Seven Region finalists presented their winning presentations at the Welcome General Session of the League's Annual Convention on Wednesday afternoon:

Region 1: Utica's Riverwalk connects the city's Memorial Park on historic Main Street (Auburn Road) with its revitalized riverfront.

Region 2: Baroda's "Gateway to Wine Country" campaign is the village's effort to reinvent the farming community that has lost its tool and die industry as an agri-tourism destination.

Region 3: Grandville is doing a major upgrade of its clean water treatment plant to incorporate innovative and efficient design that is environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

Region 4: Durand is renovating and revitalizing using the principles of placemaking, centered on its new streetscape project and its legacy as a railroad community.

Region 5: Port Huron Recreation Department is a partnership that is increasing revenues for the city while providing more recreational opportunities for surrounding township residents.

Region 6: Alpena and its surrounding region are promoting arts and culture as an economic development tool.

Region 7: Bessemer is working to improve relations with the Gogebic Range Water Authority to benefit the entire region.

League members are now voting for their favorite presentation. The winner will be announced Friday morning. Good luck to all the fantastic projects!

Want to know the latest details on the agenda? Looking for more information on the speakers? Have a question about special activities? The new Android and Apple apps are now available for download for the Michigan Municipal League's 2012 Convention, October 3-5 on Mackinac Island!

The FREE app contains session details and locations, silent auction information, photos, sponsors, ferry maps and schedules, and the Convention twitter feed. With this time-saving tool, you'll be able to navigate the Convention with ease and keep up with all the action. 

The apps are free and if you downloaded the app for the Michigan Municipal League 2012 Capital Conference to your smart phone or other device back in March, it should update with the current Convention information! If it hasn't already done so automatically, simply go to the Android or Apple app store link below, and download the update. (Please note that in your list of apps, it will no longer be listed alphabetically under Capital Conference. You'll now find it under 2012 Convention.)

Click here for the Android app. Click here for the Apple app.

Some Screenshots of the App

Utica Mayor Jacqueline Noonan accepts the Region 1 CEA Award at the League's 2012 Capital Conference in March.View and download additional photos of the 2012 CEA finalists.

Seven projects from around the state will be vying for top honors in the Michigan Municipal League's Community Excellence Award competition October 3-5 at the League's 2012 Annual Convention on Mackinac Island.

Region 1 (all communities in the southeast portion of the state's Lower Peninsula) will be represented by Utica's Riverwalk project, which was funded by the Downtown Development Authority, envisioned by Mayor Jacqueline Noonan, and brought to reality by the city's Department of Public Works. The Riverwalk is both an economic driver and a prime example of placemaking: an asset that connects the city's Memorial Park and historic Main Street with Auburn Road and its unique riverfront.

Utica will now compete against the other six regional winners (Alpena, Baroda, Bessemer, Durand, Grandville, and Port Huron) for the statewide CEA at the League’s Annual Convention Oct. 3-5 on Mackinac Island. The CEA program, affectionately called “The Race for the Cup,” was started by the League in 2007 to recognize innovative solutions taking place in Michigan’s cities, villages and urban townships.

Only Convention-goers may vote on the CEA winners so make sure to support your region by attending. Register now!

Attorneys from around the state gathered for the 26th annual MAMA Advanced Institute at the Lansing Center in Lansing during the preconference sessions of the Michigan Municipal League Capital Conference 2012.

Among the full day's agenda were a wide variety of topics of interest to municipal attorneys, including how to avoid or resolve construction claims, dealing with mergers and consolidations, digital case management and administrative support systems, municipal law enforcement, FOIA vs discovery, and an update on the Michigan Court of Appeals.

The Honorable Elizabeth Gleicher, Michigan Court of Appeals, was a featured speaker, offering insights from a judge's perspective on how to create better briefs using the principles of brevity to create reader-friendly text that incorporates short sentences, paragraph breaks, clear concepts, active language and other simple common-sense writing tools and strategies.

Holland City Attorney Andy Mulder, who gave the Michigan Court of Appeals Update, was also honored with a Years of Service Award.

To see more photos from the event, go to the League's flickr page and search MAMA Advanced Institute within the Capital Conference 2012 set.

A packed room was on hand to learn how parks and recreation can play an important role in creating a sense of place and enhancing the quality of life for residents--and just as importantly, how to find creative funding and form cooperative efforts to build and maintain these assets that are often the place where visitors and newcomers alike develop some of their strongest impressions of a community and its liveability. 

Understanding your demographics is key in knowing the changing needs of residents, such as the "silver tsunami" of aging Baby Boomers, who are reaching retirement age between 2011-2029. This new generation of seniors is younger, healthier and more active, and interested in living somewhere they can pursue an active social life, from pickleball leagues to trails and bike paths.

Embracing a community's cultural diversity can also help officials identify new recreational needs such as Canton's building of two cricket fields in response to residents' interest in a sport that is nontraditional in the US.

Dog parks are a hot new trend and are a fantastic opportunity to encourage community engagement. Their real purpose is adult socialization among a new generation of dog owners who are passionate about their pets and want to include them in their social life. Due to the enthusiastic grassroots support of pet owners in the community, Canton built a first-class new dog park without a single tax dollar.

Parks and recreational facilities can also help create a sense of place, such as the way Charlotte, NC has parlayed its recreational assets into an image as a national whitewater center.

The workshop was just one of the great preconference sessions at the League's Capital Conference. To see more photos from this and other events, visit the League's flickr page.