SOLitude chosen to combat milfoil in Flat River

“The only thing we don’t like is weeds,” Raymor added. “If you’re a weed, get out,” to which DeVore clarified, “The invasive kind. The other kind is fixing roads.”

By Justin Tiemeyer - Contributing Writer

The Lowell Friends of the Flat 501(c)(3) board met for a regular meeting on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025 at City Hall, and they were greeted by a crowded house. The conference room, which usually has more than enough room to support the board’s meetings, was filled to overflowing, prompting attendees to scavenge chairs from other rooms. Among the attendees were Mayor Mike DeVore and Council Members, Eric Bartkus and Jim Salzwedel.

Prior to the Feb. 3 meeting, the Lowell Friends of the Flat Board of Directors included Craig Fonger as president, Nancy Raymor as vice president, Mike DeVore as secretary, Diane Smith as treasurer, and board members, Annette Ritzema, Patty Elzinga, and Maureen Pawloski. During this meeting, this roster changed.

It began with Mayor DeVore, who announced that he would like to step down as the board’s secretary, citing dates and times of meetings. As an example of the logistical hurdles he faces, DeVore was unable to attend the January meeting, due to a City Council lead service line mitigation work session, scheduled at the same time. “I’m still passionate about cleaning up the Flat,” DeVore said. “I’d like to stay on the board.”

DeVore nominated Bruce Matthews to take his position as secretary, which was convenient, because the next agenda item involved voting on whether or not to add Matthews to the board.

Steve Doyle and Rita Lundstrom were added as ex-officio voting board members. An ex-officio board member may be a symbolic seat or an inactive seat, depending on how the group ordains it. Fonger explained that ex-officio board members can also stand in for regular board members, which would make it easier for the board to establish a quorem. Patty Elzinga stepped down from her board member position to become an ex-officio board member, as well.

The board expected to entertain a presentation from Aquatic Doctors Lake Management, the third of their three vendors for the mitigation of the milfoil problem in the Flat River, but Aquatic Doctors did not show. Fonger explained that he had confirmed with them two days prior, and Bartkus searched City Hall to make sure they did not get lost.

At first it seemed that the absence of Aquatic Doctors would halt the vote Fonger had planned for the evening. “We were going to vote on a vendor applicator tonight,” Fonger said. “We can’t do that. I really would like to do that, but I’d really like to do a third one.”

Board members expressed their desire to vote anyway, and the motion for SOLitude Lake Management to act as the vendor applicator met unanimous support. Board members noted that Rich Perry of SOLitude lives on the river, which makes him a vested stakeholder, and his proactive appearance at a City Council meeting was one of a couple of events that precipitated the formation of this group in the first place. “He’s been with us since June,” Smith said, “holding our hands.”

Bruce Matthews shared some marketing materials in the form of flyers that his daughter had designed. Fonger explained that the flyers could be used at Lowell EXPO, the Thursday concert series, out in public, and wherever Fonger gives speeches about Lowell Friends of the Flat and their mission, like Rotary Club of Lowell last week and the Lowell Showboat Garden Club the week before. There were no objections to the design, only to the quantity.

For the Lowell Friends of the Flat to be eligible for grants from the Fry Foundation, Wege Foundation, and Amway Global, the group was required to create a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement. Fonger read the statement he had prepared, and the board approved.

“The only thing we don’t like is weeds,” Raymor added. “If you’re a weed, get out,” to which DeVore clarified, “The invasive kind. The other kind is fixing roads.”

There are a number of grants that Fonger is looking into beyond the three mentioned above, including the Lowell Rotary Foundation, Englehardt Fund, LCTV Fund, Kent County Nonprofit Technical Assistance Fund, Look Memorial Fund, Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Steelcase Foundation, and DNR Passport Grant. Fonger is also meeting with City Manager, Mike Burns, soon, to discuss funding from the Downtown Development Authority.

With the influx of attendees, interested parties often treated the board meeting as if it were an open forum. Fonger acknowledged the need to discuss many of the topics raised but deferred those discussions to a later time, having prepared the night’s agenda with a one-hour time limit in mind. DeVore noted that many of the issues could be handled by committees, and Fonger expressed that others would be covered during future meetings.

The next Lowell Friends of the Flat 501(c)(3) board meeting will take place on Monday, March 3, 2025 at 6 p.m., at City Hall.