The Ann Arbor public market in Kerrytown is empty and used for parking except for Saturdays, when the farmers market is open, and on Sundays for the artisan market. An additional farmers market is held on Wednesdays from May through December. At left, two women use the e-Park kiosk to pay for their parking on Monday. (Photos by the writer.)

Market manager Molly Notarianni is proposing a producers-only market from 4:30-8:30 p.m., operating as a separate entity from the existing Saturday and Wednesday daytime markets. The significance of having a separate application process is that it would eliminate the seniority system that exists at the other markets. The seniority system makes it difficult for new vendors to get spots in those markets.

Members of the city’s public market advisory commission seemed generally supportive of the idea – they’ll likely weigh in officially at their meeting in May.

The group also discussed revisions to the market vendor application form – including a proposed requirement for lease verification.

The commission is still short two members, a situation that has presented some challenges in the last few months. All three current members need to attend in order to achieve a quorum, and scheduling difficulties have led to cancellation of several of their monthly meetings. The March meeting was rescheduled from Tuesday to Thursday of last week – because of that change, the meeting was not broadcast by Community Television Network (CTN).

Openings remain on the commission for the category of: (1) a market shopper; and (2) someone who lives or works in the Kerrytown district, where the market is located. Applications are available on the market’s website. They must be sent to the mayor, who makes nominations that are then voted on by the city council.

Night Market Pilot Program

Molly Notarianni began her presentation about a potential night market by saying it’s been a vision she’s had to expand use of the market space, and a way to address the demand from vendors and shoppers for additional market hours. The public market space is underused, she said, and adding a night market would be one way to capitalize on the location.

Her proposal is to create another farmers market on Wednesday evenings, from 4:30-8:30 p.m. The market would run for a shorter season, launching this year on July 1 – the start of the city’s fiscal year – and running through September or early October.

Wednesdays are best because the area is already blocked off for the daytime farmers market, she said. The Wednesday daytime market runs from May through December, from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Because she was concerned that a night market will take up the market’s parking spaces (which would otherwise be available to downtown visitors), Notarianni said she talked about the idea with two stakeholders: Karen Farmer, manager of Kerrytown Market & Shops, a complex of stores adjacent to the public market; and Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, which oversees the city’s surface parking lots – including the one at the public market.

Molly Notarianni, the city's market manager.

Both Farmer and Pollay were enthusiastic about the proposal, Notarianni reported. They felt that a night market would draw more people to that area, which would benefit the stores and restaurants in Kerrytown.

The night market would have the same spirit and basic premise as the Saturday and Wednesday daytime markets, Notarianni said. But rather than have a combination of food producers and artisans, her proposal calls for a focus at the night market on small-scale food producers and growers . She also proposes that the night market be a new, separate venture – that is, with a separate application and set of rules. This would disconnect it from the seniority rules of the existing markets, which give preference to long-time vendors. [.pdf of draft night market rules and vendor application]

The plan would make the night market more accessible to new vendors who have difficulty getting into the existing markets, she said. There would be an annual application process and evaluation – just because you were accepted the previous year wouldn’t guarantee you a spot.

Night Market: Commissioner Discussion

The three market commissioners were generally supportive of the idea. Shannon Brines noted that the draft rules were much shorter than existing market rules. That’s what happens when you eliminate the seniority system, Notarianni said – it becomes less complex.

Lindsay-Jean Hard asked how potential vendors would be notified of the opportunity. Notarianni said she had a stack of applications from vendors that haven’t been able to get a spot at the daytime markets – that would be one place to start. Word would likely spread quickly, and she noted that existing vendors are welcome to apply, too.

Dave Barkman said he thought it could be a benefit, to bring new people to the market. He asked whether the new market would also be under Notarianni’s management, and if the fees would help pay her salary. Yes, she would manage it, she replied, but her salary wouldn’t increase. Barkman – who owns TJ Farms in Chelsea and is a market vendor – said existing vendors wonder whether the fees they pay are subsidizing other programs at the market, by paying for Notarianni’s overtime, for example. Will their fees go up or down? [Currently, fees are $25 per stall, per day, or $300 per stall annually.]

Revenues from the night market would be extra, Notarianni explained, and might allow them to hire a part-time staff person to help manage it. The additional money could also be used for promotion and outreach for all of the markets, she noted, which would benefit existing vendors. She didn’t feel the new market would undercut the existing markets in any way.

Brines of Brines Farm, who’s also a vendor and chair of the commission, suggested that they get more information about the financial piece of it – about how the additional revenues would be used. He said he talked with some vendors about the idea, and got generally positive responses, though they wanted more details.

Barkman said he assumed the night market would bring in new customers, not divert business away from the daytime market. He wondered how the logistics would be handled in the transition – getting daytime vendors out and night vendors in between 3 and 4:30 p.m. Notarianni said the logistics would have to be worked out, but that many vendors in the day leave before 3 p.m. anyway.

Brines floated the possibility of using Lunasa, an online system that allows shoppers to place orders for local food vendors and pick up their food at a central location. The current Lunasa pick-up site in Ann Arbor is at a Jackson Road warehouse.

Notarianni noted there were lots of creative possibilities. Pollay had suggested selling ready-to-eat food that could be used for picnics or taken to other venues, like evening events at the nearby Kerrytown Concert House. The night market might also be attractive for food carts that will be operating during the day at Mark’s Carts, a new food court that’s being developed by Mark Hodesh, owner of Downtown Home & Garden at Ashley and Washington streets.

The commissioners discussed extending the market into October. Even though it might get dark by 8:30 p.m., the market area is lit to accommodate vendors and shoppers.

Next steps in the process would be to get feedback from vendors and additional feedback from commissioners, Notarianni said, then they’d vote on the proposal. For accounting purposes, she suggested starting it in July, after the start of the city’s next fiscal year on July 1.

Brines proposed voting on it at their May meeting, to give more people a chance to find out about the idea and give input. Notarianni also plans to included information about it in her next monthly market newsletter.

Revised Vendor Application

The farmers market vendor application is updated annually. Notarianni noted that last year, the commission had gone through an extensive revision process, including public meetings with vendors. This year, she proposed three changes: (1) a lease verification form; (2) a form for vendor information that will be available to the public; and (3) a revision stating explicitly that resale of products not produced by the vendor is prohibited. [.pdf of draft 2011 revised vendor application form]

The resale prohibition isn’t new, she noted – Ann Arbor has always been a “producer’s market,” meaning that vendors can sell only products they have made. This change is intended to make it even more clear, she said.

Shannon Brines, chair of the Ann Arbor public market advisory commission and owner of Brines Farm in Dexter.

The form for publicly available vendor information is to clarify for vendors that the contact information they give will be available to the public, if requested. In the past when people have requested information under the Freedom of Information Act, there’s been confusion about what information could be released. This form is intended to clarify that, she said.

In response to a query from Brines, Notarianni confirmed that the applications are in paper form – only the original copy is kept on file in the market office. There are no copies made except in response to a FOIA request, and the information isn’t entered into a database. She said that when she worked at a market in Portland, they used an online application process, which resulted in a searchable database. She didn’t think they could require that in Ann Arbor.

Brines said he suspected that from vendors they’d hear the most response about the new lease verification form. He noted that some vendors conduct business on a handshake, and might not have the documentation required – which is a copy of the lease for any land used to grow or produce products. The form also asks for both the vendor and the landlord of the leased property to sign it. Brines wondered if this might be a challenge. What if the landowner lives out of town?

He noted that the market operating rules don’t mention leases, but that the lease verification is in line with being a producer-only market.

Notarianni said this is just another piece of information they’re requesting, in addition to items like the amount of acreage a vendor uses or the types of produce that they grow.

The next step is to put the draft application form on the market’s website for review, Notarianni said. It is important to get the word out, she said, especially since the March commission meeting wasn’t being televised. Per the market’s operating rules, vendors must complete their applications for the following fiscal year by May 15. [.pdf of market operating rules] She suggested that the commission vote on the changes at their next meeting. [These changes are made administratively. The commission is an advisory body to the market manager.]

Misc. Updates: Looking for New Commissioners

Thursday’s meeting included several updates from Notarianni and some of the commissioners. Before the meeting, Notarianni and Lindsay-Jean Hard of Real Time Farms – the commission’s newest member – discussed the two remaining openings on the commission. Over the past year, terms of two commissioners – Diane Black and Genia Service – expired. And Peter Pollack, who chaired the group, passed away last year.

Commissioner Lindsay-Jean Hard of Real Time Farms.

Openings remain for the category of: (1) a market shopper; and (2) someone who lives or works in the Kerrytown district, where the market is located. Applications are sent to the mayor, who makes nominations that are then voted on by city council. [.pdf of application for public market advisory commission] Notarianni said she hasn’t been informed by mayor John Hieftje about any applications he’s received.

Notarianni also asked for feedback from commissioners about whether to bring back the nonprofit Peace, Love & Planet, which last year came to the market to collect plastic garden pots and trays to recycle. She said the group wanted to do it again, but was requesting funding and possibly volunteers to help with the collection. Commissioners expressed some ambivalence about it, and asked Notarianni to get more details about how much funding was needed.

Notarianni reported that the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority will be installing more bike racks in the market area. Commissioners suggested locating them in a spot that’s visible – possibly near existing hoops at Catherine and Detroit streets, or between Detroit and Fifth.

A program called Double Up Food Bucks, which provides coupons for fresh food to people who get food assistance benefits, will be returning to the market in May, Notarianni said. The program is administered by the Fair Food Network, an Ann Arbor-based nonprofit.

Brines reported that the recent Local Food Summit, a March 1 event he helped organize, was a success. More than 300 people attended, he said, reflecting a lot of energy in the local food movement. “In general, that means the public market advisory commission should promote that in as many ways as we can,” he added.

Present: Commissioners Dave Barkman, Shannon Brines, and Lindsay-Jean Hard. Also: Molly Notarianni, market manager.

Next meeting: The commission’s next regular meeting is on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. in the fourth floor of the Ann Arbor District Library’s downtown building, 343 S. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor. [confirm date]

Nina Huey sprinkles powdered sugar on a tray of paczki at Zingerman's Bakehouse Tuesday morning. Ingredients for the dough include bit of Spiritus, a Polish grain alcohol.

Randy Brown fries paczki at Zingerman's Bakehouse on Fat Tuesday.

Racks of raspberry-filled paczki at Zingerman's Bakehouse. Other traditional fillings included powidla, a stewed plum jam, and rosehip jam, made from the buds of rose bushes.

Devonie Townsend glazes a tray of paczki.

A tray of glazed, plum-filled paczki.

Check out more paczki photos at The Savage Feast, local photographer Anne Savage’s new food blog.

Lisa Gottlieb, organizer of the Selma Cafe, made a presentation with her husband, Jeff McCabe, at the Nov. 10 meeting of the Ann Arbor greenbelt advisory commission. (Photos by the writer.)

Noting that this was the second time they’d looked at the issue, GAC chair Jennifer S. Hall suggested exploring other ways that the greenbelt program might achieve the same result, but that wouldn’t involve regularly moving the program’s fixed boundary.

Another theme of the meeting was local food. Two local food advocates – Lisa Gottlieb and Jeff McCabe – gave a presentation about their work raising money to fund construction of hoop houses at local farms. Gottlieb and McCabe host the weekly Selma Cafe, a breakfast gathering every Friday morning at their home that regularly draws more than 120 people. Commissioner Dan Ezekiel praised their work, and GAC chair Jennifer S. Hall expressed the hope that they could find ways to work together in the future.

Also during Wednesday’s meeting, commissioners voted to recommend an agreement with Webster Township, which is offering to contribute $50,000 to the purchase of development rights for the 146-acre Whitney farm. The city council has already agreed to pay $707,122 toward that purchase.

Greenbelt program manager Ginny Trocchio reported that the city has closed on the 51-acre Gould property, adjacent to the recently protected 286-acre Braun farm – both farms are located in Ann Arbor Township. The Braun acquisition bumped the greenbelt program over the 2,000-acre mark, she said – about 2,200 acres are now part of the greenbelt. The Brauns have agreed to open their property for a celebration in the coming months.

In other action, GAC voted unanimously to set public commentary rules in alignment with other city boards and commissions. And Hall noted that two vacancies will be opening up next year on GAC – she encouraged local residents who might be interested in serving on the commission to attend some of their meetings, or talk to their city councilmember about their interest.

The commission also got an update from city treasurer Matt Horning, who was responding to questions that commissioners had raised regarding a drop in investment income on the latest year-end financial statement.

GAC Financial Report: Coda

At the commission’s Sept. 8, 2010 meeting, Kelli Martin, financial manager for the city’s community services unit, gave an update on the greenbelt program’s unaudited financials for FY 2010, from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. Some commissioners questioned a sharp drop in investment income – from $815,261 last year to $130,011 in FY 2010 – and Martin agreed to ask the city treasurer, Matt Horning, to give a more detailed explanation of that decrease.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Horning began by giving a description of how the greenbelt monies are handled within the city budget. There are two funds: Fund 24, which includes revenue generated by the Open Space and Parkland Preservation millage; and Fund 29, which was set up for bond proceeds. [In FY 2006, the city took out a $20 million bond that’s being paid back with revenue from the millage. At the end of FY 2010, the remainder of the bond monies was $2.952 million.]

The bond proceeds (Fund 29) were invested separately from the city’s general operating portfolio, which pools money from various city sources to make investments. Separate investment decisions were made for the bond proceeds based on projected cash flow needs, Horning said, knowing that the city would be using the money for greenbelt purchases. There was a certain amount of guessing involved, he said, though they had targets for how much they thought they’d need for greenbelt acquisitions, and when those deals might flow. Every greenbelt purchase to date has been paid for out of the bond proceeds.

As the city has made greenbelt acquisitions, the bond fund has decreased, Horning said, so that by now, it’s approaching zero. [This includes purchases that have been earmarked from the $2.952 million, but not yet spent.] The intent is to merge the two funds, and close Fund 29. He noted that some confusion might have stemmed from the fact that the financial report given to commissioners consolidated the two funds, for reporting purposes.

When the two funds merge, Horning expects there will be $17.6 million in the combined fund balance. Additionally, he said there will likely be between $2 million to $4 million annually in excess revenue from ongoing millage proceeds available for the greenbelt program, after debt service payments are made.

Regarding concerns over investment income, Horning said the good news is the amount reported to GAC in September was an unaudited figure – the final number will be much higher, at about $492,000. To explain the difference, Horning said that at the end of the year, the city does a reclassification entry, required by the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB). This mark-to-market accounting requires that the city record the actual market value of its investments at the end of the fiscal year – that is, what the value of their investments would be, if liquidated. If it’s worth greater or less than the book value of the investments, you have to record that difference, Horning said.

At the end of the last fiscal year – on June 30, 2010 – the city made a mark-to-market entry of about $362,000 for greenbelt investment income. That figure isn’t reflected in the financial statement that had been presented to the commission, Horning said. So the total investment income is actually about $492,000, he said.

Responding to a request for additional detail, Horning explained that on June 30 of this year, the fair market value of the city’s investments – its mark-to-market – was much higher than the book value, which is based on the investments’ original price. So on June 30, they recorded a large mark-to-market gain, Horning said, then closed the books on that fiscal year and prepared their financial statements. The next day, however, they made a reverse entry, he said. So the end-of-year snapshot showing a gain is almost immediately recorded as a loss for the start of the new fiscal year.

Horning said this accounting method, which is required by GASB, skews the financial statements when you look at them on an annual year-end basis. He described it as an accounting requirement, not a reflection of actual gain or loss.

Jennifer S. Hall said that Martin had indicated the investments for bond proceeds had performed better than the city’s general investment portfolio – was that the case? she asked. Yes, Horning said. He attributed the better return to the timing of their purchases of securities for Fund 29, which he said were able to achieve a higher rate of return than the general portfolio.

The current rate for the general portfolio is about 2.12%, and is projected to yield 1.57% in FY 2012. “Hopefully, I’m wrong,” he joked. “Hopefully it’s higher.”

Ezekiel asked what kinds of securities the city invests in. Horning said decisions are guided by the city’s investment policy and limited by state law – Public Act 20 – which describes the types of investments that government entities can make. Currently, the city’s portfolio is invested in the following percentages: 65% U.S. instrumentalities, 30% U.S. treasuries, 5% cash, in the form of repurchase agreements that Horning described as overnight investments collateralized by bonds.

Hall thanked Horning for coming, saying they now had a better understanding of how investments are handled.

Selma Cafe

Lisa Gottlieb and Jeff McCabe – hosts of FridayMornings@Selma, also known as the Selma Cafe – gave a presentation about their efforts to support the local food economy.

Gottlieb began by giving some background on the breakfast salon, which they hold each Friday in their home from 6:30-10 a.m., bringing together different volunteer chefs each week and using locally sourced food. The event, which regularly draws between 120-150 people, raises money for building hoop houses at farms in this region.

The effort started when they hosted a fundraising dinner for the nonprofit Growing Hope more than two years ago, Gottlieb said. But the tickets were high priced – even out of reach for them, she said – so they decided to hold something more informal. They hosted a breakfast for the filmmaker Chris Bedford, and called it Diner for a Day. The event drew about 160 people, and generated excitement for coming together to support the local food economy, she said.

They decided to keep it going as long as there were volunteers to support it, Gottlieb said. They now have about 500 people in their volunteer pool. They’ve served thousands of meals made by dozens of chefs – from some who own “fancy” restaurants to people who simply love to cook. They’ve raised about $120,000, she said. About $40,000 of that has gone back into the economy by purchasing local food and supplies. The remainder is being used for microloans to build hoop houses for local farms. To be eligible, farmers need to grow food to be sold locally at a reasonable price.

Next year’s goal is to build 20 hoop houses in 20 days, and they’re working to raise funds for that. The Farmer Fund was created for that purpose.

McCabe told commissioners that they are trying to plug into the goals of 10% Washtenaw – a campaign to ensure that 10% of the $1 billion that’s spent in this county on food each year is sourced locally. [See Chronicle coverage: "Column: The 10% Local Food Challenge"]

There are two main challenges to achieving that goal, McCabe said – finance, and four seasons. The Farmer Fund addresses this in two ways. Their microloan program will provide funds at a 2% interest rate, he said – he noted that a lot of farmers can’t walk into the bank and get financing. And by funding hoop houses, they’re providing a way for farmers to extend the growing season in this climate. By using volunteers to build the hoop houses, they’re also developing a skilled workforce, he said.

McCabe said he hoped that they could find ways to work with the greenbelt commission, and they are looking at next steps. He cited the example of the PCC Farmland Trust, a nonprofit created by the Seattle food coop PCC Natural Markets, as one model.

Selma Cafe: Commissioner Questions

Dan Ezekiel said he’d enjoyed several breakfasts at Selma Cafe, saying “your efforts and your activism are amazing.” He asked what their definition was of local food. It’s an issue that’s been tying the commission up in knots, he said.

Gottlieb said they first look for sources within Washtenaw County, or around the edges of the county. For things that aren’t grown locally – like tea and coffee – they buy from small local businesses and people who live and work in this community, she said, including the People’s Food Coop. McCabe added that sustainability is another factor. Sugar is one example, he said – do you buy Michigan GMO (genetically modified organism) sugar, or non-GMO sugar that’s non-local. It’s a difficult choice, he said.

McCabe said that for him, the slogan “Know Your Farmer” was a good one. The idea is to have a personal relationship with the people that provide your food.

Gottlieb said she was interested in opening up the definition of local food. She noted that they’d held a fundraiser the previous night featuring Michigan wines – the Mitten WineFest, hosted by wine expert Joel Goldberg. [Goldberg also writes a monthly wine column for The Chronicle.] Wine is an agricultural product too, she noted.

When asked by McCabe if his question had been answered, Ezekiel said that McCabe’s response doesn’t make the commission’s dilemma go away. GAC’s job is to advise the city council about how to spend taxpayer money, and that can’t be based on relationships – quite the opposite, he said.

In addition to geographical constraints of the greenbelt boundary, Ezekiel said they also struggled with the definition of locally grown food. Does it mean food that’s intended for local consumers, or just food that’s grown here, regardless of where it’s sold? For example, if a farmer grows sunflower seeds and some of it ends up as birdseed mix that’s sold locally, does that count as local food?

There are many nuances, McCabe said. For him, farms that grow corn and soybeans don’t contribute to the local economy, and might actually work against the local food system. He’d like to see an emphasis on food grown for local consumers.

Carsten Hohnke asked about the loan program – when loans are repaid, will the money go back out in new loans, creating an “evergreen” fund? Yes, that’s the plan. McCabe said they wanted to create something that wasn’t simply handing out money, and that could be a model to use as the dollar amounts grow.

Ezekiel asked for more information about the project to build 20 hoop houses in 20 days. McCabe said part of the impetus was that he didn’t want to give up 20 Saturdays next year, so they were aiming to consolidate their efforts into a shorter period. They also wanted to do a 20-day blitz to take advantage of student volunteers, and to get the work done between the time that farmers were planting and harvesting. Gottlieb added that the model harkens back to the time when farmers would help each other out for major projects on their farms.

Jennifer S. Hall wrapped up the discussion by acknowledging that these were difficult issues. She said when she first became involved in the greenbelt project, she’d been shocked to discover how many vendors at the farmers market came from outside of the greenbelt boundary. She said she hoped they could find areas of overlap to work with Gottlieb and McCabe, and to continue this discussion.

McCabe noted that the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture maintains a local food index, sorted by county. Right now, Washtenaw County has one of the worst local food index numbers in Michigan, he said, reflecting how most of the food consumed here comes from outside of the county. We have the opportunity to be one of the strongest, he said.

Subcommittee Formed to Study Greenbelt Boundary

At Wednesday’s meeting, GAC vice chair Dan Ezekiel proposed forming a subcommittee to examine possible expansion of the greenbelt’s boundary. [.pdf map of existing greenbelt district]

By way of background, in August 2007 the Ann Arbor city council expanded the greenbelt’s boundaries for the first time since the Open Space and Parkland Preservation millage passed in 2003. A summary of the ordinance for that expansion reads as follows:

Ordinance No. 26-07 amends Section 3:62(13) of Chapter 42, Open Space and Parkland Preservation of the City Code enlarging the boundaries of the Greenbelt District one mile to the west in both Webster and Scio Townships, one mile to the south in Pittsfield Township and one mile to the east in Superior Township and incorporates a new map of the boundaries, as revised, as part of Chapter 42.

Dan Ezekiel, left, talks with Carsten Hohnke before the start of the Nov. 10 greenbelt advisory commission. Ezekiel is GAC's vice chair; Hohnke is a GAC member who also serves on city council.

On Wednesday, Ezekiel explained that the original boundaries created a “nice, neat square.” As the commission started to develop a strategic plan, it became clear that some tweaks were needed, to take advantage of opportunities they had to protect land outside of those boundaries.

Similar reasons are driving the desire to again examine the boundaries, he said. As an example, Ezekiel cited two farm properties in Salem Township, owned by the same people and separated by a road. The owners wanted to sell development rights for both properties, but only one is inside the greenbelt.

He noted that several important properties that are now part of the greenbelt – including the Nixon and Smyth farms, which are helping to form a 1,000-acre block of protected land in Webster Township, as well as the Biltmore farm in Superior Township – lie outside of the original greenbelt boundary.

Another example can be found in Lodi Township, Ezekiel said. Until recently, there was little activity there related to the greenbelt. But that’s changed, and greenbelt properties now include the Girbach/Frederick farm, which will be put back into active farming.

Things have changed politically and economically over the years, he noted, and it’s worth another look at the boundaries.

Gil Omenn asked whether the subcommittee would simply look at the fixed boundaries, or whether they’d consider new criteria as well. He observed that no matter where you set the boundaries, there will always be exceptions that fall outside of those lines.

Ezekiel said he’s given that a lot of thought, and has talked to Peg Kohring of The Conservation Fund, which has a contract with the city to manage the greenbelt program. Kohring has a lot of creative ideas that they can consider, he said.

Omenn also asked Carsten Hohnke, a GAC member who represents Ward 5 on city council, whether Hohnke had any sense of council’s sentiment on this issue. Hohnke said he didn’t – other than the council would be open to investigating it. They’d probably want to know what properties have potential to join the greenbelt both inside and outside of the current district.

Jennifer S. Hall said she supported forming a subcommittee to discuss the issue, but she has some concerns. When they changed the boundary last time, her concern was that they were diluting the impact that the greenbelt had on Ann Arbor – proximity had been a selling point of the millage campaign. It was a large political change, she said. One proposal that didn’t get support in 2007 was a suggestion to leave the boundary in place, but to give them the option of going outside the boundary, if necessary. People wanted a fixed line, she said, and now they’re in the same position again. Rather than move the boundary every few years, they need to come up with a more permanent way to deal with this issue, she said.

Ezekiel said he took her concerns seriously, and they aligned with what Omenn had mentioned. They could look at language that would be more flexible and achieve the same goals. The last time they examined the boundary, Bob Johnson was a GAC member and on city council. At the time, Ezekiel said, it had been important to come up with something that would receive support on council.

Outcome: The commission unanimously agreed to form a subcommittee to examine whether to change the greenbelt boundaries, led by Dan Ezekiel. Any recommendation would then be considered by GAC, and ultimately the city council.

Agreement with Webster Township: Whitney Farm

The commission briefly discussed a resolution to accept a partnership agreement with Webster Township, which has agreed to contribute $50,000 toward the purchase of development rights for the 146-acre Whitney farm, located along Webster Church and Farrell roads. In July 2010, the Ann Arbor city council voted unanimously to pay $707,122 toward the purchase. The total cost is $1,125,592 – the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service is contributing $418,470 in matching funds.

Ginny Trocchio of The Conservation Fund, which manages the greenbelt program, told commissioners that they planned to take the resolution to city council in December, and hoped to close on the property by year’s end.

GAC chair Jennifer S. Hall thanked Webster Township officials for their contribution.

Outcome: The commission unanimously agreed to recommend that city council enter into a partnership agreement with Webster Township.

Greenbelt Update: Gould, Braun Farms

During her staff report, Ginny Trocchio noted that the city had now closed on the 51-acre Gould property, adjacent to the recently protected 286-acre Braun farm – both properties are located in Ann Arbor Township, which has its own land preservation millage. [For background, see Chronicle coverage: "Greenbelt Supports Ann Arbor Twp. Deals"] That brings the total greenbelt-protected land to about 2,200 acres, she said.

The Brauns have agreed to open their property for some sort of community celebration, Trocchio said. It is a significant property, she noted, because it pushed the total of greenbelt land over the 2,000-acre mark. Details are still being worked out for an event.

The city paid $1,412,417 of the total $3,878,583 purchase of development rights for the Braun farm, plus an additional $82,500 in due diligence, closing and monitoring costs. Ann Arbor Township contributed $1,412,416. The city also received a federal grant of $1,053,750 through the USDA Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP). For the Gould property, the total $669,833 purchase price included $238,667 from the city of Ann Arbor, $238,666 from Ann Arbor Township and $192,500 from an FRPP grant. In addition, the city paid $51,500 in due diligence, closing and monitoring costs.

Later in the meeting, the commission held a brief closed session and emerged to vote on another Ann Arbor Township property. They unanimously approved a resolution recommending that the city council accept 50% of the due diligence costs associated with the property. [The identity of the property and its owners are withheld until council approval.] Describing it as a great project, Dan Ezekiel noted that the township has taken the lead on this deal, which has been in the works since 2007.

Public Commentary Rules, GAC Term Limits

Jennifer S. Hall, the commission’s chair, introduced a resolution to set rules for public commentary. She noted that other boards and commissions have similar rules, but GAC did not. The proposal called for a five-minute limit per speaker, with a limit of four speakers at the meeting’s first opportunity for public commentary, and a requirement that they speak on issues related to agenda items. For the final public commentary time, there would be no topic requirement or limit to the number of speakers.

Catherine Riseng asked whether these rules would also apply to public hearings. Hall said that GAC had never held a public hearing, but that those were, by their nature, limited to a specific topic. She noted that the commission could waive these rules by a vote at any time.

Outcome: Public commentary rules were unanimously approved.

Later in the meeting, Hall noted that GAC members are limited to two, three-year terms. She and Gil Omenn will be ending their service at the end of June, leaving two vacancies on the commission as of July 2011. She encouraged anyone who might be interested to attend some GAC meetings and talk to their city council representative.

For most city boards and commissions, the mayor is responsible for nominating members, and those nominations are voted on by city council. However, GAC and the environmental commission differ in this respect – for those bodies, nominations are made by city councilmembers.

Misc. Items: NAPP Renewal, “Dirt Road Washtenaw”

During Wednesday’s meeting, commissioners and staff mentioned several items connected to land preservation issues and other related topics.

Dan Ezekiel highlighted the fact that on Nov. 2, voters had approved a 10-year renewal of the Washtenaw County natural areas preservation program (NAPP) by a “generous margin.” [The vote was 57.4% approval.] He noted that the outcome was wonderful, especially given that it’s hard to vote yes on a millage during these difficult economic times. He also observed that the county had tweaked the language related to NAPP funding so that farmland is eligible – that means the county might be able to partner more with the greenbelt in the future, he said. [See Chronicle coverage: "Washtenaw Natural Areas Tweaked for Ballot"]

In another election-related note, Gil Omenn reported that during governor-elect Rick Snyder’s acceptance speech, he’d stated that protecting and creating jobs was his No. 1 priority, but that his No. 2 priority was protecting the state’s quality of life and the environment. That’s “highly congruent with our priorities here,” Omenn said.

Book cover for "Dirt Road Washtenaw" by Rob Pulcipher.

Jennifer S. Hall called attention to a new book by Ann Arbor author Rob Pulcipher: “Dirt Road Washtenaw.” The book is a guide to cycling the county’s back roads, and Hall said that some of the land protected by the greenbelt is noted in the book. She also observed that an interview with GAC vice chair Dan Ezekiel is included in the book – along with a photo of Ezekiel’s bike. “Dirt Road” can be purchased online or at several local stores, including Nicola’s Books, Downtown Home & Garden and the downtown Ann Arbor Borders.

Present: Tom Bloomer, Dan Ezekiel, Jennifer S. Hall, Carsten Hohnke, Gil Omenn, Catherine Riseng

Absent: Peter Allen, Mike Garfield, Laura Rubin

Next meeting: Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. at the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners boardroom, 220 N. Main, Ann Arbor. [confirm date]

The location of a planned non-motorized path along Washtenaw Ave. Top: Toumy. Middle: mid-way. Bottom: Glenwood. (Image links to higher resolution file)

Some of the more interesting conversation emerged during deliberations as the council accepted one of several easements: Why is this one 7 feet wide, when the others measure 10 feet?

Another one of the easements accepted by the council involved a non-motorized path to be constructed on the north side of Washtenaw Avenue between Glenwood and Tuomy roads. That project has a history dating back to 2006. At Monday’s meeting, the council also completed the third of four required steps in the process to establish a special assessment of residents whose property abuts the non-motorized path.

In other business, the council authorized purchases of software, plus IT switches. The switches will support the data center to be housed in the new police-courts facility. The council also set the stage for the local firm NanoBio to be able to apply for a tax abatement, by establishing an industrial development district.

As a part of his city administrator’s report, Roger Fraser seemed to put participants in the annual shopping cart race on notice that the event could be shut down on pain of a missing parade permit. The shopping cart races are a part of “punk week,” which has been part of Ann Arbor’s late summer culture for over a decade. The following evening, the race took place – with Ann Arbor police cruisers serving the same function they’ve performed historically, hanging in the background, providing a measure of protection to racers from traffic approaching from behind.

The shopping cart race featured a former councilmember and DDA board member, Dave DeVarti, who was stirred to participate by Fraser’s threat to shut down the event.

Washtenaw Avenue Non-Motorized Path

The planned non-motorized path along the north and east sides of Washtenaw Avenue will stretch from Tuomy Road on its northwest end to Glenwood on its southeast terminus. The section of Washtenaw Avenue where the path is planned includes the confluence of East Stadium and Washtenaw Avenue just east of the shopping center where Trader Joe’s is located.

Funding for the project will draw from three sources: (i) the city’s non-motorized fund – which the city allocates from its Act 51 state funding, (ii) a Michigan Dept. of Transportation (MDOT) transportation enhancement grant, and (iii) a special assessment on property owners. Here’s the breakdown:

ESTIMATED PROJECT COST

$ 205,000 Design Engineering 

$ 1,050,000 Construction
    135,000 Construction Engineering
     85,000 Miscellaneous Costs
    105,000 Contingency

  1,580,000 Total Estimated Project Costs

ESTIMATED PROJECT REVENUE

MDOT

$   538,527 Transportation Enhancement
    155,512 Surface Transportation Program - Urban Funds

Local Ann Arbor Share

$    59,234 Estimated Property Share Assessable
    826,727 City Alternative Transportation Fund

$ 1,580,000 Total Estimate Project Revenue

BREAKDOWN BY CITY/STATE

    694,039 Total MDOT Grant
    885,961 Total City Share

-

The special assessment of property owners requires a total of four resolutions.

• Charter SECTION 10.3 “No control or expenditure … shall be made for any public improvement, the cost of which is to be paid by special assessment upon the property especially benefited thereby, until the Council has passed a resolution determining to proceed with such public improvement.”
• Code Chapter 13 1:286 “By resolution the city council shall approve the plans and specifications for the improvement; determine that the cost shall be paid by special assessment upon the property especially benefited; designate the district or land and tax parcels upon which special assessments shall be levied; and direct the Assessor to prepare a special assessment roll in accordance with the city council’s determination.”
• Code Chapter 13 1:288 “… Upon receipt of a special assessment roll the City Council shall order it and the information presented to the City Council by the City Administrator pursuant to Section 1:284 filed in the office of the City Assessor for public examination; shall fix the time and place when it will meet and review the roll.”
• Code Chapter 13 1:191 “After the hearing and review, the council may confirm the special assessment roll with the corrections as it may have made, if any, …”

Before the council on Monday night was Resolution No. 3 in the series, which set the public hearing on the special assessment roll – for Sept. 7, the date of the council’s next meeting. Out of the $1.58 million project budget, the special assessment of property owners totals just under $60,000 for 12 properties, at an average of $4,936 per parcel. But most parcels are being assessed at around $3,500. One parcel, at 16,087, skews the average high.

The second of the resolutions was passed on June 21, 2010, while the first of the resolutions was passed in 2006. On Monday, in response to a request from councilmember Sabra Briere (Ward 1), city administrator Roger Fraser described some of the long history of the project. Fraser described the property owners’ reaction to the planned path: “To say they were less than receptive would be accurate, if not an understatement.”

Meeting with neighbors about the non-motorized path project was one of the first tasks that the city’s transportation program manager, Eli Cooper, took on when he was hired by the city. From a 2006 interview with Cooper:

HD: Do you feel like that meeting went off pretty well? That people got their questions answered?

EC: I am confident that everybody got their questions answered. We went through about an hour and a half of questions and I stuck around after the meeting time ended and chatted with a few folks even beyond that. It’s a relatively, and I use the term ‘relatively’, it’s a relatively simple project.

HD: Just from a construction point of view?

EC: From an overall complexity, not just the construction, but the effect. It’s not like it’s affecting 50% of the population. It’s a path on a very specific right-of-way. Many of the folks who will benefit from this City investment probably aren’t aware that the meeting was held. Or that, in fact, this project is underway. Those would be the folks who would be travelling by, and get to the edge of the sidewalk and say, Gee, now where do I go?

HD: I follow the dirt path!

EC: Again, the folks who were at the meeting, I think, generally seemed satisfied at the end of the conversation and thanked me for …

HD: … there was no yelling?

EC: No! That’s where you get to the public ‘hearing’ definition with a microphone and it’s kind of like a shark-feeding frenzy where one person makes a statement and the crowd erupts, and the next person gets in. No it wasn’t that at all.

HD: So it was a pretty friendly meeting.

EC: Friendly in terms of the atmosphere. There were clearly sides. There some who were there just to learn about it, there were some who had some preconceived ideas that were opposed to it, and there were others that were supportive of it. It wasn’t a love-fest, but it was a very polite and professional public discourse.

Non-Motorized Path: Public  Comment

At the start of the meeting during time reserved for public commentary, Kathy Griswold addressed the Washtenaw non-motorized path resolutions on the agenda in terms of the city’s responsibility that was being accepted. From the cover memo in the council’s agenda:

The City will maintain the path; including repair, replacement, maintenance, mowing, tree trimming, and snow removal, …

She questioned whether this was good public policy, noting that it created the potential for inequity compared to other homeowners with sidewalks, who are expected to maintain them and remove snow from them. She also expressed concern that the city was making a financial commitment for maintenance of the path.

Griswold contrasted the Washtenaw Avenue non-motorized path project with an effort she’s pursued for more than a year to get a pathway or sidewalk constructed near King Elementary School. The point of that sidewalk installation would be to allow the crosswalk to be moved from its current mid-block location to a four-way stop where cars already are required to stop. Without the installation of a sidewalk, however, children crossing at that location would need to walk along a short unpaved section.

Griswold told the council that she’d turned the crosswalk project over to a group of King Elementary School parents and uploaded email exchanges she’s had to A2Docs.org. She said that her experience has become like a parody of “Roger and Me” [a movie directed by Michael Moore], with a supporting role by Stephen. [The allusions were to Roger Fraser, city administrator, and councilmember Stephen Rapundalo (Ward 2).]

She reported that she’d talked to the Washtenaw County Road Commission concerning vegetation overhanging part of the roadway that belongs to Ann Arbor Township – there are various township “islands” within the city limits. She said that she’d learned that the street and the right-of-way belongs to the city and there is not a jurisdictional issue that would prevent the city from trimming the vegetation. She said she’d also called Norfolk Southern railroad about vegetation on Depot Street – several years ago she’d called and they’d been a bit more prompt about addressing it than they were being currently.

She said she’d also called the state attorney general concerning metered parking spots located within 20 feet of a crosswalk – near city hall – which she contends is in violation of the Michigan Vehicle Code.

Griswold concluded on a positive note, reporting that she and a foster child had enjoyed Fuller Park Day Camp – they’d had a great time. The gardens there were overgrown, so she called to get permission to clean up the gardens and by the time she received the phone call granting her permission, the lifeguards, on a rainy day, had gone out and cleaned them all up.

Non-Motorized Path: Council Deliberations

City administrator Roger Fraser related some of the history of the project, and the funding structure was outlined.

Outcome: The council voted unanimously to set the public hearing on the special assessment roll for Sept. 7.

Easements

In connection with the non-motorized path, two easements were accepted from Washtenaw County – one for pedestrian access and one for public utilities. By way of background, an easement is simply the right to use land without actually owning it.

Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, and Mike Bergren, of Park Avenue consultants., which is helping the DDA manage the underground South Fifth Avenue parking garage project. Bergren formerly worked for the city of Ann Arbor.

The council also considered and accepted four other easements: (i) for permanent drainage from Stone School Road Properties for storm ditch maintenance; (ii) for a permanent storm sewer and detention area from the public schools of the City of Ann Arbor [See related Chronicle coverage: "Drilling for the Drains"]; (iii) for public utilities from the Racquet Club; and (iv) for a water main from the underground South Fifth Avenue parking structure project.

The last one generated brief discussion, when Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3) questioned why the easement was only for seven feet, not 10 feet.  Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, and Mike Bergren, of Park Avenue consultants – which is helping the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority manage the underground parking garage project – approached the podium to explain.

Bergren explained that only seven feet is on private property, with the remaining three feet on city property. So the strip of land where the 8-inch water main will be installed is actually 10 feet wide, explained Bergren.

Asked by Kunselman if the water main was designed just for fire protection or to accommodate future development, Bergren indicated that it could be used as a looping water main for development.

NanoBio Industrial Development District

The council voted without discussion to establish part of a property owned by the real estate company First Martin Corp. at 2311 Green Road as an industrial development district. The step is necessary in order for NanoBio, a company located at that address, to apply for an industrial facilities tax abatement.

During the public hearing on the proposal, Thomas Partridge called on the mayor and the city council to report out on the projected impact for job and economic growth that would result from the establishment of the district.

NanoBio is a decade-old spinoff from the University of Michigan’s Center for Biologic Nanotechnology. The basic technology platform was developed by James R. Baker, Jr., who’s executive chairman and CEO of the company. It involves creating super-tiny droplets – 150-400 nanometers in diameter – that when applied directly to the skin can penetrate directly through pores and hair shafts to sites of infections. The ability of the droplets to penetrate in this way is a function of their extremely small size.

Outcome: The council unanimously approved establishment of the industrial development district, which will allow NanoBio to apply for an industrial facilities tax abatement.

Software

The council considered three different resolutions related to computer software: (i) a purchase order with ImageSoft Inc. for $200,000 to acquire document management software, which also established a content management budget of $470,000; (ii) a purchase order with The Ultimate Software Group for $174,000 for human resources software; and (iii) a $60,000/year expenditure for three years to upgrade the city’s asset management software to the enterprise level.

At the request of councilmember Sabra Briere (Ward 1), stemming from a question a resident had asked at the previous evening’s caucus, city IT staff explained that the city had partnered with Washtenaw County two years ago on the consolidation of their data centers. The county has been using ImageSoft’s OnBase software for quite some time – it provides business process automation and document management. It replaces physical file cabinets and integrates with the city’s Legistar system, which organizes the documents associated with all of the city’s public bodies – city council, commissions, boards and committees. ImageSoft is a Southfield, Mich. company.

Outcome: The council unanimously approved all the expenditures related to software.

Network Switches

Also computer-related was an item authorizing a $373,405 purchase of equipment from Amerinet for network switches to support the city’s communications infrastructure.

From the staff memo accompanying the resolution:

… the additional equipment provides the necessary network infrastructure to support the additional performance, power and data requirements of the Ann Arbor Municipal Center. In addition, the Information Technology Service Unit is upgrading its core datacenter distribution network. All of this equipment will be located in the new Municipal Center building.

Outcome: Without discussion, the council unanimously approved the expenditure for network switches.

Council/Administrator Communications

There are multiple opportunities for councilmembers and the city administrator to make announcements on any given agenda.

Communications: Rain

During his communications time, councilmember Mike Anglin (Ward 5) spoke to the heavy rains that hit the area on Aug. 11, specifically the effect on Allen Creek. He said that they really did not know how much water was going through the creek and it had not been adequately studied. He called for a hydrological study to be done.

City administrator Roger Fraser also addressed the Aug. 11 rainstorm and Allen Creek specifically during his communications. He noted that it was a short rainfall – about 45 minutes – but intense. Parts of the city received over an inch of rain during that 45-minute period, he said. Allen Creek’s flow rose from about 3.5 cubic feet per second to 380 cubic ft/sec. He described the ponding on city streets as what would be expected during an event of that intensity. He noted that sanitary sewer backups had been reported at four addresses in the Parkwood and Oakwood area, which was similar to a June 11 storm.

Communications: Punk Week

Roger Fraser indicated that there was an “interesting array of young people dancing around the north part of downtown.”

Dave DeVarti, former city councilmember and former member of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board, before the shopping cart race, which was held the day after the Aug. 16 council meeting. DeVarti's participation was prompted by city administrator Roger Fraser's comments at the council meeting, DeVarti said.

He described the phenomenon as happening for four years in a row – there’s a shopping cart race that is the hallmark of the group, he said, which is conducted late at night down Main Street. In describing the shopping cart race, Fraser paused for a moment to consider word choice, then opted for “borrow” to describe how participants sourced the shopping carts for the race.

He contended that it started out as just that race about four years ago, but that it had evolved to the point that it’s become quite a nuisance. [Editor's note: The activity seems to enjoy a much longer history than four years.]

None of the activity has received permits from the city, and this year, Fraser said, he’d determined to take a look at every aspect of the activities.

To the extent that permits are required, he said, people who are known to be connected with or sponsor the event will be advised that they must comply with the standards for permits before they’ll be granted a permit.

Among the problems listed out by Fraser were bands playing at late hours into the night, people sleeping in the streets, and other “unmentionable activities” in the city parks.

Police officers have been actively involved in quelling the “melees” and citizens have suggested that things have gotten out of hand, Fraser said. The required permit for the shopping cart race would be for a parade or other competitive event.

From the city code:

10:152. Parades and competitive events.

(1) As used in this section, “parade” means any procession of 25 or more persons or vehicles in City streets. It includes noncompetitive bikeathons and walkathons but does not include funerals, picketing at a single location or processions of less than 50 persons on sidewalks and in compliance with traffic-control signals.

Communications: Library Lot Update

Stephen Rapundalo (Ward 2), as chair of the Library Lot RFP review committee, gave an update on progress in reviewing development proposals for the city-owned Library Lot, where an underground parking structure is being built. Background research is being conducted by the consultant – previously reported by The Chronicle as the Roxbury Group. The consultant will be meeting with both of the two remaining proposers, he said, with the meetings not expected to be completed until mid-September.

Other Public Comment

Kim Kachadoorian appeared before the council with the largest visual aid of anyone in The Chronicle’s memory, a large tree branch that had fallen out of a silver maple tree [on the public right of way] on a nice sunny day. If the branch had hit a person, she warned, they’d be dead.

Kim Kachadoorian provides convincing evidence that the tree on the public right of way in front of her house is not healthy.

She’s been told by the city over and over that the silver maple is healthy. But the tree is rotting from the inside out, she said. She handed around samples of the rotted wood to the councilmembers. She said she called the city about it frequently, but they seldom came out to look. The tree’s roots are also causing the sidewalk to buckle, she said, so she can’t get a contractor to repair her sidewalk.

Today, she reported, someone from the city had finally come out to look at the tree. In 2006, she said, the city had come out to chop the tree down, but on inspection the city crew said the tree was tangled up in AT&T’s and Edison’s wires, and said there was nothing they could do about it until those companies do something about it. But AT&T and Edison told her they would not do anything until the city schedules a crew to chop it down.

Kachadoorian also told the council that the neighborhoods in the area of Madison and Main were not issued a red alert in connection with the armed robbers who fled the scene of a jewelry store robbery recently. An alert had come through the University of Michigan public safety department, she said, but not through the city’s system.

Thomas Partridge saluted the people who had received the mayoral proclamations at the start of the meeting, and called on the council to look at motorized and non-motorized transportation not just inside the city but also in the surrounding townships.

Proclamations

Three mayoral proclamations were made.

Local Food Month

The mayoral proclamation on local food declared September as Local Food Month in Ann Arbor. Organizers of the HomeGrown Festival, who accepted the proclamation, invited councilmembers and anyone watching the meeting to attend the Sept. 11 event, which runs from 6-11 p.m. at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market.

Women’s Equality Day

Mayor John Hieftje presented a proclamation declaring Aug. 23 “Women’s Equality Day” and called on everyone to observe this date with appropriate programs, activities and ceremonies supporting this year’s theme, which is “Vote!”

Eunice Burns accepted the mayoral proclamation establishing Women's Equality Day on Aug. 23.

Appearing in period costume – with sashes emblazoned with the word “vote” – was a group led by Eunice Burns, who addressed the council, reminding them that women had enjoyed the right to vote for not all that long, only 90 years.

She noted that her mother was 25 years old when she first got the opportunity to vote.

Burns invited councilmembers to attend the celebration at Washtenaw Community College on Aug. 23.

She said she believed that Michigan was the second state to ratify the 19th amendment, and that we could be proud of that.

Of possible related interest to Chronicle readers is a column that local history columnist Laura Bien wrote this past April: “In the Archives: The Male Suffragette”

Parks Volunteers: First Martin

John Teeter of First Martin Corp. was on hand to receive the city’s appreciation for the work that First Martin has done in Wheeler Park, Liberty Plaza, and Depot Park – planting flowers, weeding, trimming trees and grass.

The Chronicle previously reported the efforts of First Martin in connection with Liberty Plaza, as those efforts relate thematically to the ongoing discussions between the city and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.

Those discussions are focused on revisions to the contract under which the DDA manages the parking system. From “Parking Deal Talks Open Between City, DDA“:

However, following up on some information from an audience member at the meeting, The Chronicle spoke by phone with John Teeter of First Martin Corp. about First Martin’s current supplement of maintenance in two Ann Arbor parks – Wheeler Park just north of the DDA district, and Liberty Plaza at the corner of Division & Liberty, located squarely in the DDA district.

According to Teeter, First Martin paid for the tree trimming at Wheeler Park this year and is handling the mowing, trimming and edging through this year’s mowing season. They’ve also repaired the steel fence around the playground area. In Liberty Plaza there’s no area to be mowed, but First Martin will be taking care of the tree trimming as soon as the holiday lights are taken down. In addition, the trash collection in the plaza has been added to a First Martin employee’s task list.

The two parks are not accidental choices of First Martin as locations where the real estate company thought about helping to supplement city services. Wheeler Park is located directly across from First Martin offices on Depot Street. And Liberty Plaza adjoins a First Martin property – the Michigan Square Building at 330 E. Liberty. The plaza was built at the same time as the building. First Martin takes an interest in neighborhoods where they operate, Teeter said.

Present: Stephen Rapundalo, Mike Anglin, Margie Teall, Sabra Briere, Sandi Smith, Tony Derezinski, Stephen Kunselman, Marcia Higgins, John Hieftje, Carsten Hohnke.

Absent: Christopher Taylor.

Next council meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010 at 7 p.m. in council chambers, 2nd floor of the Guy C. Larcom, Jr. Municipal Building, 100 N. Fifth Ave. [confirm date]

Hank Beekley with his team of draft horses – a Belgian and a Shire – disks the field. The hospital building is visible in the background. The view is roughly to the northwest. (Photos by the writer.)

The centerpiece of the current effort is a 30 x 96-foot hoop house, which began construction on Monday. It will be joined by a second hoop house later in the summer, and plans call for a dozen of the structures to be built in the coming years.

The vegetables grown on the plot will be used in the hospital cafeteria and patient meals, and sold at a farmers market, with excess donated to Food Gatherers.

On Monday and again on Wednesday this week, Hank Beekley and his team of draft horses helped with the effort to transform about an acre of St. Joseph’s 356-acre campus in Superior Township to productive farming.

Tuesday was an off day for the horses – wet conditions were the key factor. But Beekley himself was there on Tuesday, along with other volunteers and St. Joseph’s staff to help build the first hoop house, which was already off to a good start based on Monday’s work.

Hoop House Construction

Overseeing the hoop house construction on Tuesday was Dave Raymond, who is St. Joseph’s service delivery leader for planning.

The skeleton of the hoop house had taken shape by Tuesday morning on the campus of St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Superior Township.

He explained that the pieces of untreated lumber affixed to the bottom of the metal pipe ribs are skirt boards – that’s where the plastic covering will be attached. It will be a double-Visqueen covering, he explained, with the design allowing for the plastic to be rolled up for venting.

Without the ability to vent, Raymond said, the temperatures inside the hoop house during summer weather would easily reach 140 degrees. That kind of solar gain, however, is what will allow the hoop houses to produce vegetables year round, even through the winter. In addition to protection from the exterior walls of the hoop house, additional row covers might be required for the most extreme cold, he said.

Raymond confirmed that the structure is engineered to withstand a snow load. Part of that strength will come from the purlins that were being installed on Tuesday morning. Purlins are the horizontal members that join the ribs of the structure and provide lateral stability.

What’s the Investment?

Each hoop house, said Raymond, reflects about a $10,000 investment, or $120,000 for the 12 hoop houses that are eventually planned. On Tuesday morning, Raymond told The Chronicle that he expects the total investment to break even in around three years.

In the foreground is St. Joseph Mercy CEO Rob Casalou. Left (in the green cap) is Dave Raymond, who is overseeing hoop house construction. Right (white jacket) is Lisa McDowell, head of nutrition at St. Joseph. On the flatbed truck attaching purlins are Mike Score and J.P. Swanson.

The projected return factors in (i) the cost savings of not mowing the area, (ii) the cost savings from using the vegetables grown in the hoop houses in the hospital cafeteria and for patient meals, and (iii) proceeds from the sale of the vegetables at a farmers market to be run two days a week at the hospital.

But Rob Casalou, CEO and president of St. Joseph Mercy, said Tuesday that he has not given the project a time period to show a financial return. The commitment is based on the fact that it’s a good idea, he said – that the hospital is not just a place where people go and get fixed, but rather it provides support for overall wellness. Besides Raymond, Casalou gave credit to two others for moving the hoop house project forward: Lisa McDowell, who is head of nutrition for St. Joseph Mercy, and Dr. Steve Thiry, a St. Joseph Mercy physician.

The Wellness Angle: Fruit, Bees, Syrup

Lisa McDowell, head of nutrition at St. Joseph Mercy, spent part of Tuesday morning wielding a shovel. But she also took time to tell The Chronicle that besides the 12 hoop houses and the exterior garden space, there are also plans to add fruit trees: pear, apple, peach and plum. They’re also thinking of adding some bee colonies, and tapping the numerous maple trees on the property to make maple syrup.

McDowell ballparked the number of meals served at St. Joseph Mercy at more than 3,000 a day. And according to Dave Raymond, they’d need 12 hoop houses just to provide all the lettuce. But it’s planned as more than just a symbolic effort – his estimated three-year payback on the investment is consistent with that idea.

McDowell also put the hoop house project in the context of the Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) initiative, which St. Joseph Mercy has signed. From HCWH’s website:

HCWH is committed to driving the green revolution in healthcare, making the connection between good health and a clean environment, and positioning healthcare’s core principle of “first, do no harm” as a central pillar of sustainable society.

Mike Score, president of Hantz Farms in Detroit and former Michigan State University Extension educator for Washtenaw County, helps attach purlins.

Dan Bair has been hired by St. Joseph Mercy to farm the hoop houses and to operate the farmers market.

Hank Beekley and Kyle Bunton affix skirt boards to a hoop house.

J.P. Swanson prepares to measure twice and cut once.

Many participants in the March 2 Homegrown Food Summit wore buttons like these, supporting locally grown food. (Photos by the writer.)

It’s Girl Scout cookie season, and on Saturday – after swinging through the Ann Arbor Farmers Market – I encountered a Brownie and her dad set up at the corner of Main and Liberty, their table loaded with boxes of Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs and an assortment of other cookies that I remember selling too, back in the day. I bought three boxes.

At $3.50 per box, the cookies aren’t outrageously priced – though the boxes seem to get smaller every year. But later, in doing a quick calculation of all the food I’d bought that day, I realized that in buying those cookies, I’d failed to meet a challenge I’d heard earlier in the week: Spend 10% of your food budget on locally produced food.

The “10% Washtenaw” challenge was issued at the Homegrown Local Food Summit, a day-long event on March 2 that drew over 200 people to the Dana Building on the University of Michigan campus. Many of the people at the summit already surpass that goal in a fairly dramatic way. The real challenge, organizers acknowledge, is how to convince the rest of us to do the same.

There’s reason to think they can – 2009 was a pretty good year for the local food movement. The March 2 summit was about twice as large as the first one, held just over a year ago at Matthaei Botanical Gardens. The Homegrown Festival in September drew far larger crowds than the first one held in 2008 – the more recent one was packed, with several thousand people attending.

Ann Arbor’s greenbelt program is starting to focus on supporting small farms, more restaurants are highlighting locally produced food, and community-building ventures like Friday Mornings @ SELMA, which raises money for hoop houses and other farming needs, are thriving.

The economic argument that local food activists make is powerful. They calculate that residents of Washtenaw County spend $1 billion annually on food, but less than 1% of that is spent on food grown locally. If, over the next decade, that amount increases to 10%, the dollars spent in this region could have a dramatic multiplier effect. Hundreds of small farms would be needed to meet demand, they argue, creating thousands of new jobs.

The 10% Washtenaw campaign is primarily aimed at individuals, but it’s clear that institutional change is needed as well to reach that goal

In that regard, organizers of the March 2 food summit were heartened by some of the connections being made during the day, and at a kickoff reception held the previous night at the Kerrytown restaurant eve. The events were attended by a few elected officials, some University of Michigan folks, farmers, restaurateurs, food entrepreneurs, nonprofits, members of faith-based initiatives and others who are keen to make some significant changes in how we get our food to the table locally.

Educational institutions hold perhaps the most promise, in terms of efficiently finding large customers for locally produced food. At UM, chef Nelson “Buzz” Cummings has been instrumental in pushing the university’s food system to incorporate more locally grown food into their supply chain – this video from July 2008 sheds some insight into that effort.

Kim Bayer, a leader in the nonprofit Slow Food Huron Valley and one of the summit’s organizers, said that making connections was one of the main goals of the March 2 event. It’s about finding common ground, she said, and understanding that it’s possible “to do more together than we can do alone.”

Policy Initiatives: Local and State

“Doing more together” involves state and local government as well. In Ann Arbor, local food sufficiency is one of 10 environmental indicators tracked by the city. The primary objective of that indicator is to “conserve, protect, and restore local agriculture and aquaculture resources.”

Matt Naud, the city’s environmental coordinator, attended last week’s local food summit, and said he was impressed by the efforts already underway by a wide range of groups and individuals.

Matt Naud, the city of Ann Arbor's environmental coordinator, during a break at the March 2 Homegrown Local Food Summit.

While noting that local food sufficiency is one of Ann Arbor’s environmental indicators, Naud also told me that it hasn’t been one that’s received a lot of attention. [Under the category of "What is the city doing?" on the food sufficiency website, two items are listed: the Ann Arbor Farmers Market and the Project Grow gardens, which the city previously helped fund.]

To track its efforts in achieving the local food sufficiency goal, the city looks at two measurements – the amount of greenbelt land preserved, and the diversity of farmers market vendors. By comparison, the “clean air” indicator tracks seven different measures, “clean water” has eight, and “efficient mobility” has 11.

Greenbelt land isn’t always connected to the production of food for the local market. But in the past year, the link between greenbelt land and local food sufficiency has been strengthened. The Greenbelt Advisory Commission, which oversees the city’s 30-year millage that funds the greenbelt, is putting more emphasis on small farms when it considers the purchase of development rights. The commission discussed these efforts at length at their November 2009 meeting.

At the state level, food activists are hopeful about legislation introduced earlier this year by state Rep. Pam Byrnes, who represents the 52nd District, covering the mostly rural western side of Washtenaw County. The bill [HB 5837], which was introduced in February, would make it easier for owners of certain “cottage food” businesses to operate from their homes, rather than requiring them to use commercially licensed kitchens, as is currently the case.

The challenge of finding affordable, available and acceptable-to-the-task kitchen space is critical to local food entrepreneurs – The Chronicle has reported on two ventures that had difficulty with this: Maite Zubia, who makes homemade cookies called Maitelates Alfajores, and Mary Wessel Walker, who recently renamed her Community Farm Kitchen business as Harvest Kitchen. If passed into law, the legislation could eliminate a barrier for start-up food businesses – or for the success of those that intentionally remain small.

Other state-level efforts are underway. At the March 2 summit, Jennifer Fike, executive director of the Ann Arbor-based Food System Economic Partnership, gave a report on the Michigan Good Food Summit, held last month in Lansing. That gathering focused on statewide initiatives for the food industry, from advocating for regulatory reform to encouraging the institutional purchasing of locally grown food.

Getting the Word Out

I covered last year’s food summit for The Ann Arbor Chronicle, and the most notable difference between this year and last – aside from the larger turnout – was the very specific call to action made to participants during the March 2 event.

Participants of the March 2 Homegrown Local Food Summit write letters to themselves about steps they'll take to support the local food network and the 10% Washtenaw campaign.

The 10% Washtenaw initiative was the cornerstone of the day. In the morning, participants broke into small groups to design marketing campaigns for it – the results are featured in video clips on the summit’s website.

At the end of the day, organizers gave each participant a piece of paper and envelope – they were asked to write letters to themselves, setting goals and making commitments to support the local food network. Those letters – put into self-addressed, sealed envelopes – were collected and will be mailed back to the writers in five months, as a reminder of their goals.

Five months from now, I’m guessing most people in the room will have chipped away at those goals, even the really ambitious ones.

And the rest of us? That will be a tougher sell. I had lunch recently with a friend who lives in the outskirts of Ann Arbor, and who noted that within her circle of friends – at church, at work, in the neighborhood, and socially – conversations about buying more local food just don’t happen. It’s not even on the radar.

I’ll admit to being a little intimidated by the 10% effort – modest though it is. But it’s conceivable that I could do it: Organizers were smart in making it both concrete and attainable, even for those of us who would need to change our habits to reach it.

I have tremendous admiration for people like Linda Diane Feldt, who attended the summit with a plastic jug full of maple sap that she’d tapped recently from trees in the neighborhood – she was passing out samples, and the clear, slightly sweet liquid tasted like pure spring. And for Lisa Gottlieb and Jeff McCabe, who helped organize the summit and who’ve turned Friday Mornings @ SELMA into a powerful community gathering, showing how a celebration of local food can be a rip-roaring good time, too.

And for the folks at Slow Food Huron Valley, who’ve been pushing these local food efforts for years. Their more ambitious goals include forming a farm incubator program and a community credit union specifically to finance local food-related ventures.

Meanwhile, I’ll try to be more thoughtful about my own food consumption, day by day. Thin Mints are available just once a year, and I like them. I’m going to keep buying them, even though they’re “manufactured,” according to the box, in Louisville, Kentucky.

But just a few blocks away from the Main Street Thin Mint stand, over at the Farmers Market, is where Maite Zubia sells her amazing cookies. And I’ve watched her make them right here in Ann Arbor. So for the rest of the year, it’ll be Maitelates Alfajores for me.

Deirdra Stockmann, left, and Gillian Ream take notes while participants of the Homegrown Local Food Summit describe different events and programs focused on locally produced food in this area.

The March 2 Homegrown Local Food Summit aimed to be a zero-waste event – participants were asked to bring their own dishware for the lunch, which was catered by A Knife's Work, using locally produced food. The two settings deemed "most creative" won a prize – soap from the Ann Arbor Farmers Market.

A detail from a much larger chart showing of local food connections throughout Washtenaw County.

Scott Robertello of Kapnick Orchards spoke during public commentary, criticizing proposed changes to the vendor application and inspection forms, among other things. (Photo by the writer.)

She noted that one of the market commissioners, Shannon Brines, was absent because he also had spent the day at the summit, as one of its organizers, and was wrapping up loose ends there. Though both the commission meeting and the summit have similar themes – both focused on locally grown food – The Chronicle will report on the summit in a separate article.

Tuesday’s commission meeting touched on several topics, including a proposed transfer of seniority between two market vendors, and an upcoming annual meeting with vendors on March 8. At that meeting, the commission will be getting feedback on proposed changes to the city’s vendor application and inspection forms.

The annual meeting and revisions to the forms were the focus of two speakers during public commentary. Market vendors Scott Robertello of Kapnick Orchards and Bruce Upston of Wasem Fruit Farm criticized aspects of the proposed changes, saying that too much information was being required.

Annual Vendor Meeting

Commissioners reviewed the agenda for their March 8 annual vendor meeting, to be held from 6-8 p.m. at Cobblestone Farm, 2781 Packard Road. Items on the agenda include a discussion of 2010 events at the market; an update on changes to the market facilities, the Fifth Avenue streetscape and Kerrytown area; an update from the commission’s outreach subcommittee; and a time for questions from vendors.

In addition, part of the meeting will focus on proposed changes to vendor application and inspection forms, and on getting feedback from vendors. At their February meeting, commissioners had spent considerable time discussing those changes. [See Chronicle coverage: "Market Commission Preps Vendor Meeting"] The agenda and drafts of those forms will be posted on the commission’s website.

Public Commentary

Two vendors from the Farmers Market spoke during public commentary, both of them critical about proposed changes to the vendor application and inspection forms, among other issues.

Scott Robertello of Kapnick Orchards started out by saying he was very disappointed that the city wouldn’t reimburse vendors more quickly for Project Fresh coupons – he reported that one once occasions he had to wait almost 120 days before he got reimbursed. [Project Fresh provides coupons for fresh fruit and vegetables to those enrolled in the federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.] Robertello said he also is a vendor at the Garden City farmers market, a much smaller venue. There, he said, they collect coupons and reimburse vendors once a month.

Robertello also criticized communication about the upcoming meeting with vendors on March 8. He had just received the mailed notice about the meeting on March 1, even though he knew the commission had set the date more than a month ago. The new vendor application hadn’t been available on the commission’s website, he said – they needed to be more clear and upfront about what they are doing.

There were several concerns that Robertello had with the proposed vendor inspection forms. He objected to the amount of personal information that was being asked for, such as cell phone numbers. Certain people, he said, make Freedom of Information Act requests to get that kind of information to harass him. He also noted that there seemed to be a major emphasis on getting ingredients for baked goods, while other types of products didn’t require the same level of detail. He said he knew that some people had come to the commission and complained about him. [At previous meetings, Luis Vazquez has spoken during public commentary to criticize Kapnick Orchards for not following market rules on baked goods.]

Bruce Upston of Wasem Fruit Farm said he was in “total agreement” with Robertello. The proposed inspection form could take days to complete. “It’s more like an IRS audit rather than a market inspection,” he said. Upston also said he received a notice in the mail on March 1 about the March 8 meeting. Though he had known about the meeting previously, he said many vendors didn’t. The market commission could do a better job of getting the word out, he concluded, because there are significant changes in the works.

Seniority Transfer

The commission discussed a request to transfer market seniority from Ken Prielipp to Karlene Goetz. Prielipp – of HillTop Greenhouse & Farms – is retiring and has applied to transfer his seniority to Goetz, a relative who also sells at the market.

A public hearing on the transfer is set for the commission’s April 6 meeting. This is part of a standard process whenever a transfer is requested, said Molly Notarianni, market manager. The commission will then make a recommendation, which will be sent to the city’s community services administrator for a final decision.

Responding to a question from commissioner Diane Black, Notarianni said there are limited conditions under which seniority can be transferred: When someone dies, retires or the business is purchased.

After the meeting, Notarianni clarified why the status of a vendor’s seniority is valued. There is a seniority list that records how long each vendor has been selling at the market – some vendors go back several decades, she said. At 6 a.m. every Saturday, the market manager gathers with the vendors to assign stalls for the day. A vendor’s seniority determines the order in which those stall assignments are made – the most senior vendor gets first pick, and so on.

Peter Pollack told commissioners that they should plan to vote on the transfer at the April 6 meeting.

Updates from the Market Manager

Molly Notarianni reported that three potential vendors had applied to the market. One wants to sell handmade organic skin care products. Another would sell vegan baked goods, including cookies, brownies and banana bread. A third applicant proposes selling a variety of products, including chickens, eggs and basil. In addition, she said that two vendors who’ve been previously turned down – offering to sell South American baked goods and stained glass items, respectively – have made queries about applying again.

Commissioners reported that they’d received an email from someone who wanted to sell worms for use in gardening. In the email, the person inquired whether this type of item was something that the market would even consider – was it worth going through the process of applying? “I would say yes,” said commissioner Genia Service.

Other items from Notarianni’s report:

• Starting on May 22 through August, every Saturday the nonprofit Peace, Love & Planet will be collecting plastic garden pots and trays to recycle from shoppers and vendors.
• The farmers market and adjacent Kerrytown Market & Shops are planning an event that will include a tour of both venues, highlighting products in the market and possibly ending with a meal in the shopping complex. The shops are also interested in partnering with the market for some kind of an open house for students in the fall.
• The Homegrown Local Food Summit focused on a “10% for Washtenaw” campaign, Notarianni reported. The goal is to get residents to spend 10% of their food budget on locally produced food. “That can only bode well for the market,” she said.

In a follow-up question from commissioner Peter Pollack, Notarianni said that replacements for the large signs in the market are still being produced. Shannon Brines had requested a change in the design, adding information to indicate that the market is open Saturdays year-round. Those changes are being made, she said.

Present: Commissioners Dave Barkman, Diane Black, Peter Pollack, and Genia Service. Also: Molly Notarianni, market manager.

Absent: Shannon Brines.

Next meeting: The commission’s next regular meeting is on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. in the fourth floor of the Ann Arbor District Library’s downtown building, 343 S. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor. [confirm date]

Diane Black, a member of the Public Market Advisory Commission, also teaches kindergarten at Rudolf Steiner School. She points out a painting by one of her students, Fionnuala, whose father is Rob MacKercher, a vendor at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. Art by Rudolf Steiner students is on display at the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown building. (Photos by the writer.)

The meeting with vendors, set for March 8, is part of an effort to engage farmers and others who sell products and produce at the public market. Commissioners hope to get feedback on a range of topics, from drafts of new vendor application and inspection forms to ideas for promoting the market.

Some of Tuesday’s meeting was spent reviewing drafts of the vendor application and inspection forms, which include revisions aimed at getting more detailed information about what the vendors are selling, and how the products are made.

Market Finances

Two speakers during public commentary – Glenn Thompson and Karen Sidney – both spoke about the public market finances, and expressed concern about the market’s financial trajectory.

Thompson gave commissioners a handout showing bar charts of market operating expenses and income from 1995 through 2009. For operating expenses, he said he’d extracted one-time items such as payments to contractors, and calculated only the market’s regular, recurring expenses. The trend, he noted, is consistently upward, starting in the year 2000 – about the time that the market was put under the direction of the city’s parks and recreation unit, he said.

At the same time, income levels are going down, Thompson said, noting that his calculations did not include income from parking. There was a fairly large jump in income from FY 2003 to FY 2004 – reflecting the last time that vendor fees were increased – but since then, income has been declining, he said. Vendor fees are slated to go up again this year, and he wondered if it would be followed by yet another decline in income, after an initial upward spike. “It’s an ominous trend, if it repeats itself,” he said.

Karen Sidney also spoke about the market’s finances during public commentary. She said she had reviewed the market’s audited financial statements. When parking revenue is extracted, the market’s income is declining, she said. Sidney added that commissioners need to look at whether an increase in vendor fees is actually driving away vendors. She feared that the market was headed toward a deficit, and thinks that raising fees will only make things worse.

During Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners alluded to the vendor fee increase, but didn’t discuss it in detail. By way of background, last year the city proposed an increase of stall fees from $250 to $300 per year – a 20% increase. Jeff Straw, deputy parks manager, gave an update to commissioners about the fee increases at an April 21, 2009 meeting of the public market advisory commission.

According to minutes of that meeting, Straw said that fixed costs – including benefits, utilities and the city’s IT charge to the market – had all increased. [Until fiscal 2006, the city's IT charge was part of the municipal service charge that every unit within the city government is assessed. Starting in fiscal 2006, an IT charge has been assessed separately, in addition to the municipal service charge.] Straw said the proposed stall fee increases would raise about $12,000 in revenue and would take effect during the 2010 market season.

Peter Pollack, chair of the market commission, attended a May 17, 2009 Sunday caucus meeting of the Ann Arbor city council, where he relayed the commission’s lack of support for a fee increase, which they had expressed in the form of a unanimous resolution. From The Chronicle’s coverage of that caucus:

Pollack explained that the commission’s lack of support was based on a substantial bank account of the farmers market and the timing of the decision – neither the public nor vendors had had sufficient time to contemplate the fee increase. They’d had to do so within a month.

The resolution states that the commission does not support the fee increases at this time and requests a quarterly financial report of expenses and revenues to be accompanied by an annual review with a cost adjustment up or down based on that review. The idea is to minimize the percentage of any proposed change in any one period. Another goal of the commission is to achieve equity between the farmer stall fees and the rental rates charged to others who use the facility – for example, as a wedding venue. [Councilmember] Sabra Briere asked Pollack to clarify when the fees would go into effect – she had met with Molly Notarianni, the market manager, and had understood that the fee increases would not take effect until next year. Pollack confirmed that bills had been sent out for the 2009-10 season with the existing rates.

The new rate would appear on the next market bill, he said. Pollack said that the commission’s point was that the data did not yet exist to support the proposed fee increase. [Mayor John] Hieftje asked Pollack what kind of data he was looking for. Pollack clarified that the additional dollars to be generated through the new fee increases are attached to the full-time position of market manager and a part-time allocation of an assistant manager, so Pollack wanted to see those numbers as they related to the revenues and expenses of the market. “We need to track it,” he said. “We assume staff made the analysis,” he said, “but we haven’t seen it.”

It’s within this context that the commission had previously asked market manager Molly Notarianni to devise a summarized quarterly financial report, so that they could better track revenues and expenses, and analyze the impact of a fee increase, among other things. She delivered her first quarterly report at the commission’s November 2009 meeting. Still a work in progress, the most recent report, she said, reflects the commission’s directive to separate out revenues and expenses specifically for the farmers market – as opposed to other activities that take place in the public market space.

Notarianni noted that year-to-date revenues are up, with the largest portion of revenues coming from vendor fees. [Annual stall fees have not yet been assessed. Those fees are paid in the latter part of the fiscal year, which ends June 30.]

Much of the discussion centered around breaking out expenses between the farmers market and the rest of the activities in the public market, such as the Sunday Artisan Market. Commissioner Diane Black wondered whether they should assign a third of the utilities expense, for example, to the artisan market. During the prime market season, the farmers market is held two days a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, while the artisan market is held only on Sunday. [From January through March, however, neither the artisan market nor the Wednesday farmers market are held.]

After further discussion, commissioner Shannon Brines suggested checking if the parks and recreation managers had a formula for separating out expenses. Peter Pollack said the ultimate goal was to make sure the rentals were equitable between the farmers market and all other uses of the public market, based on expenses. He suggested that Notarianni discuss the issue with Colin Smith, the city’s parks and recreation manager, and that she also go over the financial data that Glenn Thompson had provided. He said the draft of the quarterly financial report was a step in the right direction.

Market Manager Updates

Market manager Molly Notarianni said she’d received two applications for new vendors: 1) a food cart vendor who wanted to sell German sausages and fresh-squeezed lemonade, and 2) a former vendor who proposed selling mushrooms and mushroom kits.

Commissioner Dave Barkman asked whether the market was at its limit for food carts – they had set a limit of four. Notarianni said that Pilar’s Tamales was the only food cart currently at the market, though there might be another one coming on board.

Notarianni also reported that there were more vendors at the market in January than in the past – between 30-35  on most Saturdays, during what’s usually the slowest month of the year. She also reported that new signs were being made, at Barkman’s suggestion, to identify vendors who are selling certified organic products. They’ll be given to vendors who have paperwork showing proof of certification.

Vendor Meeting, Revisions to Forms

Several items will be on the agenda for the March 8 meeting with vendors, which will run from 6-8 p.m. at Cobblestone Farm: 1) an overview of the upcoming season’s schedule for the farmers market and public market, 2) updates on renovation work, including plans for improvements by the Downtown Development Authority in the Kerrytown area, and 3) discussion of advertising, promotion and special events for the market, and enlistment of volunteers for the commission’s outreach committee.

Molly Notarianni, the city of Ann Arbor's market manager, at the Feb. 2 meeting of the Public Market Advisory Commission.

Another item for the meeting’s agenda is to get feedback on an idea that Notarianni floated: Collecting gross sales information from vendors. The point is to measure how well vendors are actually doing at the market. For example, if there’s a special promotional event that brings more people to the market, does that translate into additional sales for vendors? If not, are such events worth doing? Having sales data would help answer those questions, Notarianni said. She suggested that vendors be given the option of participating, and said the information would be kept anonymous.

Dave Barkman said it might be difficult for some vendors to tell how much they make at the Ann Arbor market. Farmers might go to several markets, he said, and use the same till for all, without separating out the sales. Diane Black suggested finding a dozen or so vendors who’d be willing to participate, and use them as a way to gauge sales more generally. Genia Service proposed putting the item on the agenda for the March 8 meeting, to see what vendors thought.

Also on the March 8 agenda will be a review of revisions to the vendor application and inspection forms, and a chance for vendors to give feedback on the proposed changes. At Tuesday’s meeting, Notarianni went over the changes that are being proposed by the commission’s policies and procedures committee. She said the goal is to collect more information, to be able to evaluate the vendor better.

For the application, a new category – “Source of materials” or “Source of ingredients” – has been added, to make it more clear how products are being grown or produced. The application also includes an additional sentence: “The products should meet MDA [Michigan Department of Agriculture], Washtenaw County Health Department, and USDA regulations, and good food safety practices.” This emphasizes the importance of food safety, Barkman said.

In the section for prepared food, one sentence has been underlined to emphasize that vendors must have “combined or assembled” their product, from ingredients that they’re required to list. Barkman said the intent is to address some of the problems that have been raised about vendors selling pre-made items. [.pdf file of draft vendor application]

As for the inspection form, it didn’t change dramatically, Notarianni said. [.pdf file of draft inspection form] A section for livestock has been added, reflecting the fact that they’ve added vendors who are selling meat. For the prepared foods section, the form asks vendors to describe their preparation process and source of ingredients. Pollack said that vendors should be asked to describe their facilities as well.

Pollack suggested that the revisions be highlighted in color, and that a cover memo should be included to indicate what has been changed. The drafts should be posted on the market’s website prior to the March 8 meeting, he said.

Pollack also observed that while the inspector’s role was to make observations about the operation of a vendor, it was the market manager’s job to make evaluations based on those observations. He suggested that a category be added with the inspection form: a place for the market manager to indicate whether the vendor complies, requires modifications, or doesn’t comply with market rules. Barkman – who also owns TJ Farms in Chelsea and is a vendor at the market – agreed that it’s important for vendors to know where they stand. It would also eliminate the possibility for a vendor to claim he didn’t understand whether or not he complied, Barkman said – it would be clear.

Pollack said that was the intent – to add clarity to the system.

During public commentary, Luis Vazquez suggested some additional revisions to the forms. It’s not that products should meet MDA and other safety regulations, he said, they must. He wondered who would ensure that proper licensing is in place for vendors. For the inspection form, he said the section on prepared foods needed work, especially as it related to baked goods.

Misc. Updates

Commissioner Shannon Brines highlighted several upcoming food-related events, including the Homegrown Local Food Summit 2010, set for March 2 at the University of Michigan’s Dana Building. The day-long event is a follow-up to last year’s summit, and will include skill-building workshops and discussion of developing a countywide local food campaign. [See Chronicle coverage of the 2009 summit: "Local Food for Thought"]

Brines also mentioned a Feb. 19 urban farming conference to be held on the UM-Dearborn campus, with Robert Kenner – maker of the documentary film Food Inc. – as keynote speaker. And on Feb. 25, the Michigan Good Food Summit will be held in Lansing, he said, with the aim of developing a statewide sustainable food system.

Public Commentary

In addition to the public commentary reported above, Luis Vazquez spoke on several additional topics. He requested information in light of Jayne Miller’s upcoming departure. [Miller, as community services director, is the top city official who oversees the public market operations. She's taken a job as head of the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority – her last day will be Feb. 11.] Vazquez wanted to know whether Miller will be replaced, who the market manager will be reporting to now, and what Miller’s departure means for the commission. [Peter Pollack, the commission's chair, later clarified that market manager Molly Notarianni reports directly to Colin Smith, the city's parks and recreation manager. Smith, in turn, reports to Miller.]

Vazquez also pointed out that two farmers market vendors – Renaissance Acres and Pilar’s Tamales – were featured in the winter 2010 edition of the Edible Wow magazine. It was great to see local vendors highlighted, especially organic producers like Renaissance Acres, he said, and he suggested that the publication be linked to from the market’s website. He also noted that another organic farmer, Peter Stark, would be offering a cooking class at Kerrytown Market & Shops.

Present: Commissioners Dave Barkman, Diane Black, Shannon Brines, Peter Pollack, and Genia Service. Also: Molly Notarianni, market manager.

Next meeting: The commission’s next regular meeting is on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. in the fourth floor of the Ann Arbor District Library’s downtown building, 343 S. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor. [confirm date]

The table was filled at the potluck for Slow Food Huron Valley, held at Hathaway's Hideaway on South Ashley. To make it a zero-waste event, people brought their own dishware. (Photos by the writer.)

When a room of people cheers for root vegetables – and later, for pie – there’s probably a theme at hand. On Thursday, the theme was locally grown food, fêted at a potluck hosted by Slow Food Huron Valley. The 30 or so people at Hathaway’s Hideaway on South Ashley heard an update on the nonprofit’s activities over the past year, and got a preview of what’s to come in 2010.

There was also plenty to eat and drink: Derby sandwiches (with pickles, bacon and mayo), parmigiano pumpkin soup with prosciutto, spinach walnut pesto, vegan “slop,” sweet potato pie – most of these and other dishes made from locally grown or produced food.

The connection between the meal and the mission of Slow Food Huron Valley was clear, as Bayer – a member of the group’s leadership team – told the diners: “Good food needs to be a basic human right.”

Summits, Sign-Ups

During the dinner, leaders of Slow Food Huron Valley (SFHV) promoted several upcoming events, including a follow-up to last year’s Local Food Summit. [See Chronicle coverage: "Local Food for Thought"] The January 2009 event, held at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, drew about 120 people, including farmers, restaurateurs, nonprofit leaders, educators and other local food activists. The goal was to strategize about how to strengthen this area’s food network.

The 2010 summit is tentatively slated for March 2, said Shannon Brines, a member of the SFHV leadership, and owner of Brines Farm in Dexter. This year, they’re hoping to hold the event on the University of Michigan central campus, at a venue that can accommodate a larger crowd. No specific site has yet been confirmed. Registration will begin later this month on the SFHV website, Brines said.

Kim Bayer, left, and Shannon Brines promoted upcoming events at the Slow Food Huron Valley nonprofit's Jan. 14 potluck.

Brines noted that the local food summit will follow two related events next month in Dearborn and Lansing. On Feb. 19, an urban farming conference will be held on the UM-Dearborn campus, with Robert Kenner – maker of the documentary film Food Inc. – as keynote speaker. And on Feb. 25, the Michigan Good Food Summit will be held in Lansing, with the aim of developing a statewide sustainable food system.

Among the other local-food events that were highlighted at Thursday’s gathering:

• This year’s Pie Lovers Unite! is set for Saturday, July 24 at the Ladies’ Literary Club in Ypsilanti. Last year’s PLU featured pie prizes (including for the category of “most unusual” pie), pie haikus, pie charts and more. Admission is a pie.
• The 2010 HomeGrown Festival will be held on Saturday, Sept. 11. The 2009 event was a “jaw-dropping success,” Bayer reported – several thousand people attended, coming to the Ann Arbor Farmers Market area for locally grown food, chef’s demonstrations, live music and kids activities.
• Another Local Harvest Cook-Off is being planned for Sunday, Nov. 7. Like last year, it will be a potluck featuring dishes made from local ingredients and judged by local chefs. The event is organized by Tantre Farm and Old Pine Farm, which operate two local community-supported agriculture programs, known as CSAs. The judges for the 2009 event were Alex Young of Zingerman’s Roadhouse, Natalie Marble of Ann Arbor Cooks, and Corbett Day of the Lenawee Intermediate School District.
• A fundraiser to send local representatives to the 2010 Terre Madre conference in Torino, Italy will be sometime in mid-June, at a yet-to-be-determined location. Held every two years, Terre Madre is an international slow food network aimed at sharing best practices among farmers and other activists. “It’s basically the Olympics of slow food,” Brines said. In 2008, SFHV raised enough money to pay of the airfare of five local representatives: Brines; Eve Aronoff, owner of eve The Restaurant in Kerrytown; Molly Notarianni, Ann Arbor’s market manager; Zingerman’s Deli chef Rodger Bowser; and Aubrey Thomason, a cheesemaker with Zingerman’s Creamery.

Several ongoing events were also mentioned, including a monthly food-centric book club – the upcoming book to be discussed is “Tasting Food, Tasting Freedom” by Sidney Mintz.

Brines, who sells produce at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, reported that 19 vendors showed up last Saturday, despite the weather, and he urged people to drop by.

Deirdra Stockmann told the group that SFHV started to get political this year, participating in the national “Time for Lunch” campaign. It’s an effort to lobby Congress to revamp the National School Lunch program, putting more of a focus on healthy, locally produced food.

Other initiatives highlighted during Thursday’s dinner include a new effort to involve teens in the local food movement, a call for people who might be interested in food entrepreneurship to get together and brainstorm business ideas, and a reminder to make reservations for the upcoming Ann Arbor Restaurant Week, which runs from Jan. 17-22. Also, volunteers are needed to help plan the 2010 HollerFest, held each year by the King family of Frog Holler Farm, long-time vendors at the local farmers market. Ken King died last year – the family was given SFHV’s first Local Food Action Hero award in September.

Sign-up sheets for people interested in volunteering or participating in these events were available at Thursday’s potluck. For more information, email SFHV at leadership@slowfoodhuronvalley.org. In addition, the nonprofit’s monthly leadership meetings are open to the public – the next one on Feb. 2 begins at 6:30 p.m. in the second floor of Zingerman’s Next Door, 422 Detroit St. in Ann Arbor.

At Wednesday's Ann Arbor Farmers Market, customers were asked to answer questions by using sticky dots. (Photo by the writer.)

Ann Arbor Public Market Advisory Commission meeting (Oct. 6, 2009): Shoppers at Wednesday’s Ann Arbor Farmers Market might have encountered a few things they hadn’t seen before: 1) Five easels with questions about how customers use the market, 2) three new vendors and 3) a film crew for the movie “Naked Angel.”

The first two were among several items discussed at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Public Market Advisory Commission. The group also talked about Halloween plans for the market – it falls on a Saturday this year – and reviewed its recent working session, which focused on policy issues and outreach.

Market Assessment

During her market manager report, Molly Notarianni told commissioners that the Michigan Farmers Market Association would be conducting a “rapid market assessment” at Wednesday’s market. [.PDF of a technical report outlining RMA techniques.] About 10 volunteers would be estimating attendance and conducting surveys of vendors and shoppers. One of the ways they planned to survey shoppers was through “dot voting” – the easels set up near the market office on Wednesday asked five multiple-choice questions, and shoppers indicated their answers by placing a colored sticky dot in the appropriate spot.

The questions (with an unofficial indication of votes, as of late Wednesday morning):

• How did you find out about today’s market? (flyers/posters, newspaper ads, online/website, farmers market email, word of mouth, regular shopper): “Regular shopper” was by far the most frequent answer.
• What was your primary form of payment? (cash, Bridge Card, Project Fresh, other): Cash was the overwhelming choice of payment.
• How many adults are in your shopping party? (1 through 6+): Most people answering the survey came by themselves or with one other adult.
• What was the most important reason you came to the market today? (food items, arts & crafts, atmosphere & experience, buy local, purchase organic, none of these): Most shoppers chose “food items” or “buy local.”
• How much did you spend at the market? (In $5 increments, from 0 to “$50 or more”): Dots were fairly evenly distributed between $5 to $25, with a few outliers.

Notarianni said that the Michigan Farmers Market Association had received a grant to study Electronic Benefit Transfers, or EBTs. The program uses Bridge Cards, which act like debit cards and have replaced food stamps. [We first wrote about the market's use of Bridge Cards a year ago.] The Ann Arbor market is one of several being studied for this grant, she said. Though market assessments of this kind typically cost several hundred dollars, because of the grant, the Ann Arbor market would be getting a comprehensive report from the assessment without charge.

Diane Allan and Debbie Moran of Pasta é Pasta, a new market vendor. They are twins, and also run a store in Chesterfield. (Photo by the writer.)

New Vendors, Halloween

Notarianni said that three vendors had joined the Wednesday market over the past month: Pasta é Pasta, which sells pasta and pasta sauces; Café Japon, which also operates a store at 113 E. Liberty in Ann Arbor; and Stephen Kinnard, a local photographer.

At Tuesday’s commission meeting, Notarianni also gave an update on plans for Halloween. The market is coordinating activities with Kerrytown Market & Shops, which plans to have storytelling, cider and donuts, and trick-or-treating at stores within the two-story complex. Notarianni said the market might have a pumpkin-carving event, and encourage kids to come in costume and trick-or-treat at the vendors.

Commissioner Genia Service relayed a suggestion from the owners of the Community Farm of Ann Arbor, who proposed having the vendors dress up in costume. Shoppers could vote on the costume they like best, she said. Commissioner Dave Barkman, owner of TJ Farms in Chelsea, wryly suggested that costumes for vendors be optional. Commissioner Shannon Brines of Brines Farm in Dexter said he wasn’t sure what kind of costume he’d put on at 5:30 in the morning. “I wear a costume every week as it is – as a ‘tired vendor’.”

Peter Pollack, who chairs the commission, noted that the partnership with Kerrytown Market & Shops, located next to the public market, had broader implications for more coordinated events throughout the year.

Recap of Working Session

Commissioners held a working session on Sept. 22, and Pollack reviewed what they’d discussed at that meeting. Notarianni had outlined her main goals for the coming year: 1) to increase participation in the EBT program, 2) to better promote the farmers market and public market space, and 3) to engage the commissioners more fully.

Pollack said those goals led to a discussion that focused on two areas: policy, including operations and procedures for the market, and outreach.

Policy issues

At their working session, commissioners talked about several topics related to market policy, Pollack said. They agreed to start a schedule of receiving regular financial reports, in particular to track the money that comes into the market account and to see how that money is spent. Notarianni plans to provide the first one at the commission’s November meeting.

Commissioners discussed the content of the vendor application, and the need to make sure the application is up to date.

They also looked at the issue of tracking complaints, and talked about possibly adjusting market policies. During Wednesday’s meeting, Brines suggested that the commission consider publishing a procedure for handling complaints, so that people can understand the process. He wondered if there were a uniform, citywide procedure for handling complaints that they might use. People who complain usually just want some sort of response, he said, even if it’s not the one they’re looking for.

Notarianni said there used to be an official complaint procedure, but it had been eliminated several years ago. Pollack added that the complaint procedure was removed when the city restructured the commission, taking away its administrative authority. It was judged inappropriate for the commission to handle complaints, he said.

Brines said he wasn’t suggesting that the commission respond, but they could provide information about how to file a complaint. Perhaps it was something that their policy subcommittee could deal with, he said.

Pollack noted that the commission is not an administrative body – they provide advice and suggest policy. He said they have very little to do with complaints, except as it relates to tracking them and developing policies.

Pollack reported that another policy issue emerging from the working session related to the definition of “made.” They’ve received some complaints alleging that certain vendors didn’t make the products they were selling. Genia Service noted that the issue of “thaw and bake” products kept resurfacing. [The Chronicle previously reported on a specific complaint voiced during the Ann Arbor city council Sunday caucus meeting on Aug. 5, 2009. At that meeting, Luis Vazquez, a former public market commissioner, contended that baked goods sold by Kapnick Orchards are prepared using a thaw-and-bake product.]

At Wednesday’s market commission meeting, Notarianni reminded commissioners that they’d discussed plans to define “made” and “significant effort” for each category of goods at the market. Pollack said that it was rare to have a producer-only market like the one in Ann Arbor. “That’s an aspect of the market that’s absolutely worth protecting,” he said.

The policy subcommittee, which includes Pollack and Brines, plans to meet sometime within the next month.

Outreach, marketing

One of the things that came out of their discussion about activities and events at the market, Pollack said, was the fact that on market days, Notarianni doesn’t have time to manage special events. That means that commissioners or other volunteers need to take responsibility on those days, he said. This prompted commissioner Genia Service to volunteer for Halloween, vowing to wear a costume and help organize the pumpkin carving.

Pollack said he thought it would be a good idea to compile a year-long calendar of events. Notarianni said that putting together such a calendar would be a good wintertime project – the market was slower and she’d have more time to do it.

At their working session, commissioners also discussed how to cultivate volunteers, Pollack said. Notarianni said she liked the idea of some kind of regular volunteer orientation. At the Portland, Ore. market, where she previously worked, they gave monthly market tours for volunteers and anyone who was interested, she said.

Pollack said that an orientation might be one way to use the oral histories that are being collected at the market. Another option might be to play those recordings in the market office during certain hours, he said, adding that it’s important to get the most use out of all of the activities and events they did.

Tossing out another marketing idea, Notarianni said she’d been to a market in New York where each stall had a sign with a photo of the vendor, a short write-up about them, and a map indicating where their farm or business was located within the state. She’d like to do something similar in Ann Arbor. Genia Service suggested asking volunteers to help out with collecting the information, and she agreed to do the layout for it herself.

Commissioners scheduled a meeting for the outreach subcommittee on Oct. 13, 2009 at 6 p.m. in the market office, 315 Detroit St. The meeting is open to the public.

Market Renovations

Notarianni reported that the first phase of market renovations were nearly complete. The structure covering the walkways had been painted, and new fluorescent lights were installed. Vendors in particular like the new lights, she said, because they are much brighter than the previous ones. Eventually, induction lights will be installed down the center of the ceiling – those lights are more energy efficient, and will be lit when the market isn’t in use. Also, the installation of a new stereo/intercom system is almost finished.

Peter Pollack asked if she’d heard any information about the next phase of the market renovation, which hasn’t yet been scheduled. Notarianni said she did not know how soon that would move ahead.

Later in the meeting, Dave Barkman asked whether the city could replace some of the signs throughout the market, which were looking tattered, he said. Pollack said it might be an opportunity to look at all the signs in the market – he suggested inquiring about possible funding from the Downtown Development Authority.

Present: Commissioners Dave Barkman, Diane Black, Shannon Brines, Genia Service, Peter Pollack. Molly Notarianni, market manager.

Next meeting: The commission’s next regular meeting is on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009 at 6:15 p.m. in the fourth floor of the Ann Arbor District Library’s downtown building, 343 S. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor. [confirm dates]

Photographer Stephen Kinnard talks with a shopper at Wednesday's farmers market. He's a new vendor, and said he plans to tough out the winter to earn the title of "Sub-Zero Hero." (Photo by the writer.)

A film crew for "Naked Angel" was shooting at Wednesday's farmers market. The director, Christina Morales Hemenway, is to the left of the woman in the white vest. (Photo by the writer.)