes from the City's Blue Ribbon Committee Report completed last year. These goals are still a working draft and have not yet been adopted.

CITY OF OWOSSO GOALS FOR 2010

1. Public Services. Fiscal soundness and growing revenues sources are required to provide quality services and maintain our infrastructure.
2. Economic Development. Provide leadership and effective policies to encourage the diversification and continued growth of our local economy. We will actively collaborate with our community partners to produce economic benefit to all citizens.
3. Neighborhoods and Housing. Promote comprehensive neighborhood planning and active housing programs to ensure vibrant housing markets, a diversity of housing opportunities, and safe and healthy residential environments.
4. Parks, Recreation and Culture. Promote and maintain a high quality of life by providing diverse opportunities for recreation, entertainment, and physical health. Establish public/private partnerships to develop key facilities for residents and visitors of all ages and abilities.
5. Downtown. Create a sense of place in our community that attracts visitors, new residents, and additional investment.
6. Green Owosso. Promote a sustainable community, conserve natural resources and enhance the Shiawassee River and other natural assets.
7. Communications and Marketing. Utilizing a variety of media and technology, strive to market our services, communicate our mission and values, and engage citizens in the decisions of city government.

The Council has also discussed some specific actions to move toward these goals in 2010. Obviously, more work needs to be done to define these priorities. The Council asked the City Manager to develop an outline and timeline for setting specific action priorities for each of these goals. Finally, all of this work must provide input to, and must be shaped by, the difficult budget exercise the City must undertaken in the next few months.

YOUR INPUT IS DESIRED. Are these the right goals for Owosso in 2010 and subsequent years? Did we leave anything out? Is the language unclear? Importantly, what specific ideas do you have for achieving these goals?

These goals and priorities will be reviewed at the next City Council meeting, January 19 (moved to Tuesday because of the Martin Luther King Holiday)