Creatures in West Park will not be able to participate in the November millage vote, even though they apparently can get their ducks in a row. A parks millage that's up for renewal helped pay for some of the recent renovations to the park, including the boardwalk, bandshell plaza and entry stairs. (Photos by the writer.)

The park maintenance and capital improvements millage, a six-year tax, brings in about $5 million annually and accounts for about 45% of the parks budget – including the entire funding for the natural areas preservation (NAP) program. Voters will likely be asked to renew it at 1.1 mills from 2013-2018, assuming the city council votes to put the millage on the Nov. 6 ballot at that rate. PAC chair Julie Grand – who has served on a working group to strategize about the renewal – said concerns about the economic climate are a major reason why an increase isn’t being recommended.

During the millage discussion, city councilmember Mike Anglin said he supports the millage but has concerns about Fuller Park, noting that talks regarding Fuller Road Station aren’t over. Parks manager Colin Smith pointed out that no millage funds have been or would be spent on Fuller Road Station. Grand cautioned against connecting the millage renewal to Fuller Road Station, saying it’s important to inform the public clearly about what the renewal means.

To provide that information, the city plans to hold four public forums in April, and a public hearing on the millage will be scheduled for PAC’s April 17 meeting. The city also plans to launch a website in early April with more information about the millage.

Also at the March 20 meeting, commissioners got a mid-year update about the open space and parkland preservation millage, which funds the greenbelt program and park acquisitions. Fuller Road Station was a backdrop to this discussion too, when commissioner Gwen Nystuen asked about protections that are afforded land acquired through this millage.

Land acquisition also came up in two other contexts during the meeting. The future of property owned by MichCon – located north of Broadway Street, between the Huron River and the railroad tracks – was part of the discussion during an update on environmental cleanup at the site. A DTE Energy representative indicated that senior management sees the potential for redevelopment there, but no plans are finalized. It’s expected that DTE Energy, which owns the property through its MichCon subsidiary, will eventually sell the site.

And speaking during public commentary, Ann Arbor resident Larry Baird advocated for the city to acquire land to fill gaps in the Border-to-Border Trail, which roughly follows the Huron River. Specifically, he characterized a connection between Bandemer Park and Barton Nature Area as the top priority, and urged the city to focus more on this project than on high-speed rail.

In the agenda’s one action item, commissioners recommended awarding a $79,980 contract to Michigan Recreational Construction Inc. to handle renovations at Placid Way Park. The resolution also recommends an additional 10% contingency of $7,998 for a total project cost of $87,978. The 1.32-acre neighborhood park is located on the city’s north side near the larger Dhu Varren Woods Nature Area and Foxfire South Park. The project would be funded from the park maintenance and capital improvements millage.

Park Maintenance & Capital Improvements Millage

Commissioners were briefed on plans to put a renewal of the city’s park maintenance and capital improvements millage on the November ballot. The presentation was given by parks and recreation manager Colin Smith and Matt Warba, the city’s supervisor of field operations, and mirrored a similar one given to city councilmembers at their March 12 working session. The 1.1 mill renewal would run for six years, from 2013-2018.

Warba began by describing the history of what were originally two millages: one for capital improvements dating back to 1983, and a second one for maintenance. They were each levied at around 0.5 mill apiece for a total of 0.914 mills, until changes were made in 2006.

By way of additional background, here’s a timeline of the more recent millage history:

• 2006-Oct-03: The Ann Arbor city council passed a resolution setting administrative policy on the planned use of parks maintenance and capital improvements millage monies. The policy stipulates a range of 60-80% for maintenance, with the remainder for capital improvements. It also stipulates that general fund support for parks will decrease only in concert with the rest of the general fund budget. In addition, an annual 3% increase in funding for natural area preservation (NAP) programs was stipulated.
• 2006-Nov-07: Ann Arbor voters approved a single, combined parks maintenance and capital improvements millage with 56% support. It replaced two separate millages, which were previously levied at around 0.5 mill apiece for a total of 0.914 mills. The single millage that replaced the two separate taxes – one for maintenance and one for capital improvements – was approved by voters at a rate of 1.1 mill for six years.
• 2010-May-17: The city council revised the 2006 administrative policy to eliminate NAP’s automatic 3% increase, and reset NAP funding to levels proportionate with other programs.
• 2011-May-16: The city council revised the 2006 administrative policy to allow non-millage funds to count as general fund support for the parks for purposes of the policy that requires general fund support.

The millage raises about $5 million annually, and is one of two primary sources for the $11.75 million parks system budget, with the other main source coming from the city’s general fund. The millage pays for capital projects and park planning, forestry, NAP and operational maintenance. The general fund covers core services, Smith said, including mowing, snow removal, utilities and daily operations of general fund recreational facilities.

A breakdown of the FY2012 Ann Arbor parks and recreation budget. (Links to larger image.)

From the general fund, about $3.59 million supports parks administration and general fund recreational facilities (as distinguished from so-called enterprise funds for facilities that are intended to become self-supporting, like the golf courses and farmers market). Another $2.3 million funds general park operations, and about $500,000 is transfered from the general fund to support golf operations.

From the millage, $2 million supports millage-related park operations, $1.6 million is earmarked for capital projects, $981,389 is allocated to forestry, and $698,569 goes to NAP.

Smith and Warba walked through an example of how the millage is being used to fund a specific project – improvements at Buhr Park and Cobblestone Farm. [A detailed report on that project was part of the commission's Feb. 28, 2012 meeting.]

The millage casts a wide net, Smith said, and is incredibly important to the care and well-being of the city’s parks.

Warba reported that city staff started meeting in January to evaluate how the existing millage is working and to strategize about how best to communicate its uses. In addition, a working group of park commissioners – including PAC chair Julie Grand and city councilmember Christopher Taylor, an ex-officio PAC member – met to talk about levels of funding and whether current funds are sufficient for the park system’s needs.

The staff consensus is that a straight renewal makes the most sense, Warba said. It provides consistency and a sufficient level of funding. Every recreational facility has received some kind of upgrade within the past five years, even if it’s been behind-the-scenes infrastructure, he said.

The existing millage generates an average of $5 million annually, Smith said, totaling about $25 million over the past five years. The current fund balance is about $4 million, with roughly $2 million of that earmarked for renovations to the ballfields that were recently approved. That leaves about $2 million to cover emergency repairs throughout the system’s 157 parks, which Smith said he felt was adequate. An example of a project that might be covered is the restoration of Plymouth Park, following last year’s collapse of the railroad embankment.

The millage renewal would be on the ballot for 1.1 mills, Smith said – a little more than what’s currently levied because of the Headlee rollback. The renewal would be for another six years. If voters were asked to approve a higher tax or for a longer period, it would be considered a new tax, he noted. The working group had felt it was important to be a renewal, given the current economy.

A mill is equal to $1 for each $1,000 of taxable value for a property. For a hypothetical house worth $200,000, with a state equalized value and a taxable value of $100,000, each mill of tax on that property would generate $100 in revenue.

Smith described the next steps as developing informational material for voters, and holding a series of four public forums in April. PAC will also schedule a public hearing on the millage at its April 17 meeting, and the commission would vote on a formal recommendation in May. That recommendation would then be sent to the city council for a vote, likely at an August meeting, to put the millage on the November ballot.

Park Maintenance & Operations Millage: Commission Discussion

Tim Berla referred the public commentary by Larry Baird, who had urged the city to move faster on completing the Border-to-Border Trail. [See below for a summary of Baird's commentary.] Several years ago, the commission had talked about how to make a pedestrian/bicycle crossing over the railroad tracks, Berla noted. Is that something that the millage could pay for? Berla wondered about the status of filling in gaps in the trail.

Colin Smith, the city's parks and recreation manager.

Smith noted that anytime PAC or the city council wants to highlight or expedite a particular project, they can direct staff to take action. Passing a resolution would be one way to do that, he said. PAC’s land acquisition committee has identified areas that are a priority to acquire, he noted, and they are working with Ginny Trocchio – who manages the city’s greenbelt and park acquisition programs – to move those efforts forward. Now is a good time to have more conversations about the land along the railroad, Smith said.

Berla said he completely understands why a millage renewal is more politically advantageous than an increase. But he noted that now is the time to think about whether more money is needed for parks. If the city decided it wanted to do more, what would the process be? he asked.

Smith replied that it’s a fine balance between acquiring land and maintaining it. The city currently has more than 50 miles of trail that are heavily used and that need renovation and care, for example. Julie Grand cautioned that the city needs to be aware of the political and economic climate. In May, the Ann Arbor Public Schools will be asking voters to approve a technology millage. There will likely be other “asks,” she said. Grand pointed out that if the parks millage isn’t renewed, the system couldn’t operate.

Tim Doyle asked if other millages will be on the November ballot. No other city millages are anticipated, Smith said. That’s good, Doyle said, because it avoids confusion and backlash. Smith noted that in 2006, this millage was on the ballot along with the city’s street repair millage. [The street repair millage of 2 mills was most recently renewed by voters in November 2011. A separate 0.125 mills for sidewalk repairs was also approved.]

Sam Offen wondered if there were other major parks projects in the next five years that hadn’t yet been discussed. Smith pointed to several possibilities. Upcoming renovations at Gallup Park canoe livery are being funded by a state grant, but the millage could be used to enhance that work, he said. Paths to the raptor enclosures are being upgraded at the Leslie Science & Nature Center, he noted, but broader improvements there – part of a master plan for the facility – also could be undertaken. The Veterans Ice Arena is in dire need of a new roof, which Smith said he realized is not exciting, but it’s necessary. Renovations to the ballfields are another longer-term project, he said. Work at the city’s three main ballfields is already approved, but the second-tier fields also need attention, he said.

Park Maintenance & Capital Improvements Millage: Fuller Road Station

Mike Anglin, one of two city councilmembers who also serve on PAC as non-voting commissioners, said he was concerned about Fuller Park. The discussion about Fuller Road Station isn’t over, he said, even though the city’s partner “disappeared.” [Anglin was referring to the University of Michigan, which in February 2012 pulled out of plans to build a large parking structure, bus depot and possible train station at the Fuller Road site, near UM's medical campus. See Chronicle coverage: "UM, Ann Arbor Halt Fuller Road Project"]

Ann Arbor city councilmember Mike Anglin (Ward 5) also serves as an ex-officio member of the city's park advisory commission.

The city has already put about $3 million into the project, Anglin contended, and the original plan called for parks to handle the site’s maintenance, he said. Now the project is being re-discussed, he said, adding that it has bearing on the parks system.

Grand warned that the millage renewal is separate from the Fuller Road Station issue. The issues aren’t connected, she said, and it’s important to educate the public about what the renewal means.

Anglin replied that he support parks and he’s 100% behind the millage renewal. Voters will definitely pass the millage renewal, he predicted. Anglin said all he wanted to do was to alert people to the fact that the Fuller Road Station discussion is ongoing.

Smith said it’s important to note that no parks millage funds have been spent on Fuller Road Station. In response to a query from Berla, Smith said that no millage funds would be used to build a train station. The city’s charter describes how the millage proceeds can be spent, he said, and ”suffice it to say that a train station would not fall under that.”

The relevant section of the city charter reads as follows:

Funds for Park Maintenance and Capital Improvements

SECTION 8. 19 In addition to any other amount which the City is authorized to raise by general tax upon the real and personal property by this Charter or any other provision of law, the City shall, in 2007 through 2012, annually levy a tax of 1.10 mills on all taxable real and personal property situated within the City for the purpose financing park maintenance activities in the following categories: forestry and horticulture, natural area preservation, park operations, park equipment repairs, park security, and recreation facilities; and for the purpose of financing park capital improvement projects for active parks, forestry and horticulture, historic preservation, neighborhood parks and urban plazas, pathways, trails, boardwalks, greenways, the Huron River watershed, recreation facilities and park equipment acquisitions. (Section 8.19 added by election of April 4, 1983; amended by elections of April 3, 1989, November 8, 1994, November 7, 2000 and November 7, 2006).

Doyle wondered if the parks staff would have any responsibility for maintenance of a train station, if it were located on park property. Smith replied that the millage can be used to maintain park property, ”and that does not include a train station, plain and simple.” If the parks staff were used to do maintenance at a train station, those hours would not be billed to the parks budget, he said.

Park Maintenance & Capital Improvements Millage: Next Steps

The city staff plans to hold four public forums in April to discuss the millage:

• Monday, April 9, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Ann Arbor Senior Center, 1320 Baldwin Ave.
• Wednesday, April 11, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Cobblestone Farm Center, 2781 Packard Road.
• Monday, April 23, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Leslie Science & Nature Center’s Nature House, 1831 Traver Road.
• Thursday, April 26, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Ann Arbor District Library Traverwood Branch, 3333 Traverwood Drive.

Sam Offen pointed out that none of the forums are scheduled at locations on the west side of town. Smith said it was difficult finding suitable spots. Offen suggested that Slauson Middle School might be a possible location.

David Barrett observed that the public needs to realize that some great things have happened and that more is in the works. There’s a tangible relationship between the millage and these parks, he said, joking that a snappy phrase is needed to describe it.

Smith laughed, but added that the staff’s role is to provide information, not to advocate. If there’s a citizens group that wants to promote the millage renewal, he said he could give them information, but advocating is outside of the staff’s purview.

The city plans to launch a website in early April with more information about the millage.

MichCon Remediation Update

Representatives from DTE were on hand to update commissioners on the remediation of the MichCon property that’s located north of Broadway Street, between the Huron River and the railroad tracks that run past the Amtrak station. MichCon is a subsidiary of DTE Energy – DTE also owns property on the opposite side of the river, south of Broadway, where it plans to build a new electricity substation.

Shayne Wiesemann, a senior environmental engineer with DTE Energy, gave the presentation. He had given a similar report to city council at a March 12, 2012 working session. An extensive report on that presentation is included in The Chronicle’s coverage of a recent master plan committee meeting: “Planning Group Revisits Huron River Report.”

MichCon Remediation Update: Commission Discussion

Sam Offen asked what the company’s intent is for the property after the cleanup. Wiesemann replied that there’s a tremendous opportunity for redevelopment at the site, and that the company has recently started meeting with stakeholders in the community. However, no plans have been finalized, he said. The company’s senior leaders have a vision that the property can be used as an economic catalyst for the community, Wisesmann added, and that it can be a place for people to come and enjoy the river. In the short term, DTE will retain ownership, he said.

Gwen Nystuen said her understanding was that the Border-to-Border Trail route had been intended to include both sides of the river, including the MichCon side. Colin Smith, the city’s parks and recreation manager, said the original desire was to use the MichCon side for the trail. But now that the Argo Cascades project is nearly complete, the trail on that side serves the purpose.

In the foreground is Paul Ganz, manager of regional relations for DTE Energy. Seated next to him is Larry Baird, an Ann Arbor resident who spoke during public commentary about the Border-to-Border Trail.

Tim Berla asked what uses would be safe after the MichCon’s property is remediated. Will there be any ongoing safety issues?

Wiesemann said the company realizes that the section of land by the river will be widely used for recreation, and their plans are to clean it to a residential unrestricted standard. As for the area that’s on higher ground closer to Broadway, there will probably be more work to do there, Wiesemann said, and the company will do whatever remediation is required after a final use for that land is determined. They don’t want to do too much or too little, he said, so they’ll wait until plans for its use are finalized.

Berla asked about tests that had been conducted on the property. Wiesemann said the results of testing are posted on the MDEQ website. [The Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality keeps a list of contaminated sites in the state, including those in Ann Arbor, with a list of the contaminants at those sites. The contaminants at the MichCon Broadway site include heavy metals (lead, nickel, zinc, etc.) and phthalates.]

Berla also wondered about some blue tarps he’d seen on the site. Is there a homeless encampment on the property? Yes, Wiesemann said, there have been some issues with the homeless for a while. The company has worked with the Ann Arbor police department, he said, but “unfortunately, they keep coming back.” Breaches in the fence are being repaired and the encampment will be removed before remediation work begins, he said.

Responding to another query from Berla, Wiesemann reported that the permit to build the whitewater feature in the stretch of the Huron River adjacent to the MichCon site will likely be submitted to the state in early April. He anticipates it will be built in September, after the MichCon remediation work is done. The intent is to use the same designer and contractor who worked on the Argo Cascades project.

Julie Grand asked about the environmental impact of the foam that will be used for odor suppression. Wiesemann assured her that the foam is completely biodegradable and non-toxic, and that there will be no impact on wildlife. He said it basically creates a barrier over the soil so that odors can’t be emitted.

David Barrett asked what landfill would be used to dump the contaminated soil. Wiesemann said it would be taken to a licensed facility in Northville [the Arbor Hills landfill, operated by Veolia ES Arbor Hills Landfill Inc.].

Smith concluded the presentation by saying that he appreciated the time that DTE had taken to work with city staff, and that it was great to see this remediation project come to fruition.

Open Space & Parkland Preservation Millage Update

Ginny Trocchio, a staff member of  The Conservation Fund who manages Ann Arbor’s greenbelt and parkland acquisition programs under contract with the city, presented a mid-year financial report to PAC for the period of July 1, 2011 through Jan. 31, 2012 – the first seven months of the current fiscal year. [.pdf file of financial report]

Ginny Trocchio, who manages the greenbelt and park land acquisition programs, and Jeff Straw, deputy parks & recreation manager.

Ann Arbor voters passed a 30-year 0.5 mill tax in 2003 for land acquisition. It’s called the open space and parkland preservation millage, and appears on the summer tax bill as the line item CITY PARK ACQ. Though not stipulated in the legal terms of the millage, the city’s policy has been to allocate one-third of the millage for parks land acquisition and two-thirds for the city’s greenbelt program. The parks portion of the millage is overseen by PAC, while the greenbelt advisory commission handles the portion for land preservation outside of the city limits.

To get money upfront for land acquisition, the city took out a $20 million bond in fiscal year 2006. That bond is being being paid back with revenue from the millage. Debt service on that bond so far in FY 2012 year has amounted to $837,088. [Two debt service payments are made during the fiscal year, totaling about $1.2 million.]

Net revenues from the millage were $2.244 million as of Jan. 31, Trocchio reported, with expenses of $1.768 million. In addition to debt service, the expenses include $813,000 in greenbelt projects and about $82,000 for parkland acquisition.

About $10.5 million remains in the fund balance, but some of that will be spent on deals that have already been approved but haven’t yet closed, Trocchio said. Of that fund balance, $4.5 million is designated for parks, while about $6 million is set aside for the greenbelt program.

In addition, there’s $445,000 in an endowment set up to cover legal costs related to enforcing the conservation easements held by the city.

Trocchio also reported that administrative costs of $35,594 so far in fiscal 2012 equate to 2% of total revenues. Administrative costs over the life of the millage are limited by ordinance to be no greater than 6% of revenues.

Open Space & Parkland Preservation Millage Update: Commission Discussion

Gwen Nystuen asked Trocchio whether the parkland acquired by the city with millage funds included permanent deed restrictions designating it for park use. Trocchio replied that for land acquired in the city, the city holds the title for the property.

Nystuen pointed out that city-owned property – including parkland – is zoned as “public land.” So unless there are deed restrictions, the city council could decide to change the use of the land to something else besides a park. [This has been an issue cited with the proposed Fuller Road Station, which would be located in Fuller Park.] Nystuen wondered whether buying property with the millage provided any additional protection.

Colin Smith, the city’s parks and recreation manager, said the properties acquired by the millage are listed in the city’s Park and Recreation Open Space (PROS) plan. The fact that the properties are purchased with millage proceeds provides an extra layer of protection beyond that, he said. If sold, that decision would need to be reviewed by PAC, the planning commission and city council, as well as requiring approval from voters, he said. Nystuen said that’s true if the land is sold, but the same process isn’t followed if the use of the land changes, she noted. It does seem like there’s merit to purchasing property through the millage, she observed, to help ensure that it remains parkland.

Sam Offen questioned a $7,928 payment made to Norfolk Southern Railroad out of millage funds. Trocchio explained that it’s a long-term lease payment for a section of land in Bandemer Park. Offen wondered whether the railroad still owned the property, or whether it had been sold to the Michigan Dept. of Transportation. Smith replied that the staff would look into the status of that sale. [Negotiations are ongoing for the state to buy about 135 miles of track from Norfolk Southern, including the section running through Ann Arbor.]

Nystuen wondered how the lease was paid for prior to the millage. Smith wasn’t sure, but noted that the millage had paid for it since fiscal 2007. In response to another question from Nystuen, Trocchio said that the millage ordinance allows for the purchase of land or land rights, and a lease falls under that latter category. Smith characterized it as a essential parcel for the Border-to-Border Trail.

Placid Way Park Renovations

On the March 20 agenda was a resolution recommending that the city council award a $79,980 contract to Michigan Recreational Construction Inc. to handle renovations at Placid Way Park. The resolution also recommends an additional 10% contingency of $7,998 for a total project cost of $87,978.

The 1.32-acre neighborhood park is located on the city’s north side near the larger Dhu Varren Woods Nature Area and Foxfire South Park. An entrance to the park with a small parking lot is located off of Placid Way, across from Tuebingen Parkway. [.pdf map of Placid Way Park.]

According to a staff memo, Michigan Recreational Construction, a Howell-based company, submitted the lowest of six bids. The work includes replacing the existing play structure and picnic table, and adding benches and landscaping. Funding is available from proceeds of the FY 2012 park maintenance and capital improvements millage.

Parks and recreation manager Colin Smith told commissioners it was a fairly straighforward project.

Placid Way Park Renovations: Commission Discussion

There was minimal discussion on this item. David Barrett asked whether the city had worked with this company in the past. Colin Smith wasn’t sure, but assumed that parks planner Amy Kuras had experience with the company. Julie Grand asked Smith to clarify the park’s location. Smith described it as northeast of Leslie Park Golf Course, and southeast of Olson Park.

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously recommended awarding the Placid Way Park contract to Michigan Recreational Construction. The recommendation will be forwarded to the city council for consideration.

Communications & Commentary

Every meeting includes opportunities for public commentary and communications from commissioners and staff. One person spoke during time allocated for public commentary at the March 20 meeting.

Comm/Comm: Public Commentary – Border-to-Border Trail

Larry Baird spoke during two opportunities for public commentary, focusing his remarks on the Border-to-Border Trail. [The trail is a countywide shared-use path that roughly follows the Huron River.] He said he’s enjoyed the park system for over 20 years, but he’s concerned about the priority given to a high-speed rail initiative and the lack of discussion related to the trail system through the city.

He brought a copy of “Riverwalks Ann Arbor” by Brenda Bentley, saying it’s one of his favorite books, and he urged commissioners to get a copy or borrow his. After he read it, he attempted to walk the entire trail within the city, and came to appreciate the complexity of the trail and the challenges to complete the “missing links.” Those gaps in the trail system have been on the drawing board far too long, he said.

Book cover of "Riverwalks" by Brenda Bentley.

Now that the Michigan Dept. of Transportation is negotiating to buy the stretch of railroad that runs through Ann Arbor, Baird encouraged commissioners to take a pro-active approach, perhaps by forming a task force to ensure that MDOT doesn’t slow down the process of completing a river trail even more.

Baird read an excerpt from the city’s Park and Recreation Open Space (PROS) plan: “Since the 1962 Plan, there has been a concerted effort to complete the pattern of recreational open space along the Huron River from Barton Pond to Geddes Pond … Although Ann Arbor lacks a completed system of connected natural areas, City residents take pride in the preservation of substantial open space along the Huron River…”

For at least 50 years this project has been discussed, Baird noted. He challenged commissioners to find the will and determination to complete it.

Baird picked up the topic again at the end of the meeting, handing out a map from the PROS plan that showed proposed trail connections. [.pdf of PROS trail maps for the Huron River greenway] Two of five proposed connections – at Depot Street (next to the MichCon site) and Maiden Lane – are close to other alternatives, so he hoped that priority would be given to the three other connectors. Of those other three connectors, two are connections to Nichols Arboretum and while nice, they wouldn’t extend the trail, he said.

There’s really only one connection that Baird said he would deem the “holy grail” – connecting the northwest corner of Bandemer Park to Barton Nature Area. That would add almost two miles of trails and open up connections to nearly 300 acres of forests and natural areas, he said.

The current plan calls for a “grade separated” crossing at the railroad tracks near Bandemer Park, but Baird said city officials seem uncertain about how MDOT’s track upgrades for high-speed rail would affect potential crossings. Baird reported that Eli Cooper, the city’s transportation program manager, had told him that similar upgrades elsewhere have resulted in the closing of many crossings for safety reasons.

Baird concluded by proposing an action plan for completing the Border-to-Border Trail connections:

1. Create a task force to study the impact of high-speed rail on the parks system, and to create an action plan for negotiating with MDOT to get a portion of grant funds for high-speed rail to be used for trail easements.
2. Prioritize the trail’s missing links, with the Bandemer-to-Barton link at the top of the list.
3. Set a deadline for completing the missing links.
4. Ensure that an adequate portion of the greenbelt millage is spent within the city, preferably for trail easements.
5. Advise the city to focus on the broader impacts of high-speed rail on the parks system, rather than just focus on Fuller Road Station.
6. Consider allocating a portion of the existing greenbelt millage, or a separate millage, to fund completion of the trail.

Baird said he hoped commissioners would give consideration to his suggestions.

Comm/Comm: Public Commentary – West Park

During the opportunity for communications from commissioners, Tim Berla asked about the situation at West Park. He noted that there were still construction fences up around the section where swirl concentrators had failed, gravel along one of the walkways, and poles in the pond. He said it would be great to have a bench along the boardwalk that overlooked the pond.

Lids for underground swirl concentrators at West Park.

Colin Smith replied that he’d recently been to West Park too, and wondered about the poles, which had been used to help keep birds away from aquatic plants as they take root – though he noted that a few ducks “have been less than deterred.” Smith said the city council will soon be asked to vote on change orders to fund the final repairs at West Park, so the project is wrapping up. The dispute between the city and its contractors over who’ll pay for work related to the failed swirl concentrators is close to being resolved, he said.

[Swirl concentrators had been installed for stormwater management as part of a major renovation of West Park in 2010. Most recently, PAC received a detailed update on the project at its Jan. 24, 2012 meeting from Nick Hutchinson, a civil engineer and one of the project managers in the city’s public services unit. Hutchinson had told the commission that in May and June of 2012, the manufacturer of the swirl concentrators will make repairs on the units. Following that, the city will hire a contractor to complete additional work that was recommended by Orchard Hiltz & McCliment (OHM), which the city had engaged in 2010 to look into the problems at West Park. City staff hope to have that work completed by July of 2012.]

Comm/Comm: Public Commentary – Manager’s Report

Colin Smith began his report by noting that the city’s two golf courses had opened early because of warm weather – last year the courses hadn’t opened until April. On the flip side, the Buhr Park Ice Arena was closed earlier than expected for the same reason. As schedules allowed, hockey leagues that played at Buhr were relocated to Veterans Park Ice Arena.

Argo Cascades – the name for the new Huron River bypass near Argo Pond – is closed so that a new pedestrian bridge can be installed. That work is underway. Final modifications to the bypass will be done in mid-April, Smith said, including installation of a rubber guide in one of the dropped pools where the water flow is more “energetic” than the staff would like.

Earlier in the meeting, Tim Berla had suggested the possibility of installing benches along the Cascades. Julie Grand noted that she had visited the Cascades as part of a task force on public art. The feeling had been to leave the area as natural as possible, and to see how people use the large rocks along the bypass before installing manmade structures.

Turning to a different project, Smith reported that construction will begin soon in the Buhr Park and Cobblestone Farm renovations that PAC had recommended for approval at their Feb. 28 meeting. The major ballfield renovations approved earlier this year will begin in August. It will be a very busy season, Smith said.

Present: David Barrett, Tim Berla, Tim Doyle, Julie Grand, Karen Levin, Gwen Nystuen, Sam Offen, councilmember Mike Anglin (ex-officio). Also Colin Smith, city parks manager.

Absent: Doug Chapman, John Lawter, Christopher Taylor.

Next meeting: PAC’s meeting on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 begins at 4 p.m. in the city hall second-floor council chambers, 301 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor. [confirm date]

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Baseball field #4 at Veterans Memorial Park will be among fields at three parks that will be renovated, if the Ann Arbor city council approves a recommendation of the park advisory commission. (Photos by the writer.)

PAC unanimously recommended awarding a nearly $1 million contract to RMD Holdings of Chesterfield, Michigan, for renovation of ballfields at Veterans Memorial Park, West Park and Southeast Area Park. If approved by the city council, work would begin after the 2012 summer season. Ann Arbor Rec & Ed – a unit of the Ann Arbor Public Schools – plans to cancel its fall season in light of the project. Teams playing in Rec & Ed programs are the primary users of these fields.

Commissioners also got an update on the status of West Park renovations – specifically, how problems with an underground stormwater system are being addressed. City engineer Nick Hutchinson described plans for repairing the system, saying that legal issues are still being worked out, but the project will likely be completed by July of 2012. A public forum will be held on Feb. 13 at Slauson Middle School to update residents. At a similar meeting held in mid-January, residents raised concerns over whether the situation in West Park has caused flooding in nearby basements.

Also at PAC’s Jan. 24 meeting, commissioner Gwen Nystuen urged the group to consider taking action on the Allen Creek greenway, in light of remarks made by mayor John Hieftje at the city council’s Jan. 23 meeting regarding the city-owned 415 W. Washington property. Colin Smith, the city’s manager of parks and recreation, reported that there’s been discussion about possibly applying for a state grant to help fund the greenway, but the timeline for applying this year is tight. He also suggested that an initial step would be to develop a master plan for the greenway, as recommended in the city’s parks, recreation and open space plan.

Near the beginning of the meeting, commissioner Sam Offen introduced the new executive director for the Leslie Science & Nature Center, Susan Westhoff, who spoke briefly to commissioners. Offen is a board member of the center, a nonprofit that’s located on city property.

Ballfield Renovations

The main action item on the Jan. 24 agenda was a resolution recommending a nearly $1 million contract to renovate softball and baseball fields at three city parks.

If approved by the city council, the $982,333 contract would be awarded to RMD Holdings of Chesterfield, Michigan. That amount includes a $893,030 base bid plus a 10% contingency of $89,303. It was the lowest of four bids received for the project, which will focus on the fenced ballparks at Veterans Memorial Park, West Park and Southeast Area Park. Originally, the city had intended to include fields at Allmendinger Park as well, but bids came in higher than expected, and that work was eliminated from the project.

The renovations have been in the works for more than two years. At PAC’s September 2010 meeting, commissioner David Barrett gave a report on the condition of the city’s ballparks after personally surveying them. [.pdf file of Barrett's ballpark report] According to a staff memo accompanying the Jan. 24 resolution, no major restoration work has been done on the fields in more than 10 years.

Staff from Ann Arbor Rec & Ed, a unit of the public school system, will work with city staff on this project – Rec & Ed programs are the primary users of these fields. Construction will likely begin in mid-August of 2012, with fields ready for use again in early spring of 2013. Rec & Ed plans to cancel its fall season to accommodate the project.

Funding will be drawn from three sources: (1) $250,000 from the approved FY 2012 parks maintenance and capital improvements millage budget; (2) $64,000 from an unobligated remaining fund balance in the expired park repair and restoration millage; and (3) $668,333 from the unobligated fund balance of the existing parks maintenance and capital improvements millage.

Deputy parks manager Jeff Straw and Matt Warba, the city’s supervisor of field operations, briefed PAC on the proposal. Straw noted that in collecting feedback for the 2010 update to the parks, recreation and open space (PROS) plan, the city heard loud and clear that people wanted better maintenance of the fields. The fields – used for baseball, softball and kickball – drew more than 5,000 players during the summer and fall seasons in 2011, Straw said.

Warba noted that when the city had a larger parks staff, renovations of the fields occurred every 10 years. Now, that’s no longer possible to do in-house, he said. Describing the current conditions of the fields, Warba said they are poorly graded, with poor drainage that results in water pooling in the infield, which limits play. The material used for the infield makes it dusty in the summer, and doesn’t allow water to drain quickly when it rains.

For the outfields, the playing surfaces are uneven, Warba said, the turf is in poor condition, and the warning tracks are filled with weeds. Fencing is deteriorating and damaged, and many of the backstops don’t have overhangs.

Upgrades will include regrading the infields, removing the infield lip, replacing the existing infield material with red clay, and installing drainage around the infield’s perimeter. Fencing will be replaced, automated irrigation systems will be installed, field turf will be restored, and concrete will be used for floors of the dugouts and bleacher pads.

Warba told commissioners that Stantec had drawn up designs for the project, and that the lowest “responsible” bid came from RMD Holdings, a company with prior experience doing this work.

Ballfield Renovations: Commission Discussion

Karen Levin asked whether other fields in the city’s parks system can be used to play on during the renovations. Warba said there are 24 other neighborhood fields available. The next phase of this project will be upgrading those as well, he said. Straw added that Rec & Ed decided to cancel its fall season in part because lighting would be a challenge – most of the other ballfields don’t have lights.

Colin Smith, the city’s manager of parks and recreation, noted that no matter how the renovations are handled, it will be inconvenient. Rec & Ed staff felt this would be the best approach, he said. Rec & Ed director Sara Aeschbach told commissioners that players had been surveyed about their preferences, and the strong preference was to preserve the summer season. Using the neighborhood ballparks is too difficult in the fall, because it gets dark earlier. She said players are excited that the fields will be improved.

Gwen Nystuen asked about the material that would be used under the team benches. Will it be a pervious surface? Water drainage is important, she noted. Warba replied that the area will be designed with an angle to allow water to flow off the surface. Pervious materials weren’t considered, he said, though there’s still time to make changes.

Colin Smith, Ann Arbor's parks and recreation manager.

Smith noted that the majority of players wear cleats, which would create problems for any pervious surface. He also pointed out that significant stormwater improvements will be made in that section of Veterans Memorial Park, as part of the Dexter-Ann Arbor street repair project.

Nystuen said that in general, whenever they can install pervious surfaces, it will make a difference in helping address stormwater runoff.

Christopher Taylor asked whether the ballpark renovations would coordinate in any way with the possible skatepark construction at Vets. Smith replied that it’s unlikely the skatepark construction will begin by August – it’s more likely that work on the project will start in the spring of 2013. In response to another query from Taylor, Smith indicated that construction equipment used to build the skatepark isn’t expected to damage the work done on the ballfields.

Mike Anglin said he assumed that the parks staff had coordinated this project with the road work being done along Dexter-Ann Arbor. Yes, Smith said. The stretch of Dexter-Ann Arbor along Veterans Memorial Park, east of Maple, will likely be closed from April through November. That’s another good reason for the fall season to be canceled, Smith said, adding that a lot of coordination will be needed.

Julie Grand observed that rates for using the fields at Fuller and Olson parks increased after those fields were renovated. Would rates also be increased at the ballfields after renovations?

Aeschbach said that Rec & Ed charges fees to cover the cost of prepping the fields for play, and those costs won’t change. It’s up to the city, she said, to set the actual rental rates for the fields. Many user groups no longer play on city fields because of the damaged conditions, she said, so demand isn’t high. Perhaps after the fields are renovated, the city can check to see if those groups will return and pay a higher rate.

Smith noted that this project is in line with the philosophy of taking care of and restoring what the city already owns. The ballfields are eyesores, he said, and not good for playing. In addition, Veterans Memorial Park is located at one of the major entry points into town – the corner of Maple and Dexter-Ann Arbor roads. The area needs attention, he said, and the city is undertaking a major effort to do that, in part to respond to feedback from users.

Outcome: Commissioner voted unanimously to recommend approval of the $982,333 contract with RMD Holdings for ballfield renovations at Veterans Memorial Park, West Park and Southeast Area Park. The recommendation will be forwarded to city council for consideration.

West Park Update

Commissioners had received an update on problems at West Park nearly a year ago, when Craig Hupy – head of systems planning for the city – spoke at PAC’s February 2011 meeting. At that time, Hupy had described the situation with the stormwater infrastructure there as a “catastrophic failure.”

PAC got a more detailed briefing at its Jan. 24 meeting. Parks planner Amy Kuras introduced Nick Hutchinson, a civil engineer and one of the project managers in the city’s public services unit, who was on hand to give an update on the status of swirl concentrators at West Park. It was a shortened version of a similar presentation he’d given at a public forum on the topic earlier in January. Kuras reported that forum had been well-attended.

Nick Hutchinson, an engineer and project manager with the city of Ann Arbor, updated PAC on the status of infrastructure renovations at West Park.

Hutchinson began by giving a brief history of stormwater management in West Park. Originally, north and south branches of Allen Creek flowed over the surface through the land that’s now West Park. In the early 20th century, Washtenaw County built drains through the park to collect stormwater, and directed the flow of Allen Creek into underground pipes. There’s also a sanitary sewer main that runs underground through the park. Hutchinson showed a map that indicated the location of the floodway and floodplain running through the park, as well as the location of the sewer main and county drains.

Over the years, conditions worsened. Deteriorating recreational facilities and uncontrolled flooding in the park led to certain areas being underused.

In 2010, the city renovated West Park, including its bandshell, basketball courts and pathways. The project also included upgrades for stormwater management, Hutchinson said. [The total project, supported in part by federal stimulus funds, cost about $4 million.]

The stormwater portion of the project included installation of some water treatment units – swirl concentrators – on the west side of the park, in the north and south branches of the Allen Creek drain. The purpose was to divert some of the water from the stormwater system, treat it, and remove pollutants before reintroducing it into the system to flow eventually into the Huron River.

Another part of the stormwater management was to remove a nominal amount of water from the stormwater pipes by disconnecting the inlets from North Seventh Street and sending some of the water back to the surface, as it had flowed historically. Water was diverted to a series of bioswales that led to wetlands and ponds as it flowed east through the park.

When construction was being completed around November 2010, Hutchinson reported, a sinkhole appeared on the west side of the park near the drain’s north branch, where the swirl concentrators were located. “These are maybe some of the things that didn’t go quite right on the project,” he said, “that we are still trying to address now.”

The contractor investigated and discovered that the lid on a swirl concentrator had caved in. Cameras were sent down into the other units and it was discovered that all four units on the north branch were in some stage of failure.

This photo, part of the meeting packet for the Jan. 24 park advisory commission, shows the installation of a swirl concentrator at West Park in the summer of 2010.

Hutchinson explained how the swirl concentrators are supposed to work. Water is diverted from the main stormwater pipe through a device called a diversion manhole, containing a 3.5-foot “weir wall” that prevents the water from flowing directly into the main stormwater system. Instead, the diverted water flows into a large cylinder, where it swirls around in a vortex. The solids in the water are forced to the center of the unit, where the velocity of the swirling is slower and the solids settle down to the bottom. The water exits into a pipe on the other side of the unit and is reintroduced into the stormwater system.

During normal conditions or a light rain, most of the water is diverted. But in heavy rainfall, only a portion of the water is diverted – the rest flows over the weir wall and continues directly through the stormwater system, without passing through the swirl concentrators.

A total of eight swirl concentrators were installed – four on the north branch, and four on the south branch. Each unit cost about $66,000, including construction. They were initially installed in June of 2010.

In August of 2010, the four units in the south branch were taken offline because of concerns that the weir wall wasn’t operating correctly, Hutchinson said. The wall wasn’t allowing higher flows to pass through the system during heavy rains. Then in November of 2010, after the swirl concentrator collapsed on the north branch, all four of those units were also taken offline. The weir wall was removed from the diversion manhole, and a bulkhead was installed to block the pipe that led to the swirl concentrators. Since then, water has flowed directly through the stormwater pipes – none of it is diverted to the swirl concentrators. The stormwater system is functioning as it did prior to 2010, Hutchinson said.

In late 2010, the city hired Orchard Hiltz & McCliment (OHM) to look into the situation. OHM began by doing a forensic investigation of the swirl concentrator failures, and determined that the lids of those units were too thin, causing the collapse. ”It was essentially a manufacturing flaw,” Hutchinson said.

OHM also reviewed the prior design of the diversion manholes and weir walls, and conducted some site-specific stormwater modeling to get an understanding of how stormwater behaves in the system. They used that information to present some ideas for improving the system, Hutchinson said. [In November 2010, city council authorized an additional $119,000 for OHM to complete these tasks. That brought total payment to OHM for the West Park project to $324,000. An August 2011 city staff memo indicated that the city expects to recover any additional costs due to the failures, either from the manufacturer or the firm that made the initial design, Beckett & Raeder Inc.]

With a failure of this magnitude there are legal issues, Hutchinson said, including disputes regarding who’s at fault – the contractor (Site Development Inc.) or the manufacturer (AquaShield Inc. and L.F. Manufacturing). He said he couldn’t discuss those issues, except to say that the parties seem to be getting very close to reaching a resolution. The legal issues shouldn’t hold up completion of the project, he said.

Next steps include refining the design of the diversion manholes and weir walls. In addition, residents have raised concerns about manhole covers being popped off during heavy rains, because of pressure from excess water in the system. So OHM is looking at redesigning the system to provide some relief options so that pressure will be eased during storms.

Another public meeting will be held on Feb. 13 at Slauson Middle School. At that meeting, city staff will review OHM’s draft design, and discuss the technical issues that led to the design, Hutchinson said.

In May and June of 2012, the manufacturer will make repairs on the units. Following that, the city will hire a contractor to make the changes that OHM proposes to the diversion manholes and weir walls. City staff hope to have that work completed by July of 2012, Hutchinson said.

West Park Update: Commission Discussion

John Lawter asked whether there are concerns that the shutdown of the swirl concentrators is affecting water detention capability, making it difficult to control floodwater. No, Hutchinson said – the purpose of the swirl concentrators isn’t water detention, but rather to improve the water quality as it flows through.

Are there problems in terms of how much water the units can handle? Lawter asked. If too much water is sent through the units, Hutchinson replied, the water will simply bypass the units and flow over the weir wall, going directly into the stormwater system. Capacity is not a concern. The redesign of the weirs and diversion manholes will ensure that the right amount of water gets in, he said.

Lawter raised the issue of basements flooding in that area, and wondered whether that problem is related to the situation at West Park. An improperly designed weir structure could cause back-ups upstream, Hutchinson said. Any design that’s installed in the future will be studied to ensure that it doesn’t cause any upstream disturbances, he added.

Sam Offen noted that this concern was raised by residents at the January public meeting on West Park. Offen agreed that the issue either needed to be resolved through the new design, or that information should be provided to residents to explain the situation.

Offen also asked how construction would affect the active areas of the park. The work will happen on the park’s west side, Hutchinson said. Access to the ballfield, bandshell and paths will be undisturbed. Kuras added that there are three entrances to the park off of Seventh Street. The north and south entrances will be closed, but the middle entrance will remain open.

Mike Anglin asked whether there was any data related to water flow through the system that was collected prior to the installation of the swirl concentrators. OHM collected flow data in the spring and summer of 2011, Hutchinson said, by putting monitoring devices in the stormwater pipes.

Anglin asked whether the city was making an effort to talk with residents whose basements have flooded. Hutchinson replied that the current project doesn’t entail working with residents. The project is specific to West Park infrastructure.

Kuras added that at the recent public forum on the West Park situation, some people brought up the issue of basement flooding. City staff knows that they need to address the broader issues related to the entire Allen Creek area upstream from West Park, she said.

Hutchinson noted that some neighborhoods – like Maple Ridge – experienced flooding in 2011. At that time, the pipes had been returned to their pre-2010 condition, he said, so the flooding they experienced wasn’t related to changes at West Park, he said.

Report on Fuller & Olson Athletic Fields

Commissioners received an update on conditions of the city’s Fuller Park and Olson Park athletic fields, which were renovated in 2009-2010. The first post-renovation scheduling of play occurred in 2011, from March through November.

From left: Jeff Straw, Ann Arbor deputy parks and recreation manager; Matt Warba, supervisor of field operations; and Jessica Black, parks and recreation customer service manager.

Jessica Black, parks and recreation customer service manager, described how the six Fuller Park fields were used during the spring, summer and fall playing seasons. [.pdf of Fuller fields layouts in 2011] She noted that the two fields at Olson Park are always used as full fields, but that some Fuller Park fields are split into half fields. There are also seasons when the fields are taken out of play and allowed to “rest.”

Black provided a breakdown of the types of users, noting that “soccer is definitely our No. 1 use.” Teams playing soccer accounted for 65% of the use of fields, 15% were lacrosse teams, and the remaining 20% was split between flag football and ultimate frisbee.

A total of 15 teams used the fields throughout 2011, including eight teams that returned from previous years and seven new teams. There were youth and adult teams, and University of Michigan club sports.

City staff had determined that 35 games per field per season was the maximum number of games that should be allowed, in order to maintain the condition of the fields, Black reported. For the three seasons in 2011, Olson and Fuller fields were used at about 79% capacity, she said. At the six Fuller fields, 679 games were played out of a possible 875. At Olson’s two fields, 175 games were played out of 210 possible games.

Jeff Straw, the city’s deputy manager of parks and recreation, briefed commissioners on revenues from the fields. Rates were set at $60 per hour for most of the full fields at Fuller and for the two Olson fields. Half-field rates at Fuller were $40 per hour. For field #6 at Fuller, the rental fee was $32 an hour for a full field, and $20 an hour for a half field. [Previously, rates ranged from $16 an hour to a high of $31.50 an hour, depending on a variety of factors, including residency (Ann Arbor residents were charged lower rates) and time of day (rates for prime time, between 4-8 p.m., were higher). PAC recommended rate increases at its January 2010 meeting.]

Based on the maximum number of games allowed, the six Fuller fields could have brought in a maximum of $70,280. But because the fields were not used at full capacity, Fuller fields recorded $54,608 in revenues during 2011. Of that, $5,400 was later refunded due to weather cancellations, Straw said.

For Olson’s two fields, $21,000 in revenue was collected, but $1,500 was refunded because of cancellations. Those two fields had the potential to bring in $25,200 in revenues, if played to capacity.

Factoring in refunds, the eight fields at Fuller and Olson had a total of $68,708 in revenues during 2011.

Total estimated expenses were $82,688. Major line items were administration and scheduling costs ($25,000), mowing ($18,368) and fertilizing/aerification/overseeding ($18,800).

Commenting on the financials, Matt Warba – the city’s supervisor of field operations – said he didn’t think it was anyone’s intent to make the fields self-sufficient. But it’s getting close, he added, and that’s encouraging.

Warba also noted that April and May of 2011 were especially rainy months – the city had to cancel play on 25 days out of a 45-day period because of rain. Warba also noted that the irrigation system at Olson failed during the summer, resulting in turf loss. That system has been repaired.

Report on Fuller & Olson Athletic Fields: Commission Discussion

Karen Levin asked how 2012 expenses are expected to compare to 2011. Warba replied that costs generally are expected to remain static.

Sam Offen wondered how revenues compared to previous years. Colin Smith, manager of parks and recreation, said it would be difficult to compare since the rates were lower in the past, prior to the renovations. He hadn’t asked his staff to bring those figures.

Gwen Nystuen asked how long it would be before the city would need to invest in another major renovation of the fields. Warba replied that it would be possible to maintain the fields without major renovations. They’re taking a cautious approach, he said, by resting fields periodically so that they can be kept in good condition. The city staff has to balance demand for the fields against maintenance.

Julie Grand, chair of the Ann Arbor park advisory commission.

Nystuen noted that because the fields are fenced in, that keeps people off when it’s raining. That was the intent, Warba said. Olson fields aren’t fenced, however, and in some cases players have jumped the fences at Fuller, he said. One field had to be taken out of play for a month because of the damage caused when people played on a field that was supposed to be closed. Warba said the city will likely hire a temporary worker next season to patrol the fields – it would be cheaper than having to repair damage to a field if players jump the fence.

John Lawter asked whether the city is meeting the need for this kind of play, or could they do more? Smith noted that the fields are at 79% capacity, so there’s space available. However, there’s more demand than capacity for prime time slots – between 4-8 p.m. Black reported that the staff has set the maximum number of games at 35 per field per season. If the city were to add more games in order to accommodate more teams, that might not ultimately meet the teams’ needs, because the condition of the fields would deteriorate. “It’s a balancing act,” Black said.

Smith said the city wants to avoid having to make another major investment in renovating the fields. If demand is high, it’s possible to look at adding fields in other parks, he added, or possibly to acquire more land for that purpose.

Julie Grand asked if the city is doing outreach to groups that might have a lower impact on the fields – sports that don’t involve as much running and kicking as soccer, for example. Black said that at this point, there hasn’t been that kind of outreach.

Gwen Nystuen called the overall report encouraging.

Communications: Allen Creek Greenway, Leslie Science Center

Every meeting includes opportunities for public commentary and communications from commissioners and staff. No one spoke during either of the slots for public commentary at the Jan. 24 meeting.

Communications: Allen Creek Greenway

Gwen Nystuen brought up the issue of the Allen Creek Greenway. She noted that mayor John Hieftje had mentioned there might be action taken soon on the city-owned 415 W. Washington property, which has been identified as a potential part of a greenway. He’d made these comments at the Jan. 23 city council meeting. She wondered if there was any additional information about that.

[Hieftje had indicated that talks were continuing with the group that had been formed to look at the city-owned 415 W. Washington lot. The council passed a resolution giving direction for the effort at its Feb. 1, 2010 meeting, nearly two years ago. The resolution calls for the arts and greenway communities to lead fundraising and development of a vision for the parcel’s use. The site, across from the YMCA, is currently providing revenue to the city as a surface parking lot. It was previously the city’s maintenance yard. At the Jan. 23, 2012 council meeting, Hieftje said the group continues to meet – the biggest challenge remains the building. He said a report on the status of the project would be given at the end of February.]

Christopher Taylor, an ex-officio member of PAC who also serves on city council, said he didn’t have any further information at all. Nystuen then reminded commissioners that the greenway is one of PAC’s priorities. The City Apartments project at First and Washington, by the developer Village Green, is moving ahead, she said. That residential development will include parking spaces, she added, which will free up the need for spaces at the city-owned First and William surface lot that’s located in a floodway. That lot could become part of a greenway, she observed.

Park commissioner Gwen Nystuen and city councilmember Mike Anglin, an ex-officio member of the commission.

The time has come for PAC to actively pursue the greenway, Nystuen said, adding that the city council passed a resolution recently in support of a greenway.

Colin Smith, the city’s parks and recreation manager, noted that a council resolution was passed on Aug. 4, 2011 expressing general support for the idea of a greenway. There have been conversations, he said, about applying for a grant from the Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources Trust Fund, to turn the 415 W. Washington site into a park. The city staff is looking into that. The process would be similar to the way that the trust fund application for the skatepark had been handled, Smith explained. Staff would first come to PAC for a recommendation to apply. That recommendation would be forwarded to city council, which would need to approve the application.

Smith noted that one issue for the 415 W. Washington property is that it’s located in a historic district – the Old West Side. So in addition to PAC, the city would need a recommendation from the historic district commission too, he said.

Finally, Smith reminded commissioners that the parks, recreation and open space (PROS) plan, which PAC approved, recommends that the first action should be development of a master plan to guide the creation of a greenway. That point bears consideration, he said.

Nystuen responded by asking what PAC could do to move this process along. This year her term on the commission ends, she said, and the greenway has been a priority for her for both of her terms on PAC. That’s why she feels some urgency about this issue, she added.

What PAC decides as a body is up to commissioners, Smith replied. They can give direction to develop a greenway master plan, or tell staff to move ahead on the grant application before a master plan is developed. Nystuen asked how other commissioners felt – should they put forward a resolution?

Mike Anglin, a city councilmember who’s a non-voting ex-officio member of PAC, noted that the city’s environmental commission – on which he also serves has previously served – sometimes deals with issues related to parks. Perhaps a subcommittee of the two commissions could be formed to discuss the greenway, he said. There’s federal funding available for water management, he said, which might be one aspect of the greenway. Anglin also noted that the arts community has been interested in that site – they should be included in the dialogue, too.

There are several interested parties, Smith said – parks, the county drain commissioner, the University of Michigan, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, the railroad owners, the Arts Alliance and others. That’s why having a master plan would be useful.

Julie Grand asked about a timeline for the grant application. It’s due April 2, Smith said. That means it would be necessary to secure a PAC recommendation in February, and city council approval in March. It’s also unclear how the historic district commission would fit into this process.

No doubt there’s strong interest in the community, Smith said. But it’s uncertain how to manage the project at this point. He noted that a task force had been formed in 2007 to evaluate development of a greenway that might incorporate the 415 W. Washington site as well as city property at 721 N. Main and First & William. The group couldn’t come to a consensus for the best use of 415 W. Washington, he said, so no decision was made. It seems like a public dialogue is needed to figure out the best option, he said.

Nystuen said she wanted to point out that the near-downtown area on the city’s west side has a shortage of green space. New residential developments will be bringing hundreds of young people downtown, so there will be an increased interest in recreational areas, she said. It makes sense to move forward with a greenway adjacent to downtown. Nystuen said it sounded like the best approach would be to put together a resolution for PAC’s February meeting.

Smith said he’s still waiting on direction regarding whether to apply for the grant. If he gets that direction, then of course the staff would bring a resolution to PAC, he said. Separately, PAC can do what it wants regarding the greenway – that’s not for him to say, Smith told commissioners.

Communications: Leslie Science & Nature Center

At the beginning of the Jan. 24 meeting, commissioner Sam Offen introduced the new executive director for the Leslie Science & Nature Center, Susan Westhoff. [Offen is a board member of the center.]

Sam Offen, an Ann Arbor park advisory commissioner, and Susan Westhoff, executive director of the Leslie Science & Nature Center. Offen also serves on the center's board.

Offen said that Westhoff started about a month ago and is already doing an excellent job. He noted there had been a recent public meeting at the center to discuss a master plan for pedestrian access there. [The center was previously part of the city's parks system, but was spun off as a separate nonprofit in 2007. The city continues to own the center’s property and buildings.]

Westhoff spoke briefly to commissioners, noting that the center and the city had a long history. She said she’s been working in nonprofit administration for about 15 years. She grew up in Canton and graduated from the University of Michigan. Her first nonprofit experience was at the University Musical Society, and she said she’s glad to be back in Ann Arbor.

Westhoff said she’d be happy to share the plans for the pedestrian pathway improvements that are being developed. Among other things, it will make paths to the center’s raptor enclosures ADA compliant. She also noted that the center has many great public programs, and highlighted the Feb. 12 “Hoo’s Your Valentine?” event that features the center’s barn owl.

Julie Grand, PAC’s chair, thanked Westhoff for coming and said she looked forward to collaborating.

Present: Doug Chapman, Julie Grand, Karen Levin, Gwen Nystuen, John Lawter, Sam Offen, councilmember Mike Anglin (ex-officio), councilmember Christopher Taylor (ex-officio). Also Colin Smith, city parks manager.

Absent: David Barrett, Tim Berla, Tim Doyle.

Next meeting: PAC’s meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012 begins at 4 p.m. in the city hall second-floor council chambers, 301 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor. [confirm date]

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Ann Arbor city council chambers on Aug. 15, 2011. Despite appearances, the city of Ann Arbor does not currently have a balloon payment due that will put the city up against its debt ceiling. (Photo by the writer).

The city council originally gave its approval to the selection of Village Green as the purchaser of the city-owned First and Washington lot back in 2006. To make up for the fact that the First and Washington deal has not yet been finalized, on Monday the council approved a $3 million inter-fund loan from its pooled investment fund. The money is needed to pay construction bills for the city’s new municipal center.

A year earlier, in 2005, the city received a recommendation from a blue-ribbon task force to change the composition of the board of trustees for its retirement system – to a mix on the board that is less heavily weighted towards members who are beneficiaries of the system. And on Monday, the council approved the Nov. 8 ballot language that will ask voters to change the city charter, which specifies the composition of the board.

A year before that, in 2004, the city council gave direction to city staff to develop an ordinance that would regulate idling vehicles. On Monday, the city council formally received – but took no action on – a resolution from its environmental commission recommending a draft anti-idling ordinance.

Likely dating back even earlier was an agenda item that addresses a point of ongoing friction between the city and the University of Michigan: reimbursement for the costs associated with traffic control during home football games. On Monday, the council approved a resolution that sets Aug. 25 as a deadline for completing a contract that reimburses the city for those costs. Otherwise, the city administrator is directed not to provide the signs and signals operations during home games.

In other business, the council gave final approval to the reapportionment of the five city wards, which will take effect after the Nov. 8 election. The council also set the application fee for medical marijuana business licenses at $600. The city’s medical marijuana licensing legislation, approved in June, takes effect later this month. Mayor John Hieftje also announced nominations for four of the five slots on the newly-established medical marijuana licensing board.

The mayor also announced nominations to the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board. Joan Lowenstein and John Mouat were nominated for reappointment, while Gary Boren, recently elected as chair of the board for the coming year, was not.

At the meeting, the DDA was also highlighted during public commentary by the owner of Jerusalem Garden, a restaurant adjacent to the construction site of the Fifth Avenue underground parking structure, which the DDA is managing. The restaurant has seen revenues drop during construction. He reiterated some of the points he’s made previously when addressing the council and the DDA board, and this time called on the council to think about how to apply lessons learned from the current situation in the future.

Economic development was also part of the council meeting in the form of a resolution the council passed that urges the Washtenaw County board of commissioners to levy a tax to fund economic development. The tax is based on Act 88 of 1913 and does not require voter approval.

The proposed Fuller Road Station maintained a presence during council proceedings in the form of public commentary, as well as a reminder from the council to the mayor that he’d previously indicated a council work session would be scheduled on the project.

Inter-fund Loan for Municipal Building

The council was asked to approve the temporary loan of $3 million from its pooled investment fund (Fund 0099) to the building fund for its new municipal center (Fund 0008), which is nearing completion. The municipal center is located at Fifth and Huron.

Inter-fund Loan: Background

The loan is needed because the sale of the city-owned First and Washington property to Village Green for its City Apartments development has not yet been finalized.

As a historical point, the city council approved the selection of Village Green as the buyer of the First and Washington property at its Aug. 10, 2006 meeting. On that occasion, Stephen Rapundalo (Ward 2) cast the sole dissenting vote.

The new municipal center’s financing plan included $3 million in proceeds from that sale. The loan from the city’s pooled investment fund will allow the construction bills to be paid.

The city’s pooled investment fund includes all eligible cash across all city funds – interest earned on the pooled funds is apportioned back to each fund based on the relative amount of cash from that fund in the pool.

The building fund will incur a cost of 1.93% annual interest on the money lent from the investment pool. According to the staff memo accompanying the resolution, on a short-term basis the inter-fund lending approach is more desirable than borrowing money from a lending institution, because of lower transaction costs, lower interest rates and no prepayment penalties.

The short-term financing strategy of lending the building fund $3 million from the pooled investment fund will not have an impact on the city’s general fund, if the land sale is finalized. However, the short-term financing strategy does not eliminate the risk to the general fund, if the land sale does not go through.

The city bonded for about $47 million for the municipal building project. The yearly bond payments of $1.85 million can be broken down roughly as follows: $508,000 in TIF (tax increment finance) capture pledged by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority; $490,000 in revenue from antenna rights; $455,000 in elimination of leases for space at other locations; $175,000 in elimination of utilities for leased space; $225,000 pledged by the 15th District Court facility fund.

The council had been advised by interim city administrator and chief financial officer Tom Crawford at its Aug. 4, 2011 meeting to expect some kind of short-term financing proposal on the Aug. 15 agenda. And more than a year earlier, at a city council work session in April 2010, the council discussed the city’s contingency plan of taking out short-term financing in the event the land sale did not materialize.

With respect to the land sale, at its Aug. 4 meeting, the council extended a purchase option agreement with the developer Village Green for the First and Washington site, where the developer plans to build Ann Arbor City Apartments. It’s a 9-story, 99-foot-tall building with 156 dwelling units, which includes a 244-space parking deck on its first two stories.

The land deal was originally set at $3.3 million, but was reduced by the council at its June 6, 2011 meeting to $3.2 million. The reduction in price approved at the council’s June 6 meeting was based on a “bathtub design” for the foundation that is intended to prevent water from ever entering the parking structure, eliminating the need for pumping water out into the city’s stormwater system. However, the Aug. 4 purchase option extension came with a charge by the city to Village Green of $50,000.

The parking deck portion of Village Green’s City Apartments project is being developed in cooperation with the Ann Arbor DDA, which has pledged to make payments on around $9 million worth of bonds for the project, after the structure is completed and has been issued a permit for occupancy.

According to the staff memo accompanying the Aug. 4 resolution, Village Green still hopes to break ground on the project in the 2011 construction season.

As a historical point related to the planned use of the sale proceeds for the new municipal center construction, the council defeated a resolution on March 17, 2008 to extend the Village Green purchase option agreement for First and Washington. At the council’s following meeting, on April 7, 2008, the measure was brought back for reconsideration, and the council voted unanimously to extend the agreement. The key difference was the addition of a “resolved clause,” which stated: “Resolved, that the proceeds from this sale shall be designated to the general fund, Fund 010.”

Inter-fund Loan: Council Deliberations

Mike Anglin (Ward 5) confirmed with the city’s chief financial officer and interim city administrator Tom Crawford that the $3 million loan transfer was part of the municipal center construction cost. Anglin asked why the city would not simply look to the general fund itself to cover the cost. Crawford explained that approach would result in a lower investable fund balance in the general fund, which would be a detriment to the general fund.

The financing the city is proposing, Crawford said, is structured so as not to be a detriment to the general fund. It’s the building project fund that pays the interest, he said. Sabra Briere (Ward 1) characterized the financing essentially as establishing a line of credit. Crawford confirmed that the investment pool is reinvested and reevaluated on a daily basis.

Outcome: The city council voted unanimously to approve the inter-fund loan to the municipal center building fund from the city’s pooled investment fund.

Charter Amendment: Retirement Board Composition

The council considered a resolution to place before voters on Nov. 8 a charter amendment to alter the composition of the board of trustees for the city’s retirement system.

Retirement Board Composition: Background

The composition of the nine-member body as currently set forth in the charter is as follows: “(1) The City Administrator and the Controller to serve by virtue of their respective offices; (2) Three Trustees appointed by the Council and to serve at the pleasure of the Council; (3) Two Trustees elected by the general city members from their own number (general city members being members other than Policemen and Firemen members); and (4) Two Trustees elected by the Policemen and Firemen members from their own number.”

The proposed change would retain nine members but would distribute them differently: (1) the city controller; (2) five citizens; (3) one from the general city employees; and (4) one each from police and fire.

If the measure passes on Nov. 8, it will still need to be ratified by the city’s collective bargaining units in order to take effect.

In 2005, a “blue ribbon” commission – tasked to make recommendations about the city’s retirement board and the city’s pension plan – had called for a change in the board’s composition to be a majority of trustees who are not beneficiaries of the retirement plan and, in particular, to remove the city administrator’s position from the board.

In 2008, a member of the retirement system’s board of trustees, Robert N. Pollack, Jr., resigned from the board in part due to the city’s failure to enact recommendations of the blue ribbon panel. [.pdf of blue ribbon panel report] [.pdf of Pollack's resignation letter]

Under the terms of new city administrator Steve Powers’ contract, he will not be a beneficiary of the city’s retirement plan, but will instead have a 401(a) plan.

The city’s retirement program is supported in part by the levy of a retirement benefits millage [labeled CITY BENEFITS on tax bills], currently at a rate of 2.056 mills, which is the same rate as the city’s transit millage. A mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value.

Retirement Board Composition: Council Deliberations

Marcia Higgins (Ward 4) introduced the proposed ballot language asking voters to amend the city charter and described how the state attorney general’s office – after back and forth with the city – had provided approval of the ballot language at 4:55 p.m. that day.

Stephen Rapundalo (Ward 2) scrutinized the proposed ballot language, which resulted in single word deletion from the language [deleted word indicated with strikethrough]:

For the purpose of adding two additional citizen trustees, removal of the City Administrator as a member of the Board, and decreasing the number of elected general member trustees, shall Section 17.2 (a) of the Charter be amended to restructure the composition of the nine-member City Employees Retirement Board of Trustees to a membership of 5 appointed citizen trustees, one elected trustee each for general City general members, fire members, and police members, along with the continued membership of the City Controller?

Based on the interaction between Rapundalo and assistant city attorney Mary Fales, the inclusion of the first instance of “general” was erroneous. It was stricken as an administrative amendment on which the council did not vote.

Tony Derezinski (Ward 2) wanted to know what the nature of the issue was that had caused the delay in the attorney general review. Higgins explained that it had to do with the terminology of “chief financial officer” versus “controller.” Higgins thanked the city attorney’s office staff for its work, which Rapundalo echoed.

Rapundalo noted that the issue had been going on for a number of years. The change to the charter should go a long way to establishing a board that has a little bit more independent oversight, he said. And by virtue of that, it would provide more transparency and reduce the perception of conflict of interest for those sitting around the retirement board table, he said. Higgins added that the city’s unions will need to ratify the language as well, even if the charter amendment passes.

Outcome: The city council voted unanimously to approve the placement of the retirement board charter amendment on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Anti-Idling Law?

Although it originally appeared in the slot designated for board/commission-initiated business, an anti-idling item was moved on the agenda to the section for written communications from the city administrator. The council formally received the communication from its environmental commission: a resolution approved by the commission in February 2011 that refers a draft anti-idling ordinance to the city council. The ordinance would aim to reduce instances of unnecessary idling by internal combustion engines of all types when not “doing work.”

The resolution approved by the city’s environmental commission makes reference to the city council’s direction to city staff to develop the ordinance, but does not mention the date when the council passed a resolution giving that direction – July 6, 2004.

Examples of unnecessary idling cited in the draft resolution are “warming up a vehicle, dropping off or picking up children at school, loading or unloading cargo, pulling over to take a cell phone call, or waiting in line at a drive-thru window.” However, the draft ordinance explicitly exempts “vehicle queues for drive-through goods and services.” [.pdf of whitepaper including draft ordinance]

Councilmembers addressed the issue during one of the communications slots on the agenda. Margie Teall (Ward 4) thanked Sabra Briere (Ward 1) for tracking down the resolution passed by the council seven years ago that gave direction to city staff to develop an ordinance. It had gone to the city attorney’s office and other city staff, including the city’s environmental coordinator Matt Naud, and back to the environmental commission.

Teall, who serves on the environmental commission, observed that the item had accidentally landed initially on the wrong part of the agenda – but said that the communications items are often overlooked. Teall noted that it’s the city environmental commission’s resolution and the city council will be looking at it in the near future. Teall said she’d welcome comments and discussion and perhaps a city council working session on it.

Teall invited Naud to the podium. He described how 50-100 cities have such an ordinance. He traced Ann Arbor’s effort on the topic to a resident of The Armory – a residential development at Fifth and Ann streets – who was concerned about school buses idling in front of the Hands-On Museum. The museum is immediately adjacent to The Armory. Naud allowed that it had taken a long time (since 2004), but reported that the city had also accumulated a lot of good data. He suggested that this was now an occasion to open up a community discussion.

Outcome: The city council did not take any action on the item – it was ultimately listed on the agenda as simply a communication from the city administrator.

University of Michigan Football Traffic Controls

Before the council for its consideration was a resolution stating that no traffic controls for University of Michigan home football games will be provided starting this season, unless the university reimburses the city for costs associated with erecting barricades and changing traffic signals to facilitate efficient movement of traffic.

University of Michigan Football Traffic Controls: Background

The cost of providing these signs and signal services is around $100,000 per year. The university already reimburses the city for police and fire services associated with home football games.

From the resolution: “Resolved that the City Administrator shall not provide Signs and Signals services to UM for Special UM Events unless: UM and the City execute a contract prior to August 26, 2011, that provides for the full reimbursement to the City of all direct and allocable costs associated with the provision of Signs and Signals services to UM for Special UM Events.”

Michigan’s home opener this year, against Western Michigan, falls on Sept. 3.

Left to right: interim city administrator Tom Crawford, Marcia Higgins (Ward 4) and Christopher Taylor (Ward 3).

The issue is a persistent point of frustration on the city council, because traffic control for football games is a dollar cost to the city, but the city has limited leverage with the university to extract payment. That’s due in part to the fact that traffic control is seen not as merely a matter of convenience, but rather of public safety.

From a March 2010 city council budget work session report: “Christopher Taylor (Ward 3) asked how much of [football traffic control] was an issue of convenience versus public safety. Chief of police Barnett Jones stated that it was all safety-related. Without the combination of cars, barricades and signals, he said, ‘it would be a major malfunction.’”

From a January 2011 city council budget retreat report: “Some councilmembers seemed to suggest that concessions from the university could be won by withholding city consent when the university wanted something from the city. The university’s desire to include Monroe Street as part of the UM Law School campus was cited as a specific example. [City administrator Roger] Fraser, though, counseled that each situation should be evaluated unto itself. He pointed to the planned Fuller Road Station as an example of the importance of that principle.”

From a March 2011 city council budget work session report: “Responding to councilmember questions, [public services area administrator Sue] McCormick said the city did not send the university invoices for the regular home football games, because the university has made it clear that it will not pay. McCormick said when she’d notified UM of the city’s intention of invoicing for the Big Chill, the response she gotten was, ‘We really don’t know how we’ll fund that.’ There was little recourse for the city to take, she said, and in the end the city would have to write it off.”

University of Michigan Football Traffic Controls: Council Deliberations

Christopher Taylor (Ward 3) introduced the resolution, acknowledging that it had been added late to the agenda. By way of explanation for the lateness, he offered the fact that the city and the university had been involved in ongoing conversations that were progressing well, but he hoped the resolution would improve things. He noted that football Saturdays are “a very big deal” for the university and the city community.

Taylor went on to say that the city cooperates with the university to ensure the efficient and safe operation of large university events. It includes police and fire services as well as traffic management services. The costs for the police and fire services are reimbursed by the university, he explained. However, up to now, the traffic management services have not been reimbursed. The city is currently having a conversation about the university’s possible reimbursement of the traffic control costs, Taylor said.

In every good conversation, Taylor continued, it’s sometimes useful for there to be clarity about the position of the parties, and the resolution was intended to provide that clarity.

Tony Derezinski (Ward 2) expressed concern about the timing. He asked for clarification about the time pressure, given that the football season was fast approaching. Taylor said the conversations had been progressing well, but there was some lack of clarity about whether the city will continue to provide traffic control services in the absence of reimbursement.

Margie Teall (Ward 4) then stated that UM can contract with some other organization to provide the service. However, interim city administrator Tom Crawford made clear that’s not actually the case, saying that police and fire services are already reimbursed and that the signs and signals work involves the city’s staff, working with city assets – it can’t really be done by some other organization.

Crawford went on to say that other communities sometimes contacted the city to learn how the city manages to provide the level of services it does provide in connection with football crowds. [Michigan Stadium, located at Main and Stadium with a capacity of 109,901, is the largest in the country.]

Mayor John Hieftje said that the proliferation of games has made it a real burden on the city staff and he felt it was appropriate to have a contract.

Sandi Smith (Ward 1) brought up another point for clarification – was this a matter of looking forward, or also about asking the university to pay for past years of traffic controls? Crawford said he was in the middle of fruitful discussions that included last year as well as upcoming years. He called it an issue that still needs to be resolved.

Outcome: The city council voted unanimously to approve the resolution that directs the city administrator not to provide traffic controls for university football games, unless the university agrees to reimburse the city’s costs.

Ward Boundary Changes

The council considered final approval to minor changes in the apportionment of its five city wards, made in response to population changes revealed by the 2010 census. The changes will not take effect until after the Nov. 8 general election. According to the city charter, city wards must have the general shape of a pie-shaped wedge, with centers of the tips lying at the center of the city. The council had given the boundary changes initial approval at its Aug. 4 meeting.

The council had postponed the issue at its July 5 meeting, but not before unanimously agreeing to alter the timing of the boundary changes, which had originally been recommended by the city attorney’s office to come between the primary elections for city council, which were held Aug. 2, and the general election to be held Nov. 8.

While the minor changes to the boundaries themselves had not been met with strong objections, the timing had been controversial. So at their July 5 meeting, councilmembers agreed to move the effective date of the boundary changes to Dec. 1, 2011.

The staff-recommended tweaks, given initial approval at the Aug. 4 meeting, showed minor differences from the changes recommended on July 5. All changes involve the way the tips of the pie-shaped wedges come together.

In the July 5 version, Ward 5 was bounded by Huron Street to the north and Madison Street to the south as it came towards the city center. In the Aug. 4 version, the Ward 5 northern boundary was dropped to Liberty Street, and to compensate the Ward 5 pie tip extended farther to the east.

In the July 5 version, the boundary between Wards 3 and 4 was aligned to Packard Street. But in the Aug. 4 version, the existing protrusion of Ward 4 across Packard, between Arch and Wells streets, was preserved. And to compensate, Ward 4 was pushed back from South University, with the result that Monroe Street, east of State Street, is a part of Ward 3. [.pdf of staff-recommended tweaks from Aug. 4] [.pdf of staff-recommended tweaks from July 5.]

Ward Boundary Changes: Public Hearing

Because the ward boundary changes reflect a change to the city’s ordinances, a public hearing was required.

Only one person spoke. Thomas Partridge called on the council to take into account the socio-economic status of residents in the reapportionment of the wards. Is there anyone on the council who represents the middle class of Ann Arbor? he asked. Are there students or disabled people who come from lower income brackets? He called on the council to give additional consideration to how each ward is represented. He suggested having an at-large representative on the council.

Ward Boundary Changes: Council Deliberations

Mayor John Hieftje asked that someone explain what was going on and why the reapportionment was happening. Sabra Briere (Ward 1) explained that the 2010 census showed that Ward 1 gained population since the previous census in 2000, relative to the other four wards. The easiest way to restore the balance was to look at the densest part of the city near the downtown.

Each boundary is changing, but only slightly, Briere said, and in the end all five wards are all close to balance. Hieftje elicited from the city clerk, Jackie Beaudry, that residents in affected areas, whose wards are changing, would by law receive a new voting card. Briere reminded everyone that the new boundaries don’t become effective until after the Nov. 8 election – on Dec. 1.

Outcome: The city council voted unanimously to give final approval to the ward boundary changes.

Medical Marijuana License Application Fees

A resolution was on the agenda to establish an application fee of $600 for licenses to operate a medical marijuana dispensary in the city. The fee covers a total of approximately nine hours of work by staff in the city clerk’s office, police department, planning department, and the attorney’s office.

Sabra Briere (Ward 1) talks with Dennis Hayes before the city council's Aug. 15 meeting started.

The licenses were established by a city ordinance given its final approval at the council’s June 20, 2011 meeting. The ordinance distinguishes between an “application fee” and a “license fee.” The license fee, according to the city’s ordinance, is to be reviewed by a licensing board, with members to be appointed by the mayor.

The ordinance becomes effective Aug. 22, which is 60 days after its date of legal publication, on June 23. Applicants who were already in business before the city council enacted its Aug. 5, 2010 moratorium have 60 days after the effective date to apply for a license.

The city’s communications to this point with prospective applicants has not been perfectly smooth. A letter sent out by Wendy Rampson, head of planning for the city, was met with objections because of the city’s insistence that “proof” be provided that a business was in operation before Aug. 5, 2010 – beyond an affidavit attesting to that effect. The city’s ordinance appears to empower the licensing board, not staff in the city attorney’s office or the planning department, with evaluating the merits of license applications.

Medical Marijuana Application Fees: Public Commentary, Hearing

Dennis Hayes addressed the council at Monday’s meeting, having appeared around a dozen times over the course of the last year as the council debated the medical marijuana ordinances. Hayes told the council it was nice to be back again. He said he appreciated how the city council had responded quickly to questions about implementation of the law. He encouraged the council to approve the fee, noting that the city would incur substantial expenses any time there’s something new. He felt the Ann Arbor law would be a productive example for the rest of the state.

During the public hearing on the fee, Thomas Partridge spoke in favor of placing restrictions on access to medical marijuana.

Medical Marijuana Application Fees: Council Deliberations

During the scant council deliberations, Sabra Briere (Ward 1) stressed that the fee the council was approving was an application fee, not a licensing fee.

Outcome: The city council voted unanimously to approve the $600 application fee for medical marijuana licenses.

Medical Marijuana: Licensing Board Nominations

Nominations to the medical marijuana licensing board were also made later at the Aug. 15 meeting: Patricia O’Rorke, James Kenyon and John McKenna Rosevear. Sabra Briere (Ward 1) was nominated as the city council representative. The five-member licensing body is to consist of one member of the city council, one physician, and three other Ann Arbor residents.

Still needed is a physician to serve on the board. The nominations will be confirmed at the council’s next meeting.

Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority came up in two ways at the council’s Aug. 15 meeting. First, nominations for re-appointment to the DDA board were announced. And second, the owner of the Jerusalem Garden restaurant, Ali Ramlawi, again addressed the council about his frustration over the underground parking garage construction project, which the DDA is managing.

Ann Arbor DDA: Nominations

Appointments to the DDA board are made by the mayor, subject to confirmation by the city council. Mayor John Hieftje nominated John Mouat and Joan Lowenstein for reappointment, but Gary Boren, who was elected this July by his colleagues as chair of the DDA board for the coming year, was not reappointed. Nominated to replace Boren was Nader Nassif, a local attorney. Boren is also an attorney.

In an email sent late Monday to The Chronicle, after the nominations appeared late on the council’s agenda, Boren wrote that Hieftje had met with him a few weeks ago and at that meeting the mayor had told him he was not inclined to reappoint Boren. Boren acknowledged that he and the mayor had philosophical differences about the role of the DDA. About the decision not to be reappointed, Boren wrote that “I am disappointed, but not surprised – and not at all bitter.”

The four-year terms of all three DDA board members – Boren, Lowenstein and Mouat – had actually expired on July 31. The mayor’s appointment of Bob Guenzel to the DDA board last year also came late, after Jennifer S. Hall’s term had expired.

At the DDA’s annual meeting early this July, DDA board member Newcombe Clark provided a chance for the mayor to announce publicly any intention not to reappoint Boren, when Boren’s name was put forward as a candidate for chair of the board for the coming year. Clark asked if Boren’s term would be renewed. The mayor declined to respond to Clark’s question. From The Chronicle’s DDA meeting report of July 6, 2011:

Newcombe Clark asked if Boren’s term was being renewed – that is, would he be reappointed by the mayor to serve on the board? By way of background, outgoing chair Joan Lowenstein’s term on the board ends on July 31, 2011, as do the terms for Gary Boren and John Mouat. Boren has been a vocal proponent of the idea that the DDA is an independent corporate body and not an arm of the city of Ann Arbor.

Last year, Clark had pointedly abstained from voting in the officer elections over the lack of information about reappointments to the board. From Chronicle coverage of the July 7, 2010 DDA annual meeting:

Abstaining from each of the officer votes was board member Newcombe Clark.

Clark explained to The Chronicle after the meeting that there’d been no indication from the mayor whether the two board members whose appointments are expiring July 31 – Jennifer S. Hall and John Splitt – would be reappointed. Clark said he could thus not be certain of the full range of choices for board officers.

Splitt was reappointed; Hall was not. Bob Guenzel was appointed instead of Hall.

In response to Clark’s question this year, Lowenstein said they did not know that yet. Mayor John Hieftje, sitting at the board table, did not offer any statement about whether he planned to nominate Boren for the city council’s approval for reappointment.

At its first meeting in September, the DDA board will presumably elect a new chair. The board’s pattern historically has been to select its vice chair as the next chair. Elected vice chair in July was former Washtenaw County administrator Bob Guenzel, who joined the DDA board a year ago.

Outcome: The council will not vote on the confirmation of DDA appointments until its first meeting in September. Those appointments will presumably not include the kind of public hearings that Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3) suggested during his communications at the council’s Aug. 4, 2011 meeting. However, allocation of the 10 public commentary reserved time slots at the beginning of every council meeting gives preference to those speakers wishing to address agenda items – and the confirmations will be on the agenda.

Ann Arbor DDA: Construction Complaints

During public commentary, Ali Ramlawi reminded councilmembers that he had also addressed them last month. He’s the owner of the Jerusalem Garden restaurant, located next to the construction site of the underground parking structure being built along Fifth Avenue. He expressed frustration about reading the response by Susan Pollay, executive director of the DDA, to his previous criticisms – a response that was published in AnnArbor.com.

Ramlawi characterized Pollay as claiming that the DDA had provided trash pickup, snow removal and lighting. He said those are ordinary city functions, which the city has “delivered flawlessly” since 1987 when the restaurant opened. With respect to the snow removal, he said he had to call several times this past winter because of the build-up of snow obstructing pedestrian walkways. He felt like he was a “cop on the beat” on the corner, because he had to call and complain about trash, lighting and snow removal.

He alluded to the expense of the DDA’s wayfinding sign project, saying that for an organization that had spent $1 million on some signs, its efforts to place signage indicating that the restaurant was still open have been “poor.” Two years into the project, he said, the DDA had not delivered any kind of signage. The problem is not confined to Jerusalem Garden, he said – people come in wondering where the library and the post office are.

He asked the city council to review the situation and use this as a learning lesson. He also called for a complete review of the DDA board appointment process – noting that appointed officials were making important decisions. He concluded by saying that to give credit to the DDA for the success of downtown Ann Arbor is like giving Al Gore credit for inventing the Internet.

By way of additional background,  construction-orange-style signs about businesses have been in place in two locations in connection with the parking garage construction project since it began. At the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Washington Street, a sign placed on the left side of the street facing the one-way traffic heading south on Fifth Avenue indicates generically that businesses are open – no businesses are named. And at the next intersection of Fifth Avenue, at Liberty, a sign facing southbound Fifth Avenue traffic is placed with the names of businesses still open. No signs for eastbound or westbound Liberty Street traffic appears to have been placed.

That signage is actually required as part of a settlement agreement in connection with a lawsuit filed against the city of Ann Arbor about the project, to which Ramlawi was a party. From the settlement agreement:

Throughout the construction process, the City agrees to provide signage that directs customers to Herb David and Jerusalem Garden. Such signage will be similar to what the City has provided in the past as part of other City construction projects.

Act 88 Economic Development Tax

Before the council for its consideration was a resolution urging the Washtenaw County board of commissioners to use Act 88 of 1913 to levy a tax to support economic development in the county.

Act 88 Economic Development Tax: Background

For the last two years, the county board has levied the tax – at a rate of 0.043 mill. (One mill is $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value.) The council resolution was brought forward by Carsten Hohnke (Ward 5), Margie Teall (Ward 4), Sandi Smith (Ward 1) and Christopher Taylor (Ward 3).

Because Act 88 predates the state’s Headlee legislation, the board does not need to put the issue before voters in order to levy the tax. The county board could, by the Act 88 statute, levy such a tax up to 0.5 mills, or more than 10 times the amount it has chosen to levy the last two years.

Last year in November, the county board approved the Act 88 tax with just a six-vote majority on the 11-member board. Kristin Judge, Mark Ouimet and Wes Prater dissented. Jessica Ping abstained, and Rolland Sizemore Jr. was absent from that Nov. 3, 2010 meeting.

For 2011, the allocation of the roughly $611,266 raised by the countywide Act 88 tax broke down as follows: $200,000 to Ann Arbor SPARK; $50,000 to SPARK East; $100,000 to the Eastern Leaders Group; $144,696 to the county’s department of economic development and energy; $15,000 to fund a Michigan State University Extension agricultural innovation counselor for Washtenaw County; $27,075 to fund horticulture programming for the Washtenaw MSUE horticulture educator; $59,229 for 4-H activities, including allocation to the Washtenaw Farm Council for operating the Washtenaw County 4-H Youth Show & 4-H agricultural programming for the 4-H extension educator; and $15,000 to support the work of the Food System Economic Partnership (FSEP).

SPARK is also supported by Ann Arbor taxpayers through a contract with the city of Ann Arbor for business development services. At its June 20, 2011 meeting, the city council authorized the city’s annual $75,000 contract with SPARK. That translates to the rough equivalent of 0.017 Ann Arbor city mills. (Each mill levied within the city of Ann Arbor translates to roughly $4.5 million.) Together with the countywide Act 88 millage, direct Ann Arbor taxpayer support of economic development translates to the equivalent of at least .06 mills (0.043 + 0.017) or roughly $270,000.

Ann Arbor SPARK is also the contractor hired by the city’s local development finance authority (LDFA) to operate a business accelerator for the city’s SmartZone, one of 11 such districts established in the early 2000s by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC). The SmartZone is funded by a tax increment finance (TIF) mechanism, which in the current fiscal year captured around $1.4 million in taxes from a TIF district – the union of the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority districts, though revenue is generated only in Ann Arbor’s district. The specific taxes on which the increment since 2002 is captured are the school operating and state education taxes, which would otherwise be sent to the state and then redistributed back to local school districts.

Act 88 Economic Development Tax: Council Deliberations

Christopher Taylor (Ward 3) introduced the resolution. He noted that the question of whether to levy the tax will soon be before the county board of commissioners. [A public hearing on the millage is set for the board's Sept. 7 meeting.] Taylor portrayed the millage as costing the owner of a $250,000 house about $5.38 a year. He encouraged the council to support the resolution, in light of the utility of the money that the millage would generate countywide.

Carsten Hohnke (Ward 5) echoed Taylor’s sentiments. He also noted that the county had recently reorganized itself by merging three departments, including its economic development department. The merger will present a greater challenge to the county staff, Hohnke said, but it will be able to leverage the Act 88 millage that much more efficiently. He mentioned the idea of promoting heritage tourism.

Sabra Briere (Ward 1) asked what happens if the county board doesn’t approve the levy of the millage. What are the effects on economic development at the county level if it doesn’t pass? she asked.

Expressing some hesitancy, Hohnke said he didn’t know, but offered some thoughts. The millage brings in around $600,000 and is deployed in a number of ways in partnership with other organizations, including Ann Arbor SPARK. In some activities, Hohnke said, it’s the county that takes the lead, and he ventured that you’d see a scaling back of those activities if the millage were not levied.

Outcome: The city council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution urging the county board’s passage of the Act 88 millage.

West Park: Flooding, Tennis Courts

Councilmembers heard from a resident about flooding related to a stormwater project in West Park, and they used the occasion of a construction contract for tennis courts in the park to talk about some of those concerns.

West Park: Public Commentary on Flooding

During public commentary at the start of the meeting, Daniel Marano introduced himself as a resident who lives on the west side of town, on Maple Ridge. He reported a severe flooding problem on his street that he said seems to be tied to the engineering failure of the West Park drainage and stormwater system.

Maple Ridge, looking south.

By way of background, the city undertook major renovations to West Park using federal stimulus funds and revolving loans facilitated by the county’s water resources commissioner. [Chronicle coverage: "West Park Renovations Get Fast-Tracked"]

In February 2011, Craig Hupy – head of systems planning for the city of Ann Arbor – reported to the park advisory commission on the status of a failed swirl concentrator, which had collapsed, and seven other swirl concentrators that were in some state of failure.

Swirl concentrators are underground vessels that help remove particulates from stormwater before it flows into the stormwater system. Based on an August 2011 city staff memo, the situation is being analyzed as a problem with both the project design and the product’s manufacture. The city is expecting to recover costs from multiple parties. The memo acknowledges upstream flooding that was experienced during project construction, which took place during the summer of 2010:

During the construction of the project, flooding was experienced upstream of the work area during one of the several large storms experienced in the summer of 2010. In addition, in October of 2010, after the stormwater work had been completed, one of the swirl concentrators on the north branch collapsed, creating a sinkhole near the northwest corner of the park. … In response to the upstream flooding, the weir plates that served to divert flow into the swirl concentrator units were removed due to concerns over their effect on upstream flooding. … Currently, the weirs are still removed, leaving the below ground sewer system to function essentially as it did prior to the 2010 construction,

The street where Marano lives is upstream from West Park – Maple Ridge runs north-south, parallel to (and one block west of) Seventh Street, which is West Park’s western boundary.

Marano described a phenomenon where a collection of several feet of water appears out of nowhere, lasts for about an hour or so, followed by a “catastrophic emptying” of the entire street. It’s like two giant bathtub drains, he said, that drain the street in a matter of minutes. There’s a real possibility of danger to people, pets, and children, he said. He said he had about a foot of water in his car on Tuesday morning, which is when he realized the extent of the flooding. This type of flooding has never happened before in any neighbor’s memory, he said. The first time it happened was last year, on Aug. 10, 2010.

Marano said that when he’d reported it to the city, he was met with derision, and the claims were ignored. It’s a lot more than just standard runoff, he said. He concluded by saying it’s a safety risk.

West Park: Tennis Courts

Before the council for its approval was a $216,331 contract with ABC Paving Co. to renovate the tennis courts at West Park. It’s a contract that the city’s park advisory commission had discussed at its June 21, 2011 meeting and that had been approved by the city council at the council’s July 5, 2011 meeting. However, the resolution had contained a typographical error, and the contract had only been approved for $166,331. So it was back before the council for re-approval.

The council did not discuss the paving contract. However, Carsten Hohnke (Ward 5) and Mike Anglin (Ward 5) expressed their concern about the West Park stormwater renovations that had been raised during public commentary by Daniel Marano. [The tennis courts at West Park are situated off Huron Street, considerably above the plane of the park where the stormwater improvements were undertaken.]

Hohnke stressed that the contemporaneous flooding and construction work events were not conclusive with respect to establishing a cause-and-effect relationship. However, he allowed that the timing was suggestive of such a relationship, and he asked that the interim city administrator look into the issue. Anglin expressed his hope that a good resolution to the issue could be found and acknowledged the stress on the residents who live in the affected area.

The flooded neighborhood is in Ward 5, which Anglin and Hohnke represent.

Outcome: The council approved the contract with ABC Paving Co.

Fuller Road Station

Fuller Road Station was brought up during public commentary, as well as by councilmembers.

Fuller Road Station: Public Commentary

Nancy Shiffler spoke on behalf of the Huron Valley Group of the Sierra Club. She said that on reviewing a recent letter sent to the community by mayor John Hieftje, she was pleased that the letter attempted to address questions that have arisen about the project. She first reiterated her basic objection of using a portion of Fuller Park for the construction of a parking structure.

She noted that the letter indicates the University of Michigan will pay all upfront costs for the construction and that the city’s portion of the cost would be made up over time. [The memorandum of understanding between UM and the city on the planned Fuller Road Station specifies a 78%-22% split for the cost-sharing arrangement.]

The portion of the mayor’s letter to which Shiffler was referring reads:

Although the University of Michigan and the City of Ann Arbor will share usage of the parking structure/bus station portion, the University will pay almost all upfront costs to construct Phase 1 of the Fuller Road Station. Under the plan that is still being worked out, the City will own FRS and the City’s portion of the costs will be made up over time from funds generated by parking spaces.

Based on earlier estimates, she said, the city’s portion to be made up over time would be around $10 million. With 220 parking spaces available for the city’s use, and depending on the users to whom the spaces are allocated, Shiffler estimated that it would take 30 years to repay the $10 million – if the rate for use of those 220 spaces were charged at the maximum rate used by UM in its parking system.

Later in the letter, Shiffler noted, Hieftje states that revenues from user fees for the parking spaces would go to the park system. Will the revenue go to make up for the upfront construction costs, or rather to the park system? Shiffler pointed out this is not clear. She said it appeared the sources of funding are being cobbled together behind the scenes. She wondered what relevance the parking structure has to the rail station. She asked that the city council have all details and disclose them to the public and have public hearings before taking a vote on the project.

Fuller Road Station: Council Commentary

During council communications, after the public commentary, Sabra Briere (Ward 1) noted that the council had heard from a speaker about Fuller Road Station. She allowed that it was a moving target, but said she wanted to remind the mayor that everyone would benefit from a working session on the topic of Fuller Road Station. Hieftje said that as soon as there’s some new information, a working session could be put together.

Previously, at the council’s June 6, 2011 meeting, Fuller Road Station had received extensive public commentary, despite the lack of any item on the agenda related directly to the project.

Partly in response to that commentary and to remarks from Mike Anglin (Ward 5), at that meeting Briere had pushed for a city council working session on the project. From The Chronicle’s report of that meeting:

Sabra Briere (Ward 1) anticipated mayor John Hieftje’s reaction to Anglin’s comments [Hieftje has pushed hard for the project] by telling the mayor that she knew he had a lot of thoughts about Fuller Road Station. But she thought the council should have a working session, so that councilmembers can become more knowledgeable about the issue. Hieftje indicated that he would look into adding something to the calendar.

Then, at the council’s June 20, 2011 meeting, the council revised its calendar for the year to include a work session scheduled for July 11, apparently to accommodate the desire to discuss Fuller Road Station.

Mayor John Hieftje. That kind of hammer, or course, works on a totally different kind of nail.

However, at the council’s July 5 meeting, Hieftje responded to remarks from Mike Anglin (Ward 5) about the upcoming work session on Fuller Road Station by indicating there was no work session on the topic scheduled. He did not acknowledge his earlier explicit assurance that he would look into scheduling one.

At the Aug. 15 meeting, Anglin said he was glad Shiffler had brought up the issue of the parkland. He said he still had concerns about the status of the parkland and that he continued to receive emails about it. He said that in 2008, when voters approved a charter amendment requiring a voter referendum on the sale of any parkland, they thought they were protecting their parks. The legacy of the parks is an important part of the community, Anglin said. When a national environmental group [the Sierra Club] is speaking against it, he said, that should suggest something is amiss.

Anglin said the details are not yet clear enough to sign a contract. During tough times, he said, there are other needs that are more paramount. The project doesn’t seem to have much benefit for citizens, he said.

Sandi Smith (Ward 1) suggested that the city’s park advisory commission take a look at the practice soccer field adjacent to the proposed Fuller Road Station site and perhaps partner with the public art commission to develop something for that space that’s designed to inform people about the Huron River.

Smith said she’d love to see an exploration of some lower-maintenance use of the land that people can enjoy. She asked that the suggestion be conveyed to PAC by the council representatives to that body. Smith mentioned an upcoming RiverUp! event, which Hieftje said he appreciated. He noted that the Wolfpack group of the National Wildlife Federation, of which he is a member, had raised $30,000 for that project. [PAC had been briefed about the project at its July 2011 meeting. See Chronicle coverage: "RiverUp! Focuses on Revitalizing Huron River"]

Green Communities Grant

The council was asked to consider accepting a $50,000 Michigan Green Communities Planning grant from the Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE).

The money will be used in part to enhance a peer learning network of Michigan local government and university staff who are working on sustainability issues. The grant funding also supports holding an annual conference in 2011 and 2012 among Michigan Green Community members. A third activity the grant will support is development of challenge grant opportunities with local governments and Michigan foundations.

Outcome: The city council voted unanimously to approve the receipt of the grant.

Small Claims Policy

On the council agenda was a resolution to approve a policy describing which city staff may represent the city in small claims court and under what circumstances. Small claims issues are limited in dollar amount to $3,000. Under Act 236 of 1961, the city may not be represented in small claims court by an attorney.

So under the policy, city employees who are not attorneys may appear on the city’s behalf, subject to the constraints of the policy, which requires that employees who appear in small claims court have “… direct and personal knowledge of the dispute” and that the city administrator and the city attorney approve in writing the appearance by an employee in small claims court on behalf of the city, for each individual case.

Outcome: The city council voted unanimously to approve the small claims policy.

Water Supply Bonds

Before the council for its consideration was the issuance $7 million worth of revenue bonds for its water supply system. The money will be used by the city to finance improvements to the city’s water distribution system, including portions of the Arbor Oaks subdivision water mains replacement project, the Catherine Street 16-inch water main, the Dover Court/Collingwood water main replacement, physical security enhancements, and Barton Dam concrete repair projects.

Assistant city attorney Abigail Elias explained at the meeting that because the ordinance does not change the city code, it does not require a second reading and public hearing.

Outcome: The city council voted unanimously to approve the issuance of the water supply bonds.

Recision of CUB Requirement

The council was asked to vote on the recision of a resolution passed at its Nov. 16, 2009 meeting, which required execution of Construction Unity Board (CUB) agreements by contractors and subcontractors with the Washtenaw County Skilled Building Trades Council as a condition of award for all city construction contracts. The resolution also required inclusion of the requirement in all construction bids issued by the city.

The resolution was rescinded because Act 98 of 2011 – which became effective July 19, 2011 – prohibits municipalities from including as a requirement in a construction contract anything that would either require or prohibit contractors from entering into agreements with collective bargaining organizations. The act also prohibits discrimination against contractors based on willingness or non-willingness to enter into such agreements.

At the council’s Aug. 4 meeting, interim city administrator Tom Crawford had alerted councilmembers that they would likely be asked to consider the measure at the Aug. 15 meeting.

The item was included as part of the council’s consent agenda – a collection of items on which the council votes “all in one go,” but councilmembers have the option of separating out any items they’d like to discuss separately. That’s what Tony Derezinski (Ward 2) did with the CUB agreement item. He had sponsored the original resolution that was being rescinded.

He noted that the new law prohibits CUB agreements  so the city’s previous action would be illegal. That’s why it’s in the city’s best interest to rescind it, he said, because it brings the city in line with state law.

Outcome: The city council voted unanimously to rescind its previous resolution on CUB agreements.

Pedestrian Easement on Liberty

The council was asked to grant an easement to the owner of 115 W. Liberty St. – Dotcom 115 LLC, which lists its resident agent as local developer Peter Allen. Cost of the easement was set at $2,500.

Local developer Peter Allen and Ann Arbor public art commission chair Marsha Chamberlin, talking before the Aug. 15 council meeting started.

Allen is planning to sell the third floor condo unit in the building and needed the easement to ensure legal access to the entryway on the south side of the building.

Allen attended the meeting – he was also the recipient of a Golden Paintbrush Award presented by Ann Arbor’s public art commission.

Outcome: The city council voted unanimously to approve the easement.

Rezoning of Annexed Property

Before the council for its consideration was a request to rezone the property at 2562 Newport to R1A (single-family residential district.) At the public hearing, Thomas Partridge called on the council to amend the rezoning to require an equal amount or more of affordable housing access in the city. It’s something that Partridge typically calls on the city council to do, any time there is a public hearing on a rezoning of land.

Mayor John Hieftje expressed some irritation with Partridge by saying that Partridge was aware that the property is being annexed into the city and that the kind of resolution he was suggesting could not be done legally.

Outcome: The council voted unanimously without discussion to approve the annexation-related rezoning.

Communications and Comment

Every city council agenda contains multiple slots for city councilmembers and the city administrator to give updates or make announcements about issues that are coming before the city council. And every meeting typically includes public commentary on subjects not necessarily on the agenda.

Comm/Comm: Remembering Gary Lillie

Tony Derezinski (Ward 2) called the council’s attention to the recent death of Gary Lillie, a Vietnam War veteran and a local realtor who was killed by an alleged drunk driver. He called it one of those tragedies that reminds us of the tender nature of life. He said that Lillie deserved a moment of recognition at the city council meeting for the life he gave and the life he lived.

Comm/Comm: Golden Paintbrush Awards

At the start of the meeting, Marsha Chamberlin presented the Ann Arbor public art commission’s Golden Paintbrush awards. Chamberlin, who chairs the public art commission, is also president of the Ann Arbor Art Center.

In August in front of Blimpy Burger, which received a Golden Paintbrush award: 'sno bears now, but Snow Bears later.

The awards had been previously announced at the most recent meeting of AAPAC in July.

This year, winners are: (1) Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger, for the Snow Bears sculptures that Rich Magner builds each winter in front of the business at Packard and South Division; (2) Mary Thiefels and TreeTown Murals for the mural outside the Alley Bar along West Liberty; and (3) Peter Allen & Associates, for rock sculptures on North Main Street, a project initiated by Steve Zobeck.

Comm/Comm: Sidewalks

During public commentary time, Kathy Griswold told the council that based on a Craigslist ad, a school crosswalk guard costs $30/day plus benefits, or $5,400 annually. She said that the money would be better spent on other activities. Griswold has long advocated for moving the mid-block crosswalk in front of King Elementary School to the four-way-stop intersection, which would eliminate the need for a crossing guard at that location. The barrier to moving the crosswalk is the need to construct a section of sidewalk that would link the corner where children would cross to a path leading the rest of the way to the school.

On a positive note, Griswold said, she reported that although nothing had been promised, it was possible that the city might be able to provide an alternate location for the Kiwanis Club’s warehouse sale [now located at 415 W. Washington St. instead of the current location W. Ellsworth at Airport Blvd Building #837].

Comm/Comm: Recall Snyder

Thomas Partridge spoke during public commentary time, saying it’s necessary to pursue the recall effort of Gov. Rick Snyder and the leaders of the Republican legislature, who have “turned and glowered into the faces” of people who need vital services. He also called on President Barack Obama to do something or step aside. We need to protect Ann Arbor’s disabled residents and seniors, Partridge said. We need an agenda for progress, he said – housing, transportation, healthcare and education should all be affordable.

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

Next council meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011 at 7 p.m. in the second-floor council chambers at 301 E. Huron. [confirm date]

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Russ Schwartz in the role of Iago in the Penny Seats Theatre Company's current comedic production in West Park of "Goodnight, Desdemona (Good Morning, Juliet)." Not a line from the play: "Tis I who'll mop the water up, before it flows to Allen Creek." (Photos by the writer.)

The swirl concentrators, which help remove suspended solids from water entering the city’s stormwater system, were a part of major renovations to the park’s landscaping and draining systems. Federal stimulus funds helped pay for much of the work.

A recent city staff memo indicates that the city expects to recover any additional costs due to the failures – either from the manufacturer or the design firm. Replacement of the swirl concentrator units is not expected to be complete until early in the 2012 construction season, with the park restored to full public use at that time.

Meanwhile, the park enjoyed a grand re-opening earlier this summer, and is accessible for all functional purposes, including performances in the bandshell.

Two theater groups are sharing the stage this summer: Blackbird Theatre and the Penny Seats Theatre Company.

This weekend wraps up the Penny Seats production of “Goodnight, Desdemona (Good Morning, Juliet).” Performances still remain on Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 13-14). The Chronicle shares a few images from the comedy after the jump.

Left to right: Desdemona (Melynee Weber), Constance (Lauren London), and Juliet (Sarah Leahy).

Sword mail. Desdemona (Melynee Weber) delivers a message to Constance (Lauren London).

Romeo (Matt Cameron) and Juliet (Sarah Leahy) lavish affection on their pet turtle, Hector.

Romeo and Juliet are horrified that their struggle over Hector the turtle has torn him asunder. (That is a prop. No West Park fauna was harmed during production of the play.)

One of two metal tree sculptures near the band shell in West Park, funded by Ann Arbor's Percent for Art program. The tree sculpture stands about 10 feet tall, and is located on tiered seating that's built into the hill across from the band shell. (Photos by the writer.)

At issue was the fact that the 2011 annual public art plan, which includes the mural pilot program, was never officially approved by Ann Arbor city council. Though the plan was approved last year by AAPAC and forwarded to city staff, it was never placed on council’s agenda.

Some commissioners questioned whether approval of the plan is needed, noting that the West Park public art project – which was also in the 2011 plan – moved ahead and was actually completed last fall. Ultimately, it appears the mural program can move forward with plans to hold public meetings regarding proposed sites in Allmendinger Park and along Huron Parkway, but no contracts can be signed with artists until the council approves the newest annual plan – for fiscal year 2012, which begins July 1. AAPAC approved that plan at the April 27 meeting.

In other business, the West Park art project was brought up again as a separate item of discussion – commissioners learned that the project had incurred $5,438 more in expenses than had been budgeted, because of unanticipated administrative costs.

The commission also got updates on: (1) the Herbert Dreiseitl water sculpture, which is expected to be installed in front of the municipal center in August; and (2) public art being planned for the proposed Fuller Road Station.

Commissioners also discussed promoting the annual Golden Paintbrush awards – nominations are being sought to recognize local contributions to public art. Nomination forms can be downloaded from AAPAC’s website, and are due May 30.

In its final action of the meeting, AAPAC elected Marsha Chamberlin as chair, though she did not attend the meeting. She has served as acting chair for several months, and had agreed to step into the permanent role.

Mural Program: What’s the Plan?

During an update on the mural pilot program, which AAPAC approved at its Nov. 9, 2010 meeting, Jeff Meyers noted that the commission had held a special meeting and approved the budget and two sites recommended by the mural task force. [See previous Chronicle coverage: "Art Commission Votes Again on Mural Sites," "Public Art Group Picks Two Mural Sites" and "Public Art Mural Program in the Works"]

Meyers reported that he had made a presentation about the project at the April 26 meeting of the city’s park advisory commission, because the proposed sites – on a building in Allmendinger Park and on a retaining wall along Huron Parkway, near Huron Hills golf course – were either in or adjacent to city parks. Public meetings on May 18 and May 25 are planned to get community input, he said, and then the task force will move to the request for qualifications (RFQ) stage to start the artist selection process. [No additional details about the times or locations of those meetings are yet available. Update: A meeting for the mural proposed at Allmendinger Park’s shelter structure will be held on Wednesday, May 18 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Allmendinger Park shelter. A meeting for the northern retaining wall on the east side of Huron Parkway will be held Wednesday, May 25 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Huron Hills Golf Course, 3465 E. Huron River Drive.]

Meyers asked about who would take responsibility for the RFQ. When told the task force would need to handle it, Meyers said it seemed untenable that if you championed a project, you’d need to write the RFQ. Cathy Gendron offered the West Park RFQ as a template.

Cheryl Zuellig noted that when the city hires a public art administrator, the task force would coordinate with that person on the RFQ. [The city is in the process of hiring a public art administrator. That part-time job has been vacant since mid-2010.] The administrator would put together the RFQ with input and feedback from the task force. It would ultimately be approved by AAPAC before being issued.

At this point Venita Harrison – a management assistant who works for Sue McCormick, the city’s public services administrator, and who currently serves as support staff to AAPAC – mentioned that there might be a problem with the mural program. The city council had never officially approved the 2011 public art plan, she said – until that happened, her understanding was that the project couldn’t move forward.

She said the process of getting city council approval likely fell through the cracks during the transition last year, after former public art administrator Katherine Talcott stepped down from that role. More recently, a councilmember had read media reports about the mural program and raised questions about who had authorized it, Harrison said. They tried to find a record of when the city council had approved the 2011 annual plan – which included the mural program – but the plan didn’t turn up in records of council proceedings.

Harrison noted that McCormick had sent an email to her and to Marsha Chamberlin, acting AAPAC chair, earlier that day to explain the situation. [.pdf of McCormick's email]

Several commissioners then questioned whether city council approval of the plan was needed in order for a program like this to move forward. Cheryl Zuellig noted that the plan serves as a guideline, but doesn’t prevent them from taking on other projects. Meyers pointed to the West Park public art project, which was also in the 2011 plan and had already been completed.

Elaine Sims observed that the mural projects also fell below the $25,000 threshold required for approval by the council.

Harrison said the only thing that might change is the timeline for the mural program, which might have to be pushed back until after the council approves AAPAC’s 2012 annual plan in June or July.

Meyers replied that he didn’t feel they needed to delay, and that he’d move ahead with the public meetings for the mural sites unless he received a directive from the city not to do that. If it turns out that AAPAC can’t move ahead on projects until the council approves AAPAC’s next annual plan, they might as well not meet again until that happens, he said. Zuellig agreed.

Malverne Winborne, one of the newer commissioners, suggested that they develop a flow chart to outline these processes, including the annual plan and a separate annual report that’s also required under the Percent for Art ordinance. “I’m totally confused now,” he said.

Meyers noted that it seems like at every turn, there’s new information that prevents projects from moving forward. Noting that they volunteer their time as commissioners, he indicated that at some point, it wouldn’t be worth the time if they can’t get anything accomplished.

The relevant section of the city ordinance establishing the Percent for Art program, approved by the city council in 2007, states:

1:837 – Oversight body.
(1) The oversight body shall be the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission as established by section 1:238 of chapter 8.
(2) The oversight body shall:
(A) Promulgate guidelines, subject to the approval of city council, to implement the provisions of this chapter, including procedures for soliciting and selecting public art and for determining suitable locations for public art;
(B) By April 1 of each year, submit to city council a plan detailing potential projects and desirable goals to be pursued in the next fiscal year;

[.pdf file of Public Art ordinance]

Zuellig said it seemed like the role of the board chair to get further direction from McCormick on this issue. Meyers again wondered how the mural projects differed from the West Park project, which had been allowed to move forward.

AAPAC commissioner Margaret Parker: "It's public art – it's not fast art."

Margaret Parker, who had served as AAPAC chair until December 2010, noted that the public art in West Park had been a small part of a much larger effort – a major renovation of the park. In the case of the murals, it was a totally new program, she said, and the city council hadn’t been informed of it. She said she wanted to plead for patience, and an understanding that things don’t always happen as they’d like. “It’s public art – it’s not fast art,” she said.

Zuellig observed that the mural program has been discussed at public meetings for months. The Fuller Road Station project is in the same situation, she said. She offered to communicate with Chamberlin – the acting AAPAC chair who did not attend the meeting – and ask her to seek clarification from McCormick.

Gendron noted that if the mural task force has to wait until June or July to put out an RFQ, that will essentially postpone the whole project an entire year.

Meyers agreed, adding: “This is the hardest $20,000 we’ve ever spent.” [AAPAC has budgeted $10,000 for each mural site.]

The following day, Chamberlin sent an email to commissioners and The Chronicle, saying that she had spoken to McCormick and they had agreed on the following:

If the mural project was included in the 2011 plan, that plan was never presented to council and therefore not approved. That process should have occurred last June/July, BUT it is water over the dam.

We have a plan that you all approved last night, and it will go to council very soon. Council could approve or postpone the approval of the plan. Sue feels the latest it will be approved is June 6, but let’s let the process take its course.

In the meantime, all activity in support of the mural project can move forward – we just cannot get contracts until after the plan is approved.

2012 Annual Art Plan

In introducing the topic of the annual plan after discussion of the mural program, Cheryl Zuellig described it as the “now-more-important-than-ever 2012 public art plan.” [.pdf of draft FY2012 annual plan at start of AAPAC's April 27 meeting]

The plan was developed at an AAPAC retreat in March, facilitated by Connie Pulcipher of the city’s systems planning staff. What emerged from that discussion was a list of 11 projects, which were supported by those who attended the retreat, Zuellig said. Jeff Meyers clarified that they couldn’t have voted on the plan at that March retreat because it wasn’t a regular meeting of the commission.

The group then did a fair amount of wordsmithing on the items. They kept all but one from the original draft. In general terms, the projects in the plan are:

1. Exterior art at the justice center/city hall
2. Interior art at the justice center/city hall
3. Re-installation of the Kamrowski mural in the justice center/city hall
4. Public art project at the Fuller Road Station
5. Mural pilot program
6. River Art Trail, including the Gallup Canoe Livery and Argo Headrace
7. Mural on the Manchester Road elevated water tank
8. Public art at Stadium Bridges
9. Sun Dragon repairs/replacement at Fuller Pool
10. Public art at bus stops, in collaboration with AATA

Wiltrud Simbuerger, AAPAC's newest commissioner.

Commissioners voted unanimously to eliminate an 11th project from the list – to explore project opportunities at County Farm Park, focusing on an educational/interpretative project. Several commissioners said they couldn’t remember discussing this project at the retreat.

Commissioners also designated a “champion” for each project – someone who’ll guide it through the planning process.

Outcome: Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the 2012 annual public art plan. It will now be submitted to the city council for approval.

Budget Report: West Park

Unanticipated expenses for the West Park public art project led to a discussion on Wednesday about how the budgeting process works.

Two metal tree sculptures installed last fall in West Park – the first project completed under the city’s Percent for Art program – incurred $5,438 more in expenses than had been budgeted, according to a budget report discussed at AAPAC’s meeting. [.pdf file of Percent for Art budget as of April 1, 2011] AAPAC was asked to approve the transfer of funds from the parks millage Percent for Art budget line to the West Park project budget line.

The project had a budget of $10,000. A budget report provided at the Nov. 9, 2010 meeting – after the sculpture by artist Traven Pelletier had been installed – indicated that expenditures for the project were $14,890 at that time.

Connie Brown, chair of AAPAC’s projects committee, told commissioners on Wednesday that the extra charges had been a surprise. They were related to hours logged by Katherine Talcott, the city’s former public art administrator who now works as a project manager for the city. Brown said AAPAC had been under the impression that project management for the public art would be handled by Amy Kuras, a city parks planner who was project manager for the recent renovations at West Park.

Several commissioners expressed concern that they hadn’t been informed by city staff to expect these expenses. Cheryl Zuellig said there needs to be an understanding of what will be charged to the project when the budget is set. Otherwise, there’s no accountability and “that’s not a great situation.”

Jeff Meyers agreed, saying there need to be clear budget parameters for each project. For the mural program that he’s leading, Meyers said he was told by Sue McCormick to build in 50% of the budget for project management expenses. But it’s still not clear who’ll be doing the work, he said. For example, when they hire a new public art administrator, does that person’s salary cover project management – or is that an additional expense? [The Percent for Art budget includes a separate line item for administrative expenses.]

View of a metal tree sculpture in West Park.

Meyers said they need to clearly define the art administrator’s duties, to ensure that Percent for Art projects aren’t charged for tasks that should be done by the administrator – otherwise, he said, it seems like double-dipping.

Malverne Winborne suggested asking city staff to report to AAPAC if anything pushes expenses over the amount budgeted for a project. He asked how administrative costs have been handled in other projects, like the work by Herbert Dreiseitl. Zuellig told him it’s been handled differently for each project – that’s why there’s confusion.

Margaret Parker made a motion to transfer the funds from the parks millage Percent for Art budget to the West Park budget. Meyers asked whether the funds had to come from the parks budget. Strategically, he said, perhaps they should consider whether it’s possible to take the funds from a larger pot.

[The Percent for Art program captures 1% from the budget of all city capital projects, to be set aside for public art. As stipulated by the ordinance that governs the Percent for Art program, art projects must relate to the capital projects from which funding is drawn – for example, public art funded by parks must have a parks theme, or be located in a park.]

While the Percent for Art parks millage fund has a remaining balance of $17,479, some of the other funds have a considerably higher balance. The balance for the street millage Percent for Art fund is $409,844, for example.

Connie Brown noted that some of those balances don’t reflect funding that has already been earmarked for other projects. Meyers replied that it’s difficult to plan without knowing what those earmarks are.

Elaine Sims wondered what would happen if they simply didn’t approve the transfer. She said she wasn’t advocating for that, but was curious. Brown noted that the money had already been spent, so the funds needed to be transferred.

Outcome: AAPAC voted unanimously to transfer $5,438 from the parks millage Percent for Art budget to the West Park budget.

Project Updates – Dreiseitl, Fuller Road Station

Commissioners got updates on two major projects during the April 27 meeting: the water sculpture at the city’s new municipal center, and public art at the proposed Fuller Road Station.

Project Updates: Dreiseitl

AAPAC received a written report about the water sculpture they commissioned in 2009 by German artist Herbert Dreiseitl, to be installed in front of the new municipal center at Fifth and Huron.

Herbert Dreiseitl, right, with one of the polystyrene forms that will be used to make sand molds for the sculpture's bronze castings. The sculpture will be installed in front of Ann Arbor's municipal center later this year. To the left is Rick Russel of Future Fence, the company that's fabricating the sculpture. This photo was included in a written report on the project by Ken Clein of Quinn Evans Architects.

The report was submitted by Ken Clein of Quinn Evans Architects, the building’s project manager. [.pdf of full report]

In his report, Clein described how polystyrene forms to make sand molds for the sculpture’s bronze castings have been completed. They were made at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design Fabrication Lab, where Dreiseitl is working as a Loeb Fellow. Other work being done includes final engineering for the sculpture support structure, and preparing a construction bulletin for modifications to plaza lighting and electrical systems.

Clein’s report stated that the sculpture was on track to be in stalled in August. Last year the city council approved a budget of $737,820 for the piece.

Dreiseitl’s sculpture will be on the exterior of the municipal center – the term used to describe the city hall building and the adjacent justice center, which recently opened and houses the Ann Arbor police department and 15th District Court.

At AAPAC’s April 27 meeting, Margaret Parker reported that the city attorney’s office is reviewing language in a request for qualifications (RFQ) that the municipal center public art task force plans to issue for artwork in the lobby of the justice center.

Project Updates: Fuller Road Station

AAPAC commissioners Connie Brown and Cathy Gendron serve on a task force for public art at the proposed Fuller Road Station, a joint city of Ann Arbor/University of Michigan parking structure and bus depot that officials hope will eventually become a train station as well. Although the project has not yet received final approved by the city council, staff from the city and university are moving ahead with the design, including plans for public art. As a capital project, Fuller Road Station includes $250,000 set aside for public art.

Brown provided a written report from the last meeting of the task force. [.pdf of Fuller Road Station public art task force report] The report includes a proposed timeline, which Brown noted will likely be pushed back – they’re waiting for the city attorney’s office to vet the language of a request for qualifications (RFQ) that will be issued for the public art component.

The timeline in the report is as follows:

• May 16, 2011: Call for artists/RFQ issued.
• June 6, 2011: Artists’ RFQ responses due.
• June 30, 2011: RFQ response reviews completed/Notification out to small pool of 3-5 artists. Artists to be paid stipend for proposals.
• July 13, 2011: Informational meeting for small selected pool of 3-5 artists. Artists asked to submit proposals. Artist proposals to include: (1) visual description; (2) demonstration of knowledge of materials and technical competency; (3) cost estimate.
• Aug. 17, 2011: Proposals due/Interviews and artists’ concept presentations.
• Sept. 14, 2011: Artist selected by task force.
• Sept. 28, 2011: Selected artist and proposal presented to AAPAC for vote.
• Oct. 17 or Nov. 7, 2011: AAPAC-approved candidate forwarded to city council for approval.
• December 2011: Negotiate contract.

Gendron showed commissioners a series of slides indicating the potential location for public art at the parking structure. It’s proposed for the north side of the structure, facing Fuller Road, and could include artwork in a landscaped area in front of the building, on glass panels lining the lower level, or in a space above the entrance.

A slide shown at the April 27 meeting of the Ann Arbor public art commission indicates the potential location of public art at the proposed Fuller Road Station. (Links to larger image.)

In light of AAPAC’s earlier discussion regarding administrative costs, Jeff Meyers asked about the budget for this project. Brown said they were backing out administrative costs to arrive at an amount available for the artist – because of that, the actual amount for art would be lower than $250,000, she said. The task force had discussed whether to find additional funding for the artist, she said, possibly from other funding sources in the Percent for Art program.

Cheryl Zuellig clarified that there would potentially be three sites for public art. Brown said those sites would be available, but that the artist could potentially select just one or two of them.

Zuellig said AAPAC learned a lesson from the municipal center project, and that even if an artist proposes three pieces, the artist might not realistically be able to deliver that within the available budget. [Herbert Dreiseitl had originally proposed three thematically-related pieces for art at the municipal center – one exterior, and two interior – but went significantly over budget. Ultimately, AAPAC rejected his two interior pieces, which he had modified to cut costs.] Zuellig felt that they should limit the location to one site.

Meyers said he worried about limiting the artist too early in the process. Brown said there were still a lot of uncertainties regarding the project.

PR Committee: Golden Paintbrush, AAPAC Website

During her report from the public relations committee, Cathy Gendron touched on two major projects: the annual Golden Paintbrush awards, and an overhaul of AAPAC’s website.

Golden Paintbrush Awards

Gendron told commissioners that a press release would be going out the next day to seek nominations for the annual Golden Paintbrush awards, which recognize local contributions to public art. Nomination forms are available on AAPAC’s website, and the deadline for submission has been pushed back to May 30. [.pdf file of Golden Paintbrush nomination form] Gendron reported that they have three nominations so far.

Gendron reported that in preparing a flier to publicize the call for nominations, Janet Milhem – a PR committee member – proposed including a QR code to direct people to AAPAC’s website for more information. Before being distributed, the flier needs to be approved by city staff, Gendron said.

Margaret Parker expressed concern, noting that the nominations being put out were later than usual. She asked for an explanation of a QR code – a marking similar to a bar code, which can be read by smart phones – and said she thought AAPAC should see the fliers for approval too. Since AAPAC is responsible for everything that goes out under its name, she said, they should see it so that no one is surprised. Several commissioners disagreed, with some saying they didn’t want to micromanage the committee’s work. In arguing for the work to be delegated to the committee, Connie Brown noted that this wasn’t a policy decision, nor was money being spent out of Percent for Art funds.

AAPAC Website Redesign

Gendron also gave commissioners a preview of a redesign of AAPAC’s home page, which is part of the city of Ann Arbor’s website. The new page isn’t live yet, but is “very close to launch,” she said. It’s been a work in progress for more than a year.

AAPAC commissioner Cathy Gendron, who's been leading an effort to redesign the group's website. She previewed the redesign at AAPAC's April 27 meeting.

Gendron noted that they were somewhat constrained because they are limited to using the city’s template, and must keep all the information on one page. Within that page, visitors to the site will be able to use navigation bars to go directly to information lower on the page, she said.

The page will include information about the city’s Percent for Art program, AAPAC, current and completed projects, and a link to photos on Flickr. You’ll also be able to download .pdf files of the Percent for Art ordinance, nomination forms, artist submission forms, AAPAC’s annual plan, and other reports, she said. There will also be a link to AAPAC’s Facebook page.

Wiltrud Simbuerger asked whether they’d be able to update the content. They can change parts of it on a limited basis, Gendron said, by giving direction to city staff.

Gendron received a round of applause from commissioners for her work.

Projects Committee: Managing Projects

Malverne Winborne, who serves on the projects committee chaired by Connie Brown, presented the latest versions of forms they’ve developed for project tracking, artist selection and artist requests-for-qualifications (RFQ) protocol. He had previously introduced drafts of these forms at AAPAC’s March 1, 2011 meeting.

After reviewing the forms, commissioners expressed general enthusiasm for bringing consistency to the process of tracking AAPAC’s various projects, providing status updates and improving communication. He received a round of applause.

Board Chair Elected

In their last action of the evening, commissioners elected Marsha Chamberlin as chair. She has been acting chair for several months, but did not attend the April 27 meeting. Cheryl Zuellig, who chaired the meeting and nominated Chamberlin, said they had talked and Chamberlin agreed to take on the role. Chamberlin is president of the Ann Arbor Art Center.

The group also discussed who might serve as vice chair, but no one was willing to commit to the job at this point.

Former chair Margaret Parker, who still serves on the commission, stepped down from the job in December 2010. Parker had attempted to relinquish the job for more than a year, but no one wanted to fill that role. The vice chair position has been vacant since December 2009.

Outcome: Marsha Chamberlin was unanimously elected chair of AAPAC.

Commissioners present: Connie Brown, Cathy Gendron, Jeff Meyers, Margaret Parker, Wiltrud Simbuerger, Elaine Sims, Malverne Winborne, Cheryl Zuellig.

Absent: Marsha Chamberlin.

Next regular meeting: Wednesday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m., in the basement conference room at city hall, 301 E. Huron St. [confirm date]

Before the meeting, park advisory commissioner John Lawter receives the final draft of the PROS plan from park planner Amy Kuras. Looking on is commissioner Gwen Nystuen. (Photos by the writer.)

Before approving the plan, the commission heard public commentary on the issue, as well as an update from park planner Amy Kuras about how some concerns had been addressed in revisions to earlier drafts. Later in the evening, the city’s planning commission also signed off on the plan. The PROS plan is set to come before the city council on March 7.

Heard during public commentary was criticism of the PROS plan for language it contains describing public-private partnerships for park services. One example of a potential partnership arose later in the meeting, when parks and recreation deputy manager Jeff Straw outlined a request for proposals, currently in draft form, that would explore interest from vendors in providing food concessions at park facilities.

The commission also approved a recommendation to raise fees slightly at the city’s golf courses for some items. Consideration of the fee increase came prior to the year’s regular budget decisions, so that the city council can consider and give final approval to the fee increases before the city’s golf courses open for play in the spring.

Also at the meeting, parks and recreation manager Colin Smith reviewed the parks budget presentation that had been made at a Jan. 31, 2011 city council work session. Smith also gave commissioners an update on two items concerning Argo Dam. He described how intake lines for a well that’s used for measuring water levels in the pond – so that the dam gates can regulate that level – had become clogged, and had ultimately required hiring a diver to unclog one of them.

The second Argo-related item was an update on the planned bypass channel which was recommended by the city’s park advisory commission and approved by the city council last year. Insurance issues are still being worked out with the contractor, Smith said, and construction will not start as early has had been hoped. Construction is not expected to be complete before the end of the construction season – in November.

Commissioners also agreed that before the city council approves the operating agreement between the city and the University of Michigan for the planned Fuller Road Station, they would like an opportunity to review that agreement.

At the meeting, commissioners also heard about a setback in a construction project that’s already nearing completion – renovations to the drainage system in West Park. Eight swirl concentrators were installed as a part of the project – four near the north Seventh Street entrance and four near the south entrance on Seventh. Craig Hupy, head of systems planning for the city, reported that four out of the eight swirl concentrators were in some state of failure, and that one of the four had experienced a catastrophic failure. The other four are also suspected to have problems.

West Park Swirl Concentrators: Catastrophic Failure

During the 2010 construction season, the city undertook major renovations to the drain system in West Park. Craig Hupy, head of systems planning for the city, seemed glum as he gave an update to park commissioners about a setback in the work. Most of the work in the park is complete, he said. The work around the park amenities, like the play area and the bandshell, is complete. The plantings for the wetland basins are not yet done, because spring is a better time to set them out.

View looking northeast from Seventh Street at the edge of West Park: site of the failed swirl concentrator. The backhoe had departed by the time this photograph was taken.

He began the discouraging part of the report by describing how there is currently a big yellow backhoe at the northwest end of the park on Seventh Street. The presence of the backhoe, he said, was due to a “catastrophic failure” in the new stormwater infrastructure that had been installed. During the construction work in the park, Hupy said, changes were made to the drain system. Eight swirl concentrator units – which help remove solids in the stormwater stream – had been installed as part of the drain system improvements, he explained. Four units were installed near the north Seventh Street entrance of the park and four units were installed near the south entrance on Seventh.

He told commissioners that one of the units on the north end had failed catastrophically and that the three other units on the north end were in some state of failure. They also suspect that the four units on the south end may be suffering similar failures. It’s not clear what caused the failure, Hupy said – the city has used such units at various other locations around the city. There are lawyers and engineers involved, he said, so there’s not yet any public statement that’s available.

Hupy also described how during heavy rains last year, the side of Seventh Street opposite the park had experienced a backup of water. It’s not completely clear, he said, whether the water backup was due to the construction configuration, or if it was due to changes in the park drainage system. The intent of the project, Hupy said, was of course to improve the drainage, not make it worse.

The use of the park amenities like the bandshell or the play area, he said, should not be affected by the work that will be required to put the swirl concentrators back in working order. They’d need to be dug up and rehabbed or replaced. Hupy indicated that the city hoped to be able to use the same source of funds that had paid for the project – a combination of federal stimulus and revolving loan – to effect the repairs.

Commissioner Tim Berla asked what exactly “failure” meant. Hupy told him the unit simply collapsed – nobody was hurt, though. Sam Offen wanted to know how long the repair would take – weeks or months? Hupy estimated that it would take until the end of the construction season – November.

Commission chair Julie Grand wanted to know what the implications for flooding are, with the swirl concentrators out of commission. Hupy explained that the walls directing water into the concentrators have been removed. The stormwater flow into the grates in Seventh Street was converted to overland flow through the park as a part of the project, he continued, so that should give an improvement in the stormwater management.

PROS Plan

The Parks and Recreation Open Space (PROS) plan, which provides an inventory, needs assessment and action plan for the city’s parks system, is updated every five years. The updated document is required by the state in order for the city to be eligible to apply for certain grants. The process – led by park planner Amy Kuras – began in late 2009. The city’s park advisory commission was scheduled to vote on the plan at its Jan. 18, 2011 meeting, but that vote was postponed, because the time for public input had been set to last through Jan. 24.

PROS Plan: Public Comment

Dorothy Nordness led off public commentary by citing three areas of disappointment with the draft PROS plan. First, she cited a lack of commitment to a downtown greenway in the plan. It’s important to think well into the future, she said, not just about how to get through the next year or two. She said she grew up in Minneapolis, where planners had thought ahead and the city had developed a park system that led people to love it at first sight. She challenged Ann Arbor to do the same. Her second criticism was that Ann Arbor settles for parks without a special designation as “parkland” with accompanying protective language preventing sale or lease of the land. The general “public land” designation used by the city is not sufficient to prevent the altered use of parkland. She gave as an example the Fuller Road Station site, which she called “under siege.”

As her time elapsed, Nordness addressed the language in the plan dealing with public-private partnerships, saying that any such partnerships needed to have periodic evaluation. [.pdf of remarks by Nordness]

PROS Plan: Staff, Commissioner Comment – Public-Private

Park planner Amy Kuras summarized for commissioners a series of revisions she’d made to the plan since they’d seen it at their January meeting. Highlights included:

• Section I: open space inventory now includes non-city open space; language about the city’s transportation plans and its open space millage has been added.
• Section II: language has been added to include relationships between the parks system and independent nonprofits like Leslie Science and Nature Center.
• Section III: information about the FY 2011 budget has been moved to an appendix; information on budget trends has been added.
• Section IV: references to the “drain commissioner” have been updated to “water resources commissioner;” the font size for maps had been increased; the fact that Narrow Gauge is a nature area has been made clear; the relationship between Dicken Woods and the schools has been made clear.
• Section V: language has been added about how park acquisition standards are developed; the section on downtown parks has been expanded; information on the city’s parkland charter amendment has been added; a map showing just the greenbelt boundary area has been replaced with one showing the specific properties protected by investments from the greenbelt millage.
• Section VI: projects that are now known will be completed are described that way (like the Argo Dam bypass channel); a section on public-private partnerships has been added, which includes language about evaluating the risks of such partnerships.
• Section VIII: a section about the greenway has been added, but no map has been included, because it’s not yet a part of any of the city’s master plans.

When Kuras finished ticking through the revisions, commissioner Tim Doyle wanted to know what the next step is. Kuras explained that later that day the planning commission would vote on the plan. Then it would be forwarded to the city council for their consideration on March 7. In connection with grant applications, the state’s deadline for final approval of the PROS plan, Kuras said, is actually March 1. She’s received an extension from the state, and later that evening she’d be FedEx-ing the plan to the state office, with a note saying that it is stilling pending approval by the city council.

The city will still be inside a different deadline for expiration of the current plan, which is April 1, Kuras explained.

Commissioner Gwen Nystuen wanted to know if there were any grants the city wanted to apply for that could be affected by not having the PROS plan approved. Yes, said Kuras, giving the Gallup Park canoe livery and a skatepark proposal as examples.

Mike Anglin, one of two city council ex-officio members of PAC, expressed concern about the exploration of public-private partnerships mentioned in the plan. Any RFP that would include divestment by the city in its parks should include input from PAC, he said. Anglin alluded to the RFP for the privatization of Huron Hills golf operations as an example of inadequate input from the public and PAC.

Kuras clarified that the added language she’d mentioned about public-private partnerships simply reflected the feedback from the planning commission for the section of the PROS plan that summarizes their input as a focus group. That section reads:

4) Staff should explore all opportunities to generate revenue, including public/private partnerships. A balanced view must include all possible risks inherent with acceptance of private funding.

Colin Smith stressed that inclusion of the concept of public-private partnerships is not new to the revised version of the PROS plan that PAC was being asked to consider. It’s been included in previous versions, and it’s also been emphasized that the risks must be balanced with the benefits.

Mike Anglin, an Ann Arbor city councilmember representing Ward 5 who also serves as an ex-officio member of the park advisory commission.

Smith addressed Anglin’s specific complaint about the RFP for Huron Hills golf operations by pointing out that the proposal had been discussed by the city’s golf task force and also by PAC itself. It had been a very public process, Smith said, and feedback from the public had been incorporated into the RFP.

The idea, said Smith, is that the city needs to look at opportunities for public-private partnerships, which is not to say that the city must take every one of those opportunities.

Commission chair Julie Grand also took exception to Anglin’s description of the Huron Hills RFP process, saying that she’d been present on the golf task force representing PAC for the RFP discussions, and had represented PAC at the interview with Miles of Golf, a local business that had responded to the RFP. She concluded that the Huron Hills RFP illustrated well that the city had weighed the risks and the benefits – the city ultimately rejected the Miles of Golf proposal.

Smith then gave various examples of public-private partnerships in the park and recreation system. Bryant Community Center and Leslie Science and Nature Center are operated by independent nonprofits, he said. The city’s recent promotion with Stonyfield Farm yogurt is another example, he said, as well as Zingerman’s products sold at Gallup canoe livery.

Gwen Nystuen said she thought Anglin’s point was important. She’d heard comments that the inclusion of public-private partnerships in the PROS plan made it sound like there was pressure to make money from the parks. Proposals like parking cars at Allmendinger and Frisinger parks on football Saturdays and the Huron Hills RFP were different from smaller, less permanent issues like concessions in the parks. She was concerned that permanent changes be treated differently from more minor decisions. Nystuen felt that PAC should have been more involved in the Huron Hills RFP than they were.

Smith responded to Nystuen by saying that the reality of the city’s situation is that it’s in a hard spot. They need to ask the question about whether to have a public-private partnership – even though they might answer, “No.” They need to look under every rock, he concluded.

Commissioner Tim Berla gave the city’s farmers market as another example of a public-private partnership. He noted that there had been a lot of upheaval in the community about the Huron Hills proposal, but in the end, nothing happened. It’s always important to weigh whether a proposal is good for the community or rather is simply good for some business. That could be done, he felt, without trying to impose a lot of rules for how public-private partnerships had to operate. The important thing is to make sure everything in the decision-making process is transparent, he said. He said the Huron Hills proposal showed that they’re doing a good job of that.

The discussion on the PROS plan concluded with a clarification from Smith, in response to some questions from Nystuen, about some budget information included in the plan. Administrative costs are not included in the costs of operating individual facilities, he explained.

Outcome: The park advisory commission voted unanimously to recommend adoption of the PROS plan.

Golf Course Fees

Before the commission was a recommendation to raise certain fees at the city’s golf courses. Power golf cart rentals for 9 holes at Leslie Park and Huron Hills would increase from $7 to $8; for 18 holes, the rental fee would increase from $13 to $14. City staff estimate the increases would generate $25,000 in additional revenue per season.

Weekend fees for 9 and 18 holes at Leslie Park golf course would increase by $2 and $1, respectively, and the twilight fee would increase to $16, up from $15. These increases would generate an estimated additional $12,500 in revenue per season. In addition, the commission approved raising the senior citizen qualification age to 59 for the 2011 season. That’s part of a consultant’s proposal to incrementally increase the qualification age from 55 to 62 by adding one year to the minimum age annually.

By way of introducing the proposed fee increases, Colin Smith told commissioners that the idea was to make sure that fees are still in line with other courses in the area. The fee increase for 18 holes of golf on the weekend would put Leslie at $30, Smith said, which is what the Pierce Lake course charges. The proposed increases had received unanimous support from the city’s golf task force two months ago, but they had not come easily to that conclusion.

Smith explained that the fee increase was coming to PAC in advance of the regular budget, because they wanted to get the fee increase in front of city council for final approval before the courses open in the spring.

Commissioner David Barrett got clarification that the budget impact was expected to be an extra $25,000 annuallyl from cart rentals and an extra $12,500 annually from the increase in fees for play. Commissioner Karen Levin wanted to know how often the fees were set. Smith explained that they’re reviewed every year to make sure they are in line with the competition.

Commissioner Tim Doyle wanted to know if there was a difference in price between city residents and non-city residents. Smith told Doyle that there was no difference. A recommendation from Golf Convergence had been to eliminate the different fees. Especially for Leslie, Smith said, differentiating between residents and non-residents on price was perceived negatively. It didn’t seem to make sense to pay more because you drive farther to get there.

Doyle wondered if there might be an impact on season pass sales if the price per round went up. Smith allowed that the fee increases could be a very minor additional economic incentive to purchase a season pass, but he did not think it would amount to more than a couple of extra passes sold.

Commissioner Sam Offen asked if there was any kind of combined season pass for various area municipal golf courses. Smith said there was not a season pass available, but that there was discussion of trying to coordinate marketing efforts.

Smith also clarified that once fees are set, staff has the flexibility to be creative about creating “specials.” He gave as an example a special deal where golfers could play 18 holes of golf for $18 if they started before 8 a.m. The tee timesheet between 7-8 a.m. is now full, he reported.

Mike Anglin wanted to know what the expected number of rounds would be at Huron Hills for the upcoming season. Smith put the numbers in perspective: In 2007, Huron Hills had seen 13,000 rounds played. Last year that number had risen to 22,000 rounds. This coming year, he’s hoping for 25,000 rounds, he said.

Commission chair Julie Grand asked for some explanation for the use of full-time year-round staff for the golf courses. Smith explained that the analysis of the previous season and planning for the upcoming season is done during the time the courses are closed. Smith said it’s not just the golf task force that has been instrumental in improving the number of rounds played over the last three years at the city’s golf courses. He attributed a lot of the success to the efforts of the city’s full-time golf course staff.

Smith also pointed out that the golf courses are not unique in having year-round staff, despite being open only part of the year. Canoe liveries follow that staffing strategy as well, he said. It’s during the off-season that programs are upgraded, and trends are studied. During the season, there’s only time to implement what has been developed during the off-season.

Commissioner Gwen Nystuen was curious to know if the off-season planning by the golf staff included use of Huron Hills for winter activities like cross-country skiing. Smith said he’s asked staff to contact local businesses that sell cross-country skis and snowshoes to begin a conversation about some kind of partnership, but indicated that he was not optimistic that it would generate revenue.

Outcome: PAC voted unanimously to recommend raising some of the fees associated with the city’s golf courses.

Budget Review

On the commission’s agenda was an update from parks and recreation manager Colin Smith on the parks and recreation planned FY 2012 budget. He reported from the city council’s budget work session on Jan. 31, 2011, which focused on the community services area, of which parks and recreation is a part. [.pdf of parks and recreation budget impact sheet]

Budget Review: Public Comment – Golf Courses

A large part of the discussion at the city council’s budget work session focused on options for the Huron Hills golf course. [.pdf of staff memos on golf course options and a $287,000 general fund supplement to the parks] At the park advisory commission meeting on Tuesday, commissioners heard public comment from two speakers who addressed the topic of Huron Hills golf course.

Nancy Kaplan told the commissioners that she was pleased with the apparent consensus reached by the city council at their Jan. 31. 2011 budget work session that Huron Hills would continue to be used as a park and that it also seemed agreed that the best economic use of the land is its current use – as a golf course. She expressed some concern about the fact that the city employs full-time, year-round employees for Huron Hills when the golf course is only open for part of the year. She suggested exploring additional opportunities for recreation at Huron Hills during the winter – ice-skating, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. She stressed that she was pleased that Huron Hills remains parkland.

Ann Schriber told the commissioners that she was pleased that the Miles of Golf proposal had been turned down. She described how there are more than 100 people involved in the effort to make sure that Huron Hills is kept as parkland, yet “nobody has ever asked us” for their input on ways to ensure its future as parkland. She said the city had spent $50,000 on a consultant and that her group, Ann Arbor for Parkland Preservation, had spent $10,000. With $60,000, she said, surely they could come up with something.

Budget Review: Staff, Commissioner Discussion

Smith laid out for the commission the main points of the city council work session presentation:

• Ways that parks and recreation would be meeting its roughly 2.5% reduction target. [Energy savings in FY 2012 and increased revenues due to the construction of the Argo Dam bypass channel, in FY 2013]
• A question about whether to continue a $287,000 supplement to the parks and recreation budget, which began in FY 2008 amid controversy over the interpretation of an October 2006 city council resolution about the administration of the parks capital improvements and maintenance millage.
• Options for the future of Huron Hills golf course.

[For detailed coverage of the work session itself, see Chronicle coverage: "Ann Arbor 2012 Budget: Parks, Plans, People"]

With respect to the $287,000 parks supplement, Tim Berla recalled how the city’s chief financial officer had addressed PAC in 2007 in preparation for the FY 2008 budget planning and had explained how the parks budget does not increase at as high a rate as, for example the police department, which has a greater percentage of its costs due to personnel. He also recalled how part of the explanation for the apparent disparity in parks funding that year, compared to other parts of the budget, was related to the idea that a department can’t count savings for activities that had been discontinued.

In broad strokes, the controversy that resulted in the $287,000 parks supplement involved the language of the October 2006 resolution, which indicated that parks would be treated the same as other parts of the budget with respect to any increases or decreases.

Before the meeting started, Colin Smith, manager of parks and recreation for the city Ann Arbor, distributes written material to commissioners.

Smith told Berla that an accounting of how the parks budget had been treated the same as other parts of the budget since 2007 was now prepared in draft form. Berla had requested a report on that at PAC’s Nov. 16, 2010 meeting.

Commissioner David Barrett recalled that he’d been there during the 2007 “kerfuffle” and that the concern had been that the newly-passed millage was being swallowed up by reductions of general fund support to the parks. He gave credit to then-councilmember Bob Johnson for working it out. There’d been a feeling that the public voted and was then being hornswoggled, Barrett said.

Smith said that the city’s accounting at the time had been correct, but that perceptions had been otherwise and so the $287,000 had been supplemented to make the parks whole.

Summarizing the apparent council consensus that Huron Hills would remain a golf course for the next two years at least, Smith said that the cost to the city to use the property as a golf course was in line with, if not less than, any non-golf uses.

Argo Dam Update: Bypass, Funding, Water Levels

Parks and recreation manager Colin Smith gave commissioners updates on two different Argo Dam-related issues. The first was news that the hoped-for construction start for the Argo Dam bypass channel would not be realized. The city was meeting with the contractor and is still working out insurance issues, he said. It will take until the end of the 2011 construction season to complete the work, he said.

In response to a question from John Lawter, Smith said that the issue of the parks responsibility for funding dam maintenance would be addressed during the budget process. [At issue is whether the funding for dam maintenance at Argo is appropriately taken from the city's drinking water utility fund, even though Argo is considered a recreational dam. The city council debated the issue most recently at its Nov. 15, 2010 meeting, when the council approved the construction of the bypass channel at Argo, which will eliminate the need for canoeists to portage around the dam.]

Smith also reported that near Argo, intake lines for a well that’s used for measuring water levels in the pond – so that the dam gates can regulate that level – had recently become clogged, and had ultimately required hiring a diver to unclog one of them. When the water level in the well is low, the dam gates close in order to raise the level. When the water level in the well is high, the dam gates open to lower the level. If the intake pipes – which are between 1.5-2.0 inches in diameter – become clogged, the water level of the pond cannot be properly regulated.

The city’s first attempt to clear the lines was to use compressed air to blow out the lines. Ultimately a diver had to be hired to dive into the water, Smith said, to clear one of the lines. Work on the other line, which is a backup, will wait until warmer weather. All the dams have such regulators, he said, and they do become clogged from time to time. Clearing out the lines is a routine event, though he allowed that hiring a diver in the middle of winter made it “non-routine routine.”

Park Concessions RFP

Jeff Straw, deputy manager of parks and recreation, briefed commissioners on a draft of a request for proposals (RFP) he’s working on for concessions in the city’s park’s facilities. In light of the concerns about public-private partnerships that had been expressed earlier in the meeting, Smith playfully asked commissioners to “be kind” to Straw.

By way of backround, Straw told the commission that a few years ago the city had discontinued most of the concessions in the parks. They’d instead provided vending machines. That had allowed staff to focus on programs and services. Concessions weren’t completely eliminated, he explained, giving the golf courses, canoe liveries and Veteran’s Memorial Park ice rink (but not the pool) as examples.

The staff has heard feedback from park users that it would be nice to have concessions available. So the RFP would be to provide concessions. Straw said that except for the Veterans Memorial Park pool, the locations where the city is soliciting concessions proposals have dedicated space and facilities for concessions – it would be a win-win, he said. There would be no expense to the city. He hopes to be able to issue the RFP in the spring, and if there are responses that are agreeable, the city might be able to implement concessions operated by a private vendor starting with the new fiscal year, which is July 1, 2011, if not sooner.

Straw emphasized that the idea is not to commercialize the parks – it’s to provide a service that park users want. For a swimmer who wants to spend the afternoon at the pool, to get food they’d have to leave and come back. The RFP would include Buhr Park ice rink and pool, Veterans Memorial Park ice rink and pool, Fuller Park pool and athletic fields, and the Southeast Area Park.

They would entertain proposals involving “mobile carts,” too, he said. [In subsequent commissioner deliberations, they clarified that this did not mean that a vendor would be wandering up to park users soliciting purchases, but rather it means something akin to a food cart on the street – it'd be hauled to a location, and then at the end of the day would be put away.]

The city is not looking to discontinue the vending machines, because concessions might not be staffed for the entire time a facility is open, Straw explained. The RFP will include an expectation that some kind of sponsorship donation be made for exclusive use of the facilities and that donation would be put towards the city parks scholarship program.

Sam Offen said he thought issuing the RFP for concessions is a great idea. In response to a question from Offen, Smith said that he thought the city stopped selling concessions at its parks sometime around 2003 or 2004. He said when it was done by the city, it simply wasn’t done very well.

Offen wanted to know if someone responding to the RFP had to bid on all the locations – yes, said Straw. But if they don’t have success with that approach, they might have to try something else. Offen was also curious to know what the financial arrangement with a vendor would be like. Straw said that under the RFP, the vendors would make some kind of proposal – a percentage of gross, percentage of net, flat rental or sponsorship.

In response to another question from Offen, Straw said that the RFP does not provide any preference for Ann Arbor businesses right now.

Gwen Nystuen called offering concessions a good idea – it’s a nice thing that people enjoy, she said. She wouldn’t want to limit it just to vendors who would handle all locations. She said she liked the idea of a local business handling it.

Christopher Taylor, one of two city council ex-officio representatives to PAC, kidded Straw about what he meant by “no expense to the city.” Straw allowed that there would be some cost of utilities like gas, electricity and water. But there would be no inventory, supplies or staff costs, he said. Taylor confirmed further with Straw that utilities could not be charged to vendors because they’re not separately metered. There would be some amount of oversight and compliance, but basically whatever revenue the city realized would be “all margin.”

Tim Doyle wanted to know if the impact of clean-up costs had been factored into projections. He figured there would be some additional cost to cleaning up after park users who used the concessions. He said his first thought was to require that soda only be sold in cans with a deposit to ensure that someone had an incentive to go around and pick them up – but it had quickly occurred to him that there were many other kinds of trash that the strategy would not cover. He suggested that the RFP include a provision that any contract awarded to a vendor have a clause requiring a “re-look” after a certain period of time.

John Lawter suggested that recycling be thought about in connection with the clean-up issue. Doug Chapman drew out from Straw the fact that vendors would need to pass a health code inspection.

Doyle suggested that vendors would need to be sensitive to price – people might be turned off if costs were prohibitive. They’d hear complaints if a vendor were charging $7.50 for a hot dog, he said. Straw assured Doyle that the city wanted to make sure there are affordable options. Straw also said that they wanted to make sure there are healthy options, as well.

Julie Grand expressed some concern about the idea of mobile concessions, saying that it’s a challenge as a parent when options are presented in a manner where they are “in your face.” Straw clarified that once the concession is set up on a given day, it would not move around.

Straw concluded by saying he thought the RFP would be issued sometime in the month of March.

Fuller Road Station

During the slot for commissioner-proposed business, Gwen Nystuen expressed concern about how Fuller Road Station would be moving ahead. She reviewed many of the issues associated with the project, chief among them, the fact that the location – which is currently a 250-space surface parking lot – is city parkland. The city-university project would include around 1,000 total parking spaces as well as bus bays in its first phase and is later expected to include a train station.

Despite what the name plate says, this is park advisory commissioner Gwen Nystuen.

A point of  agreement among commissioners was the importance of the resolution that they’d passed at their June 15, 2010 meeting about the Fuller Road Station project. [Chronicle coverage: "Park Commission Asks for Transparency"]

Colin Smith told commissioners that currently the city attorney’s office is still working on the Fuller Road Station operating agreement between the city and the University of Michigan. He said he did not think, as Mike Anglin suggested, that it was on the agenda for the city council’s second meeting in March.

Commissioners made clear they want to make sure they have a chance to review the operating agreement before the city council votes on it. David Barrett drew an analogy to pouring cement on a deal – it shouldn’t begin to harden before PAC can have an impact on it.

Nancy Kaplan returned to the podium at the conclusion of the meeting during the second opportunity for public comment, and said she’d attended all the public meetings on the Fuller Road Station, and that the public who’d attended had almost universally objected to the station. She told commissioners that a group of UM graduate students is also opposed to building the station.

Present: David Barrett, Doug Chapman, Tim Berla, Tim Doyle, Julie Grand, Karen Levin, Sam Offen, Gwen Nystuen, John Lawter, councilmember Mike Anglin (ex-officio) , councilmember Christopher Taylor (ex-officio). Also Colin Smith, city parks manager.

Next meeting: PAC’s meeting on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 begins at 4 p.m. in the Washtenaw County administration building boardroom, 220 N. Main St. [confirm date]

Margaret Parker, the long-time chair of the Ann Arbor public art commission, stepped down from her leadership role at Tuesday's meeting. The commission haven't yet elected a new chair. (Photos by the writer.)

After some discussion, commissioners decided to postpone the election of officers – no one is eager to take on that responsibility. Instead, they plan to rotate the chairmanship on a monthly basis, until they can come up with a way to resolve the situation.

Tuesday’s meeting also included some debate over how to handle debate and discussion during AAPAC meetings, with Parker’s call for more formality meeting resistance from other commissioners. Parker observed that the city councilmembers don’t debate at their public meetings – they make statements. She felt that AAPAC should use that as a model, to make its meetings more orderly and efficient. A compromise was eventually reached, eliminating some of the stricter rules that Parker proposed.

Commissioners also got updates on several projects, including Fuller Road Station. Though city council hasn’t given final approval to Fuller Road Station – a joint city/University of Michigan parking structure and transit center – work is moving ahead, including the formation of a task force for public art.

For the municipal center – also known as the police/courts building, at Huron and Fifth – AAPAC approved the installation of nine-panel, 27-foot-wide mosaic murals by artist Gerome Kamrowski in the building’s atrium area. The murals were previously located on the outside of city hall, at its main entrance. There was no update available on the municipal center’s largest public art project – the outdoor water sculpture by Herbert Dreiseitl.

Looking ahead, Parker announced that starting next year, AAPAC’s monthly meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of the month, not the second. The request is to accommodate the schedule of AAPAC’s newest commissioner, Malverne Winborne, who did not attend Tuesday’s meeting.

Leadership Change: A Work in Progress

At the beginning of the meeting, AAPAC chair Margaret Parker announced that this would be her last time to serve in that position. By way of background, Parker has been pushing for someone else to take on the chairmanship for over a year. No other commissioner has volunteered to do the job.

Parker told commissioners that they’d hold elections at the end of the meeting. Several commissioners expressed surprise – Connie Brown asked whether this meant that they’d elect someone, even if that person didn’t want the job. Parker assured her that Elaine Sims – who hadn’t yet arrived – had put together a slate.

At the end of the meeting, when the topic came up again, Sims said she didn’t realize that Parker expected her to make nominations. Sims suggested that Cheryl Zuellig – who chairs AAPAC’s planning committee – would be a good candidate, but Zuellig demurred, saying she hadn’t been aware that they’d be voting that night.

Marsha Chamberlin noted that the commission was in a quandary. They hadn’t been informed in a timely way about the vote, she said, and Sims clearly didn’t have a slate to nominate as chair and vice chair. [Jan Onder previously served as vice chair, but when her term ended at the end of 2009 she left the commission and no one was elected vice chair in her place.]

Chamberlin said they needed more time to discuss it. “I’ve been discussing it all year,” Parker replied.

Zuellig reminded commissioners that she had circulated an email earlier this year to gauge interest in serving as an officer. Some people didn’t respond, and those who did respond had indicated that they weren’t in a position to take on that responsibility, she said. Since then, there hasn’t been any formal discussion about how to resolve the problem, she added.

Zuellig had asked Sue McCormick, the city’s public services administrator, whether the mayor had the authority to simply appoint a chair, but McCormick wasn’t sure and needed to check. As an interim measure, Zuellig suggested that the commissioners rotate the duties of chair on a monthly basis, so that someone would be designated to run the meetings.

Parker urged her colleagues to elect both a chair and vice chair. Though the duties of the chair aren’t as burdensome as they used to be, she said, the work shouldn’t fall on one person’s shoulders. Zuellig reminded commissioners that they had reviewed a proposal earlier this year that would have designated three officers: a vice chair, chair and past chair. This three-tier organizational structure had been presented at the July meeting, but the commission never acted on it.

Sims moved to rotate the position of chair monthly, in alphabetical order by commissioner’s last name. Chamberlin noted that while it was possible to do that, she asked: “How are we going to resolve this? Just think about it for another month and come back? I don’t know what the solution is.”

Though they did not discuss it, AAPAC’s bylaws lay out the process for electing officers:

Article VI Officers

Section 1. The officers of AAPAC shall be a Chair and Vice-Chair. The officers shall be elected by secret ballot each year from among the voting members of AAPAC. The officers shall be elected for a one-year term by a majority of the voting members currently serving on AAPAC. No member shall serve more than three (3) consecutive one-year terms in one office. The term of the officers shall run from the date of AAPAC’s regular meeting in January to the date of AAPAC’s regular meeting in January of the following year.

Section 2. The Chair shall preside at all meetings and shall decide points of order and procedure subject to the provisions of these bylaws and with the guidance of Robert’s Rules of Order, as revised. The Chair shall have the privilege of discussing and voting on all matters before AAPAC. The Vice-Chair shall assume the duties of the Chair in the Chair’s absence.

Section 3. When an office becomes vacant before the expiration of the current term, the vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as full-term offices and the new officer shall serve the remainder of the term. Should an officer resign or be removed from AAPAC, or otherwise become unable to fulfill his/her official duties before the expiration of his/her term, a replacement officer shall be elected at the next regularly scheduled meeting and shall serve for the remainder of the term. The replacement officer shall be elected in the same manner as for full-term officers. The Vice-Chair may be elected as replacement Chair, in which case a replacement Vice-Chair shall be elected at the same time.

Section 4. No individual may hold more than one (1) office at a time.

There was some discussion about the role of the chair in light of the public art administrator that will be hired – the search process for that part-time job is underway. Parker again emphasized that the duties of the chair were manageable, and could be flexible.

Zuellig noted that it didn’t appear there would be a resolution to the question that evening, and said she supported rotating the chair each month until they can find a solution.

Chamberlin then volunteered to chair the January meeting. Commissioners agreed to review the previously proposed three-tier organizational structure and discuss it in January.

AAPAC Discussion Rules

The meeting started with Parker reminding commissioners that at an organizational meeting this summer, they had discussed ways of running the meetings more efficiently by taking a more formal approach, using Robert’s Rules of Order. Specifically, she proposed adopting Rule 8 of the Ann Arbor city council rules regarding conduct of discussion and debate:

1. No member shall speak until recognized for that purpose by the Chair.
2. The member shall confine comments to the question at hand and avoid personality.
3. A member shall not speak more than two times on a given question, five minutes the first time three minutes the second time, except with the concurring vote of 3/4 of the members present.
4. A motion to call the previous question (call for cloture) immediately ends all discussion and shall be out of order until all members have had an opportunity to speak twice to the question on the floor, and shall require a concurring vote of 3/4 of the members present.
5. A motion to lay on the table shall be out of order until all members have had an opportunity to speak once to the question on the floor.

Marsha Chamberlin said she felt these rules were more formal than they needed to be. Cathy Gendron agreed that the rules seemed too formal and restrictive. Several commissioners cited concerns with the limit of two speaking turns, and of imposing time limits.

Parker noted that AAPAC meetings often turned into debates, and can become raucous. She said she noticed that at city council meetings, councilmembers simply made their statements – it wasn’t a debate. She expressed preference for this approach, saying that discussions can happen at the committee level.

Commissioners ultimately reached consensus to adopt the first three rules, modifying the third rule to eliminate a time limit for speaking turns, and giving some flexbility to the number of speaking turns.

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously adopted a modified version of the city council’s rules of conduct for discussion and debate.

Project Updates: Fuller Road Station, Municipal Center

Commissioners received updates on two major projects during the Dec. 14 meeting: Fuller Road Station, and the nearly completed municipal center, also known as the police/courts building.

Project Updates: Fuller Road Station

Fuller Road Station is a proposed parking structure, transit center and possible train station located on Fuller Road, near the University of Michigan medical complex. It’s a joint project between UM and the city, to be located on city-owned property. The project includes $250,000 earmarked for public art through the Percent for Art program.

For several months, the projects committee has reported that their attempts to contact city staff for Fuller Road Station have been unsuccessful – phone calls and emails hadn’t been returned. On Tuesday, Connie Brown said that she and Cathy Gendron had finally met with the Fuller Road Station project manager, Dave Dykman, as well as with his UM counterpart, Doug Koepsell. Katherine Talcott, who’s coordinating the public art piece for this project, participated via conference call.

AAPAC commissioner Marsha Chamberlin looks over a design for the public art installation at Fuller Road Station.

Designs are in the construction phase, Brown reported – she passed out copies of schematics for the sections of the building that would incorporate public art. The architects have already identified locations for the artwork, she said, and have also determined what kind of art they’d like. Originally, they had indicated the art would be large fritted glass panels with images imprinted on them of bikes, buses and trains. Now, the plan is to have the images inserted between two panels of laminated glass, Brown said.

The task force to select artists for the project hasn’t yet been finalized, she said. When asked by Margaret Parker about a timeline for the whole project, Brown said they’d likely select an artist or artists in the spring, with designs ready by the summer.

Gendron noted, however, that the city council hasn’t given final approval to Fuller Road Station. [A city council work session originally set for Dec. 13 was cancelled.] She said that was one reason why they weren’t moving ahead more quickly with the public art component.

Project Updates: Municipal Center

Parker said she didn’t have any update on the progress of the Herbert Dreiseitl water sculpture, located outside of the municipal center on Huron Street. But she did give a report on additional artwork that a task force is recommending for that new building.

The task force, which Parker chairs, got a walk-through of the municipal center in November. She reported that task force members later voted unanimously to recommend installing the nine-panel, 27-foot-wide mosaic murals by artist Gerome Kamrowski in the atrium area of the building, on the west wall. [Task force members attending the Nov. 8 meeting were Parker, Ray Detter, Laura Rubin, Elaine Sims, Margie Teall and Spring Tremaine.]

The mural is a perfect fit for that location, Parker said, and would be more visible from that site, compared to its previous location on an exterior outside of city hall. AAPAC needed to vote that evening in order for construction workers to have time to reinforce the walls to hold the mosaic’s weight, she said.

Outcome: AAPAC voted unanimously to approve installation of the Kamrowski murals in the municipal center’s atrium. The as-yet-undetermined cost of installation and of reinforcing the wall will come out of the building fund, according to Parker.

Parker also reported that the task force had discussed potential artwork for the court lobby of the municipal center. In the lobby’s southwest corner – near the intersection of Huron and Fifth – there’s a ceiling area about 8 feet by 20 feet that’s wired for electricity and that can bear a lot of weight, she said. The task force felt that some kind of artwork suspended from the ceiling there would be appropriate.

The task force recommended that the city put out a request for qualifications (RFQ) for Michigan artists. They further recommended that up to six finalists be selected from respondents – those finalists would then be asked to submit a proposal. A stipend of $500 to $1,000 each would be provided to cover the cost of the proposal.

Parker said the task force had several questions about how to proceed:

• Would the task force also serve as the jury for this piece, or should a separate jury be formed?
• What fund will pay for the administrative and project management fees, and for installation and lighting costs?
• What should the budget be?

In total, AAPAC had budgeted $250,000 for public art at the municipal center, above the amount budgeted separately for the outdoor sculpture by Dreiseitl, which cost nearly $750,000. The funding is allocated from the city’s Percent for Art program.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the commission reached consensus that the task force should follow up on answering these questions and make a recommendation to AAPAC on how to proceed.

Public Relations: West Park

AAPAC’s first project funded through the Percent for Art program – an outdoor installation of stylized metal trees at West Park – has been completed. [See Nov. 12 Chronicle coverage: "Mural Project OK'd, West Park Art Installed"]

During her report on the public relations committee, Cathy Gendron said that the city had issued a press release about the project, but she described the PR effort as “not the smoothest I could imagine.” The story got out before the formal press release, she said, in part because the press release needed multiple reviews by city staff, and needed to be sent to city council before being issued. Also, the artist, Traven Pelletier, issued his own press release about the project before the city’s release was sent out. He had received permission from the city to do this, she said.

Elaine Sims suggested including an item in future contracts with artists about how publicity would be handled.

Jim Curtis said it was nice that the community is interested in the work. His sense is that the overall perception of the sculpture is favorable.

Annual Report FY2010

During her report from the chair, Margaret Parker noted that AAPAC’s 2010 annual report has been posted on the commission’s website. It will be presented to the city council at their Dec. 20 meeting.

Commissioners present: Connie Brown, Marsha Chamberlin, Jim Curtis, Cathy Gendron, Margaret Parker, Elaine Sims, Cheryl Zuellig. Others: Venita Harrison, city management assistant.

Absent: Jeff Meyers, Malverne Winborne.

Next regular meeting: Tuesday, Jan. 4 at 4:30 p.m., 7th floor conference room of the City Center Building, 220 E. Huron St. [confirm date]

One of two metal tree sculptures at West Park, bookending the top tier of new wall seats for the park's bandshell. The work by artist Traven Pelletier is the first completed project funded by the city's Percent for Art program. (Photos by the writer.)

Commissioners also discussed how to publicize AAPAC’s first completed project funded by the Percent for Art program: two metal tree sculptures by artist Traven Pelletier, installed at the renovated West Park. A formal recognition of the project is expected to occur in connection with the park’s official re-opening, sometime in the spring of 2011.

There was also discussion about how to pay for repairs of the Sun Dragon, a sculpture at Fuller Pool by AAPAC chair Margaret Parker that was damaged several months ago by maintenance workers. At the suggestion of Sue McCormick, the city’s public services administrator, AAPAC could consider the project as an “asset renewal” – meaning they could treat it as a new project, which would make it eligible for funding under the city’s Percent for Art program. [The Percent for Art program captures 1% from the budget of all city capital projects, to be set aside for public art.] One commissioner jokingly referred to the asset renewal approach as “creative financing.”

AAPAC chair Margaret Parker reported that the final $553,320 funding request for the Herbert Dreiseitl water sculpture outside of the new municipal center would be voted on by Ann Arbor city council at their Nov. 15 meeting. A task force is working on recommendations for additional artwork inside the new building, with a $250,000 budget. The commission discussed how that might include a venue for displaying temporary installations, like the oversized puppets created for FestiFools, an annual street festival held in April.

The commission discussed how to handle donations of art to the city, in response to a recent gift to the mayor and city council from the Ann Arbor Summer Festival of a large photograph of the event by local photographer Myra Klarman. AAPAC also got updates on the hiring process for a new public art administrator, as well as proposed changes to its website.

This was the first meeting attended by AAPAC’s newest commissioner, Malverne Winborne, who was confirmed by city council in October. Winborne is director of Eastern Michigan University’s Charter Schools Office.

Mural Pilot Program

At Tuesday’s meeting, Jeff Meyers presented a final draft of a mural program that he had first outlined at AAPAC’s Sept. 14 meeting. Elements of the program include:

• A goal of creating two murals per year on city-owned sites, with the sites to be selected by a task force.
• A budget of between $2,500 to $10,000 per mural.
• An additional 50% contingency will be budgeted to cover the administrative costs for each project, including compensation for a project manager.
• The expected lifespan for the murals, under normal wear and tear, is set at five years.
• Artists or groups of artists who apply for a mural project must be residents of Michigan.
• Selection criteria includes artistic merit, community impact and feasibility. Selection is subject to AAPAC approval. [.pdf of site selection criteria and .pdf of evaluation criteria]

AAPAC commissioner Jeff Meyers describes details of a pilot mural project during the commission's Nov. 9 meeting.

Funding sources for each mural would either be linked directly to its physical location, or be linked thematically with the funding source. For example, a mural located in a park could be funded from the parks millage Percent for Art funds. If a mural is funded through the street millage, it would need to have a transportation theme.

During discussion of the proposal, commissioners suggested several relatively minor revisions, including a suggestion from Cheryl Zuellig to call it explicitly a pilot program.

Meyers asked for feedback on setting a recommended lifespan for the murals. Similar programs in other cities set the lifespan at between five to seven years, he said. The point is to indicate a period after which AAPAC would no longer be responsible for maintenance or restoration. It’s not that the mural would be removed, he stressed, but rather that the city’s obligation to it would have a limited duration. He said he didn’t want them to get locked into the idea that the murals would be permanent.

There was a fair amount of discussion about what would happen at the five- or seven-year mark. Meyers stressed that it wasn’t an action point. Zuellig likened it to a statue of limitations. If there’s not a specific period indicated, then the city could be responsible for maintaining the work indefinitely.

Commissioners reached consensus on five years. Jim Curtis wanted to insert language indicating what would happen if the mural were vandalized during that five-year period. Meyers said it would be handled like any other public art project, with maintenance provided by either the city unit where the mural is located, or from the funding source to which it’s linked.

Elaine Sims and Margaret Parker expressed concern that the timeline proposed for the initial murals was too ambitious. Meyers’ plan calls for a site selection task force to be formed by mid-December of this year – the group would include an AAPAC commissioner, a city staff representative, a community artist, and a community representative. Meyers suggested himself as chair and Mariah Cherem as the community representative, with other members to be determined.

When sites are identified, the task force would expand to include representatives from the neighborhoods where those sites are located. The goal is to have sites identified by January 2011, requests for qualifications issued in February and due in early March, artist selections made by the end of March, AAPAC approval in April, designs completed by mid-May and installation by mid-July.

Zuellig agreed that it was an ambitious timeline, but said that was the point of having target goals, which could be pushed back if necessary. Meyers replied: “I’m determined to make it happen by then.”

Commissioners also discussed the issue of graffiti on murals, which some felt would be a problem. Curtis said he would have bet that the mural of war veterans, located in an alley off of Liberty Street, would have been the target of graffiti, but that it remained untouched. Meyers observed that taggers don’t typically hit other artwork. When Parker pointed to the mural in the alley next to Michigan Theater, which is nearly completely covered by graffiti, Cathy Gendron said there were other factors at play there, describing it as a “war.”

At the end of the discussion, Parker said she wanted to add a requirement that guidelines for preparing murals be included in the program description. Meyers objected, saying that would be the responsibility of each muralist. Parker said the quality of the walls on which a mural would be painted was an element of the artwork. She made a motion to add that guideline requirement to the program, but it died for lack of a second.

Outcome: AAPAC unanimously approved a pilot mural program. Meyers will serve as chair of the task force for this effort.

Project Updates: Dreiseitl, Municipal Center, West Park, Sun Dragon

Commissioners discussed progress on several projects during Tuesday’s meeting, including the municipal center outdoor water sculpture by Herbert Dreiseitl, new sculptures at West Park and the Sun Dragon at Fuller Park. There was no update on efforts to form a task force for public art at Fuller Road Station – there’s been no response from city staff on queries from commissioners about that project.

Project Updates: Council to Vote on Dreiseitl Budget

Margaret Parker, AAPAC’s chair, reported that the council would be voting to allocate funds to complete the Herbert Dreiseitl sculpture at their Nov. 15 meeting. She said she plans to attend the meeting, in case any questions arise.

The council is being asked to approve $553,320 for Quinn Evans Architects, the Ann Arbor firm that’s overseeing this project. The funds, from the Percent for Art program, will be used to hire Future Fence/Future Fab Co., a Warren-based business, to handle the sculpture’s fabrication. The $553,320 will also cover the cost of installation. The city council previously approved $111,400 to Quinn Evans for this project, as well as $77,000 in design fees for Dreiseitl.

The original budget for the Dreiseitl work was $750,000 and was to include three pieces of art – a large outdoor water sculpture, and two interior wall installations. However, Dreiseitl turned in a proposal that exceeded that budget, and AAPAC commissioners had design concerns with his two interior pieces. The two interior installations were ultimately rejected. The water sculpture will be located in a plaza in front of the new police/courts building – also known as the municipal center – at the northeast corner Huron and Fifth. The sculpture is expected to be completed by the summer of 2011.

Project Updates: More Art for Municipal Center

An additional $250,000 is budgeted for up to two other pieces of artwork inside the municipal center. At Tuesday’s AAPAC meeting, Elaine Sims gave a report from the task force that will make a recommendation for those pieces, as well as for possible placement of a large multi-panel mosaic by Gerome Kamrowski, which previously was located near at the entrance to city hall and is now in storage.

Sims reported that the task force reached consensus on priorities for the municipal center: 1) placing the Kamrowski mosaic in the municipal center’s atrium, 2) placing a mobile or some other artwork in the main lobby, that could be viewed through the windows by passers-by on Huron Street, and 3) placing artwork outside, in the courtyard off of Ann Street. Sims said it would be great if the artwork in the main lobby could have a social justice theme, to reflect the building’s purpose.

Parker, who also serves on the task force, said that they’d been told by Ken Clein of Quinn Evans that if they intended to hang the Kamrowski piece, they’d need to let Clein know as soon as possible – the wall would need extra support to hang it there, given the mosaic’s weight.

Cheryl Zuellig asked whether the public would be able to access those areas. The atrium is open 24/7, Sims said, and will be the building’s main traffic area. It would also be visible from outside the building, as would the lobby installation. Jim Curtis expressed concern about vandalism on the Kamrowski piece, given that it would be located in an area open to the public. He wondered if security cameras would be installed. Sims pointed out that it had previously been located outside the entrance to city hall, and had not been vandalized there.

Project Updates: FestiFools Proposal

Jeff Meyers asked if anyone had responded to a letter that AAPAC had received from Mark Tucker, founder and creative director of FestiFools, an annual parade down Main Street featuring oversized puppets. FestiFools had previously been rejected for funding from the Percent for Art program. From The Chronicle’s coverage of AAPAC’s Jan. 12, 2010 meeting:

The commission discussed several topics that related to constraints on how Percent for Art funds can be spent.

The city attorney’s office had clarified, Margaret Parker said, that AAPAC could not use funding for temporary art projects, such as FestiFools, an annual parade of towering puppets that takes place every April on Main Street. FestiFools’ organizers had originally asked AAPAC for a five-year commitment of $25,000 each year. At AAPAC’s Oct. 13, 2009 meeting, commissioners rejected that proposal but voted to approve one-time funding of $5,000.

Parker asked that Jean Borger draft a letter to notify FestiFools of the decision. Several commissioners wanted to make sure to communicate that they supported the project in spirit, despite the funding constraints.

Most recently, Tucker proposed creating a display of the puppets at the municipal center. Here’s the text of his letter, which was also sent to mayor John Hieftje:

FestiFools is interested in finding out if you are accepting proposals for art in the interior spaces in the new City Hall. If so, we would be interested in writing and/or presenting a proposal that we think merits your attention.

In brief, this would be a relatively inexpensive proposal allowing for a selection of large-scale sculptures, or “puppets” created by community members, under local artist supervision/design, to hang in one of the spectacular atrium spaces located in the new building. The large-scale 3-dimensional pieces could be chosen by popular vote, or jury, each year from our annual FestiFools public art performance. (These creations could then replace the previous year’s winning pieces, on an annual basis).

One time funding to oversee the first set of puppets created for display, celebrating the opening of the new City Hall (and the 5th anniversary of FestiFools in 2011) and the minimal labor involved in hanging the puppets each year would be the only costs involved.

Please let me know if this is of any interest to your organization and we would be glad to make a formal proposal.

Thanks,

Mark Tucker, Founder/Creative Director

Sims said the task force had not discussed the proposal in detail. Meyers suggested that even though the installation was temporary, the Percent for Art program might be able to fund the creation of a permanent venue for such installations. Being able to support a community effort like FestiFools is worthwhile, he said. Commissioners discussed the possibility of creating a venue that could be used for a variety of installations, not just FestiFools. Sims said she’d take that suggestion back to the task force for further discussion.

Project Updates: Gift from the Summer Festival

Commissioners also discussed how to handle a recent gift to the city: A large print of a photo montage by local photographer Myra Klarman, taken at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival. Festival organizers had gifted the work to city council and the mayor, in a formal presentation at council’s Oct. 4 meeting. The council is one of the funders for the festival – in 2010, the city contributed $25,000 to the event.

(From left to right): Robb Woulfe, director of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival; mayor John Hieftje; and Jayne Miller and Jim Kosteva, members of the Summer Festival board, present a gift to the city at the Oct. 4, 2010 meeting of city council: a large photograph taken at the 2010 festival by local photographer Myra Klarman.

Commissioners expressed admiration for the work, and their discussion included whether the print needed to be framed, and where it might be installed. Sims also mentioned the possibility of getting additional photos from the series, which were exhibited this summer at the Power Center. [In response to a follow-up email from The Chronicle, Amy Nesbitt, the festival's general manager, clarified that the festival isn't currently pursuing a permanent collection donation to the city at this time. Pieces from the series will be exhibited elsewhere in the community – for example, an exhibit is set to run at Cafe Zola from Dec. 1 through February 2011.]

Margaret Parker wondered whether handling donations of art was something that AAPAC wanted to take on. “It’s just like having a museum,” she said. “Are we ready for that?”

Jim Curtis said it should be handled on a case-by-case basis, while Cheryl Zuellig wondered how they’d manage it if hundreds of people wanted to donate art to city hall. They needed to be careful about why they were accepting it, she said, and to know what they would do with it. She noted that the time and energy spent reviewing gifts would take away from other projects.

[AAPAC already has a process in place to evaluate proposed gifts of art. Earlier this year, the commission rejected a proposed gift of a large bronze horse sculpture by artist Garo Kazan. A peer review committee had evaluated the work, and had raised concerns about aesthetics, maintenance and liability.]

When Curtis expressed the view that the city was unlikely to be inundated with donations, Parker pointed out that when they’d taken an inventory of the city’s public art, they found pieces tucked away in closets, with no record of who had gifted it.

Sims said that the photo by Klarman was a special case, especially since it celebrated something special about Ann Arbor.

Project Updates: West Park Tree Sculptures Installed

As a member of the projects committee, Jim Curtis gave an update on the tree sculptures at West Park – AAPAC’s first completed public art installation. The artwork by Traven Pelletier of Lotus Gardenscapes includes two stylized metal trees, painted orange-red, that bookend the top tier of new seat walls that face the park’s bandshell.

“Given the budget, I think it came out quite well,” Curtis said. The budget had been set at $10,000. According to a budget summary distributed at Tuesday’s meeting, total expenditures for the project were $14,890.

Jeff Meyers asked what the artist thought. It emerged that Pelletier had expressed some discontent over the amount of work he needed to do, based on the project budget. Pelletier had felt it was underpriced, Curtis said. During later stages of the project, Curtis reported, Pelletier’s enthusiasm had returned.

Meyers then asked whether Pelletier had done an exit interview – he had not. This led to a discussion about the benefits of doing exit interviews or surveying artists after their projects are completed, to get feedback about the process. Elaine Sims agreed to put the item on the agenda for the next planning committee meeting.

Margaret Parker asked whether a maintenance schedule for the artwork had been developed. That needs to be part of the city’s art inventory, she said. Though Curtis was uncertain about this, Tuesday’s meeting agenda included notes on the project, indicating that a maintenance report was in the works.

Later in the meeting, during her report from the public relations committee, Cathy Gendron noted that Pelletier had crafted his own press release, and had been working on revisions with the city’s communications staff. When Gendron reported she had posted a notice about the sculptures on AAPAC’s Facebook page, Parker urged her to get the news into the “physical press,” adding that the artist shouldn’t have to issue his own press release. The important thing, she said, is that everyone gets the credit they deserve for the project, including AAPAC.

Gendron indicated that the city apparently isn’t ready to issue a release – the official dedication of the sculptures, which will be part of the grand re-opening of West Park, will happen sometime next spring. The park has been closed for several months as part of a major renovation project there.

Project Updates: Financing for Sun Dragon Repair

Prior to the start of Tuesday’s meeting, Sue McCormick – the city’s public services administrator – had stopped by the meeting room on the seventh floor of the City Center building and told Margaret Parker that she’d figured out a way for AAPAC to handle the cost of repairing the Sun Dragon sculpture. The sculpture was designed by Parker, AAPAC’s chair, and is located at Fuller Pool. It had been damaged this spring by workers during repair of a beam that supported the piece.

AAPAC chair Margaret Parker.

In general, the service units that oversee the site where public art is located pay for maintenance and repair. This applies to both public art that was acquired prior to the Percent for Art program – like the Sun Dragon – as well as work funded by the Percent for Art. In addition, AAPAC can choose to allocate funding for repair or maintenance of Percent for Art work, but not for older public art.

In the case of the Sun Dragon, the parks and recreation unit would be responsible for paying for repair – an estimated $7,000 – or decommissioning it.

When the issue of repair had been discussed at AAPAC’s August meeting, Parker had recused herself from the discussion and left the room. However, at Tuesday’s meeting she relayed the information from McCormick to the other commissioners. McCormick had suggested that the Sun Dragon be considered as an “asset renewal” – that is, it could come to AAPAC as a new project. That way, AAPAC could fund it under the Percent for Art program, treating it just like any other proposal. McCormick had said it could be paid for out of the parks or water funds. According to a budget summary distributed to commissioners, there is $16,408 available for public art from the parks millage, and $115,164 from the water fund.

One commissioner jokingly referred to it as “creative financing,” and another quipped that they shouldn’t ask too many questions about it. Cheryl Zuellig clarified that as a new project, they would start by creating an intake form for it – it would then be handled by the projects committee. Jeff Meyers expressed concern about opening the door for other projects like this.

There was some discussion about what exactly the Percent for Art program could pay for – could it also cover the cost of the structural beam at Fuller Pool, even though that beam would need to be in place regardless of the public art installed on it? Parker said she would check with McCormick about that.

Misc. Updates: Website, Facebook, Arts Administrator

Cathy Gendron reported on work by the public relations committee, saying that they’d met with Nancy Stone of the city’s communications staff and are exploring ways to make AAPAC’s page on the city’s website more dynamic. They’re also looking at ways to display the city’s public art inventory, she said.

In addition, the committee is looking for ways to solicit input via their Facebook page, which includes updates on public art projects.

Gendron also reported that Sue McCormick, the city’s public services administrator, is interested in having AAPAC develop a mapping system to identify public art, using the city’s GIS system. Cresson Slotten, a project manager with the city, will work with AAPAC on this effort. Jeff Meyers, who’s also on the PR committee, mentioned that they’d talked about developing a barcode app for public art pieces. The idea would be to affix a barcode near the artwork that could be scanned by your smartphone, and allow you listen to a digital recording about the piece, for example.

Valerie Wahna, an artist who attended AAPAC’s meeting as a member of the public, suggested that AAPAC look at the company stickybits, which offers this kind of barcode application.

Margaret Parker returned to the topic of AAPAC’s website. She said she’d been to the website for the city’s energy office, and noted that they have a very interactive page, including ways to sign up for email alerts. She suggested using that site as a template. Parker also told her colleagues that she’d recently been interviewed by a reporter for the Ann Arbor Observer, who had told her that it had been difficult to find information about AAPAC on the commission’s city website – there were no photos of the Dreiseitl project, she said, or of AAPAC’s current annual plan.

Gendron said she was well aware of the site’s shortcomings, and that they are working on it.

Cheryl Zuellig gave a report from the planning committee, including an update on the hiring process for a new public art administrator. That part-time position was previously held by Katherine Talcott, who now works for the city as a project manager, which includes work on the Dreiseitl project.

Zueillig said that Sue McCormick had revised the job description – the main difference, she said, is that the administrator can’t be a project manager. It’s still a part-time position, that reports to McCormick as a city employee. After some discussion, Zuellig said she’d forward McCormick’s revised job description to commissioners for their feedback. McCormick will then write up a job posting for the city’s website, and AAPAC can post it on other arts sites as well, like the Arts Alliance. They’ll also need to set up an interview committee.

Malverne Winborne, AAPAC's newest commissioner.

New AAPAC Commissioner

Attending his first AAPAC meeting on Tuesday, the group’s newest commissioner, Malverne Winborne, told commissioners that he was there to listen – he was not an active participant during discussions. However, at the start of the meeting he introduced himself, saying that he worked at Eastern University and shared an office suite with Leigh Greden. [Greden, a former Ann Arbor city councilmember who was voted out of office in 2009, is now executive director of EMU's governmental and community relations. In a follow-up phone conversation with The Chronicle, Winborne said that his appointment stemmed from a suggestion by Ann Arbor city councilmember Tony Derezinski.]

Winborne said he lives in Ann Arbor and that his children had attended Bryant, Pattengill, Tappan and Pioneer schools. He’s originally from Baltimore, but moved here years ago to attend the University of Michigan, where he met his wife. His oldest brother is an artist, he said, joking that his brother had instilled art appreciation in him by beating him up – an “art thug,” he quipped. [His brother, Kylis Winborne, is a painter, sculptor and photographer who lives in Baltimore.]

In welcoming Winborne to AAPAC, Jim Curtis said he was glad to have another man on the commission. Curtis also reported that he had turned in his letter of resignation to the mayor on Monday. He had indicated his intent to resign earlier this year, to spend more time on his own projects and as a board member for the startup Ann Arbor Main Street Business Improvement Zone (BIZ). Curtis is owner of Curtis Commercial, a local real estate firm.

Commissioners present: Jim Curtis, Cathy Gendron, Jeff Meyers, Margaret Parker, Elaine Sims, Malverne Winborne, Cheryl Zuellig. Others: Venita Harrison, city management assistant.

Absent: Connie Brown, Marsha Chamberlin.

Next regular meeting: Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 4:30 p.m., 7th floor conference room of the City Center Building, 220 E. Huron St. [confirm date]

New curving seat walls for the West Park bandshell have already been built, and await the public art installation – two metal tree sculptures to be installed on the ends.

The West Park project is expected to be installed later this month, as part of a major overhaul of the park that’s still in progress. The artwork by Traven Pelletier of Lotus Gardenscapes includes two metal trees that will bookend one of the seat walls facing the park’s bandshell. According to a budget summary distributed at Tuesday’s meeting, the project cost $12,375.

As for Dreiseitl’s piece, the bids from fabricators who’ll actually build the sculpture came in over budget, so to cut costs it will now be made of bronze rather than weathering steel. Quinn Evans Architects, the Ann Arbor firm that’s overseeing the project on contract with the city, also has suggested creating a $12,180 contingency – above the $737,820 budget that city council has approved – to cover potential, additional unbudgeted costs.

At Tuesday’s meeting, commissioner Cathy Gendron announced plans to revamp AAPAC’s page on the city’s website, and said that the public relations committee decided not to renew the URL for its external website – annarborpublicart.org – which had been maintained by a volunteer. That site is now defunct. Commissioner Elaine Sims noted that the University of Michigan recently launched a website for its public art efforts, and wondered if AAPAC’s page could contain similar elements. “It’s a wonderful site, but we just can’t do that,” Gendron said, adding that they’re constrained by the template used by the city. They can be more flexible on AAPAC’s Facebook page, she added.

There was some discussion about recruiting new commissioners, and it was noted that mayor John Hieftje recently made a nomination to fill an AAPAC vacancy – not all commissioners had been aware of this action. Though he wasn’t mentioned by name during Tuesday’s meeting, that nominee is Malverne Winborne, director of Eastern Michigan University’s Charter Schools Office, with a background in organizational development. The city council is expected to vote on his appointment at their Oct. 18 meeting. AAPAC will have an additional vacancy when Jim Curtis resigns – he announced his intent to step down in July and has stopped attending meetings, but hasn’t yet officially resigned.

Dreiseitl Sculpture, Other Municipal Center Art

Connie Brown reviewed a written report on the Dreiseitl project that had been submitted by Katherine Talcott, the city’s former public art administrator who’s now working on special public art projects for the city, including Dreiseitl’s project. The report notes that bids for fabrication of the water sculpture, to be located in front of the new municipal center – also known as the police/courts building – came in over budget. To cut costs, the material has been changed from weathering steel to bronze.

Quinn Evans Architects, the Ann Arbor firm that’s overseeing the project on contract with the city, is recommending the city retain Future Fence/Future Fab Co., a Warren-based business, to handle the sculpture’s fabrication. That company intends to subcontract with three other Michigan businesses as part of the project: Leprecon Inc. of Hamburg, Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, and Fine Arts Sculpture Center in Clarkston.

The total cost for design, fabrication and installation of the piece is $553,320 – part of the project’s overall $737,820 budget. Quinn Evans also has suggested creating a $12,180 contingency – above the $737,820 budget that the city council has approved – to cover potential, additional unbudgeted costs. The city council will need to approve these expenditures, as well as the selection of Future Fence/Future Fab.

Venita Harrison – a management assistant who works for Sue McCormick, the city’s public services administrator – said they are working on a resolution for the city council about this project. Her understanding is that AAPAC did not need to vote on it, she told them.

Brown asked whether Dreiseitl had signed off on the change in materials, and Harrison indicated that he had. The German artist is currently a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.

Elaine Sims mentioned that every time she runs into Ray Detter at Treasure Mart or the farmers market, he asks about the status of public art projects at the municipal center. Detter is on a task force that makes recommendations on public art at the center, though the group has been dormant since 2009. Sims said Detter wondered when the task force would be reconvened. “They’re anxious to know,” she said.

Cathy Gendron said she remembered talking about this issue at AAPAC’s August meeting, but it wasn’t clear who would convey that information to the task force. Margaret Parker, who chairs both AAPAC and the municipal center task force, didn’t attend Tuesday’s meeting.

None of the commissioners present knew all the members of the task force, and there was some discussion about the need to archive that information in an accessible location online. [Members of the task force include: Ray Detter of the Downtown Area Citizens Advisory Council; Bob Grese, director of Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum; AAPAC chair Margaret Parker; Laura Rubin, executive director of the Huron River Watershed Council; Ann Arbor city councilmember Margie Teall; and Spring Tremaine, a lieutenant with the Ann Arbor Police Department. Sue McCormick, the city’s director of public services, is also a task force member.]

Marsha Chamberlin asked what the status is for the large mosaic by Gerome Kamrowski, which previously was located near the entrance to city hall and is now in storage. She noted that it’s one of the more valuable pieces that the city owns. Connie Brown said she didn’t feel it needed to be installed at the municipal center, but that it should certainly be reinstalled somewhere – although she hoped the task force could find a place for it at the municipal center.

Harrison then referenced the August meeting minutes, which commissioners had approved earlier in the meeting. She noted that AAPAC had addressed the Kamrowski issue at the August meeting, as part of its directive to the task force regarding additional public art at the center. [Neither Brown or Chamberlin attended that meeting.]

From The Chronicle report of the Aug. 10 meeting:

The commissioners then moved on to the topic of other public art for the municipal center. Parker said that the funding amount doesn’t have to be definite. “It’s not like we’re writing down our shopping list at home,” she said. “I don’t think it behooves us to come with a hard and firm number. It seems like we want the best art for the building.”

Zuellig said there’s an understanding that with a budget, they might end up spending more or less. For her, the question was whether they wanted to spend more money at the municipal center, or on other projects elsewhere.

There was discussion of the 9-panel mosaic by Gerome Kamrowski, which previously was located near at the entrance to city hall and is now in storage. Parker said the task force hadn’t been able to identify a spot for it. They felt the atrium area was too large, and would dwarf the work.

Noting that Parker was a member of the task force, Zuellig asked her what kind of direction would be helpful from AAPAC. Parker responded by saying that they’d started out thinking they’d spend about $1 million in total on art for the municipal center. Since Dreiseitl’s water sculpture was about $700,000, she said, it seemed reasonable to allocate $300,000 to other artwork there.

Gendron said they’d also talked about scaling back because of the economy. Zuellig noted that they had already spent close to $1 million, if they included the design, consulting and administrative fees. With just four commissioners at the meeting, she said, it was tricky making a decision. She added that she was undecided about whether or not to seek additional art for that location.

Sims liked the idea of a hanging piece in the police/courts lobby, possibly made of art glass, plus perhaps one or two other pieces elsewhere in the complex. But she was concerned about the cost. “We’ve spent a lot,” she said.

When Parker noted that there was money available, Zuellig said that’s not the point. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean they have to spend it, she said.

Doyle asked about the budget – was it $1 million for the municipal center? “It’s complicated,” Parker replied.

Commissioners then explained that $250,000 for the Percent for Art program came out of the budget for the municipal center project, and had to be spent there. Beyond that, Percent for Art funds had accrued from other capital projects – projects for water and sewer, for example. Those funds could be pooled and used as well, as long as the public art had a thematic link to the funds. That’s why, for example, the stormwater Percent for Art funds could be used to pay for Dreiseitl’s water sculpture.

After some further discussion, commissioners arrived at a consensus to allocate $250,000 for two additional art pieces and the possible installation of Kamrowski’s mural.

Outcome: Commissioners unanimously approved giving direction to the municipal center’s public art task force to consider two additional pieces of art, plus the possible placement of a large 9-panel mosaic by Gerome Kamrowski. They set a budget of $250,000.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Sims offered to contact Parker, and to ask Parker to convey AAPAC’s directive to the task force.

Projects: Fuller Road, West Park, Hanover Square

Connie Brown of the projects committee updated her fellow commissioners on three projects that are in various stages: Fuller Road Station, West Park and Hanover Square.

Fuller Road Station

There seems to be a lack of communication regarding AAPAC’s involvement in Fuller Road Station, Brown said. The city of Ann Arbor/University of Michigan project is a five-level, 977-space parking structure on city-owned property that’s part of Fuller Park, on the south side of Fuller Road and east of East Medical Center Drive. Officials hope eventually that a train station for commuter rail will be added to the site.

AAPAC’s first in-depth discussion on the project occurred at their July 2010 meeting. Since then, Brown said they’ve made several queries of Dave Dykman, the project manager for Fuller Road Station, but haven’t gotten a response. They’re trying to be proactive and would like to move ahead with setting up the public art task force for the project, she said, but so far, there’s been no action.

Cheryl Zuellig asked whether the project had been funded – if not, perhaps that’s why Dykman isn’t responding. Brown said she didn’t know the status of the funding, but AAPAC has been told that there’s an earmark for public art. She noted that some design decisions about the public art component have already been made by the architects – the idea is to create large fritted glass panels – and that for the past few months “we’ve been attempting to insert ourselves into the process.”

By way of background, the site plan for the Fuller Road Station project received approval from the Ann Arbor planning commission at its Sept. 21, 2010 meeting. Funding for the parking structure will be split between the city and UM, with the university paying for 78% of the estimated $32 million cost. The city is pursuing federal funding for the project, but has not yet specified how it would otherwise fund its portion of the cost.

Council is expected to consider the Fuller Road Station project at one of its upcoming meetings, likely in November.

West Park

The public art piece for West Park is near completion, Brown reported. The West Park task force met with artist Traven Pelletier last week, when he presented color samples – he’s planning to paint the metal tree sculptures in subtle shades of copper and red. The sculptures will be placed at the east and west ends of one of the seat walls that’s built into the hill facing the park’s bandshell. Installation will likely occur later this month.

They’d like to do some sort of unveiling, Brown said, but the park won’t be open to the public until after the artwork is installed. It’s more likely they’ll plan some sort of event in the spring, as part of the park’s grand opening.

Hanover Square

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority plans to include a public art installation at Hanover Square, at the northwest corner of Packard and Division. It would be paid for as part of the DDA’s Fifth and Division street improvement project. For more than a year, the DDA and AAPAC have been slowly trying to figure out a process for working together – at AAPAC’s Sept. 14 meeting, Brown had described a draft of guidelines that AAPAC could use for assisting in DDA-funded public art projects.

On Tuesday, Brown reported that Sue McCormick had signed off on the draft guidelines. The next step will be to identify someone to be a liaison with the DDA. Jim Curtis, who also serves on the projects committee, had been playing that role, but Brown was unsure whether he planned to remain active on the committee after resigning from AAPAC. Curtis announced his intent to resign in July, citing the need to devote more time as a board member for the startup Ann Arbor Main Street Business Improvement Zone (BIZ).

Filling AAPAC Vacancies

There was some discussion about recruiting new commissioners, and it was noted that mayor John Hieftje made a nomination to fill an AAPAC vacancy at city council’s Oct. 4 meeting – not all commissioners had been aware of this action. The nominee wasn’t mentioned by name during Tuesday’s meeting – he is Malverne Winborne, director of Eastern Michigan University’s Charter Schools Office, with a background in organizational development. City council is expected to vote on his appointment at their Oct. 18 meeting.

AAPAC will have an additional vacancy when Jim Curtis resigns – he announced his intent to step down in July, but hasn’t yet officially resigned.

Commissioners had hoped to recommend someone with close ties to the University of Michigan. Lee Doyle, a member of the UM President’s Advisory Committee for Public Art who also oversees the UM Film Office, was interested in joining AAPAC. But Hieftje, who makes nominations to the commission, conveyed that he wanted to appoint someone who resides in Ann Arbor, and Doyle lives outside the city.

This situation led commissioners to discuss their role in the recruitment and nomination process. From The Chronicle’s report of AAPAC’s Sept. 14 meeting:

[Jeff] Meyers pointed out that the appointments are made at the pleasure of the mayor, and said it opened up another conversation: What is AAPAC’s role in making recommendations for appointments?

Zuellig said they had two choices: Stay out of the process, or get feedback from Hieftje before making recommendations. Several commissioners commented on the awkwardness of having conversations in public regarding specific individuals, only to have them later rejected by the mayor – one commissioner used the term “blackballed.”

Zuellig noted that getting new commissioners on board is more of a priority for AAPAC than it is for the mayor. That’s why they’ve been proactive, she said. She noted that the city’s online Legistar system theoretically indicates which boards and commissions have vacancies, but that it’s not up-to-date – the listing for AAPAC doesn’t indicate that there are vacancies. [Also outdated is Legistar's list of current AAPAC members, which still includes commissioners whose terms expired at the end of 2008 and 2009.]

After further discussion, commissioners reached a consensus to pursue a more informal process, publicizing AAPAC vacancies more broadly, via their Facebook page and websites for AAPAC and the Arts Alliance. Individual commissioners could contact the mayor to ask him to consider specific individuals, but AAPAC itself would make no formal recommendations.

Public Relations

Commissioner Cathy Gendron gave a report from the public relations committee, with an update on plans to revamp AAPAC’s page on the city’s website. She said they’ve decided not to renew the URL for AAPAC’s external website – annarborpublicart.org – which had been maintained by a volunteer. They thought it would be confusing to have two websites, she said, and the external site is now defunct.

Commissioner Elaine Sims noted that the University of Michigan had recently launched a website for its public art efforts, and wondered if AAPAC’s page could contain similar elements. “It’s a wonderful site, but we just can’t do that,” Gendron replied, adding that they’re constrained by the template used by the city. She added that they’ll be able to do more with AAPAC’s Facebook page, which allows them to be more flexible in what they can post.

Gendron said that she and Marsha Chamberlin are starting to craft an annual PR plan for the commission. They’re also planning to develop a manual on how to promote installations, like the upcoming West Park project.

Report of the Acting Chair

Cheryl Zuellig, chair of AAPAC’s planning committee, also chaired Tuesday’s meeting in the absence of AAPAC chair Margaret Parker, who has been focused for the last two months on her entry in the Grand Rapids’ ArtPrize competition.

Zuellig gave a report about a recent meeting that she and Elaine Sims had with Sue McCormick, the city’s public services administrator. They’d talked about the hiring of a new public art administrator to replace Katherine Talcott, who has stepped out of that role to take on special public art projects on an ad hoc basis for the city. Zuellig characterized the discussion with McCormick as useful, and said that McCormick was going to write a job description for the position that would clarify its role and scope. The job wouldn’t change, Zuellig said, but the role would be more clearly defined. For example, it won’t be a project management role.

McCormick will rely on AAPAC to distribute the job posting, Zuellig said. Marsha Chamberlin volunteered to take on that task, and suggested posting it on various venues, including the Arts Alliance website, ArtServe,  offices of college career services, and Americans for the Arts, among others.

Zuellig said they hope to hire someone by the beginning of next year. It’s a part-time position.

In their meeting with McCormick, they also discussed the issue of working with the DDA, Sims said. McCormick clarified that working with the DDA would be like working with any other entity – the DDA had no special status regarding the Percent for Art program. Previously, there was some confusion about whether the relationship differed because the DDA managed city-owned parking structures.

Zuellig noted that this was part of a broader discussion regarding the role of AAPAC – what the commission was obligated to do under the Percent for Art ordinance, and what they could choose to do beyond that. The Percent for Art program captures 1% from the budget of all city capital projects, to be set aside for public art. AAPAC serves as an advisory body to the city council, making recommendations on specific projects funded through the program. [link to the Ann Arbor city code – click on Chapter 24: Public Art, which lays out the responsibilities of AAPAC.]

AAPAC isn’t obligated to handle the DDA’s public art projects, Zuellig said, though they might choose to do so. It fits into previous discussions that commissioners have had about not taking on more than they can handle, she said. Knowing what their obligations are can help them prioritize.

Commissioners present: Connie Brown, Marsha Chamberlin, Cathy Gendron, Elaine Sims, Cheryl Zuellig. Others: Venita Harrison, city management assistant.

Absent: Jim Curtis, Jeff Meyers, Margaret Parker.

Next regular meeting: Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 4:30 p.m., 7th floor conference room of the City Center Building, 220 E. Huron St. [confirm date]