Archive for January, 2010

At its Friday morning meeting, the committee responsible for evaluating development proposals for the Library Lot agreed to reconsider two of the proposals previously rejected.

Sam Offen reads a section of the Library Lot RFP that he interpreted to mean that financial considerations should come later in the process. At right is Jayne Miller, community services area administrator. (Photos by the writer.)

The suggestion for reconsideration had been brought to the committee by two of its members, Margie Teall and Stephen Rapundalo, who also serve on the city council.  Monday’s city council meeting had included conversation about the issue.

The committee will now re-include in the interview process the two proposals it had eliminated at its December meeting. Representatives for all six proposals to develop the top of the Fifth Avenue underground parking structure will be interviewed in a little less than two weeks. On Jan. 19, the two that had been dropped previously – proposals that call for predominantly open space in that area – will be interviewed, followed on Jan. 20 by interviews of the other four proposers.

Related to this process, at its Wednesday meeting the Downtown Development Authority had approved up to $50,000 for a consultant to assist with the review of proposals. So on Friday, the committee was also briefed on the request for qualifications (RFQ) for the consultant, which has now been released – and no candidates with operations in Washtenaw County will be considered. [Full Story]

The city’s Natural Area Preservation blog lists NAP’s accomplishments for 2008-09, including “conducted revegetation of native plant species on 115.6 acres of park natural areas at 35 sites” and “controlled invasive plant species on 452 acres at 52 parks and natural areas of the highest ecological quality.” (But the best thing about this blog is the photo of a kid taking a NAP in a wheelbarrow.) [Source]

The New York Times published a feature on ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White, two UM students who are ranked No. 1 and will likely represent the U.S. at the upcoming winter Olympics in Vancouver. From the article: “Usually, they live on the Michigan campus, but they are currently taking the semester off for Olympic preparation. In Ann Arbor, they enjoy their anonymity, mingling as average students at football games or Davis’s sorority events. On the ice in competitions, they have become headliners.” [Source]

The Kalamazoo Gazette, Muskegon Chronicle and Grand Rapids Press – newspapers owned by the same company that owned the former Ann Arbor News and that owns AnnArbor.com – announced layoffs on Friday morning. From a Michigan Radio report: “The newspaper owners would not make anyone available for a recorded interview, but in a published statement, the company says the three newspapers are actually in a better situation than a year ago. It says the latest steps are an effort to find more efficiencies.” [Source]

Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners meeting (Jan. 6, 2010): Wednesday’s meeting of the board was spent mostly on procedural and governance issues, but the undercurrent of ongoing budget concerns was never far from the discussion.

Larry Kestenbaum, Washtenaw County clerk, listens to a public commentary speaker at Wednesday's meeting of the Washtenaw County board of commissioners. Kestenbaum presided over the meeting until the board elected its chair for the new year. Rolland Sizemore Jr. was re-elected unanimously to his second term as chair of the board.

The board loosened its rules regarding public commentary, discussed – but ultimately rejected – an attempt to change the flex account method for managing its own portion of the budget, and got an update on the search for a replacement for retiring county administrator Bob Guenzel.

A job posting will be made for that position on Monday, Jan. 11, with the possibility of making a new hire as early as Feb. 3.

The board also heard from an advocate for the homeless during public commentary, who urged the board to take more of a leadership role in addressing that issue. [Full Story]

Writing in the Detroit News, columnist Daniel Howes discusses the implications of Dave Brandon, Domino’s Pizza CEO, taking the job as UM athletic director: “Because the big Blue machine’s gain is a huge loss for Michigan’s business community, bracingly underendowed as it is with leaders able to articulate clearly what’s ailing the state economy, to galvanize CEOs around the jobs-and-investment cause and then to help develop a comprehensive plan to address chronic problems. Brandon did all three, meaning he made as many new enemies as he won admirers who urged him, among other things, to seek the Republican nomination to succeed Gov. Jennifer Granholm. But Ann Arbor called, giving new meaning to the term ‘lateral move.’” [Source]

The city’s Buhr Park Ice Arena is re-opening on Saturday, Jan. 9 after being closed for renovations. The rink will be open for general skating from 2:30-4:30 p.m. and 7:15-8:45 p.m. During those times free season skating passes will be raffled off. [Source]

John U. Bacon

On Tuesday, the University of Michigan announced that Domino’s Pizza CEO David Brandon would succeed Bill Martin as the athletic director. It marked a personal high point of a great career – one you wouldn’t have predicted when Brandon played for Michigan as a third-string defensive back.

Fourteen years ago, I wrote a big feature on Bo Schembechler for the Detroit News. Bo liked the story and, out of nowhere, gave me his papers. When I tried to interest him in writing a book, he told me to ask him later – much later, it turned out. About nine years later. So, in the summer of 2000, I started without him.

The first person I sought out was Dave Brandon, who was in his second year as the CEO of Ann Arbor-based Domino’s Pizza. He probably didn’t know me from Adam, but he gave me an hour of his time anyway. And he didn’t spend it gushing about his greatest day, either, but confessing his worst one. [Full Story]

On Jan. 7, 2006, Ann Arbor firefighter Amy Schnearle-Pennywitt was struck at the scene of a traffic accident by a pickup truck that lost control on icy roads. The pickup slammed into a pileup of other vehicles that had also skidded off the road. Schnearle-Pennywitt, who had responded to the scene when the pileup began, died from her injuries a few days later.

Chelsea photographer Burill Strong remembers Schnearle-Pennywitt again this year with a photograph on his blog “The Connective Lens.” Three years ago, on the first anniversary of the accident, Strong wrote an account of his experience that day – his was one of the first cars that had slid off the road.

Downtown Development Authority board meeting (Jan. 6, 2010): The DDA authorized money for a range of different projects at its regular monthly board meeting on Wednesday.

During public commentary, local developer Peter Allen addressed the DDA board on the topic of the Library Lot consultancy. Visible in the background is mayor John Hieftje. (Photos by the writer.)

Biggest on the list of one-time expenditures was $2.28 million spread over three years for 150 additional multi-space pay stations to replace on-street parking meters. Twenty-five such pay stations were already installed over the summer.

Next-largest was $600,000 for water main replacement, timed to coincide with the Fifth and Division street improvements. That was followed by as much as $500,000 for the Near North affordable housing project. Near North has won site plan approval from the city council and now faces the challenge of obtaining tax-credit financing.

Smallest on the list of authorized one-time money was up to $50,000 for consultant support for the Library Lot RFP review process.

Also in the mix was the authorization to redirect revenue from the 350 S. Fifth Ave. (former YMCA) surface parking lot to the city of Ann Arbor. On Dec. 21, 2009 the city council voted to request the DDA take that action. What the DDA board actually authorized is a payment to the city per year of whichever amount is greater: (i) $100,000 or (ii) the net revenue from the lot, after installation and operational costs are recovered by the DDA.

The meeting also included the precursors of some eventual conversation about the role of the DDA’s executive committee and its ability to act on behalf of the whole board. That recalled a related issue still left over from last summer: Can the mayoral line of succession be invoked to fill the mayor’s spot at a DDA board meeting?  [Full Story]

In a report on a November 2009 work session of the city council, we incorrectly described Sandi Smith’s (Ward 1) membership on committees. Smith is a member of the city council as well as the DDA board. She is also a member of the DDA’s “mutually beneficial” committee, which is charged with the responsibility of discussing the parking agreement between the city and the DDA. We note the mistake here, and have corrected it in the original article.

A Reuters article describes how start-ups in Michigan are emerging in the wake of the collapsing auto industry. The article highlights Chris Lin, a former Ford executive who launched the Ann Arbor firm Mandy and Pandy, and notes that the company received $244,500 in matching funds from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, which is administered by Ann Arbor SPARK. [Source]

The UM Department of Public Safety posted a crime alert for an armed robbery at the 700 block of Packard, one block southeast of State Street. The robbery occurred about 5:40 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6. “When the apartment resident answered the door, an unknown man brandished a silver handgun and demanded money. He fled with two other men in an unknown direction.” More details are on the DPS website. Anyone with information about the crime should call the Ann Arbor Police Dept. at 734-794-6939 or email tips@a2gov.org.[Source]

Ann Arbor Planning Commission meeting (Jan. 5, 2010): During a four-hour meeting that ended with some residents shouting in anger, the Ann Arbor planning commission approved the site plan and special zoning for The Moravian, a proposed housing complex at East Madison, between Fourth and Fifth avenues.

Developer Jeff Helminski speaks to Ann Arbor planning commissioners about his project, The Moravian. In the background are commissioners Wendy Woods and Diane Giannola. (Photos by the writer.)

About two dozen residents attended the meeting. All but one of the 16 people who spoke during time for public commentary opposed the project, some vehemently.

Opponents’ main concern is that the five-story, 62-unit building is out of scale and out of character with the neighborhood, which has older homes, but is not protected by an historic district. [The neighborhood also is on the edge of an industrial area – The Moravian is planned on a lot across the street from the Fingerle Lumber complex.]

But in approving the requested planned unit development (PUD) zoning, commissioners cited a range of public benefits, including the 12 units of affordable housing within the building – a benefit that neighbors dispute. The project will now be considered by city council at an upcoming meeting.

Residents vow to continue fighting it. “We’re going to redouble our efforts,” Beverly Strassmann, president of the Germantown Neighborhood Association, told commissioners after their vote.

Separately, planning commissioners approved a rezoning request for a gas station on Packard Road, with some stipulations. [Full Story]

Ann Arbor City Council meeting (Jan. 4, 2010): Ann Arbor’s city council rejected a resolution on Monday night that would have asked responders to the city’s request for proposals on the Library Lot to provide more information to the council, even if their proposals had been eliminated.

Stephen Rapundalo (Ward 2) explains the work of the RFP review committee for the Library Lot proposals, as Sabra Briere (Ward 1) listens. (Photos by the writer.)

At the same time, the council’s representatives to the RFP committee – Stephen Rapundalo (Ward 2) and Margie Teall (Ward 4) – told their colleagues that they would bring to the committee the suggestion of re-including two already-eliminated proposals.

That idea will be floated to the committee when it next meets, on Friday, Jan. 8 at 9 a.m.

In other business, councilmembers grilled the city’s transportation program coordinator about revisions to the city’s bicycle and pedestrian ordinances to align with the Michigan Vehicle Code. Despite that, council sent the revisions on to the next step towards final approval.

The council also authorized a vote to be held among property owners to establish a business improvement zone (BIZ) on Main Street between William and Huron streets. That’s the next step in a multi-step process for establishing the BIZ, which allows property owners to levy an additional tax on themselves to use for specific services.

The council also heard a presentation on the city’s snow removal policy from Craig Hupy, who’s head of systems planning for the city. Councilmembers heard little enthusiasm from city administrator, Roger Fraser, for any deer removal program for Ann Arbor.

Fraser also announced that the city’s community services area administrator, Jayne Miller, would be leaving her city post to head up the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority, which oversees regional metroparks, sometime in the next month. [Full Story]

Monahan’s Seafood in Kerrytown is offering a “Twitter Tuesday” special – free chowder (until they run out) for anyone who drops by and mentions the “secret words.” [Source]

David Brandon, Domino’s Pizza CEO and a former UM regent, will be hired as athletic director for the university at the UM regents Jan. 21 meeting, the Detroit Free Press reports. He will replace retiring AD Bill Martin. From the report: “Brandon’s resumé approaches the job from every angle. He played football under (Bo) Schembechler, was a member of the Board of Regents and has business experience as a CEO at Domino’s Pizza and Valassis. He is the co-chair of the fundraising campaign to build the new Mott Children’s Hospital with former football coach Lloyd Carr, and their wives are heavily involved in the project as well.” [Source] [UM press release]

Musician Dick Siegel in his home on Ann Arbor's near northwest side. (Photo by Mary Morgan.)

A strange and fortuitous connection exists between the local musician Dick Siegel, myself, and The Ann Arbor Chronicle. Last May, I wrote a tribute to Ken King of Frog Holler Farm, who passed away after battling a brain tumor. I knew that Dick had played music with Ken, and I thought he might have some insightful words for the tribute.

Just before finishing that article, I ran into Dick at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market, and one of his quotes completed the piece for me. The column ended:

Dick Siegel had this final thought about the death of his long time friend, Ken King.

“He just took one foot off the earth… just now.”

Dick told me that after reading the column in The Chronicle, and considering further what Ken meant to him, he wrote a song about Ken that he then performed at Ken’s memorial service. It is a slow, deeply moving ballad that pays tribute to an extraordinary man, captivating and also hopeful. Expanding on the imagery quoted in the memorial article, the song is called ”The Man Who Fell Into The Sky.”

Dick himself is no less extraordinary. This internationally recognized singer/songwriter and performer is playing at The Ark on Saturday, Jan. 9 as Dick Siegel and the Brandos. This is the latest partnering for Dick – playing with Brian Delaney and Dave Roof – and perhaps one of the ensembles most likely to showcase his immense talent. The three men have also been spending time in the studio, with a new album expected this summer – the tribute to Ken will be on that album.

I had the opportunity to talk with Dick recently at his home on Ann Arbor’s near northwest side. In a wide-ranging interview, we touched on everything from the process of writing his tribute, to Ken, to his childhood growing up in New Jersey, and how his upbringing instilled in him a strong sense of community. [Full Story]

The Wall Street Journal interviews UM bankruptcy professor John Pottow for an article on last year’s dramatic rise in bankruptcy filings, up 32% compared to 2008. Pottow commented on how a 2005 overhaul of federal bankruptcy law affected the trend: “It never made sense in the first place that you could change the laws and make all these bankruptcies go away. If people are encountering financial distress, you can only scare them away for so long before they come back again.” [Source]