The County Press

SIDE ROADS



 

 

The Lapeer County Dept. of Veterans Affairs (LCVA) and the dedicated staff at the office continue to amaze. The LCVA has operated a program that transports veterans to appointments. On Sunday, The County Press was pleased to report the program and continued outreach programs to veterans and their families will be expanded, thanks to a $71,135 County Veterans Service Fund Grant from the State of Michigan.

A portion of the funding is earmarked for the purchase of a new van to transport veterans to and from VA medical appointments. Other grant highlights include renovating and updating the LCVA office, the equipment purchases for the office, expanding outreach efforts with a series of workshops and hosting an appreciation dinner for veterans next fall.

Reliable, accurate information during times of crisis or emergencies are critical to inform the public and prevent needless panic that can be spread via social media. Case in point: Lapeer County residents signed up for Nixle alerts received a string of text messages two weeks ago chronicling the gasoline leak that lead to evacuation and closure of downtown Lapeer. The messaging system is the Alert Lapeer County.

Alert Lapeer County has partnered with Nixle to implement the community notification system in order to share real-time updates to local emergency situations. To sign up, simply text your zipcode to 888777 from a mobile phone. Alternatively, users can register at www.nixle.com. Once registered, residents will receive a confirmation text to their mobile device. Residents can also customize their alert settings by going to www.nixle.com and creating a user profile.

Economic development is the fuel that powers growth and promotes prosperity, and it’s important to have people engaged in the process to retain and attract new investment to Lapeer County.

Lapeer Development Corporation (LDC) last week announced that it appointed Quentin L. Bishop as the new executive director of economic development for Lapeer County. Quentin succeeds long-time LDC director, Patricia Lucas. This leadership appointment is effective mid-June and follows the decision that Patricia and Quentin work tandem until the new fiscal year begins July 1.

County Press readers will become very familiar with Bishop as he gets acclimated and works with city, village and township government across the county to help coordinate facility expansions and recruit new companies and jobs to Lapeer County.

Communities big and small in Lapeer County are offering free music programs this summer, including Clifford. Starting June 20, the Clifford Branch of the Lapeer District Library will host its Music in the Park series at 5:45 p.m. and will run every Thursday for the following eight weeks. The season begins with The James Robert Band and a special activity for kids.