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School Board Sets Plan to Fill Vacancy – Again

Also: Concerns raised over privatization, Logan incident

Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education meeting (Feb. 3, 2010): Trustee Adam Hollier announced his resignation near the end of Wednesday’s school board meeting, setting in motion a plan to fill his seat when he leaves on Feb. 12. This is the second time within three months that a trustee has resigned – Helen Gates-Bryant stepped down in mid-November.

Todd Roberts Adam Hollier

Todd Roberts, left, superintendent of Ann Arbor Public Schools, talks Adam Hollier, who resigned as an AAPS board of education trustee on Wednesday night. (Photos by the writer.)

Leading up to his announcement, Hollier used his parting comments as an AAPS trustee to offer support to the workers facing possible privatization, as well as to make a strong pitch for private giving to support the schools in light of a looming budget shortfall.

Also during the meeting, 13 speakers filled the maximum allotted public commentary time of 45 minutes, most of them focusing on the perils of privatization. A few speakers were there to express frustration with the district’s handling of a recent incident at Logan Elementary School.

Other actions at Wednesday’s meeting included a report on a new communication system that would allow the district to quickly send mass voicemails, texts or emails, and the presentation of several awards. And in the board’s informational packet – but not discussed at the meeting – was news of a possible state retirement mandate that could negatively impact the district’s budget. [Full Story]

DDA Amends Bylaws, OKs Management Fee

Finances get more scrutiny, as do downtown trees

Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board meeting (Feb. 3, 2010): The DDA board passed two resolutions at its Wednesday meeting. The first authorized a $45,000 discretionary part of the management fee in Republic Parking’s contract.

The Big Drill

The view from Division Street to the Library Lot work site, where the Christman Company is managing the construction of the underground parking garage. The drilling is part of the earth retention work. (Photos by the writer.)

The second resolution amended the DDA bylaws. The change eliminates the ability of the executive committee to act on behalf of the board between regular board meetings, and clarifies the role of the executive director in relationship with the board. Efforts to change the bylaws have accumulated over two years worth of history, and still need the approval of the Ann Arbor city council to take effect.

Another main theme of Wednesday’s meeting was finances – from parking revenues to tax increment finance (TIF) capture, to the housing fund.

And in a nod to the Bill Murray film “Groundhog Day,” we note that The Chronicle’s report of the DDA board’s February meeting from last year also featured a big drill as lead art. Both drills are related to the construction of the underground parking garage along Fifth Avenue. The board received updates on that and other construction projects, as well as on planning and development downtown. [Full Story]

Sunday Funnies: Bezonki

… Continued From Last Month

BezonkiFeb101 [Full Story]

Column: Arbor Vinous

Sitting in at a wine-tasting master class
Joel Goldberg

Joel Goldberg

“Wines change over time, just as we do,” Master Sommelier Claudia Tyagi tells the packed room. “So tasting wine is like taking a snapshot in time.”

It’s 8:30 a.m. on Groundhog Day. But instead of awaiting Punxsutawney Phil’s prognostication, more than 70 of us have fishtailed through the snow to MSU’s Extension Center near Benton Harbor for a master class in wine evaluation.

Now we’re face-to-face with banks of elegant glassware at a most atypical hour. Nearly all of southwest Michigan’s winery owners and winemakers sit at the long tables, joined a gaggle of grape growers, wine retailers and restaurateurs. Two wine geeks from Mattawan celebrate their 30th anniversary with a day off to taste wine. Along with one sleep-deprived, road-weary wine writer.

Joining Tyagi at the head table are Ann Arborite Chris Cook, Superintendent of the Michigan Wine Competition, and ex-pat sommelier Rick Ruebel, lately decamped from Detroit for the warmer clime of Charleston, South Carolina.

Over the next eight hours, we’ll glean tips on how to taste and evaluate wines. So peer over our shoulders as we prepare to take 75 snapshots of the Lake Michigan Shore wine region. [Full Story]

County Board Takes Step in Major Transition

February 5 | At its Feb. 3 meeting, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners discussed the need to do more planning and priority-setting for the coming year. They also unanimously voted to hire Verna McDaniel as the next county administrator, to take effect May 15. [Full Story]

Column: Beyond the Super Bowl Hype

February 5 | Columnist John U. Bacon says that aside from the Super Bowl hype, there are two players whose stories deserve a closer look. [Full Story]

Council Talks Transportation, Budget

February 4 | In Part I of the report from the Feb. 1 Ann Arbor city council meeting, we focus on the transportation and budget-related material. Transportation topics included trains, taxicabs, buses, and planes. The planes came up with consideration of the capital improvements plan, which included an item for extending the runway at the Ann Arbor municipal airport. [Full Story]

County Seeks Input on Parks Master Plan

February 2 | The Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation department is seeking public input on its five-year master plan. After public meetings on Feb. 3 and March 9, the county's Parks & Recreation Commission is expected to approve the plan as early as April. [Full Story]

Skepticism on 415 W. Washington Measure

February 1 | At its regular Sunday night caucus on Jan. 31, four councilmembers heard residents express their thoughts on a variety of topics, with much of the conversation centered around the city-owned 415 W. Washington parcel and plans to restart a process for developing open space there. It's seen by some as a diversion from interest in developing open space at the Library Lot. [Full Story]

Column: Getting Smarter About City Charter

January 31 | Chronicle editor Dave Askins lays out a fundamental problem with the way Ann Arbor's city attorney runs his office – his opinions are not getting filed with the city clerk, which would make them public. [Full Story]

Column: Book Fare

January 30 | Columnist Domenica Trevor reviews Ann Arbor author Margaret Fuchs Singer's "Legacy of a False Promise," a memoir that reflects on the impact of her parents' ties to the Communist Party in the 1930s and '40s. [Full Story]

County Natural Areas Tax Up for Renewal

January 29 | At the Jan. 27 administrative briefing for the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, a discussion about the Natural Areas Preservation Program raises concerns for its upcoming renewal. [Full Story]

Environmental Indicators: Resource Use

January 28 | This is the next installment in a series of articles written by city of Ann Arbor staff introducing Chronicle readers to the environmental indicators the city uses to measure its efforts to improve our physical environment. This one focuses on resource use: trash, recycling, and compost. [Full Story]

Budget Round 1: Community Services

January 27 | On Jan. 25, Ann Arbor's city council began a series of budget meetings with a look at the community services area, which includes parks, planning and development, human services, and public housing. [Full Story]

Dispute over Superior Township Settlement

January 26 | Superior Township officials signed off on an agreement to settle a lawsuit with developers who had sued over being denied rezoning. Critics of the plan say it merely bails out the developers. [Full Story]

UM Regents Get Updates on Research, Haiti

January 25 | At their Jan. 21 meeting, the University of Michigan Board of Regents approved a raft of athletics-related projects, got an update on the university's research efforts and applauded UM provost Terry Sullivan, who was recently named as the first female president of the University of Virginia. The regents also heard objections to the use of city parkland for the Fuller Road Station, but approved their side of the project. [Full Story]

Artists Sought for West Park Project

January 24 | At a special meeting of the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission called on Jan. 21, commissioners voted to move ahead with an art project in West Park, connected to a renovation project there. [Full Story]

AATA on County Transit: READY, Aim, Fire

January 22 | At their Jan. 20 meeting, the board of the AATA received a presentation of survey results, which had been done to measure voter attitudes towards a possible countywide transportation millage. A smidge over half of voters said they'd definitely or probably vote for it. The board also approved a resolution to implement a plan of engaging the community to find out what kind of transportation services they want and need. [Full Story]

McDaniel Pledges To Lead Washtenaw

January 22 | At the Jan. 21 working session of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, the board interviewed deputy county administrator Verna McDaniel, who is the only internal candidate to replace retiring administrator Bob Guenzel. It's unlikely that other candidates will be interviewed, and the board is expected to vote on her hire at their Feb. 3 meeting. [Full Story]

Market Commission Preps Vendor Meeting

February 5 | The Feb. 2 meeting of the Ann Arbor Public Market Advisory Commission included discussion of finances and preparation for a March 8 meeting with market vendors. [Full Story]

City Restarts 415 W. Washington Process

February 4 | In Part II of the report from the Feb. 1 Ann Arbor City Council meeting, we focus on land use issues, which included a resolution to chart the future for the 415 W. Washington lot. The council also postponed consideration of a greenbelt acquisition, pending clarification about the appraisal of the land. [Full Story]

Spotlight on Burns Park Players

February 2 | Photographer Myra Klarma gives a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsals for "Guys & Dolls," this year's Burns Park Players production. The show opens Feb. 5. [Full Story]

17th Monthly Milestone

February 2 | Chronicle editor Dave Askins highlights some noteworthy comments left on The Chronicle's website over the last two months. He also explains what he means when he says he's out to crush people's childhood dreams. [Full Story]

In the Archives: Bloomers and Bicycles

January 31 | Laura Bien, who writes The Ann Arbor Chronicle's local history column "In the Archives," takes a historical look at bicycles on sidewalks and the related women's underwear question. [Full Story]

Column: A Li’l of This & That

January 30 | Columnist Jo Mathis shares a few random thoughts on the Leno/O'Brien mess, who should replace Simon Cowell and why she's looking forward to the Grammys. [Full Story]

DDA Floats Idea for Fourth Avenue

January 29 | At the Jan. 27 joint meeting of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board's transportation and operations committees, DDA executive director Susan Pollay suggested a concept for creating a possible "transit mall" between William and Liberty, along Fourth Avenue. [Full Story]

Column: Values Before Victories

January 29 | It's been a rough season for Michigan fans, but columnist John U. Bacon writes that the head coaches of hockey and basketball have notched some recent moral victories. [Full Story]

Column: Ban the Box, Hire Fairly

January 27 | This guest column is by Jason Smith, a master's in social work student at the University of Michigan who works as an intern with the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative. It calls for ending discrimination against job applicants who have a prior criminal history. [Full Story]

Changes Ahead for Workforce Development

January 26 | At the Jan. 25 annual joint meeting of the two boards that oversee the county's Employment Training & Community Services department, ETCS director Trenda Rusher gave an overview of 2009 and a look ahead at the coming year. Also on Monday, deputy administrator Verna McDaniel gave an update on how the county will manage the transition after the departure of Rusher, who is retiring. [Full Story]

Hotel/Conference Center Ideas Go Forward

January 25 | At its Jan. 21 meeting, the city's committee charged with reviewing proposals for the Library Lot chose to advance only two of the five proposals to the next phase of consideration. Both of those proposals call for a hotel/conference center. [Full Story]

Ex-Radicals Remember Robben Fleming

January 24 | Former student radicals from 1960s and '70s remember UM president Robben Fleming, who led the university through one of its most turbulent eras. Fleming died in Ann Arbor on Jan. 11, 2010 at age 93. [Full Story]

AAPS Issues RFPs for Privatization

January 23 | The Ann Arbor Public Schools board heard a lot of public commentary on the issue of privatization of custodial and transportation services as the district prepares to deal with a difficult budget season. The board also found time to consider naming of facilities in honor of longtime AAPS staff and to hear a presentation from students who'd recent visited Japan as a part of Ann Arbor's sister cities program. [Full Story]

Column: On the Road

January 22 | Columnist Rob Cleveland sees signs of optimism in this year's Detroit auto show. [Full Story]

No Secret: Sakti3 Wants Its Batteries in Cars

January 22 | The Chronicle caught up with Ann Marie Sastry, co-founder of Sakti3, at the auto show in Detroit last week. She didn't give up the secret sauce to her proprietary battery technology, but she did sketch out where they hope to go with it and how they've arrived at this point. [Full Story]

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