Archive for July, 2010

The University of Michigan regents unanimously approved the schematic design for a $2.5 million golf practice facility, located off of South Main Street. Before the vote at the July 15, 2010 meeting, the architect – Dan Jacobs of Ann Arbor-based A3C – presented renderings of the facility, which will include indoor putting and chipping areas, driving bays, offices and locker rooms. The low-slung building is designed in the Mission style, Jacobs said.

A detailed report of the July 15 meeting will follow: [link]

Ann Arbor Public Art Commission (July 13, 2010): A significant increase in cost and several design issues resulted in rejection by AAPAC of one art installation proposed by German artist Herbert Dreiseitl, and the postponement of another. The votes followed an animated discussion on the proposals.

A drawing that shows the proposed art installation by Herbert Dreiseitl for the lobby of the new police/courts building on Fifth and Huron. The piece includes etched blue glass panels, on the right, and blue glass bulbs hanging from the ceiling, in the left corner of this drawing. Commissioners voted to postpone action on this work, with plans to ask Dreiseitl to cap the cost at $75,000.

Commissioners voted to postpone a proposal for artwork in the lobby of the city’s new municipal center – the artwork has a budget of $141,218. They plan to ask Dreiseitl to cap the project at $75,000. With dissent from chair Margaret Parker, they rejected a work proposed for the center’s atrium, with a budget of $73,806, citing concerns over the cost, design and durability of the material.

In other business, the group got an update on their involvement in the proposed Fuller Road Station, with commissioner Cathy Gendron reporting that the project architects have already selected the location, materials and theme for public art on the parking structure and transit facility. “I had no idea that things were so far along at this project,” she said.

And a vote to allocate funds for repair of the Sun Dragon Sculpture at Fuller Pool prompted a broader discussion on how to handle maintenance costs for public art.

Some organizational changes are in the works, too. Commissioner Jim Curtis announced plans to step down at the end of 2010, to devote more time as a board member for the startup Ann Arbor Main Street Business Improvement Zone (BIZ). AAPAC will be recruiting a replacement for him. And Katherine Talcott, who has served as the part-time public art administrator, has signed a new one-year contract with the city – in the role of an art project manager. She’ll be handling the Dreiseitl project, Fuller Road Station and other projects that are assigned to her by Sue McCormick, the city’s public services administrator. The job of public art administrator is being restructured, and has not yet been filled. [Full Story]

The Detroit Free Press reports that the College Libertarians, a UM student group, is calling for president Mary Sue Coleman to step down from the board of Johnson & Johnson because of conflict-of-interest concerns. A university spokesman said Coleman, who joined the board in 2003 and earned nearly $230,000 last year from J&J, has no plans to resign. [Source]

Editor’s note: Death as a part of life is a theme previously covered by the Chronicle in the form of a column by Jo Mathis: “Letting Go: Many ways to say good-bye to a loved one after death.” And the topic surfaced tangentially at a recent forum for candidates in the Democratic primary for the state House, when they were asked to comment on a state law requiring death certificates to be signed by a funeral director. In her regular local history column for The Ann Arbor Chronicle, Laura Bien takes a look at the role photography played over 100 years ago in documenting the deaths of children.

It was an era without personal cameras, much less digital memory cards storing thousands of shots. The 19th- and early 20th-century family photo albums in the Ypsilanti Archives often contain only one expensive formal studio portrait of each individual family member, or a single economical group portrait.

Obituary in the Ypsilanti Commercial: “DIED: On the 13th inst., Theodore W., only son of J. Willard and Florence Babbitt, aged 10 months.”

Child mortality was high. When a child or other family member died, families would on occasion arrange to have a photograph taken before burial. Sometimes it was the first and last photograph they would ever possess of their loved one.

The fifty-odd family photo albums in the Ypsilanti Archives contain about a dozen examples of these poignant memento mori. [Full Story]

Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board meeting (July 7, 2010): In the main business at its regular monthly meeting, the DDA board approved a grant of up to $407,000 in support of a brownfield application by Zingerman’s Deli, which the deli is making to the state of Michigan. The board’s deliberations focused on the public improvements to sidewalks, curb ramps and signage as contrasted with the funding for LEED certification costs – a question of public versus private benefit.

At his last meeting as chair of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board, John Splitt shows off the tchotchke of appreciation he was given by executive director Susan Pollay. The board is a piece of the kind of lumber currently being used for the earth retention system in construction of the Fifth Avenue underground parking garage. To the right of the frame is Joan Lowenstein, who was elected chair of the board for the coming year. (Photo by the writer.)

The board also approved a recommendation for details of a payment-in-lieu-of-parking (PILOP) program that allows developers to build fewer parking spaces than otherwise prescribed by the zoning code. The program recommended by the DDA allows for developers to replace required on-site spaces with monthly permits – plus a 25% surcharge – in parking structures managed by the DDA.

The DDA made the recommendation to the city’s planning department because the department had requested the DDA’s input on PILOP after the city’s new rezoning of downtown A2D2 was approved last year by city council.

The board also approved revisions to the FY 2010 budget so that expenditures do not exceed budgeted amounts.

Immediately following the regular monthly meeting, the board held its annual meeting, during which executive director Susan Pollay ticked through the significant accomplishments of the board over the last year. Officers elected for the next year are: chair, Joan Lowenstein; vice chair, Gary Boren; treasurer, Roger Hewitt; secretary, Russ Collins.

Board member Newcombe Clark pointedly abstained from each of the four officer votes. [Full Story]

At their July 13, 2010 meeting, the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission debated and voted on two pieces of art by Herbert Dreiseitl, designed for the new police/courts building at Fifth and Huron. With dissent from AAPAC chair Margaret Parker, commissioners voted not to approve an interior piece for the building’s atrium, which had a proposed budget of $73,806. They tabled action on a second piece, priced at $141,218, with the goal of clarifying some cost information and capping the cost at $75,000. The city has already commissioned the German artist to construct a large water sculpture in front of the building, paying $737,820 for that work. Previous coverage: “Art Commission Sets Deadline for Dreiseitl”

A detailed report of AAPAC’s … [Full Story]

Nearly $7,000 in maintenance funds were approved at the July 13, 2010 meeting of the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission to repair damage to the Sun Dragon sculpture, located at Fuller Pool. AAPAC chair Margaret Parker, the artist who designed the sculpture, recused herself from the vote. The funding will come from an endowment for public art maintenance, set up through the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. The repair project had been discussed at AAPAC’s May meeting.

A detailed report of the July 13 meeting will follow: [link]

The 13th Annual Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival, held the weekend of July 23-24 at Ypsilanti’s Riverside Park, includes “beer adventurer guides” who’ll give customized “tours” of the festival: “A Beer Adventurer Guide is a volunteer (who gets into the Festival FREE) who has offered to share the knowledge they’ve accumulated about Michigan breweries, beers and beer styles with those who want and need to know! Fill out a short survey below, and you’ll be paired with a group of like-minded beer drinkers in order to get the maximum enjoyment from the Michigan Brewer’s Guild Summer Beer Festival in Ypsilanti.” [Source]

Newcombe Clark ended speculation this morning about whether he would submit petitions to run as an independent candidate for the Ward 5 Ann Arbor city council seat currently held by Carsten Hohnke. His petitions submitted to the clerk’s office Tuesday morning [July 13] have not yet been officially checked by the clerk’s office staff. Once they are validated, it will ensure the November contest in Ward 5 is a three-way race among a Democrat, a Republican, and an independent. Contesting the Democratic primary on Aug. 3 are Hohnke and challenger Lou Glorie. Uncontested in the Republican primary is John Floyd.

Greg Dooley of MVictors interviews John Pollack, an opponent of the Michigan Stadium renovations. The project is nearly complete – UM is hosting an open house for the public on July 14 – and Pollack weighs in on the process and outcome: “Before, as you approached the stadium there was this sense of anticipation whether you’d been there 100 times or never had been there. Because even if you knew what was coming, you walk in and this mighty bowl unfolds before you. Now you’re walking up to two corporate-looking structures and … the bowl is diminished because the proportions are all wrong. Those boxes are literally monuments to self-aggrandizement and unfortunately they diminish the stadium.” [Source]

Ann Arbor Planning Commission meeting (July 8, 2010):  The 4th of July holiday caused some reshuffling of city meeting times and locations, and sent planning commissioners to the Ann Arbor District Library on Thursday night to conduct their business.

Wendy Rampson, head of the city's planning staff, and Eric Mahler, newly elected chair of the Ann Arbor planning commission, at the commission's July 8, 2010 meeting. (Photos by the writer.)

That business included approval of revised area, height and placement (AHP) standards that have been under review for more than two years. The revisions have pulled back from some of the original proposals – for example, there’s no longer an uncapped building height in certain districts. It’s the first significant overhaul of these standards in roughly 50 years, with the goal of reflecting prevailing community values. The recommendations will now be forwarded to city council for final approval.

The planning commission also voted to postpone action on a project at the Kroger on South Maple. The grocery is adding a drive-thru pharmacy, and needs city approval to reconfigure its parking lot to accommodate the drive-thru lane. A few unresolved issues led commissioners to push back consideration until their July 20 meeting.

And the commission elected a new slate of officers, with local attorney Eric Mahler replacing architect Bonnie Bona as chair. [Full Story]

The Detroit Free Press reports that U.S. Dept. of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will be a guest speaker today at an invitation-only innovation forum held at UM’s Ann Arbor campus. The event is expected to draw about 140 university and regional business and economic development leaders, to discuss the role of universities in economic development, jobs creation and commercialization of federally funded research. [Source]

The Washtenaw County treasurer’s office is holding an online auction of tax-foreclosed properties starting July 20 at 10 a.m. through July 22. Bids for some of the 48 parcels start as low as $2,166, according to the website, which lists details about the properties being auctioned. The properties include single-family homes, condominiums, unimproved land, and a few commercial properties. [Source]

Crain’s Detroit Business reports that the Detroit Media Partnership is launching a statewide news website – Michigan.com – to challenge the statewide reach of Ann Arbor-based MLive.com. The partnership is a venture between Gannett Co. Inc., which owns the Detroit Free Press and other Michigan newspapers, and MediaNews Group, which owns the Detroit News. MLive is one of the holdings of New York-based Advance Publications, which also owns AnnArbor.com. [Source]

Washtenaw County board of commissioners meeting (July 7, 2010): Commissioners spent most of their July meeting on two contentious issues: re-establishing a land bank, and a possible expansion of the county road commission.

Washtenaw County commissioners Jeff Irwin (District 11) and Leah Gunn (District 9) confer before the July 7 board meeting. (Photos by the writer.)

After more than an hour of discussion, a majority of commissioners approved a step toward bringing back the land bank, which they’d voted to dissolve in March. Several commissioners raised concerns over funding for the land bank and the expense of property maintenance and rehab, though most said they supported the entity in concept.

A land bank allows the government – through a separate land bank authority – to take temporary ownership of tax- or mortgage-foreclosed land while the county works to put it back into productive use. Commissioner Ronnie Peterson, whose district in Ypsilanti and parts of Ypsilanti Township has been hit hard by foreclosures, has been an advocate for the land bank for several months, and expressed his impatience and frustration during the meeting. A motion to rescind the dissolution of the land bank was not considered at the July 7 meeting, but might be brought forward next month.

The board also held a public hearing on expanding the road commission from three members to five – three residents spoke at the hearing, all opposing the expansion. An animated discussion with a somewhat unclear outcome followed the hearing – with Wes Prater moving to stop the process of expansion, and getting support from the majority of the board. Calling that move “symbolic,” Jeff Irwin said he plans to bring a resolution to the Aug. 4 board meeting that will officially propose the expansion.

Several other items related to financial matters. The board approved an initiative to put more government information online, especially regarding budget and finance. They discussed and authorized re-funding bonds requested by Dexter Township, and noted with some concern that Dexter Township isn’t alone in its struggle to meet bond payments. And county administrator Verna McDaniel signaled her intent to hire Kelly Belknap as the county’s new finance director, replacing Peter Ballios, a 38-year veteran of the county who retired at the end of 2009.

The board also approved a brownfield plan for a project in downtown Ypsilanti, and set public hearings for Aug. 4 regarding two additional brownfield plans – the Near North housing project and Zingerman’s Deli expansion, both in Ann Arbor. The board is also expected to vote on those plans at the Aug. 4 meeting. [Full Story]

The Ann Arbor-based author of the Mother’s Kitchen blog gives a “status to target” update on her list of 46 things to accomplish, set on the occasion of her 46th birthday. [She also conveniently explains the term "status to target," taken from the field of automotive engineering.] Here are two items she’s crossed off her list: “No. 30: Continue being a canning exhibitionist by demonstrating canning at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market. No. 31: Attend the Local Food Summit and speak out on the importance of making sure local food is available for all, not just the rich.” [Source]

Pittsfield Township homeowners James and Katharina Bergman are featured in a Detroit Free Press article about people who are finding good deals on houses in the $100,000 to $200,000 price range. Says James Bergman of their 1,853-square-foot home, which they bought for $185,000: “I think we got a lot of house for our money.” [Source]

On Saturday, the Ann Arbor Democratic Party hosted a forum for candidates contesting the 18th District state Senate seat: Rebekah Warren, Thomas Partridge, and Pam Byrnes.

Left to right: Rebekah Warren, Thomas Partridge, Pam Byrnes

Warren and Byrnes currently represent the 53rd and 52nd districts of the House, respectively. Partridge may be familiar to Chronicle readers as a frequent speaker during public commentary at the meetings of various public bodies. Partridge’s remarks are recorded in more than 50 Chronicle meeting reports since the publication’s launch in September 2008.

Each of the three candidates sought to differentiate themselves. Byrnes stressed the fact that her entire work career before being elected to the House had been in Washtenaw County, where she’d gotten to know the specific concerns related to the area, thus contrasting herself with Warren, whose whole career has been in Lansing. For her part, Warren cast her work in Lansing as a positive, saying that it allowed her to actually get things done.

Partridge, who laid claim to being the most senior of the candidates, staked out a position as a reform candidate, and reflected back on the 1960s when he’d financed his college education at Michigan State University – by selling a prize-winning Angus steer.

Audience questions written on cards were administered to the candidates by Jim Leonard of The Ann Arbor Observer. The order of the remarks as presented here reflects the same relative order as they were made at the candidate forum. [Full Story]