GFL - Contract Year Two Reminders and RatesBelieve it or not, at the end of this month Waterford Township will be moving into the second year of the designated residential curbside waste program with GFL Environmental USA!
Customers who receive paper invoices in the U.S. Mail received the following flyer in their recent invoice. Those who receive electronic invoices or use autopay received this information in an email.
In case you missed it, see the flyer below for reminders and year two rates.
One point of clarification: the policy on human or pet excrement has not changed. This information is simply a reminder that it must be contained in a bag prior to being placed in the trash cart. |
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Annual State of the Township Address Video Posted
Waterford's annual State of the Township event was held virtually February 24th. In case you missed it, the video is now available on-demand from Waterford Municipal Channel 20 https://bit.ly/3b4JmuT
Hear the latest & greatest directly from the source! |
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Rental/Mortgage Subsistence Payment Programs
With funds received under the authorization of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), Waterford Township may be able to provide rental and mortgage payment subsistence assistance to low to moderate-income Township residents who have lost their job, been furloughed, or had their hours reduced because of the economic impact of COVID-19. Subsistence payments are made directly to the provider or lender on the applicant's behalf. Eligible renters/homeowners include those living in households in Waterford Township with incomes at or below 80% AMI and can provide documentation of need due to the applicable impact of COVID-19. Assistance will be provided to income-qualified households on a first come first serve basis until the allocated funds are exhausted or the assistance program is no longer found to be necessary. Assistance cannot exceed three month’s rent or three times the actual monthly mortgage payment, whichever is applicable. Further, rental assistance cannot exceed the actual cost of the rent (including late fees) and shall not exceed fiscal year 2020 FMR values as well as HUD’s standard of rent reasonableness. For questions, contact Stacy St. James at sstjames@waterfordmi.gov or 248-674-6240. Rental Assistance Application: Click hereMortgage Assistance Application: Click here |
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Bottle & Can Drive March 27th for Waterford Charities
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2021 Outdoor Warning System Siren Test Schedule
The Oakland County Emergency Management Division will conduct testing of the outdoor warning siren system on 10 dates in 2021. Please see calendar below for dates & times.
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Volunteers Needed - Neighborhood Preservation Corps
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Monthly Recycling March 13th
Waterford Township offers free monthly recycling collection of magazines and cardboard (shipping boxes, cereal boxes, toothpaste boxes, etc, free of food debris and dry.)
This service is provided the second Saturday of every month from 9am to 1pm in the parking lot at Township Hall. Waterford residents only, please.
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2021 March Board of Review Meeting Schedule Notice
Please see below for information regarding Waterford's March Board of Review meeting schedule and associated information (click image for link to larger image). |
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Betty the Yeti Scavenger Hunt! March 13th. Sign up Now!
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Youth Spring Soccer - Register By March 19th!
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Waterford Township Public Library March News & Events
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Library Preparing to Transition Back to Phase 4 – Grab & Go services inside the libraryThe Library continues to offer limited services as our staff continues to alternate working remotely and in-library on staggered shifts. While closed to the public we are working to complete a much-needed replacement of the worn carpet in the Adults/Teen Services area. The library will remain in Phase 2 until this project is completed. Estimated date is early March 2021. Watch our website for updates.
The library is closed to the public. Service hours remain:
Monday – Thursday 10:00a – 9:00p, Saturday, 10:00a – 5:00p.
Reduced on-site staff hours will continue to provide the following services: - Online library card application
- Contactless Pickup of materials on hold in the library Entryway (instead of curbside)
- Remote reference & reader’s advisory via phone, email, chat, and Facebook Messenger
- Virtual programs
- Online information resources and downloadable eContent
- Free Wi-Fi in our parking lot
- All returns accepted through our exterior book drops
Thank you for your continued support as we adapt services to this changing environment.Digital Magazines updateOver 3200 eMagazines titles, formerly accessible through RBDigital, have been moved to the Download Destination (Overdrive) website. There is currently no button to the eMagazines from the front page of Download Destination or in the Libby smartphone app at this time. To access these titles, Waterford patrons must be logged in to the website or the Libby app with their library card number. The quickest ways to reach these titles are In the Download Destination website - Click on Collections
- Click on one of the categories under Magazines on the far right, or on “see all” under Magazines
In the Libby app - Tap on explore
- Tap on what’s available
- Tap on available magazines
Mobile Hotspots to checkout
The library has 5 mobile hotspots available for checkout. Metroparks, in partnership with The Library Network (TLN), our cooperative, has selected our library to participate in this grant-funded program. This program provides the Waterford library with the mobile hotspots and unlimited data plans through December 2021. These devices can be checked out for 7 days. Holds can also be placed on them as well.
Poetry Leaves Online Exhibition
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the 2020 Poetry Leaves outdoor exhibit was cancelled. Instead, we will launch the Poetry Leaves exhibit online in April 2021 in celebration of National Poetry Month. The online exhibit will run from April 1st to April 30th. Please visit www.poetry-leaves.com to view the exhibit in April 2021. We will be retiring the Poetry Leaves Project after the online exhibition of 2020's poems.
Children’s Programs (through age 12)
The Early Literacy and Activity Bags are back!
Thanks to the Great Start Collaborative of Oakland County for providing more bags for our younger patrons that are filled with activity packets, supplies and books. The bags are divided into Toddler (ages 2-3) and Preschool (ages 4-5). Please call the children's desk at (248) 618-7692 beginning Monday, March 1 to reserve your bag. Reserved bags are to be picked up in the library's entryway within seven days of your request. Because supplies are limited, we are only giving one bag per family. Thank you for your understanding.
The Craft Corner on Facebook
Saturdays 10:00a
Join us virtually for The Craft Corner. Follow us on Facebook as we post short, craft videos every Saturday at 10:00 am. The children’s librarians are demonstrating simple, fun, and inexpensive crafts that you can do at home with items either found around your house, or in local stores. See Waterford Township Public Library YouTube channel for archived presentations.
Ready Reads on Facebook
Mondays-Thursdays 11:00a
Join on Facebook for our Ready Reads story time. The children's librarians are reading a story or two, sometimes with a song or other fun activity. Story readings will be on Facebook for a limited time, but we're posting something new every weekday.
Teens (grades 6-12)
Homework Help Here!
Are you looking for help with homework? Do you need assistance preparing for the SAT, ACT, or other tests? Do you or your parents have questions about filling out the FAFSA application? The library now has Brainfuse’s HelpNow FREE online tutoring service that Waterford cardholders can use for these and other situations where tutors can help. All you need is a Waterford library card to begin getting the assistance you’re looking for with homework, writing assistance, standardized tests, college preparation, and more.
Adults – Enrichment Groups via Zoom
(Registration is required for all Zoom presentations. Provide your email address in order to receive a link to the Zoom meeting one or two days before the event. For help with Zoom, see the GCFGlobal tutorial (https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/zoom/getting-started-with-zoom/1/) or visit the "Joining a Meeting" page on the Zoom website.)
Knitting Group via Zoom
Wednesday mornings, 10:00a- Noon. Registration required.
Share patterns, exchange ideas, show off your projects, and socialize while you knit! During the COVID-19 outbreak, our Knitting Group will meet virtually via Zoom.
Waterford Genealogical Society Afternoon Meeting via Zoom
Wednesday, March 3 & March 17, 1:00p-3:00p. Registration required.
Waterford Genealogical Society Evening Meeting via Zoom
Tuesday, March 9, 7:00p-8:30p. Registration required.
All are welcome to attend. Genealogy is the study of family ancestries and histories.
Library Garden Club meeting
Wednesday, March 10, 6:30pm-8:00p via Zoom. Registration required.
Starting Vegetable and Herb Gardens: What to do now
Participants will share information they have found on this topic and useful resources as well as tips & tricks from their own experience growing such gardens. NOTE: No work bee in the library gardens this month.
Virtual Book Discussion Groups
Thursday, March 11, 7:00 pm via Zoom. Registration required.
Title: The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone
The book is available in eBook and audio formats on hoopla. If you haven’t used hoopla before and would like to give it a try, please visit our Digital Downloads page (https://www.waterfordmi.gov/611/Downloadable-eBooks-Audiobooks-and-Magaz), which has help sheets to get you started. There will also be a limited number of hard copies of the book, including large print and book on CD formats. Please call 248-618-7693 or email wateref@waterfordmi.gov regarding availability.
Monday Afternoon Virtual Book Discussion
Monday, March 15, 1:00 pm via Zoom. Registration required.
Title: America for Beginners by Leah Fraqui
You can get a copy of the book to check out by calling the adult desk at 248-618-7693 and then picking it up using contactless pick-up in the front entryway of the library. This title is also available as an eBook and a downloadable audiobook in our hoopla app.
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Department of Public Works News You Can Use
Contactless Payment Options
Waterford Township DPW would like to remind residents and business owners of their many contactless payment options. Payments can be made through the mail using the provided envelope and payment coupon, in person using the dropbox to the right of our main entrance, on our website with a credit or debit card, through a financial institution’s bill pay or with Auto Debit.
Customers interested in automatic payment from a checking or savings account can return the blue form mailed with their most recent bill statement to our office. The Auto Debit form is also available to download on our website. Questions about the Auto Debit program or any of our contactless payment options can be answered by staff at 248-674-2278.
Attention all Lawn, Landscape and Garden Enthusiasts:
As you start planning your spring landscape and gardening projects, consider having a second water meter installed. This second meter is used to register the outdoor water use for your property; measuring the outdoor water use separately allows DPW to not bill sewer portion for water that is not entering the sewer system. The sewer cost is the largest portion of your quarterly bill and having a second meter installed could provide significant cost savings depending on your outdoor water habits.
Current cost for a 5/8” sprinkler meter is $185 and quarterly charges are $13.03 for the first 1,000 cubic feet of use and $2.91/100 cubic feet over 1,000. Questions about past water use, purchasing a sprinkler meter or to schedule an appointment please call 248-674-2278.
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Working Smoke Alarms Are a Must
About three out of five fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or working smoke alarms. Smoke alarms are a key part of a home fire escape plan providing early warning reducing your risk of dying in a fire. The National Fire Protection Association recommends you:
- Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas on the ceiling or high on the wall
- Keep smoke alarms away from the kitchen, at least 10 feet from the stove, to reduce false alarms
- Use special alarms with strobe lights and bed shakers for people who are hard of hearing or deaf
- Test smoke alarms monthly
- Replace batteries annually, and change the batteries in your carbon monoxide detector at the same time
- Replace smoke alarms that are 10 or more years old
Information from the Nation Safety Council shared by your Waterford Regional Fire Department.
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Citizen's Guide Documents Available
Waterford’s Citizen’s Guide, Performance Dashboard, Debt Service Report and Projected Budget are available for viewing on the Township’s website at https://www.waterfordmi.gov/288/Citizens-Guide-and-Performance-Dashboard
These documents are also available for viewing during normal business hours at the Clerk’s Office which is located at 5200 Civic Center Drive.
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Waterford Youth Assistance Volunteer of the Year 2020
Officer Andy Tarajos, Waterford Police Department
Waterford Youth Assistance (WYA) is a nonprofit organization serving the community of Waterford, MI since 1962. The mission of WYA is to strengthen youth and families and reduce the incidence of delinquency, abuse, and neglect through community involvement. A partnership of community volunteers and sponsors works together with WYA to develop community programming in an effort to achieve their mission to support families and youth. Each year, WYA selects an outstanding community volunteer who has made a difference as a WYA volunteer and in the lives of Waterford youth. This year, Waterford Youth Assistance has selected Waterford Police Department Officer Andy Tarajos as the 2020 Volunteer of the Year.
Andy was raised in Troy, Michigan and graduated from Troy High School. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Ferris State University in 1997. That same year he got married to his high school sweet-heart, Karrie, and moved to Waterford, Michigan. He has spent 24 years as a police officer civil servant. For the last 23 years, he has worked as a police officer for the Waterford Police Department serving on road patrol or as a police liaison within nine different Waterford schools. His current police assignment is as a Police Liaison for Pierce, Beaumont, Riverside, Knudson, Haviland, Houghton, and Stepanski elementary schools. Not only is he a school liaison officer, but an experienced field training officer, evidence technician, detective, background investigator, and a certified forensics cell phone examiner. He also serves as a police liaison to the Waterford Youth Assistance Board of Directors and refers youth for casework services when additional family support is needed. As a WYA volunteer, he has been an active supporter of WYA’s Youth Recognition Program and has assisted with the shoplifting prevention program that is presented annually to all fifth graders within the Waterford school district.
In 2014/2015, the Waterford Police Department awarded Officer Tarajos with the Putnum Award in recognition of his dedication to working with and mentoring youth. His off-duty youth work has extended to coaching several different Waterford girl’s lacrosse teams over the years. Andy has been married for 23.5 years and has a daughter, Jenna, who is currently attending Western Michigan University. When not serving the community, you can find Andy cooking, traveling up north or spending time with his family and friends. Waterford Youth Assistance would like to congratulate Officer Tarajos for his dedication to our community and his efforts in helping to make a difference in the lives of local youth.
Waterford Youth Assistance could not accomplish its mission without the support of community volunteers. We are always welcoming talented people to join our team. Whether you desire to work on our Board of Directors, head a committee as a Chairperson, or enjoy working as a programming task volunteer there are opportunities within WYA where you can help make a difference in the community. If you live within Oak-land County and desire to volunteer, we would love to hear from you! Feel free to email us at water-fordya@msn.com, contact our office at 248-618-7383, or visit waterfordyouthassistance.com to learn more about WYA and its services.
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Waterford Youth Assistance
2020 Scholarship Award Winner
Waterford Youth Assistance (WYA) is a nonprofit organization serving Waterford youth and families since 1962.
Former Waterford Township clerk and community resident, Betty Fortino, was actively involved with Waterford Youth Assistance for 30 years. Until her death in June 2011, Betty served as the Youth Recognition chairperson for WYA. In her honor, Waterford Youth Assistance and her immediate family have established the Betty Fortino Phoenix “Rising Above Challenge” Scholarship Award to be given to a Waterford high school senior who has risen above life’s challenges.
On behalf of the Fortino family, Waterford Youth Assistance is pleased to announce that a Waterford Kettering High School student, Sarahfay Hendin, is the 2020 Betty Fortino Scholarship Award winner. This award comes with a $1,000 scholarship payable to a college of Sarahfay’s choice. Read below to learn more about how Sarahfay has over-come her challenges.
“My name is Sarahfay Hendin and I am a senior at Waterford Kettering High School. Throughout my life, I have faced many struggles and challenges. In 7th grade, I lost my Grammie to a very tragic accident, which I believed I could have stopped by being at her side. Of course, I couldn’t have known it was going to happen, but in my young fragile mind, I had killed her. This mindset started a long treacherous journey of mental health issues. I had hit rock bottom. I started to not care about how I dressed. I avoided school and my grades reflected it. I became a completely different person. My friends and family were very worried for me but didn’t have the words to fix me. I am a very dramatic person and because of this, I participated in the yearly musicals at Mason Middle School. After the death of my Grammie, I had lost interest in performing. When a community theatre started posting flyers for auditions, my mother made me go. She knew I loved it. I was cast in a small part and stuck it out till the end. It wasn’t until the curtain call when I stepped up to take my bow in front of family and friends before I realized I was climbing out of the hole I was in.
Since then, I have gotten so much better. Of course, some of the anxiety from that night has lingered, but I am here. The performing arts saved my life. Now, as a senior I am a strong advocate for the performing arts here in Waterford and as far as my influence can reach. At my school, I am involved in the National Honor Society, Link Crew, Chamber Choir, and am the president of our Drama Club. Outside of school, I am a Student Thespian Officer for the State of Michigan and a K-1 small group leader at my church. I have fixed my grades since their last decline and now have a 4.0 GPA. I have decided to continue my education hoping to become a high school theatre teacher wanting to spread my passion for theatre to the next generation of students. I strive to pass on my love for performing to everyone hoping that it might be the thing that will save them as it saved me.”
The mission of WYA is to strengthen youth and families and reduce the incidence of delinquency, abuse, and neglect through community involvement. We could not accomplish its mission without the support of community volunteers. If you live within Oakland County and desire to volunteer, we would love to hear from you! Feel free to email us at waterfordya@msn.com, contact our office at 248-618-7383, or visit waterfordyouthassistance.com to learn more about WYA and its services.
Congratulations Sarahfay on overcoming your mental health challenges, advocating for the performing arts, and becoming involved in student organizations in an effort to positively influence other youth.
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Spring: Prepare, Plan, Stay Informed.
Though severe weather is most common in Michigan during the spring months when we transition from the cold of winter to the warm of summer, severe weather can and does strike anywhere in Michigan anytime of the year.
Checking the weather forecast at least once a day can make you aware of what days you may have to take immediate action to avoid dangerous lightning, damaging thunderstorm winds, river or flash flooding and tornados. Preparing well in advance for what to have in your home or work emergency shelter, and knowing what you should be ready to take to an emergency evacuation shelter can help you and your family stay safe and be ready to recover from any weather disaster. Having a plan of action that you talk about and practice with your family and co-workers can save lives. This plan of action should include things such as having multiple ways to receive weather warnings, knowing how to get to storm shelters or flood evacuation points and keeping an emergency kit for all weather threats.
When it comes to staying safe from severe weather - Be Aware, Be Prepared, Have a Plan.
For more information on severe weather threats, safety and preparedness from the National Weather Service and many of its key partners...visit: https://www.weather.gov/wrn/spring-safety
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Save the Date - May 1st for Riverwalk Cleanup Event
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Participate in Waterford's 2021 Outdoor Art Exhibit
Sales Held April & May, Return by July 15th
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It's Restaurant Month in Waterford Township!
There are a few ways to get involved and support this local program...
1. Visit www.waterfordchamber.org and register for your “Restaurant Month” gift
certificate. The first 50 people (between March 1st & 7th) who register will receive
a $20 gift card for the chamber member restaurant of your choice. Please note: only
one entry per person, and only chamber members are eligible
2. Save your receipts from any “Chamber member” restaurants and submit them via
text to 248-330-3871 or email to info@waterfordchamber.org during the month
of March. The person who submits the most receipts will receive a “local” gift basket
from area businesses members. There will be a random drawing with the remaining
submissions for a 2nd gift basket. All residents are eligible.
Our thanks to LaFontaine Automotive for their support of the WACC “Restaurant
Month” program! For a complete list of member restaurants visit www.waterfordchamber.org
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