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Split DDA Board Agrees on Splitt

But who's the mayor?

Downtown Development Authority board meeting (July 1, 2009): The Ann Arbor DDA wound up its current fiscal year with a frank and transparent disagreement about its future governance as a body, both in terms of its officers and its appointments. The disagreement was also reflected in connection with the specific substantive issue of raising parking fees at the 415 W. Washington lot.

An expected controversy over variable parking fees elsewhere was avoided when a scheduled resolution to introduce new variable-rate on-street parking fees – which would have increased parking rates and generated around $250,000 in extra revenue – was postponed until September, the board’s next scheduled meeting.

September is also when the question of who will be the board’s treasurer will be decided, with the board unable to choose between Sandi Smith and Roger Hewitt for that position during board elections. The board did arrive at selections for its new chair (John Splitt), vice-chair (Joan Lowenstein) and secretary (Keith Orr).

In other business, the board granted nearly $400,000 to the getDowntown program for the go!pass, extended a $50,000 arts grant re-directing the money towards performing arts organizations, authorized $25,000 for additional recycling containers to be placed downtown, approved $16,000 in grants to merchant associations to encourage attractive window displays, and authorized sponsorship for travel to the International Downtown Association Conference.

In the course of the meeting, city councilmember Leigh Greden’s attendance and vote in place of Mayor John Hieftje, who is a member of the DDA board, generated discussion of interest to specialists in civics. [Full Story]

Merchants Say Bring Back the Beat Cops

Main Street businesses worried about increased panhandling

Discussion of the role of the Downtown Development Authority morphed into venting about panhandlers at Thursday morning’s meeting of the Main Street Area Association. Saying that customers are complaining, several merchants are concerned about panhandlers becoming more aggressive since the city pulled its beat cops from the street earlier this week.

The topic came up after a presentation by DDA executive director Susan Pollay, who was filling in for Rene Greff, a DDA board member and co-owner of Arbor Brewing Company and Corner Brewery. Greff had been scheduled to give the same talk she gave at a DDA retreat in May, outlining the organization’s history, how it works and what it has accomplished. 

So how did panhandling usurp parking as the most-discussed topic related to the DDA? Why aren’t beat cops patrolling downtown? What do merchants think about “Arthur,” one of the regulars who asks passers-by for change along Main Street? It all comes down to money. [Full Story]

Tenth Monthly Milestone Message

How long does it take to bake a media pie, anyway?
Flyer for the July 26 Pie Lovers Unite event

Flyer for the July 25 Pie Lovers Unite! in Ypsilanti.

I’ve been thinking about pies.

Literally, in one case. A couple of weeks ago I stopped by the local food tent at Top of the Park and talked to Kim Bayer, one of the organizers of Pie Lovers Unite! – “an old-fashioned hootenanny glorifying Great Michigan Pie,” according to their promotional materials.

The price of admission for this July 25 event is a pie. They’ll be having a “pie-ku” contest, too, which inspired me to write this:

Flakey double crust/hides media fruit or meat/splats soft in your face [Full Story]

City and Residents to Make Tree Policy

Ann Arbor provides raw data of tree inventory

Recent tree trimming activity in Ann Arbor’s Virginia Park in connection with the filming of the movie “Flipped” had drawn scrutiny from neighbors. But more significantly, tree removal and pruning in the general neighborhood had raised concerns among residents about the city’s tree management policy. Why were apparently healthy trees being removed?

On Monday evening, city staff met with 80-100 residents in the auditorium of Slauson Middle School. Kerry Gray, coordinator for urban forestry and natural resources planning, was on hand to clarify that an initiative to develop an urban forest management plan – Gray’s main goal in the coming year – had been accelerated. Instead of beginning the public process in the fall, Monday’s meeting was effectively the kickoff to a public engagement process on developing a tree management plan for the city. [Full Story]

Art Center Outreach Program Survives

July 1 | The Ann Arbor Art Center's youth outreach program, Artmakers Teens, faced financial trouble and couldn't run this summer. However, it will return in the fall. [Full Story]

In the Business Improvement Zone

June 29 | Plans to form a Main Street business improvement zone – or BIZ – are moving forward. The zone assesses property owners within the district, and would need to be approved by property owners and city council before taking effect. [Full Story]

Red Cross Honors Volunteers

June 29 | The Washtenaw chapter of the American Red Cross held its annual membership meeting and awards ceremony on June 24. The chapter faces financial challenges as economic conditions have caused a drop in donations. [Full Story]

Ann Arbor Park Gets Movie Stimulus

June 27 | Two trees in Virginia Park got a trim job in preparation for shooting Rob Reiner's movie "Flipped," which will start filming in late July. [Full Story]

Still Time for Top of the Park

June 26 | Top of the Park offers free food, movies and music to Ann Arbor at Ingalls Mall through July 5. [Full Story]

Free Stuff

June 24 | The Ann Arbor Art Center is giving away furniture, art supplies and other items from its Felch Street studio as it prepares to vacate the building by the end of June. [Full Story]

Subterranean Start-ups

June 24 | Using free space in a previously vacant downtown Ann Arbor building, TechArb is providing a place for UM student entrepreneurs to kick-start their new ventures. [Full Story]

Art Commission Prepares for 2010

June 23 | Ann Arbor Public Art Commission members spent their June 9 meeting discussing their annual plan and budget, as well as hearing reports from their public relations, planning and projects committees. They also discussed German artist Herbert Dreiseitl’s upcoming visit to Ann Arbor, during which he’ll discuss his art project for the municipal center with AAPAC and the city. [Full Story]

Don’t Despair – Blimpy’s Still There

June 21 | Signs on the front of Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger might have given the impression that it was closed for good – it's not. The burger joint shut down for a week to do some renovations, like putting in a new floor. [Full Story]

The Economics of Entertainment

June 21 | The Ann Arbor Civic Theatre shares its cost-cutting strategies to cope with the economic downturn. [Full Story]

AATA to Arborland: We Could Pay You Rent!

June 20 | At its June 17 meeting, the AATA board made its candidate for the CEO position a written offer, but otherwise had a frustrating evening. The owner of Arborland, who has evicted the AATA bus stop from its parking lot, seems uninterested in a rental arrangement. And prospects for bringing the LINK back to life in the fall seem grim. [Full Story]

UM’s Wall Street Parking Project on “Pause”

June 19 | At the June 18 UM Board of Regents meeting, CFO Tim Slottow told regents that a proposed Wall Street parking structure had been put on indefinite "pause." He cited UM's recent purchase of the Pfizer property as providing enough additional parking spaces to meet anticipated demands from the nearby UM medical campus. [Full Story]

UM, Pfizer Cross the Ts in Property Sale

June 18 | The University of Michigan finalized its purchase of the Pfizer property. And The Chronicle was on hand to watch the filing of paperwork at the Washtenaw County Clerk/Register of Deeds office. We provide some insight into how that actually works. [Full Story]

Planning Commission: 5-2 for Near North

June 17 | In a 5-2 vote for the project, the Ann Arbor city planning commission gave a "technical denial" to the Near North project on North Main Street. The 9-member body needs 6 votes to make a recommendation to the city council. The developer will take the project to city council despite the technical denial. [Full Story]

The Battle of Ann Arbor: June 16-20, 1969

June 16 | For four nights in June of 1969, the normally sleepy summertime streets of Ann Arbor were violently awoken by a series of violent and occasionally bloody clashes on South University between police and a motley crowd of hippies, radicals, teenagers, university students, and town rowdies. [Full Story]

FOIA Update: Printed vs. Electronic Records

June 30 | The Chronicle provides an update on a FOIA request for additional email records. The city of Ann Arbor met the request with printouts of the records, but The Chronicle would like the records in electronic format. [Full Story]

Huron River of Data

June 29 | The Chronicle took a brief tour of the Argo Dam area, prompted in part by a gate-opening-and-closing event in mid-June that sent some fisherman downstream from the dam scrambling for shore. [Full Story]

Glassblowing Studio Hosts Hot Event

June 28 | The Arts Alliance hosted an event at Baron Glassworks, where owner Annette Baron showed attendees how to make art out of molten glass. [Full Story]

Column: Seeds & Stems

June 27 | Columnist Marianne Rzpeka writes about the advantages of installing a rain garden in your yard. [Full Story]

Column: Our Name In Lights

June 25 | The Chronicle is sponsoring the 1939 film classic "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" – we give you details on that and a host of other events we're involved with in the coming weeks. [Full Story]

Bernstein to Leave Ann Arbor Chamber

June 24 | Jesse Bernstein, president of the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce, announced on June 23 that he would be stepping down as head of the organization on June 30. [Full Story]

Common Language Speaks Out

June 23 | Just weeks after news that Shaman Drum Bookshop is closing, Keith Orr and Martin Contreras, owners of Common Language Bookstore, say their business is struggling, too. If they can't find a way to make it financially sustainable, they'll be forced to close. [Full Story]

Gearing Up for Art Fairs

June 22 | Mark Lincoln Braun (Mr. B) will arrive at the Townie Party on July 13 to kick off the Ann Arbor Art Fairs by pedaling his piano there on a tricycle. That's the final leg of a tour around Michigan hauling a piano on the tricycle. [Full Story]

UM FY10 = Tuition Hike + Financial Aid

June 21 | The University of Michigan Board of Regents approved a 5.6% tuition increase as part of its budget for fiscal year 2010, which begins July 1. [Full Story]

State Budget Cuts Affect Library

June 20 | At the June 15 Ann Arbor District Library board meeting, the agenda included a discussion about how state funding cuts might affect library services, a video presentation on future broadband needs for libraries, and an update from director Josie Parker about negotiations over a utility easement the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority wants for its proposed underground parking structure. [Full Story]

Column: Limited Edition

June 19 | Del Dunbar says Michigan needs a leader with a long-term strategy that takes advantage of the state's natural competitive advantages – not someone looking for media headlines and sound bites. [Full Story]

City Place Delayed, Downtown Plan OKed

June 18 | At its June 15 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council sent the City Place site plan sent back to planning commission over a technical glitch, but adopted the Downtown Plan recommended by the planning commission. Also, the council reduced in scope the installation of additional parking meters. [Full Story]

Behind the Counter of a Vacuum Repairman

June 17 | The Chronicle profiles Dick Sampier, owner of one of the last remaining vacuum repair shops in the Ann Arbor area. You might be surprised by the kinds of things he's found inside his customers' vacuums. [Full Story]

Iranian Students Protest Election Fraud

June 16 | About 100 Iranian students and faculty gathered Tuesday evening at the UM Diag to protest voter fraud in recently held elections in their homeland. [Full Story]

Dam Questions Dominate Caucus

June 15 | At least 20 people attended the Ann Arbor city council's June 14, 2009 Sunday night caucus to provide arguments for keeping the Argo Dam in place. Other topics addressed to council included the status of the East Stadium bridge repair, parking meters in residential areas, and foliage obscuring sight lines along Glazier Way. [Full Story]

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