Team VP has had to call the Township Police just a few times over the last fifteen years. Mostly we…read morehave needed their help with neighbor related noise issues that we could not resolve ourselves and, during the summer, firework problems. This last summer when we called about fireworks, which our neighbors were lighting off in June and August at 3 am we were told there was nothing they could do about it, so I called and asked to speak to the community relations officer. This very polite gentleman had no answers, but he did say that the fireworks were illegal and we should just keep calling and insisting that the officers take it seriously. His exact words to me were "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". If a situation arises where we do need to contact the non emergency number for the Township we always remember that our calls are extremely NON emergency and will be placed on the bottom of the pile. Noise complaints on the scale of car accidents to assaults, just fall to the side. We have had neighbor noise issues - with neighbors who no longer live in our neighborhood - and when we called the police just never showed up at all, so we had to call again. When our house and my parents' house across the street was broken into they did respond immediately. We called at 7:45 in the morning and an officer was there in less than 15 minutes to take our report. He was helpful and sympathetic. He was honest and because we had never experienced anything like that before, he was able to tell us what to expect. When I emailed him with additional information he had requested, the officer responded almost immediately and gave me a timeline (which for me was incredibly helpful) and even a couple of tips on how to make the repairs on our house on our own instead of filing an insurance claim. They do have one woman who answers the phone who sounds like she would rather be anywhere else in the entire universe then answering the phone for dispatch because not only has she never been friendly or reassuring, but she has always been incredibly dismissive. I spoke to her once and now, Mr. MVP calls if we need to help with an issue.

Went to the recent Home Show while back in Kazoo for the weekend. My brother-in-law pointed out…read morethat the Township P. D. Officers were harassing a home show patron and his wife. We were close enough to hear the back and forth, and it was disturbing how the one officer was just berating this poor guy, for absolutely no reason. My brother-in-law is a Superior Court Judge, he commented this will eventually end badly for the officer, specifically since the officer kept pointing to his vest camera and telling the guy and his wife they are liars, he has it on tape? All the guy was doing was walking with a cup, I expect it was beer from the Bells tent. I guess it's time for the officer to read the constitution he is sworn to uphold. Who knows, maybe he's not a sworn Officer? I trying to create a crime where there is none can only lead to a bad situation for all parties!

Good and conveniently located downtown postal substation. If you get a postcard from the art…read moremuseum, and they do have some very artistic postcards since they are photographs of art they have on display, then this is the nearest post office to get stamps and mail them. Many of you have no idea what I'm talking about, so let me encourage you Millennials and i-Gen youngsters to learn about postcards, stamps, mailing, and friends. Postcards were a primitive precursor to Snapchat and Instagram. If you can learn to send postcards to your Boomer and Gen-X relatives, you will become their favorite. And you'll pleasantly surprise your friends and siblings with this retro form of communication and prepare yourself for voting. Stop into this branch where they will not be judgmental if you're learning how to buy stamps, everybody loves getting a postcard from a real person.

This sign is a nice commemoration of Abraham Lincoln coming to Kalamazoo…read more This was President Lincoln's only time speaking in Michigan, and this sign in Bronson Park helps us remember that. It is decorated in the Spring and Summer by flowers surrounding it's base. If you're a Lincoln fan, it's worth checking out to honor one of America's greatest presidents.

Located in the southwest corner of Kalamazoo's Bronson Park, this marker was placed in 1957 and…read moreremembers the time from 100 years prior when an unknown lawyer came to the city and spoke at a rally. I've been to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington and the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Pennsylvania. It's cool to be able to follow this great man around. The marker reads, "On August 27, 1856, here in this park, Abraham Lincoln, then an obscure lawyer, spoke to a rally for John Fremont, the Republican presidential nominee. This was the only time that Lincoln addressed a Michigan audience. The event was almost unnoticed in the press. Some Republicans felt the speaker was too moderate on the antislavery issue. Four years later Michigan's vote helped put Lincoln into the White House." [Review 11220 overall, 996 of 2019.]

Small 1/4 mile tight knit community here in downtown Kalamazoo…read more Spans along Vine and Westnedge. The community is near Western university. Super cute bagel shop, breakfast spot at Crow's nest, Italian and pizza at Martini's and some great and friendly ambiance and beers at O'Duffy's.

Hello, I need Yesterday two men buried my truck in debris. I want this debris cleared, the men…read moreconfronted, and reassurances that this will not happen again. I can not believe the blatant disregard and disrespect for my property. I have these individuals on video and would be happy to provided that evidence. I expect that I should receive some response by 5pm 10-30-2020 as I WILL NOT MOVE MY TRUCK UNTIL THE DEBRIS HAS BEEN REMOVED. being that I risk a ticket by not moving the truck I will be forced to go to the city and law enforcement. I'm hoping you will be able to help me resolve this issue quickly. This is the message I sent, with the video. I was left on read. Vine neighborhoods promise to make this a better neighborhood is a load of crap. The blatant disregard and disrespect for my property astounds me. This is not the direct fault of the VNA, just a warn to the city's level of care regarding your property in this area. The VNA has directed me to a number (which I've already called) and called the video troubling.

I love visiting libraries in other cities, and finally got to check out the downtown Central branch…read moreof KPL recently. This library seems pretty big and they had a lot of cool things to check out right on the main floor. I was interested in the book shop, which is in the lower level. They have a ton of books for sale! It was a bit crowded and a little hectic in the book shop room, but it's good to know it exists. We wandered around for a bit and I saw tons of new books, a huge DVD/Blu-Ray collection, a nice teen area, and plenty of computers. The layout seemed a bit random but I wasn't really looking for anything specific. Kalamazoo is lucky to have this nice library!

Super excellent public library here in downtown Kalamazoo. Laid out on multiple levels with decent…read moreseating, many workstation carrels, tons and tons of lending materials. Not just books but CDs and DVDs and other media. The library is modern, fancy and very beautiful. Free public wifi does require accepting terms but it worked anonymously and very well. Staff was helpful and friendly. An awesome resource for Kalamazooians. [Review 11222 overall, 998 of 2019.]