celery pond

Green Infrastructure tries to join open spaces and natural areas within a network of interconnecting environment that both preserves and maintains. Green Infrastructure uses the best of our built environment with our natural environment by linking spaces so that people have the option to walk and exercise in continuous nature areas.

Wetlands, parks, forest preserves and using native plants, help to manage stormwater, while reducing flood risks and improving water quality. They also provide habitat for wildlife, with the potential of recreational activity such as bird watching, fishing, etc.

The Governor of Maryland, Paris Glendening, has said that “Just as we must carefully plan for and invest in our capital infrastructure - our roads, bridges and waterlines, we must invest in our green infrastructure - our forest, welands, streams and rivers.”

South Haven voters recently OKed a road mileage to improve all city roads over the next 20 years.

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission has designed a great concept for environmental planning for the three counties of Van Buren (which South Haven is in), Berrien and Cass Counties. They endorse this interconnectedness as a working program to link land and water.

By creating and encouraging trails, bike paths, greenways and open spaces, they hope to “contribute to the health, economic well-being and quality of life for communities and people.”

They suggest having every home near a green infrastructure network. The threat of our continued taking of natural environment for overbuilding, fragments spaces.

The city owns buildings on the public property off Dunkley Avenue. These buildings (Dept. of Public Works sites) along with the proposed linear park plan on Black River, need more definition as to what the city will do with the buildings and what square footage along the River will be taken for the park.

The two developers interested in developing the area, Stage Development Co. LLC of Chicago and Lake Michigan Resort LLC of South Haven want to know what the actual boundaries will be to better identify their development plans.

With three new council members installed this week, Don Bemis, Suzie Fitzgibbon and Ryan McCoy, this task is their ongoing future. Along with the deciding on the issues above, there is the outstanding US Army Corps decision re: the permit application which was approved by the MDEQ in the fall. Depending on how the Corps decides, the Council may or may not have another vote to determine Celery Pond’s future as well.