City of Rochester, Michigan - Government

08/23/2026

🦋 The great monarch migration is underway!

As a Monarch Champion City, Rochester has a special connection to these incredible travelers. Monarchs are beginning their fall journey through Michigan on their way to central Mexico — a trip of up to 3,000 miles!
And Rochester is doing its part. 🌼 Through native habitat, pollinator-friendly plantings, education and community involvement, we’re helping give monarchs places to rest and refuel along the way.

You can help, too! Keep those late-blooming native flowers — like goldenrod and asters — blooming. They provide important nectar for monarchs making their long trip south.

👀 Keep an eye out for orange and black wings passing through Rochester!

📰 7 Amazing Facts About Monarchs as Fall Migration Begins in Michigan:

https://patch.com/michigan/rochester/s/kn5hn/7-amazing-facts-about-monarchs-as-fall-migration-begins-in-mi

Monarchs making their way south from the northern U.S. will spend about two months making their fall journey.

08/21/2026

Turn up the volume on nature!

Rochester Municipal Park has a fun new way to stop, listen and experience the sounds around you. A big thank you to everyone who helped bring this creative addition to our park!

Next time you’re there, give it a listen!

08/14/2026

Calling all kids (and their grown-ups)!

Come play at the grand opening of the NEW Ludlow Memorial Park — a barrier-free, all-abilities playground where everyone can play.

We'll cut the ribbon and let the fun begin!

08/10/2026

🎀 You're invited! Join the Rochester City Beautiful Commission for a Ribbon Cutting celebrating the opening of our new Nature Sound Amplifier and the introduction of the Southern Wet Meadow at Rochester Municipal Park.

The Nature Sound Amplifier — the newest Rochester City Beautiful project — was built by local Eagle Scout Pranav Redyshetty and his troop. Step up and let it enhance the sounds of nature all around you for a truly immersive experience. While you're there, explore the enhanced Southern Wet Meadow and its new signage highlighting this special habitat's role in our environment.

📅 Wednesday, August 19 at 4:00 PM
📍 Rochester Municipal Park

Getting there: From the main parking lot at the pond near City Hall, cross the bridge and walk east along the river.

A special thank you to the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester, whose community grant helped fund the Nature Sound Amplifier project.

Come experience the sounds and beauty of nature with us! 🌿

08/10/2026

🎉 BIG NEWS, Rochester! 🎉

We're thrilled to share that our community has been named a 2026 Community Excellence Award finalist — one of Michigan's most prestigious community honors! 🏆

The Community Excellence Award recognizes the most inspiring placemaking projects from across the state, and Rochester is proud to stand among this year's finalists alongside Berrien Springs, Buchanan, and Sterling Heights.

This recognition belongs to all of you. It reflects the creativity, care, and community spirit that make Rochester such a special place to live, work, and play. From our residents to our local businesses to the dedicated teams who bring these projects to life — thank you for making our community shine. 💙

Congratulations to every community named a finalist, and thank you to all who submitted projects this year. Together, we're making Michigan a better place for everyone.

Project Title:Community: City of RochesterPopulation: 6,001-12,000Project DescriptionRochester's first mini-forest transformed a former garbage dump into a thriving native ecosystem. In May 2025, the City of Rochester's DPW, Parks Department, City Beautiful Commission, Rochester Tree Committee, and....

08/10/2026

Metromode just spotlighted 5 micro-forests taking root across metro Detroit — and one of them is right here in the City of Rochester! 🌱 So proud to see how these tiny green spaces are doing double duty: cooling our neighborhoods and bringing people together.

So what exactly is a micro-forest? Why are cities across Southeast Michigan planting them? And could an idea this small really make a difference for the planet?

Take a look at the micro-forest movement growing in our own backyard 👇

https://metromodemedia.com/micro-forests-attract-not-only-birds-and-bees-but-metro-detroiters-too/

08/10/2026

It's here! 🛹 After more than a decade of community effort, Rochester's first free, outdoor skate park is officially open!

The new plaza-style park opened July 14 at Scott Street Park (1141 N. Wilcox), the result of years of advocacy from local skate shop owners Von and Linda Gallaher, SPLAT, and skaters across the community — a movement that traces back to a petition started by a Rochester teen in 2014. With $500,000 in funding from City Council, the finished park blends seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.

Mayor Debbie Jones called opening day "moving" — and we couldn't agree more.

Come skate it, watch it, or just see what a decade of community passion built. 📍 Scott Street Park, 1141 N. Wilcox

ROCHESTER — After more than a decade in the making, the city of Rochester opened its first public skate park this month.

08/03/2026

🎾 Results are in from the 50th Annual Greater Rochester Open (GRO) Tennis Tournament, held July 21–30, 2026, and sponsored by RARA.

This year's event set a GRO record with 191 players competing — 115 adults and 76 juniors. Adults opened play at Municipal Park on July 21, and the juniors wrapped things up on July 30. Twenty-two past GRO champions returned to the courts, including Stuart Bikson, Rick Farr, and Lee Gardner, who all played in the original GRO tournaments.

A few highlights:

Roman Vuljaj (Bloomfield Hills) captured his 6th and 7th GRO titles, winning both Boys 16 Singles and Boys 18 Doubles. His sister, Rovena Vuljaj, earned her 5th title in Girls 18 Singles.

Jeff Oparka (Macomb Twp.) won his 6th straight Men's 55 Singles title and teamed with Fred Edwards to take the Senior Men's Doubles crown.

Cooper Nugent (Rochester Hills) won Men's Open Singles

Michelle Meyer (Washington Twp.) took Women's Singles.

In conjunction with America's 250, players and spectators celebrated the milestone 50th GRO with cake and ice cream on the final night of the adult tournament. Thanks to everyone who came out — we'll see you next year! 🎉

07/31/2026

In loving memory of Patrick J. Kennedy 💚

There's a new place to pause along the trail. A respite area honoring Patrick J. Kennedy now welcomes visitors at the intersection of the Clinton River Trail and the Downtown Rochester River Walk — where the Iron Belle Trail heads north toward the Paint Creek Trail.

Made possible through a generous donation from the Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance in Patrick's memory, the new spot features two benches, a trash receptacle, and a historic brick surround at the base of the directional sign. It's a quiet place for walkers, runners, and cyclists to rest, take in the surroundings, and enjoy a moment along the water.

💡 Did you know? The bricks surrounding the sign carry a piece of Rochester's history. During the 2012 rework of Main Street downtown, crews unearthed tracks from the old Detroit United Railway dating back to 1899, still framed by their original paving bricks. The City saved many of those bricks, and some now surround the base of this Clinton River Trail wayfinding sign — a tribute to the role railroads played in Rochester's early growth.

Next time you're on the trail, we hope you'll stop, sit a while, and think of Patrick.

Thank you to the Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance for this lasting tribute to our community. 🌳

🔗 clintonrivertrail.org
🔗 michigantrails.org

07/29/2026

🎾 50 Years of Dedication. One Incredible Legacy. 🏆

On Sunday at the 50th Annual Greater Rochester Open, a special surprise honored the person who started it all.

Jerry Murphy, founder and organizer of the Greater Rochester Open for the past 50 years, was presented with a special plaque of appreciation by RARA Recreation Supervisor Jake Kroening and City of Rochester Mayor Debbie Jones in recognition of his decades of dedication to this beloved community tradition.

For half a century, Jerry's passion and commitment have brought generations of players together and helped make the Greater Rochester Open a summer tradition in our community.

Thank you, Jerry, for 50 years of service, leadership, and love for the game. Here's to an incredible legacy! 🎾💙