Comments on: Still No Dam Decision

By: Rod Johnson

Rod Johnson — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:24:08 +0000

Bob, I think the answer is that there are strong arguments on both sides, and strong passions on both sides, and no real middle ground (and elections coming). A nightmare scenario for politicians.

By: Robert Braun

Robert Braun — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:03:50 +0000

Camp Take Notice Please!!!!! Go Mission!!!!

[Editor's note: Much of the formatting and linking was stripped out of the comment below. The original story, together with the podcast, is here.]

Tuesday, October 27
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A Place to Belong

[tent Seth Best]

Last winter, Seth Best searched high and low for a job in Ann Arbor, but the Michigan economy had sunk too low. Seth ended up on the street and found a homeless shelter that would take him, but as a transgender man he ran into many challenges there. After a month of encounters with drugged out shelter dwellers, Seth left the shelter and was back out on his own – in the middle of a Michigan winter.

Seth soon found a drug-free tent community of fellow homeless people that welcomed him. It wasn’t an easy scenario. With few ways to stay warm in his tent, Seth almost didn’t make it through the Michigan winter. But Seth tells Dick Gordon that finding this group helped safe his life – and gave him a sense of belonging he was yearning for.

* Learn more about the tent city, Camp Take Notice

By: AntiRedRidersNo1

AntiRedRidersNo1 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:33:13 +0000

Too much attention paid to the lunatic fringe, Bob.

By: Bob Martel

Bob Martel — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:22:26 +0000

I am baffled by the time that the “Dam Decision” is taking. With so much more important stuff going on, why is this issue so hard to move along? Is it really such a political “hot potato?” Is this decision really going to ruin someone’s political career? why all the angst?

I am personally in favor of removing the dam, but frankly at this point, I’d settle for keeping it just to get this issue off the table.

By: zollar

zollar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:27:37 +0000

Good luck to all you folks who live on lower level apts in the area of Island Drive.Talked to some old timers ( while walking tru Island Park) who have lived here since the 40′s and 50′s, flooding has always been a problem in the area before the damn.

By: Alan Goldsmith

Alan Goldsmith — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:10:42 +0000

Thanks for the information Dave. I know about Marcia Higgins’ situation. But Margie Teall was at the AAPAC ‘vote’ earlier in the day. She did show up to vote for the ‘art’ and must have gotten sick in the five or six hours between the two meetings.

By: Dave Askins

Dave Askins — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:39:22 +0000

Re: [5] “And Margie Teal had the time to show up to vote for ‘art’ at the Ann Arbor Public Art task force but not her regular council gig? I guess she had her priorities.”

It’s worth pointing out that there’s some suggestion of why people were absent in the opening line of the report:

“A city council whose ranks were reduced by four members – due to family medical issues and personal illness … ”

That general summary reflected Greden’s more specific explanation that Higgins and Hieftje each had serious family medical situations and that Teall was experiencing flu-like symptoms. If there was an explanation offered for Derezinski’s absence, I didn’t catch it.

By: Alan Goldsmith

Alan Goldsmith — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:27:41 +0000

The tape of this meeting should be buried in a time capsule as the perfect snapshot of Ann Arbor circa 2009. It’s ironic that earlier in the day Laura Rubin was part of the ‘task force’ that voted to approve the $800K+ giant urinal artwork for the Court-Police building and then shows up to push for the removal of Argo Dam at the same meeting that focuses on squeezing out nickles and dimes to keep some homeless folks from freezing to death this winter. And Margie Teal had the time to show up to vote for ‘art’ at the Ann Arbor Public Art task force but not her regular council gig? I guess she had her priorities.

By: Mike Jennings

Mike Jennings — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:50:49 +0000

So what is going to happen with Argo Dam? The MDEQ has ordered the City to close off and drain the mill race by 1 November. The next council meeting isn’t until after that dead line. Is the City just going to ignore the deadline and do nothing or are they going to comply with the order and close it off as they should.

By: Dave Askins

Dave Askins — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:20:35 +0000

Re: [2] Rapundalo did move for the postponement. My notes don’t reflect who seconded it. Of course, whoever seconded the motion obviously didn’t vote for it, but it’s not required that you vote for a motion that you seconded, or even one that you make yourself.

As for Greden having less experience chairing the meeting, that’s true, he does have less experience. But I’d guess that a first-time observer of council’s meeting on Monday would not have suspected that Greden was anything but the regular chair.