MML CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin was opening keynote speaker at the second annual Northern Michigan Placemaking Summit. Gilmartin spoke on the same day in Traverse City and Petoskey.  

The summit, hosted by the Grand Vision, Michigan Land Use Institute and Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, and co-sponsored by the League, brought together over 100 persons at both locations to hear about projects and activities taking place in the region around place-making. Breakout sessions included discussions on art and culture, downtowns, recreation, walkability and investment.

In his remarks, Gilmartin applauded the work of those in the region, noting that folks understand the need to be moving regional assets together for economic prosperity and that projects are being done at the local level by local people.

The summit once again showed that through the Grand Vision, this region of our state has perhaps the best example of a place and asset based regional economic development strategy that fits right in line with the League's work through the "Center for 21st Century Communities"

To learn more about what's going on view this video.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan - Michigan Municipal League CEO & Executive Director Dan Gilmartin will give the keynote address during the 3rd Annual Public/Private/Partnership (P3) Conference in Grand Rapids May 31. The event, taking place at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids, is jointly sponsored by the Urban Land Institute of Michigan and the Michigan Municipal League. (Please note this event was originally scheduled to take place in April but has been rescheduled for May 31).

To register go here. This half-day event will begin at 8 a.m. with a breakfast and keynote address, and will continue through the morning with discussion panels, a case study, and the Metro Marketplace, where exhibitors from non-profit, development organizations, communities, and local governments can market their property listings, development plans, incentives, and services to developers and financiers, and the private sector can showcase their services to the public sector community.

The past two conferences in Rochester and Lansing have been overwhelming successes and attracted more than 450 of the state's leading real estate developers, investors, public officials, academics and professional service provider. Gilmartin will give the keynote address and discuss how to balance community wants with market realities. View the full agenda here.

"It's more important now than ever before that seemingly disparate groups find common ground to build communities that attract our young leaders to live, work, shop and play in Michigan."

Non-members of ULI can save $100 off membership when they register for this event at michigan.uli.org. For registration and sponsorship information, please contact ULI Coordinator, Shannon Sclafani at ssclafani@uli.org or (248) 807-1600. Click here for more details on registering for the event.

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

LANSING, Michigan - A Sustainable Communities Leadership Academy will take place June 7-8 at Michigan State University. The event is co-hosted by MSU Citizen Planner, School of Planning, Design and Construction and MSU Extension. The Michigan Municipal League also is a supporting partner in the event. Placemaking and Sustainable Community Planning have been hot topics for cities throughout Michigan. This workshop will provide in-depth information for the practical application of these concepts for municipalities throughout Michigan. For details and to register go here.

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

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the next application round of competitive grants for the Farmers Market Promotion Program.

Nearly $10 million is being made available to farmers markets, community supported agriculture, road-side stands and other direct marketing operations to assist in expanding and promoting market opportunities.

Application must be received by May 21. To find out more about the program and the types of project previously funded, visit the USDA website .

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs at the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.