Resident urges repairs to Collin Park band shell; council notes future CIP funding

During public comment at the June 18 council meeting, resident Anne Henriksen urged the council to repair the deteriorating Collin Park band shell and questioned why the city appeared to prioritize other projects over basic maintenance.

Henriksen described a recent summer concert where musicians performed while much of the percussion sat on the grass because performers were crowded on the stage. “It is basically rotting before our very eyes,” she told council, urging members to visit the band shell and to accept offers of community-raised funds to support an amphitheater.

Henriksen also raised concerns about use policies for a June festival she described as LGBT-plus and questioned whether neighborhood impacts had been considered. She referenced a prior anti-discrimination ordinance adopted in 2020 when discussing the festival's composition and said the Holland Human Relations Commission no longer sponsors the event.

City Manager Van Beek later told council that the municipal capital improvement plan approved in the recent budget includes money in an out year to improve and upgrade the Collin Park outdoor band shell, noting that the CIP only authorizes funds for the year it is entered and that later years are planning projections.

No formal action was taken on the public comment; council members and staff acknowledged the concerns and noted the city's capital plan sets a path for funding an upgrade in a future fiscal year.