The Michigan Municipal League Foundation is launching a new program for MML member and non-member communities next week and everyone is invited. Our new MI Water Navigator Helpdesk gets launched next week with a virtual news conference at 10 a.m. Monday, March 14, 2022.
And then, during our CapCon Tuesday morning we will have a three-hour workshop to work with our members in using this new service.
We welcome our members to watch the virtual news conference by registering (for free) at this link. The news conference will include comments from MML Legislative Associate Herasanna Richards, the Foundation’s Grace Carey, past MML Board President Nathan Triplett, and former MML board member Mark Vanderpool, city manager for Sterling Heights.
MI Water Navigator is a resource for navigating Michigan drinking water infrastructure funding opportunities. Whether you are a public municipal water system or a private water utility, the MI Water Navigator Helpdesk and toolkit will provide direction in your search for state and federal funding.
This resource is provided by the Michigan Municipal League Foundation and is funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Joyce Foundation.
And there is still time to register for CapCon and attend the March 15 water navigator workshop at cc.mml.org.
Here is the news media advisory we sent out today about the upcoming press conference for this new program:
Michigan Municipal League Foundation Launches Water Navigator Service to Help Communities with Water Infrastructure Funding Opportunities
WHAT
The Michigan Municipal League Foundation will hold a news conference to launch its new MI Water Navigator program, a new online toolkit to help communities pursue drinking water infrastructure funding opportunities. The program is available to both municipal water systems and private utilities to help them search for and obtain state and federal water infrastructure funding. The MI Water Navigator will also offer a webinar series, how-to application guides, and a platform for engaging with the MI Water Navigator technical assistance team.
WHY
Michigan ranks last in the nation for accessing State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans and grants for drinking water and water conservation. Improving the state’s water infrastructure will improve access to clean, accessible, and affordable water, which cuts across the MML’s pillars of Community Wealth Building. The MML Foundation’s mission of Community Wealth Building is based upon the idea that thriving and equitable communities are built upon these essential pillars – Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainability, Public Health, Arts and Culture, Lifelong Learning, and Financial Security. These pillars are bound together by Trust and Belonging.
WHO
• Nathan Triplett, Michigan Municipal League Foundation board member, former mayor of East Lansing
• Herasanna Richards, Michigan Municipal League Legislative Associate
• Mark Vanderpool, Sterling Heights City Manager
• Grace Carey, Michigan Municipal League Foundation Program Officer
• Vicki Putala, OHM Advisors, Director of Environmental & Water Resources
WHERE
Zoom News Conference / Webinar. Register in advance here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YsI4rR5pT8mWT5HHsTY9jw
WHEN
10:00 a.m. Monday, March 14
For additional information, contact Matt Bach, Michigan Municipal League assistant director of strategic communications, at mbach@mml.org and (810) 874-1073.