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No one wants to get ill and end up in the hospital. But life happens.
We get sick, we get in accidents, we fall off ladders and break bones,
we have babies. When this happens it is very comforting to know
you have an excellent hospital in your local area that will be able to
care for you until you recover.
Here in Grand Rapids, Michigan we are very fortunate to have one of the
nation’s best hospitals to care for our citizens in need of health care.
Spectrum Health has 7 Hospitals and more than 140 service sites.
Spectrum Health’s 14,000 employees, 1,500 medical staff members
and 2,000 volunteers are a major part of our community and our economy,
providing $98.6 million in community benefit during its 2007 fiscal year.
Spectrum Health has earned more than 50 national awards during the
past 10 years. A recent study recognized Spectrum Health as one of
the best hospitals in the country for the sixth time in 10 years.
Spectrum Health was included on the list of Thomson Healthcare’s
100 Top Hospitals for 2007.
The winners were announced in the March 17, 2008 issue of
Modern Healthcare magazine.
The 100 Top Hospitals have higher survival rates, keep more patients complication-free, and have lower expenses-all while maintaining financial stability. Thomson Healthcare estimates that if all Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as those in the 100 Top Hospitals winners:
- more than 120,000 additional patients would survive each year
- nore than 138,000 patient complications would be avoided annually
- expenses would decline by an aggregate $6.2 billion a year
- the average patient stay would decrease by more than half a day
If you are planning on relocating to Grand Rapids Michigan, you can rest assured your medical needs will be in good hands.
Spectrum Health facts taken from Spectrum Health website – press releases
Roselle Park in Ada Michigan along the Grand River is 247 acre park that is
a dedicated Natural Habitat Refuge. On a rainy Saturday a few weeks
ago, we stopped and took a few photos. It was cold and windy but
the fall colors were great. We walked on one of the trails along the Grand
River. A very peaceful place to visit. Dogs on leashes are welcome.
These silos were left from the previous owner of the property. The one with
the stars on top has been made into a 9 story observation tower.
View from the observation tower toward the Grand River
On the walking trail along the river.
The Grand River, the longest river in Michigan. It starts near Hillsdale MI and
winds it’s way north then west, eventually emptying into Lake Michigan.
This spot is just north of the confluence of the Thornapple River at Ada MI.
Additional information on Roselle Park:
Roselle Park Nature Preserve on the Grand River
Roselle Park Flood Stage Spring 2009 Video
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If you are looking for a home in the Grand Rapids Area, we service the following areas: Metro Grand Rapids, Ada-Cascade, East Grand Rapids, Caledonia, Kentwood, Lowell, and Rockford. We have assisted Grand Rapids buy & sell homes for the last 35+ years. Call 1-616-292-7263 to talk with Terry or email him at: terry@terrywestbrook.com.
For MLS access to the homes for sale in the West Michigan Area,visit: Westbrook Realty ~ Grand Rapids Real Estate for a free search. Your search can be saved and modified as you view homes, with no obligation.
Thinking of selling your home? We offer one of the most extensive marketing campaigns in Grand Rapids with a major online presence for your home. With over 85% of buyers looking for homes online, this is where we concentrate our efforts. Click here to view Terry’s Realtor profile.
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Westbrook Realty – Giving You Our Personal Best
Scheduled to open in the fall of 2010, construction has started on the new
elementary school at the old Ottawa Hills High School plot, formerly Iroquois
Middle School. The Grand Rapids Public School system sold the land and
buildings and the old Ottawa High School building was torn down this summer.
Major construction is now underway for the new school by Grand
Rapids Christian Schools. This is what the site looks like now:
And a site map of the future facility:
Home for Sale 1 block from this new GR Christian School
Westbrook Realty ~ Search Grand Rapids Real Estate
Copyright 2009 all rights reserved
Call 1-616-292-7263 or email me: terry@terrywestbrook.com
The Grand Rapids Art Prize 2009 Finalists have Been Announced…. drumroll…
The winners are as follows:
Numero Uno: $250,000 Art Prize goes to: Ran Ortner for OPEN WATER #24
This painting will be on display at The Grand Rapids Art Museum through
Jan 2010 if you missed it during Art Prize. Saw a mention online that it
has been sold! Sure hope it stays in our community.
This painting is over 18 feet long…as Michigan is surrounded by water
and going through rough water economically right now, a fitting winner.
Number Two: $100,000 Art Prize goes to: Tracy Van Duinen for Imagine That!
This large outdoor mosaic mural by Tracy Van Duinen covers a portion of the
Grand Rapids Children’s Museum on the front. It is a permanent installation
and a wonderful, whimsical touch to one of our area’s attractions. Interactive
in many ways, this mural will teach, enchant, and educate all of us about
art for years to come.
Number Three: $50,000 Art Prize goes to: Eric Daigh for Portraits
These portraits are 4 x 6 feet and made of plastic push pins on boards.
Eric uses about 50,000 push pins for each portrait. You have to admire
the creativity and unusual medium of this artist!
Number Four: $ 7000 Art Prize goes to: David Lubbers for The Grand Dance
Sculpture. A stunning sight in the middle of the Grand River with lights
and motion.
Number Five: $ 7000 Art Prize goes to: Bill Segunda for The Moose
We haven’t seen this yet but would like to. Bill constructs his life size animals
using up to 60,000 nails welded on metal frame as fur. Hard to see in this picture
but it makes you appreciate the work, vision and creativity that went into this
entry.
Number Six: $ 7000 Art Prize goes to:Thomas Birks for The Nessie Project
This is just such a fun entry, who doesn’t love Nessie on the Grand River?
Number Seven: $7000 Art Prize goes to: John Douglas Powers for Field of Reeds
This is a kinetic sculpture that measures 14 x 10 x 4.5 feet high. The 1001 reeds
sway back and forth to create a rhythmic motion & sound.
Number Eight: $7000 Art Prize goes to: Sarah Grant for The Furniture
This oversize table and chairs placed on the pedestrian Blue Bridge in
Grand Rapids was a favorite of many. With Grand Rapids’ Furniture City
past, it hit many people as not only fun, but indicative of GR’s past, as
evidenced by its full title: Furniture City Sets the Table for the
World of Art.
Number Nine: $7000 Art Prize goes to: Jason Hackenworth for
Ecstasy of The Scarlet Empress
This fantasy sea creature made up entirely of balloons was stunning
and unexpectedly realistic. There were also people interacting with
the crowds wearing balloon costumes created by Jason.
Number Ten: $7000 Art Prize goes to:Michael Westra for Winddancer 2
This welded kinetic sculpture moves with the slightest breeze.
It certainly charmed the voters who saw it.
That is the Art Prize Finalist line up for this year, 2009. We were all
excited and pleased with the community reaction and participation in
viewing and voting for their favorite pieces of art work.
Grand Rapids is looking forward to next year!
All pictures except Nessie, Furniture, and Scarlet Empress are courtesy of the Art Prize web site
Movie-making has been going strong in Grand Rapids,
Michigan this summer. We have been on a movie set
as extras in a major motion picture filming here in
Grand Rapids and Lowell.
The generous tax incentives that Michigan has offered the
film industry to make their films here is starting to pay off.
Local caterers, local actors, and local crew are being hired
for the filming of The Genesis Code, a hockey themed
movie starring Academy Award winners, Ernest Borgnine
& Louise Fletcher ( Nurse Ratched fame), and former
Presidential candidate, Fred Thompson.
The production company needed a hundred + extras for
a scene in a church. We are in the pews, singing (actually
miming the words only) and listening to the sermon.
Not tough work, for sure, although it was a warm summer
day, no air-conditioning, a church full of people & lights,
and we were dressed in winter clothes for a Christmas scene.
The magic of movies. We noted fake snow around the
small pond, too, when we walked out for lunch.
The whole production was fascinating to observe. We were
made comfortable in a nearby lounge at Calvin College,
until we were lined up and put in the chapel pews. The art
of film was evident at close inspection. Stained glass windows
were in the front to the chapel. The art dept had made paper
to fit the side windows that matched the stained glass up front,
mainly to control the amount of light coming in.
The crew and production staff were always busy and
bustling around. Everyone seemed to have a walkie-talkie
and an ear-bud to keep connected and keep the production
flowing smoothly. They all seemed to possess the talent of
listening and talking to more than 1 person at a time.
About an hour of filming the same scene each time, from
different angles, and 10 hours later, we were done! Our
scene will probably be about 3-4 minutes in length. I have
a whole new appreciation for a film crew and what it takes
to make a full length feature.
We were given a box lunch and treats in between. No pay
but we might just make it through editing and be in a major
motion picture.
Here are a few pictures from our seat in the ”extra” spot.
I don’t imagine the film crew gets their picture taken very often.
We might be going to one of the hockey arena shoots this
weekend. It is nearby but they are filming from 5pm to 5am.
Not sure we can make it through that time frame – even if
we sleep in our seats!!
Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids Real Estate
Copyright 2009 all rights reserved
It looks like the most affordable homes in the United States are in the
Midwest, according to CNNMoney.com’s latest posting about the Most
& the Least affordable cities to buy a home. New York and the California
dominate the least affordable cities to buy a home today.
Grand Rapids Michigan comes in 5th Most Affordable with an affordability
score of 92.9%.
CNNMoney’s lineup is as follows:
MOST AFFORDABLE
- Indianapolis, IN median home price – $107,000
- Youngstown, OH median home price – $ 73,000
- Detroit, MI median home price – $ 86,000
- Dayton, OH median home price – $105,000
- Grand Rapids, MI median home price – $100,000
LEAST AFFORDABLE
- New York City, NY median home price – $419,000
- San Francisco, CA median home price – $580,000
- Honolulu, HA median home price – $395,000
- Los Angeles, CA median home price – $294,000
- Santa Ana, CA median home price – $391,000
The foreclosure crisis that has hit the Midwest hard has influenced the
prices of homes in a downward trend for the past few years. The
auto industry is a big factor, although many of these Midwest cities, like
Grand Rapids are diversifying their economic base and will come out of
this much stronger and with many more people as homeowners.
If you are looking for a home in Grand Rapids Michigan, you are much
more likely to find a home you can afford than many other cities, which
is great news for the average home buyer today.
Grand Rapids Ada Real Estate – Westbrook Realty
Copyright 2009 All rights reserved
West Michigan Whitecaps Baseball is one of the best things
about summer in Grand Rapids.
And they just made it a little bit better! On Monday August 17th,
the Whitecaps management is offering free tickets for up to 4 kids
(12 and under) when accompanied by an adult. You must purchase
a reserved seat adult ticket ($9.50) and the kids, yes, up to 4 kids
can get reserved seat tickets for free.
They must be purchased at the Whitecaps Ticket Office at
Fifth Third Ballpark, no phone or online sales.
The Whitecaps appreciate the support they get from local fans and
realize many families are feeling the pinch of less money for
summer fun activities. See Whitecaps Blog Article here.
So, if you have been waiting for the right opportunity to see a
Whitecaps game this summer, this could be it. They will be playing
the South Bend Silver Hawks at 7 pm Monday, August 17th.
Play Ball!
Grand Rapids Real Estate ~ Westbrook Realty
Copyright 2009 All rights reserved
There are so many golf courses in Michigan, over 900 public courses,
ranking third in the nation in public golf courses and over 400 member
clubs to play. We are crazy about golf in Michigan.
With courses like Spring Lake Country Club, it is easy to see why.
Spring Lake Country Club is an old course, founded in 1911, and it is a
private, member owned facility. From the longest tees, it is 6525 yards.
“Going green” is taken seriously at Spring Lake CC. In May of 2005,
they received the honor of being named a Certified Audubon Cooperative
Sanctuary, only the 14th course in Michigan to be recognized. In 2007,
SLCC was named #1 for total number of bird species counted on the course
in the Great Lakes region and 3rd in the entire country for the Audubon
International North American Bird Watch Open, held in May each year.
Spring Lake CC is seriously into Junior Golf. Don’t be surprised to
see a few future PGA professionals hail from this course. Last year
they had 180 Junior PGA Golfers (aged 7-17) in their Annual Junior
Golf Tournament held in August.
We were invited to play this fabulous course last week by our friends,
Charles and Joann. We had a beautiful day to play golf and enjoy the
aesthetics of this picturesque golf course. Spring Lake CC is heavily
wooded, and indeed, we saw several oak trees with trunk girths of
15-20 feet or more.
75-80 degrees, sunny and a slight breeze off the Lake (Spring Lake is
open to Lake Michigan) is a perfect Michigan summer day. And we
couldn’t think of a better way to spend it. Because Spring Lake is
connected to Lake Michigan, it is a prime resort area and has many
elite homes on the lake.
We are sharing our photo montage of Spring Lake Country Club.
Grab a cart and ride along!
Spring Lake Country Club
18496 Fruitport Rd
Spring Lake Michigan 49456
616-842-4200
Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids Real Estate
Copyright 2009 All rights reserved
Photos by Bonnie Westbrook
East Grand Rapids Michigan is America’s hometown, at least for quite a few famous people and lots of not-so-famous people. Gerald R Ford, our 38th President and our 40th Vice President grew up in Grand Rapids and lived in East Grand Rapids when he served 25 years as a Michigan Congressman. The movie American Pie was written by Adam Herz, who grew up in East Grand Rapids and based the movie on his teen years.
But East Grand Rapids Michigan is more than a famous hometown, it is a quintessential American hometown. The population is about 11,000 people, and it has fewer than 4000 housing units. East Grand Rapids has 4 seasons, so you can enjoy all seasonal sports and outdoor events.
You can walk or bike to almost anywhere in East in a short time, it has about 3 square miles of total area. You can frolic in Collins Park on Reeds Lake almost year round. If you jet ski, sail, wind surf, fish, or just like to gaze at the water, Reeds Lake is a prominent part of the local community activities.
East GR has great neighborhoods, some include stately mansions, others are average homes, tree lined streets, above average city services, such as leaf & yard waste removal, award winning public schools, a vibrant downtown shopping district- Gaslight Village, and all within 10 minutes of downtown Grand Rapids cultural events.
Take our photo tour of East Grand Rapids MI and get acquainted with it’s charm.
There are currently 170 homes for sale in East Grand Rapids, ranging
in price from $ 99,980 to $ 2,039,000. If you would like to live in
East Grand Rapids, give me a call at 888-240-1968 ext 0 or email me
Westbrook Realty Grand Rapids Real Estate
Copyright 2009 All rights reserved
Video & Photos by Bonnie Westbrook
Grand Rapids has musical action on Friday nights this summer. From
June 19th through August 28th, The Grand Rapids Art Museum is
offering live music on the Rosa Parks Circle Stage. An indoor/outdoor
event that will flow from the Art Museum galleries to the Peter
Wege Plaza and Maya Lin’s Ecliptic Park.
The GRAM will be offering special viewings, art-related talks, food
at the Cafe Terrace and demonstrations during the summer nights
in Grand Rapids. Free to GRAM members, $5.00 for non-members, and
all park and plaza activities are FREE.
So come to downtown GR for a Friday night music and art infusion,
beginning at 5pm.
Live Music Line-up for Summer 2009
