To continue celebrating the Community Development Fellowship’s 5-year anniversary, we will be catching up with both former and current fellows and host communities throughout the year. We’ll be reflecting on host communities’ progress, fellows’ growth, and the overall impact of the Community Development Fellowship. 

This month, we interviewed Ian McCain, Eastpointe’s economic development manager, as well as John Kraus, Eastpointe’s community development fellow.

CEDAM: What were you looking to gain when you applied to host a fellow?

Ian McCain, Eastpointe Economic Development Manager: When I became Eastpointe’s Economic Development Manager in November 2022, I quickly learned the department had a limited budget and resources, despite the clear need for community and economic development support. As a community builder, I look at this work through a holistic, long-term lens, which means sustainability must be a key element to a successful, vibrant local economy. I knew Eastpointe needed another set of boots on the ground to continue the great work of my predecessor, who was the first in her position for over five years due to budget cuts. I also knew we needed someone that could launch and lead Greenpointe, which prioritizes various sustainable solutions such as planting trees and native plants, exploring alternative energy sources (i.e., solar), installing green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), and educating residents on the importance of these implementations in the Great Lakes State amidst the threat of climate change. We were looking for a candidate who understood the importance of supporting diverse, legacy, and new local businesses, while also catalyzing systemic sustainability in the Gateway to Macomb County. We found this and so much more in Eastpointe’s Community Development Fellow, John Kraus!

CEDAM: Now that you’re more than halfway through with the Fellowship, what have you gained since hosting a fellow?

Ian: Through our mutually beneficial partnership between Eastpointe’s Economic Development Department, CEDAM, and John, we have been able to launch a number of great initiatives, attract funding for transformative projects, and follow frameworks to support economic development and sustainability for generations to come. While there are a number of ways John has made an impact, I’m going to focus on three.

John has successfully launched Greenpointe, our municipal sustainability initiative geared toward making the Gateway to Macomb County the “Greenest Pointe” in Metropolitan Detroit. Already, John oversaw the marketing, outreach, planning, and planting of nearly sixty trees on residential streets in 2023, and has plans to plant 100+ more on residential and commercial thoroughfares in 2024. He is also applying for a number of grants. He has already obtained $30,000 in funding to implement the Bioretention Streetscape Initiative (BSI), which will install green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) on Nine Mile Road between Gratiot and Grove Avenues.

John was also one of the lead grant writers on Eastpointe’s $1 million Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) 2.0 Award for our Civic Pointe Community Gathering Space, which will create a multipurpose area for classes, concerts, events, markets, and more in the Gateway to Macomb County’s Downtown District. He is also playing a critical role in helping our Family Town secure matching funds for the project.

Last but not least, John is supporting the renewal of Eastpointe’s Redevelopment Ready Communities Certified Status through MEDC. He is also reviewing our sustainability work citywide, which we hope will allow us to become recognized as a Michigan Green Community in 2024 for the first time. John is a compassionate, thoughtful, energetic, hard-working, and indispensable member of Eastpointe’s team!