Stories indexed with the term ‘non-motorized path’

At its Aug. 16, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor park advisory commission unanimously passed a resolution recommending that planning for a trail system – including the county’s Border to Border (B2B) Trail – be incorporated into plans for the proposed Fuller Road Station. The resolution was drafted by commissioners Gwen Nystuen and Tim Berla, and will be forwarded to the city council.

Among other things, the resolution states that detailed plans for the design and funding of the trail system, including the B2B Trail through Fuller Park and the connecting links on all sides, should be approved by PAC and city council prior to action on the Fuller Road Station project. The resolution calls for trail improvements to be completed prior to or … [Full Story]

Ann Arbor City Council meeting (Aug. 16, 2010): Monday’s meeting was notable for its brevity, lasting barely over an hour. It was filled with the stuff of small-town governance – mayoral proclamations in honor of park volunteers, local food month, and women’s equality day.

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. [Full Story]