Muskegon Vying for America’s Best Community

The Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce is working with local stakeholders to win Muskegon the title of “America’s Best Community”.  The group has submitted an application for the America’s Best Communities (ABC) Prize, an economic revitalization program sponsored by Frontier Communications, DISH Network and CoBank.

This multi-stage, multi-year competition will provide support and seed money to winning communities with the grand prize winner receiving $3 million towards their community growth and revitalization plan.

Local stakeholders who partnered to submit the application include the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, the Cities of Muskegon, Norton Shores, and Muskegon Heights, along with local businesses Parkland Development, Alcoa, Parmenter O’Toole, and agencies such as the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission and others.

A panel of independent judges will be reviewing the application and announce the 50 quarter finalists on April 29, 2015.  If selected as a quarter-finalist, the community will be awarded a prize of $35,000.  The stakeholders plan to use this prize to develop a corridor beautification plan to better access Muskegon’s Lakeshore.

“Muskegon Lake and the region’s Lake Michigan Shoreline are world class,” says Chamber President Cindy Larsen.  “Our application centers on the need to visually enhance the community’s main arteries with access to the waterfront.”  Access to water is an economic driver that will benefit the entire region attracting new visitors, residents and investment. If chosen, the community will be awarded prize money in 2017 to begin implementing the plan.

Check out the website: www.americasbestcommunities.com to learn more.

Click here for an America’s Best Community Video filmed about Muskegon.

Click here for a video from Country Superstar Vince Gill that features Muskegon.