Volunteers named to three task forces 

Volunteers for three task forces were approved by City Council at its Nov. 16, 2020 meeting. (View the list here.) The task forces are focused on Ford Field, the Farmers’ Market and Rouge River Restoration.

See the descriptions below for what each task force plans to accomplish. Meeting dates and times for each of these task forces will be determined by members of the task force. 

Ford Field Task Force

The Ford Field Task Force (FFTF) is charged with creating a plan to re-establish Ford Field as a central gathering space. Roles of the FFTF will include gaining input from community stakeholders, establishing a vision for Ford Field as a central park, producing a needs assessment and management plan, and identifying funding opportunities such as grants and partnerships.

Current agenda
December 9, 2020 - 6:30 p.m. Link to virtual meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82641501269?pwd=NEtFL0dFUUZFWitKNFFzUDZoSWl1QT09 Meeting ID: 826 4150 1269 or Dial in 1 646 558 8656

Farmers’ Market Task Force

The Farmers’ Market Task Force (FMTF) is charged with investigating options for future Farmers’ Market operations. Roles of the FMTF will include establishing a vision for the market, assessing the needs of all stakeholders, identifying and evaluating potential locations, and identifying funding opportunities such as grants and partnerships.

Rouge Restoration Task Force

The Rouge Restoration Task Force (RRTF) is charged with creating a plan to restore the ecological health of the City’s waterways while improving public access and recreation through the implementation of a trail system referred to as “The Riverwalk.” Roles of the RRTF will include creating a framework plan from which a strategic plan will be developed, conducting a needs assessment, documenting current conditions, identifying grant sources, and producing cost estimates and concept drawings.

Middle Rouge River near Ford FieldWomanHoldsSunflowersAtFarmersMarket
Photos: Top left, clockwise: A scenic section of the Middle Rouge River flows near Ford Field. A shopper selects sunflowers at the Farmers' Market. Ford Field has vast green space, baseball fields and a large play structure.  Photos by Liz Cezat.

FordFieldWithVastGreenSpace
Sustainability Team has an action plan

City of Northville Sustainability Team established

In early 2020, the Sustainability Team was formed to initiate efforts that would help and guide Northville toward becoming a more sustainable city. While most people primarily associate sustainability with environmental conservation, it is also about people and the health of our communities. Sustainable communities are places where people want to live and work, both now and in the future. They meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, are sensitive to their environment and contribute to a high quality of life.

Consistent with this vision and to provide a platform for future actions, a sustainability plan has been developed whose purpose is to be a resource that provides research, support and guidance to city officials and departments as well as the community.

Like many other communities, Northville’s sustainability plan has three components – environmental conservation, economic development and social responsibility. Within the plan document, these components provide the foundation for several distinct sustainability strategies that ultimately drill down to specific goals and objectives (some of which are already identified and/or in process by various City departments and organizations).

Role of the Sustainability Team
• To assist our community to think, plan and act more sustainably.
• To prepare and maintain a sustainability plan that provides a framework for identifying goals and objectives and for monitoring outcomes – this resource is a “living document” which will be modified and improved over time as we learn what is best for our City.
• To provide support to the City commissions and committees on issues and actions impacting Sustainability
• To provide criteria for evaluating the sustainability impact of local actions, near-term and long-term
• To provide a point of contact for sustainability proposals

In short, to ensure the City of Northville can continue to meet its current needs – environmental, economic, and social – without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.

The Sustainability Team developed a sustainability plan, which was  presented to City Council on Oct. 19. The plan is comprehensive and has several components, namely:
• Vision for the City
• Mission Statement
• Guiding Principles
• A Sustainability Framework, which contains the Plan’s sustainability strategies, areas of focus and longterm goals and objectives.

Current agenda
December 2, 2020 - 2 p.m. Link to attend virtual meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83643912202, US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 Webinar ID: 836 4391 2202

December 16, 2020 - 2 p.m. Link to attend virtual meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86703152158, US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 Webinar ID: 867 0315 2158
The Sustainability Team Members
Patrick Giesa, Chairman – Technical Degree, EDP (accounting minor), North Idaho College. Currently serves on Northville City Council, Board Commissions Selection Committee, Board of Zoning Appeals, Liquor License Review Committee, Northville City Sustainability Team and Northville Senior Advisory Council. He also serves on the board of directors - Northville Rotary Foundation and was club president in 2016. (Avid cyclist). 

Kathy Spillane – BSCE, MBA, U of M. She has more than 20 years professional experience in the fields of construction, real estate development, environmental, strategic planning and IT primarily with Daimler/Chrysler. 

Dave Gutman – MBA, Indiana University. He has 31 years of experience with Ford Motor Co., with extensive overseas work in new dealership design and construction, and U.S. product & marketing. He is currently building a new home targeting net-zero energy use (Avid cyclist). 

Thom Barry – BSME, MSU; professional engineer; entrepreneur; member of Sierra Club, Trout Unlimited; Northville Planning Commission member.

AnnaMaryLee Vollick – B.S. Environmental Science, Wayne State University. She worked for 11 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. She currently works for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Detroit.

Susan Haifleigh – Principal/founder of DiaMonte Design LLC, specializing in commercial and residential design services. Instructor of Design Studio and History of Architecture at Eastern Michigan University. Previously director of Sustainability Solutions for VFA, Inc., Boston MA, launching their Green Consulting advisory business for multi-national, education, healthcare, and State/Federal government facilities.

Loyd Cureton – Public Works Director, City of Northville. He has more than 25 years of local government experience and has been a voting representative for the Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County (RRRASOC) and the Southeastern Oakland County Resource Recovery Authority (SOCRRA). He has managed wetland mitigation projects, urban tree canopies and has advanced community education in the areas of stormwater management, protection of drinking water, recycling, and multimodal transportation. 

Lori Ward – B.A., Urban and Regional Planning, M.A., Historic Preservation Planning. Lori has more than 35 years experience in economic development and community planning, specializing in the area of downtown development and the redevelopment of urban areas. She currently serves as the director of the Northville Downtown Development Authority, a position she has held since 1999. Previously, she provided consulting services to communities in the areas of historic preservation, urban design, and downtown redevelopment in Michigan and Washington, D.C.

Brian Turnbull – Mayor of the City of Northville, historian & lecturer for Northville Historical Society, member & leader of the First United Methodist Church, president of Old Timers Historic Group and long-time involvement in a local Boy Scouts organization. Brian has held executive positions at Ford Motor Company and Ford Credit, Urban Science and tech data company NiTS Solutions. 
  • Document presented to City Council on Oct. 19, 2020
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  • Presentation made to City Council on Oct. 19, 2020
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