Spring Lake Township builds community engagement: ‘We walk the walk’

This is part of the Shore Stories: Life Along the Lakeshore series, which includes columns by local and former residents about how people are making a difference along the Lakeshore

Spring Lake Township continues to create innovative initiatives to engage our community in government, from township operations to trail use to leaning on Community Ambassadors to improve engagement and communication.

One of our most successful community engagement ventures is the Citizens Academy, an eight-week program that brings together participants interested in learning more about day-to-day township operations and how the township serves its residents. Participants meet township staff members who explain their roles and provide information such as the breadth of services provided by the Department of Public Works, a look at the budget from the finance director, and tours of facilities that show how water and sewer services are delivered.

“The Citizens Academy is one of our staff’s favorite initiatives because they get a chance to really dive into their areas of expertise and inform the participants about how the township is working for them,” says Gordon Gallagher, Spring Lake Township manager. “Without fail, after every session we hear from members saying, ‘I had no idea how our water is monitored and makes its way to our home,’ or, ‘I had no idea that the township provides so many services.’ Our staff does a fantastic job during these sessions.”

Opens door to involvement

As the township’s new communications director, a shared position with the village of Spring Lake, I enrolled in the academy when I moved back to the area in May 2026 from northern Michigan to take on the newly created role. It helped me get acquainted quickly with the community and learn important information for my job.

It was a terrific way to quickly engage with my community and to meet some incredible people who share an interest in preserving the quality of life and services in Spring Lake Township. I was one of 14 participants in the 2026 academy. It was great to see people of all ages taking part, from retirees to young parents and all stages in between.

Gallagher noted the Citizens Academy also spurs some participants to get further involved in government, such as volunteering to join important boards and committees.

“When residents meet the people providing services, it changes their perception of government,” he says. “Now, instead of ‘the township’ providing services, it’s Amy or Kyle or Heather, and they’ve created connections. It opens the door for increased engagement and the thought that they, too, can become instrumental in serving our community.”

Township Supervisor Jerry Rabideau echoed Gallagher’s comments.

“Spring Lake Township’s efforts to inform and engage residents have yielded results in the area of service,” he says. “Residents who have completed the Citizens Academy are more engaged. They have been appointed to local boards and volunteer to contribute. We are blessed to have a community where residents are engaged and recognize the value of service.”

‘Kindness’ on the trails

In addition to the Citizens Academy, our township continues to emphasize communication and engagement in other ways. During summer 2026, we launched a “Culture of Kindness” campaign along our trail network in response to community concerns about e-bikes, speed, and some users not abiding by pathway etiquette standards.

“Instead of approaching this from a punitive stance – such as increasing law enforcement to ticket those using trails inappropriately – staff developed a Culture of Kindness campaign to encourage courtesy, caution, and control along our trails,” Rabideau says.

To reinforce messaging, we created yard signs with the Culture of Kindness logo and courtesy reminders and hosted pop-up events along different sections of trails. Residents were encouraged to come out and share concerns and ideas for trail use. Staff and volunteers took notes of comments and handed out stickers, bike bells, and print materials about the campaign.

Over the summer, dozens of people provided valuable feedback that is helping shape an updated trail ordinance, Rabideau says.

“We wanted to see for ourselves what was taking place along our trails,” he says. “We wanted community feedback from residents’ experiences. We wanted to learn what they would like to see to keep our trails enjoyable for all users. Our residents stepped up and gave us an incredible amount of feedback that we have reviewed as we consider an updated ordinance.

 “I truly believe that if we did not host these trail engagement events, we would not be successful in crafting an ordinance that reflects what the community would like to see. We learned so much from our residents.”

We likely will replicate the Culture of Kindness trail events in summers to come.

“It’s a great way to engage the community and listen to our residents,” Rabideau noted. “Not only did we hear about trail use concerns, but residents shared valuable feedback with us about other ideas and issues around the township.”

Ambassadors share information both ways

Our Community Ambassadors played a key role in the Culture of Kindness activities and much more each year. This group grew out of the township’s desire to communicate more effectively with residents by using volunteer ambassadors who are their friends and neighbors.

This 12-member group meets monthly with township officials to learn about topics coming before the Board of Trustees and to receive updates on projects such as park development, planning and zoning, and ways they can help share messages.

In September, one ambassador, Joanne Johnson, was named Ambassador of the Year. Johnson was integral in the Culture of Kindness activities, personally delivering 300 flyers to homes around the event areas.

“Joanne’s efforts played a huge role in the great turnout we had for our trail events,” says Rabideau. “She has gone above and beyond on a regular basis, and we are so grateful to have her support as a Community Ambassador.”

Not only do we inform the ambassadors about what is happening at the municipal level, but the ambassadors also share what they hear from residents that may need to be addressed by the board or staff.

Gallagher says the ambassadors and the engagement initiatives embody the three tenets of the township’s core messaging:

• Spring Lake Township has a Culture of Kindness and highly values respectful communication and building trust in local government.
• Spring Lake Township is committed to fiscal responsibility and being a good steward of taxpayer money and resources.
• Spring Lake Township values direct, open communication to foster transparency, participation, and engagement in local government.

“We don’t just talk the talk on engagement, we walk the walk,” says Gallagher. “We will continue to prioritize engagement and communication in all that we do. I believe our residents are seeing the results of our efforts as well.”

For townships interested in increasing their community engagement, Gallagher pointed out that the Community Ambassadors, Citizens Academy and Culture of Kindness operate at minimal to no cost, making them “easy wins” for other municipalities to mirror.

“These are programs that can be implemented without impacting the budget, but that can make a big impact on resident engagement,” he says.

Communication a priority

This past year, the township and village collaborated to launch new websites and three new reporting and communication tools to help residents receive information quickly and efficiently.

One tool, Urgent Alerts, allows residents to sign up for text, email, or phone call notifications about urgent matters such as water boil advisories, road closures, or community-wide announcements. A second tool, Notify Me, lets residents sign up for text or email alerts when content of interest is added to the township website, such as meeting agendas and minutes, news, calendar events, and e-newsletters.

The third tool, SeeClickFix, allows residents or visitors to easily report issues they see when out and about, such as park maintenance needs, potholes, graffiti, or trees over trails.

“We have invested significant resources in both staff time and financially to bring these tools to our residents because we value communication immensely,” Gallagher says. “These new tools will provide even more ways for our residents to communicate with us, and us with them, in efficient ways. We just rolled these tools out in early September, and we are already using them and receiving great feedback.”

Gallagher says the township’s close collaboration with the village serves residents of both municipalities efficiently. Our two staffers even share office space in Village Hall. He pointed to my shared communications director position as further evidence of commitment to communications.

“Investing in a communications director and a part-time communications specialist demonstrates that we are committed to doing our very best to keep residents apprised of township matters through various channels,” Gallagher says. “We regularly talk about how we can be sure we are reaching the majority of our residents with information they need to know.”

For example, we recently decided to increase mailed, print newsletters from two each year to four, and have committed to at least one, but usually more, emailed newsletters as well.

“Taken as a whole, I believe we are doing an excellent job in our communication and engagement efforts,” Gallagher says. “We have a great staff who I’m sure will continue to develop new and innovative methods to keep our momentum going.”

Photos courtesy of Beth Anne Piehl

Beth Anne Piehl is the communications director for Spring Lake Township and the village of Spring Lake, and works to keep residents informed and connected to their communities. She returned to the area in May 2026.