Does this pony in a cow costume make you smile? View more photos.

ANN ARBOR, Michigan – Building great communities is more about putting smiles on people’s faces than it is fixing potholes. Yes, pothole repair is important, but seeing a child laugh at a pony dressed up as a cow in a downtown parade or eating a formal dinner on a bridge with friends can be ever-lasting memories.

This was the message by placemaking expert Peter Kageyama in an education session on citizen engagement Friday, Jan. 18, 2012, at the Michigan Municipal League headquarters in Ann Arbor. Kageyama spoke to about 20 southeast Michigan community leaders as part of a series of training weeks being offered by the League. He explained that the key to creating vibrant communities is finding what people love about their city and town and then building upon that.

He gave examples of a farming community that has a parade of cows and a river-community that turns a pedestrian foot-bridge into an elegant dinner to raise funds for the local chamber of commerce. The training week concept is a new service the League is providing to bring our vast array of education offerings to various parts of the state. League members and non-members can register for a whole week of trainings or pick and choose the topics that interest them. The first training week was this week and the next training week is Feb. 14-15 in Frankenmuth. Go here for details.

All the education sessions are excellent, but hearing Kageyama, of Florida, is a special treat in such a small setting. He often speaks around the world to large groups. If you missed him Friday he’s speaking again during training weeks in Kalamazoo, March 13-15; Lansing, April 24-26; and Mackinaw City, May 15-17; and Muskegon, June 5-7. Other topics planned at the training week sessions include the Open Meetings Act (OMA) and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) parliamentary procedure, municipal finance, service consolidation and shared services, and engaging your citizen change makers. You can register for the sesions here.

View additional photos from the training week in Ann Arbor here and here.

Matt Bach is the League's director of media relations. He can be reached at (734) 669-6317 and mbach@mml.org.

Peter Kageyama talks about citizen engagement at a Michigan Municipal League training session Friday, January 18, 2013. View more photos.

Consumers Energy has launched a safety campaign to make the public aware of the many natural gas pipelines that exist in Michigan communities. Recognizing the importance of this effort, the Michigan Municipal League is helping Consumers Energy spread the word about this campaign.

Because League members and other public officials have authority over land, streets or roads along a Consumers Energy natural gas pipeline, it is very important that they are aware of Consumers Energy’s continuing efforts to keep Michigan communities safe and secure. Your awareness of these pipelines and any unusual activity around them can help Consumers Energy maintain the safety and security in your community. The tips at the Consumers Energy post here provide guidance on how to manage activity around our pipelines, the properties of natural gas and how to determine if there is a leak. These tips are also available as a downloadable brochure.

Go here for more information about the Consumers Energy Natural Gas Pipeline Safety program.

Michael Moore speaks at MLGMA Summer Workshop. View more photos on flickr.

Watch the video on Vimeo.

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan - Municipal leaders from throughout Michigan attended the annual Michigan Local Government Management Association (MLGMA) summer workshop in Traverse City recently.

The four-day workshop included education sessions on the economics of placemaking by Michigan Municipal League CEO Dan Gilmartin, a discussion on the value of farm markets and agribusiness, a presentation by Academy Award winner Michael Moore and numerous other topics.

Moore talked about his work in Traverse City in revitalizing the historic State Theatre in downtown Traverse City and starting up the Traverse City Film Festival.

Moore’s talk was centered around the importance of having vibrant downtowns, which is a philosophy shared by the Michigan Municipal League (economicsofplace.com and mml.org/placemaking). The League believes that placemaking is crucial to the Michigan’s economic turnaround.

The annual MLGMA summer conference is an opportunity to city managers, county executives, village managers and other municipal leaders to gather, network, share ideas and learn about the latest legislation, policies and techniques related to Michigan communities.

The group also took a tour of Traverse City including stops at the restored Traverse City Opera House, State Theatre and the Grand Traverse Commons multi-use development. Other sessions included a presentation about the League’s natural gas purchasing program; revitalization and brownfields; and a legislative update from the League’s Lansing staff.

For more about the Michigan Municipal League and what we do go to mml.org. For more about MLGMA go to http://www.mlgma.org/. View more photos from the MLGMA workshop on flickr.

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org and (734) 669-6317.

The Great Lakes Fishery Trust (GLFT) is now accepting grant proposals under its Access to the Great Lakes Fishery funding category. Proposals can be submitted online at www.glft.org and are due by Thursday, August 23, 2012.

The GLFT’s Access to the Great Lakes Fishery grant category focuses on significantly increasing access to the Great Lakes fishery for shore-based angling and tribal fishing. Up to $500,000 is available for access projects.

The key intended outcomes for access grants to be awarded under this RFP are to:

• Increase awareness of the GLFT as an access funder and increase the number of high-quality proposals received by the GLFT
• Enhance shore-based Great Lakes recreational and tribal angling opportunities through capital improvements where conditions are appropriate
• Ensure that all jurisdictions on Lake Michigan with suitable site conditions have a public access site
• Build consensus and knowledge among key stakeholders about the barriers to tribal access site development
• Create and implement plans to address barriers to the expansion of tribal access site development

The GLFT’s For detailed information on funding priorities and requirements, and to submit a proposal, visit the GLFT website at www.glft.org. The Great Lakes Fishery Trust will only accept proposals submitted online on or before 5:00 PM, August 23, 2012. If you intend to submit a proposal, contact the GLFT by e-mail (glft@glft.org) for a user name and password to access the new online system.  If you have questions regarding the grant category, please contact Jonathon Beard, Grant Manager, at (517) 371-7468.