VOTE KEN YONKER!

Floods are a dangerous risk if drains are not properly cared for. During Ken’s first term in office, he coordinated with the Grand Rapids FOCUS Schools and Grand Valley Metro Council to try ensuring a grant that will be used to open a failing drain pipe that flows through the school property. The surrounding land is a low area with a high organic soil. This area will be able to be used as a detention basin that the students can create into a classroom to study the relationship of wet land plantings effect on water quality. They will also be able to see the benefits of detaining storm water during hard rain events to ease the pressure on the storm water system downstream. 

There will be a private/public partnership in completing a project on Knapp’s Corner that Ken’s office will be working with City of Grand Rapids and the commercial businesses in the drainage district to build new detention ponds that will supplement the existing failing pond. These ponds will give the opportunity to establish settlement basins which will, with the proper plantings, start a process to remove some contaminants that would otherwise flow into our storm drains. 

I strive to work with our communities in the Kent County region, to manage challenges of the drains that affect them.  Caledonia Township experienced a major emergency in 2018 with the earthen berm at the hydroelectric dam on the Thornapple River where the water was seeping through the berm threatening a potential failure of the dam. Upon short notice, Ken worked with a local contractor to get the stabilizing fix in place, while the first responders put into motion the steps needed to secure the public safety and power replacement if needed. 

Ken is a strong steward of the environment and he believes the work he does as Drain Commissioner also can include working with other organizations to accomplish best practices for better water quality when the Drain Code limits him.  Ken worked with the Plaster Creek Stewards at Calvin University to secure a grant to plant 220 trees along the Schooley Drain. The Drain is in a low marshland and has an invasive grass species that plugs it on a bi-annual basis. The planting of the trees will allow for the blockage of sunlight, not allowing the invasive species to grow. They will also take up more water and transpire the water into the atmosphere, reducing the saturation of soils so more absorption can occur, displacing water from the drain and relieve flooding during large water events.