And our first item of business is a proclamation.

Which so I'm going to come go to the podium and read the proclamation, and Mr.

Davis is going to join me.

And anyone else who wants to.

Say it again.

So it's great to be able to lift up and honor various parts of our community.

And particularly those parts of our community that maybe are under unusual strain in these times.

But I'm excited to be able to uh make a proclamation about Hispanic Heritage Month.

So, whereas Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States is a month-long period that honors the rich tradition, history, and contributions of Hispanics and Latinos in the United States, including in the arts, sciences, education, business, government, and civil rights.

Whereas growing up is as proud to uplift the national recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month to highlight the contributions and accomplishments of the National Hispanic and Latino community.

And whereas the theme for this year's celebration, Collective Heritage, Honoring the Past and Inspiring the Future, celebrates the diverse cultural heritage of the Hispanic and Latino community and recognizes the significance of their influence in the United States.

And whereas Hispanics and Latinos have played a vital role in shaping our history and identity, both nationally and locally, from early settlers to the many who work tirelessly today for our bright burdy future.

And whereas Hispanic Heritage Month offers an opportunity to honor and celebrate the cultural traditions, achievements, and lasting impact.

Therefore, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, and our city affirms its commitment to ensure that all of our communities are welcome to live authentically, seek opportunities, be safe in the city that in which they live and remain valued remain valued and respected.

Now, therefore, I, David Le Grand, mayor of the city of Grand Rapids, do proclaim September 15 to October 15, 2025 as Hispanic Heritage Month, and invite all residents, businesses, organizations, and institutions to join in celebrating through events, education, and recognition.

Well, thank you, Mayor LeGrand, and good morning to the city commission and city manager.

We appreciate you officially recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month in Grand Rapids.

We know that this year's theme Collective Heritage, honoring the past, inspiring the future reflects both the history and the future of Hispanic and Latino communities.

It encourages us to recognize past contributions while also supporting crop progress and the opportunity to move forward.

We want to take some time to uh recognize some of our partners that are here today, specifically the Michigan Local Government Latino Network, which is one of our ERGs here at the city.

Um they're a key partner in this year's celebration.

MLGLN works to support Latino professionals in government by promoting leadership, professional development, and cultural awareness.

Everyone is invited to attend the MLGLN event on the plaza level.

Uh it'll be after this morning's Cal.

It will be a chance to network, connect with others, and recognize Hispanic Heritage Month together.

We also appreciate other partners that are present, including King County.

Thank you for your recent partnership with the local MLGLN chapter.

This collaboration supports a growing regional network, and also our community partners, which include the state of Michigan, the Chamber of Commerce, and other community organizations for your involvement.

Your participation shows strong shared support for this celebration.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for uh Mayor Le Grand for uh this proclamation.

This is a reminder that the fabric in Grand Rapids is enriched by different communities that call this place home.

And to be able to see in today's uh um time uh this culture being celebrated doesn't mean that that in any other way it invalidates others.

It just means that we have a moment to celebrate the impact, cultural, economic impact that our Latino and Hispanic brothers and sisters have in our region here.

And uh so we'd like to thank you for this opportunity.

And the best way that we can celebrate is by making sure that we are uh supporting our neighbors, making sure that those businesses that that our job creators in our community have an opportunity to go and shop there.

Not only this month, this is a good reminder, but do it the other 11 months as well, not just these 30 days.

So thank you so much for this opportunity.

Thank you.

All right, should we do a picture?

All right, thank you.

Right now, good to see you.

Hello, how are you on AWTV?

Well it's a little while.

All your beautiful faces.

All the way, keep going in front of the gentleman.

Are we all in the back of the job?

Mayor Wad, the chamber's clearing.

I um want to thank you for the proclamation.

And while um Omar spoke on behalf of the chamber, our uh president of our employee resource group, uh Isamar, uh Alvaredo um was here and want to thank her for her leadership as well.

Indeed.

Um this brings us to our next item of business, which is a resolution authorizing water testing agreement with Caledon Caledonia Charter Township.

So moved for it.

Uh we have our water services up to discuss this.

Good morning, Commission.

Um, what you have in front of you today is uh an agreement that allows us to serve temporarily Caledonia Township uh as we continue to build the pump station that will be in service early next year to serve them with City of Grand Rapids water.

Um that project's been under construction now for a little over a year.

Um part of the process that we have to go through is to test the water.

Uh Eagle requires this whenever it's a change in water source, that we have to go through and test that water appropriately to make sure that there's no adverse impacts on the piping systems within the properties and so forth like that.

So there being a groundwater system and uh Grand Rapids being a surface water system, um, Eagle is going to require this to be testing.