The Lowell Friends of the Flat met on Monday night with the expectation of hearing from a third company that specializes in eradicating invasive weeds from waterways. The non-profit had previously hosted PLM Lake and Land Management and Solitude Lake Management for discussions about the matter.
However, representatives from the third company did not show up for the Monday meeting, and the board voted unanimously to work with Solitude Lake Management going forward. In making the vote, board members noted the company’s lower estimated costs and the fact that Solitude’s regional sales manager, Rich Perry, is a resident of Lowell, lives along the Flat River and is familiar with the area.
At last month’s meeting, Perry provided an estimate of just under $14,000 for shoreline treatment. There was some discussion among those in attendance about the extent of treatment in subsequent years – with some believing this was an annual cost and others recalling that some of the proposed herbicides were effective for multiple years.
Near the end of the meeting, resident Eric Bartkus noted that although all the suggested herbicides were approved for use in the U.S., some had been banned by the European Union. He thought the Friends of the Flat may want to keep that in mind when settling on a treatment plan.
Changes in Board Membership
At the start of the meeting, Mike DeVore asked to step down as board secretary but remain a board member. DeVore, who also serves as the city’s mayor, noted that the 6pm Friends of the Flat meetings could run past 7pm which is when city council meetings begin.
DeVore nominated Bruce Matthews to be the new secretary, and that suggestion was unanimously approved by the board.
President Craig Fonger then added several “ex officio” board members. He suggested adding Steve Doyle as a representative of King Milling, Patty Elzinga because she offered to help on the board but probably couldn’t make meetings and Rita Lundstrom who volunteered to help with fundraising. All were approved unanimously.
Discussion of Group Activities and Fundraising
Fonger passed out sample brochures that will be printed and said the group is planning to have a retractable banner made. The Friends of the Flat plan to be present at upcoming community events such as Lowell Expo and the Sizzlin’ Summer Showboat Concert Series where brochures will be passed out.
Ashley Dunn, one of about 20 people present at the meeting, offered to let the group borrow a tent and table linens that could be used during the Lowell Expo.
“Have you thought about a gala event?” Dunn asked. She previously owned Creative Party Bug in downtown Lowell and thought an event on the Showboat would be a way to quickly raise money. “To make 20 grand should not be an issue.”
Jim Salzwedel, who is on the board for the Lowell Showboat VI, said there are discounted rates for non-profits that want to rent the boat.
“We’ll talk another time offline,” Fonger told him.
“Can you GoFundMe the river?” asked another man in attendance.
“We’d need to think about the logistics of that,” Fonger replied.
Fonger shared that he had been busy reaching out to local foundations to see about grant funds. He has looked into the Lowell Community Fund, LCTV Fund, Look Memorial Fund, Fry Foundation and the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation among others. The board approved a DEI statement that was required by some foundations as a part of their application process.
In addition to cleaning up invasive weeds in the river, Fonger said he hoped to raise money for educational programs for kids and signage on boat hygiene. He will also be applying for $5,000 from the Kent County Non-Profit Technical Assistance Fund to pay for website development.
During the treasurer’s report, Diane Smith shared that $2,750 had been raised so far and expenses have totaled $365.
Some people in attendance lived along other parts of the Flat River and wondered about the possibility of treating areas outside the city.
“I don’t want us taking on other parts of the river at this time,” Fonger said, noting the non-profit had been specifically established to address problems within the City of Lowell.
The meeting adjourned at 7pm and the Friends of the Flat expect to meet again next month. For the latest details, you can follow the group’s Facebook page.
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