Resident urges Juneteenth event and community garden; visitor guide to be distributed

Harry Brooks, a resident speaking during public comment, urged the council to organize a Juneteenth celebration that would include the South End community and offered to partner on planning. “My name is Harry Brooks. I come to you to ask… Juneteenth is a national holiday that the community of Bay City would love to be a part of,” he said, and asked the city to “point me in the right direction so that I can work with someone.”

Brooks also suggested turning underused space near the South End ballpark into a fenced community garden to provide free produce to residents. “Let’s grow our own vegetables… Give me some good vegetables. Give me some good fruit,” he said, describing the garden as a way to provide food and build community.

Earlier in the public-comment period a meeting participant noted the city had received the 2026–27 annual visitors guide produced in partnership with the Bay City Tribune and said the guides would be distributed free to the public; council members acknowledged the handout. The council chair thanked Brooks for offering solutions in his remarks and said staff would follow up to connect him with the right contacts.