Archive for November, 2010

On her Relish blog, photographer Myra Klarman documents – in words and images – the recent Pioneer Theatre Guild production of “Hairspray”: “Everything was spot-on: the costumes, sets, props, hair and makeup, lighting, sound, orchestra, direction and choreography, the poster, the singing and acting (the actors so convincingly ‘embodied’ their characters), as well as all the other important elements that I’m forgetting to list. It came together so seamlessly and with such spirit that the joyful music lives in your heart for days, weeks, and (based on my experiences with past Pioneer Theatre Guild triumphs) months and years.” [Source]

The Detroit Free Press reports on individuals who are taking advantage of Michigan’s new cottage food law, which loosened licensing regulations for certain types of prepared foods. The article quotes Martha Dopkowski of Milan, who now sells baked goods at the Ypsilanti Farmers Market: “The Cottage Food Bill passing when it did was a godsend to me…. It has really helped us save our shirts.” But she notes that not everyone is happy about it: “There has been a certain amount of grumbling from the ones that do have the licensed kitchens. They say they’ve paid all these fees and … people are undercutting their business.” [Source]

Crain’s Detroit Business publishes a wide-ranging interview with UM athletic director David Brandon, focused on his efforts to bolster the Michigan brand in the wake of NCAA violations and losing streaks. Part of that effort includes hiring the department’s first chief marketing officer – a national search is underway for that job. Says Brandon: “It’s a brand that’s incredibly well known in the Midwest, it’s got a real terrific national following, it’s got a global presence. We need to continue to reinforce what the brand stands for.” [Source]

Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education study session (Nov. 10, 2010): Last Wednesday evening saw the unveiling of the Ann Arbor Public School’s “achievement gap elimination plan,” a document outlining the comprehensive set of strategies being used by the district to close the gaps in academic achievement between different groups of students. Preschool achievement data, positive behavior support programs at the middle school level, and a newly-created fifth grade social studies unit on African civilizations were highlighted as examples of the plan’s initiatives.

The meeting also included a review of secondary discipline data that showed disproportionate numbers of male students and African-American students receiving suspensions.

In response, the board made some suggestions on data collection processes and possible cross-references that could add depth to the analysis of student assessment and discipline data. [Full Story]

Just before their Thursday post-election meeting on Nov. 4, Ann Arbor city councilmembers heard a work session presentation from the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. The hour-long work session covered the DDA’s proposal for a process to develop city-owned downtown surface parking lots. It’s a process in which the DDA would play a leading role. The DDA’s proposal has evolved in the course of ongoing discussions between the city and the DDA since early summer.

The DDA will make  another work session presentation before the city council’s meeting on Monday, Nov. 15 – this one about the parking contract under which the DDA uses city-owned assets like decks, lots, and streets to manage the city’s parking system. The current $10-million contract runs through 2015. But the DDA has already paid the city $12 million on that contract, and the city wants an even better deal. Although it won’t be part of the parking contract language, the DDA sees the ability to take more leadership in the development of city-owned surface lots as part of the benefit it would get from a renegotiated parking deal with the city.

For the city, the parking deal is crucial for its budget planning for FY 2012. Already at its mid-October meeting, some city councilmembers began to raise questions about projections for FY 2012. The council must approve the FY 2012 budget this coming May. [The city's fiscal year begins on July 1 each year – the current budget year is FY 2011.] This past May, the city’s projected budget deficit for FY 2012 was $5 million, which already assumed an additional $2 million payment from the DDA.

There are likely enough votes on the 12-member DDA board to approve the new deal. And based on the most recent city-DDA discussions, the new arrangement is likely to take the form of a percentage-of-gross arrangement – 17.5% of gross parking revenues would be paid to the city.

But here’s a different way to describe the arrangement: The city of Ann Arbor would impose a 17.5% parking tax on downtown motorists. That is, downtown parking patrons will pay exactly 17.5% more to park than is actually required for the public parking system to sustain itself, in order that general fund revenues for the city of Ann Arbor can be supplemented.

And to derive support for the city of Ann Arbor general fund from the parking system, the DDA’s parking fund will operate at a greater deficit for the next few years than it would if the city honored the current parking contract. During that period, the DDA’s tax increment finance revenues – the amount it captures from other taxing authorities besides the city of Ann Arbor – will need to remain uninvested on behalf of the broader community. The unspent TIF fund balance will be able to offset the parking fund deficit, leaving the DDA still solvent, but barely so.

Two important questions have been ignored in the course of the city-DDA negotiations: (1) Is it appropriate to use non-city TIF funds – from the county, Ann Arbor District Library, Washtenaw Community College and Ann Arbor Transportation Authority – to offset the parking fund deficit caused by striking a new parking deal with the city? and (2) If the city’s public parking system generates more revenue than is required to operate and maintain it, what investment of that excess revenue would yield the greatest and best return for the community? [Full Story]

The Wall Street Journal reports on Ann Arbor’s approach to regulating medical marijuana dispensaries, noting that city council will hold a public hearing on the issue on Monday, Nov. 15. The article quotes Eric Mahler, chair of the city’s planning commission, which recommended zoning changes related to medical marijuana: “Some people think there should be no regulation while some people say they are genuinely concerned about safety in the community and the impact on kids. The state statute does not offer a lot of guidance about where these medical marijuana dispensaries should go.” [Source]

Writing in Psychology Today’s Good Life blog, UM professor Christopher Peterson describes the phenomenon of getting lost in buildings, and what that means as a metaphor for life: “I have been teaching in East Hall at the University of Michigan for a decade. My office is also in this building, as are 95% of the meetings I attend. But when I am inside East Hall, especially its windowless classrooms, I have no idea where I am in relationship to the outside world. In a lecture, I will refer to Ypsilanti or Detroit, and then wave my hand in the direction where I believe these cities to be located. Many students snicker, and tell me I am pointing toward Marquette, or … [Full Story]

Ann Arbor Planning Commission meeting (Nov. 3, 2010): Banks provided a leitmotif for the most recent regular meeting of the planning commission.

The PNC Bank building in Ann Arbor, at the corner of Main and Huron, illustrating planning commissioner Kirk Westphal's point that banks tend to create urban "dead zones."

A request to add a parking lot at the University Bank headquarters in the former Hoover Mansion was revisited during public commentary – the proposal had been discussed and postponed at the commission’s Oct. 19 meeting. Bank president Stephen Ranzini returned and spoke during public commentary on Nov. 3, citing additional reasons why commissioners should grant the request, which planning staff had recommended rejecting.

Later in the meeting, commissioner Kirk Westphal reprised a cheeky slideshow he’d given during the recent annual conference of the Michigan Association of Planning. One slide showed an image of a bank robbery taking place, as Westphal narrated: “I contend that what this thief is stealing from the bank doesn’t even come close to what underused banks, like this one, steal from the vitality of a downtown.”

Commissioner Evan Pratt also gave a presentation that he’d delivered at the conference, focused on the use of roundabouts as an alternative to a traditional intersection, or the “axis of evil.” Their presentations were given in the “Pecha Kucha” style – Chronicle readers might be familiar with a similar format if they’ve attended Ignite Ann Arbor events.

Intersecting the topics of parks and planning, but without the playful overtones, commissioners passed a resolution recommending that city council distribute a draft of the Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation Open Space (PROS) plan to neighboring communities and stakeholders, as required by state law. The draft plan, revised every five years, will be posted on the city’s website for public feedback after council approves distribution. [Full Story]

Ann Arbor Public Art Commission meeting (Nov. 9, 2010): At a meeting lasting just over three hours, AAPAC commissioners approved a pilot program that aims to add at least two murals per year throughout the city.

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. [Full Story]

Jo Mathis

At the sobering close of the Michigan-Michigan State game, I turned to walk out of the stadium.

“I’m sorry I was cheering so loud,” said the friendly Michigan State fan behind me.

“No problem,” I said. “I found some earplugs in my pocket.”

I then pulled back my hair and revealed the Jujyfruits candy I’d brought with me to nibble on, but decided instead to use as noise-blockers. They were pliable and non-sticky – much better than real ear plugs. In fact, I spent much of the fourth quarter wondering why the good folks at Jujyfruits don’t promote this idea.

“Quirky,” said me husband, using the word my family frequently dubs my common sense solutions to life’s little challenges.

We all think we know best, and that our way is the best way. But I insist there is always more than one right way to do anything. [Full Story]

The blog Repasts, Present & Future reports on Tuesday’s Mitten WineFest fundraiser, held at Hathaway’s Hideaway to highlight Michigan wines and local food, and to support the nonprofit Growing Hope and the Farmer Fund, which raises money to build hoop houses. From the post: “First, a huge thank you to Joel Goldberg who came up with the idea of supporting Selma Cafe with a wine tasting party. Joel has a real passion for good wine, and he writes regularly for the Ann Arbor Chronicle. Joel volunteered his time and energy, and his easy-going style of enjoying wines created a wonderfully relaxed evening for all of us.” [Source]

Only a few minutes after voting ended at 8 p.m. on the evening of Nov. 2, CNN used exit polling conducted throughout the day to call the Michigan governor’s race in favor of Republican Rick Snyder. Even before polls opened, the only real question for most analysts was the margin of Snyder’s expected victory.

Eberwhite Elementary School, Ward 5 Precinct 6 on Nov. 2, 2010, election day. Note that the sky is blue, not on fire. (Photo by the writer.)

Margin of victory was also the main interest offered in local races, but with expectations for the identity of the victorious party reversed from the gubernatorial contest. Ann Arbor voters returned Democratic incumbents to five city council seats and the mayorship. For Steve Bean, who mounted an independent campaign for mayor, and for city council challengers Republican John Floyd (Ward 5), independent Newcombe Clark (Ward 5) and Libertarian Emily Salvette (Ward 2), the final raw tally did not offer many bright spots.

Bean managed about 18% of the vote in the mayor’s race. Floyd and Clark drew 22% and 9%, respectively, in the Ward 5 city council race, and Salvette received 21% in the Ward 2 council contest. Unless they are robots, it’s hard to imagine that any of their egos escaped completely unscathed. And despite the fact that Newcombe Clark’s door hangers depict a very cheerful robot with an NC insignia, I do not believe that Clark himself is a robot. So at some level, given their sheer humanity, the results must feel at least a little bit like a personal rejection by the electorate.

On the flip side, it’s hard to imagine that an incumbent like mayor John Hieftje, or Carsten Hohnke (Ward 5) or Tony Derezinski (Ward 2) – perhaps even more so Sandi Smith (Ward 1), Christopher Taylor (Ward 3) and Margie Teall (Ward 4), who were all elected unopposed – could interpret the results as anything less than an overwhelming endorsement of their job performance.

Challengers and incumbents alike would be wrong in those interpretations, I think.

But as far as local races go, far more interesting to me than performing a postmortem on the council and mayor’s campaigns would be to take a look at the race for the library board, where there was little campaigning by the candidates. The outcome was not completely clear until the votes from outside the city and all absentee ballots from the city of Ann Arbor had been counted. That came at around 4 a.m. – almost eight hours after CNN had already called the governor’s race.

Vivienne Armentrout would have been a winning choice of city of Ann Arbor voters who voted in person at the polls. But once absentee ballots and votes from outside the city were included, she narrowly missed joining the board. Instead, incumbents Barbara Murphy, Edward Surovell, and Jan Barney Newman retained their seats. [Full Story]

The Detroit News provides an analysis of what governor-elect Rick Snyder’s background in the tech industry means for the future of Michigan, and how it might mark an “economic power shift toward high-tech and health-related ventures in university cities such as Ann Arbor and away from traditional factory jobs in historic manufacturing centers such as Detroit and Flint.” [Source]

Michigan Radio reports on a recent UM study concerning treatment time and heart attack survival rate. According to the study, a speedier treatment has no effect on survival rate after heart attacks. The study comes in direct refutation of the traditional assumption that more efficient treatment ameliorates survival rates. The American Heart Association recommends that patients having a heart attack reach the hospital in 90 minutes or less. Between 2003 to 2008, UM hospitals helped heart attack patients get treatment roughly 40 minutes faster, yet no corresponding decrease in deaths occurred. [Source]

A discussion that at times grew heated during a Nov. 8 administrative briefing for the Washtenaw County board of commissioners reflected different views on the issue of how much it costs to put a sheriff’s deputy on patrol.

The briefing, held the week prior to the regular board meeting, is designed to review the upcoming agenda, and is typically attended by a majority of the 11 commissioners. This week, in addition to items already slated for the agenda, two commissioners proposed additional resolutions to be considered at the Nov. 17 meeting: 1) a resolution regarding a cost recommendation recently made by the county’s police services steering committee, and 2) a resolution to eliminate commissioner per diems and reimbursements for travel, conferences and other meetings.

Six commissioners attended the briefing, and debate on each of those proposed resolutions was vigorous during the hour-long meeting. However, commissioners seemed in agreement on another item brought up for discussion on Monday: discontent with the Washtenaw County Road Commission. [Full Story]

The Detroit News looks at the upcoming Congressional redistricting process, and notes that Republicans – with control of both the state legislature and the governor’s office – will have a dominant position in the redistricting effort. The article quotes UM political science professor Michael Traugott, who says that redistricting “can make or break a party’s ability to win a district. The impact can be enormous.” [Source]

USA Today reports on the controversial issue of religion as a factor in doctor-patient relations. One recent study led by UM emergency medical doctor Aasim Padela found that Muslim women would often delay medical care unless given a doctor of the same sex, in accordance with their religious beliefs. Padela says that simply acknowledging that a patient might be uncomfortable and asking how to put them at ease can relieve anxiety, according to the report. [Source]

Mittenfest, an annual celebration of local music, has announced its band list for this year’s edition. The four-day event, which takes place from Dec. 30-Jan. 2 at Ypsilanti’s Savoy, includes 60 bands on 2 stages. This is the fifth year the festival has taken place – one for every finger plus a thumb that will fit inside a mitten. [Source]

[Editor's Note: HD, a.k.a. Dave Askins, editor of The Ann Arbor Chronicle, is also publisher of an online series of interviews on a teeter totter. Introductions to new Teeter Talks appear on The Chronicle.]

Last Thursday afternoon, I wheeled the mobile teeter totter down Liberty Street to the Michigan Theater, to the exact spot where John Roos [proprietor of Roos Roast Coffee] and I had tottered back in the spring of 2008.

I have no idea who these people are. What they're proving is that if you set up a teeter totter in front of a crowded theater, passers-by will just hop on and start teeter tottering. (Photos by the writer.)

The occasion was a ride with Nick Prueher, who together with Joe Pickett co-founded the Found Footage Festival. The festival is a celebration of old, found VHS tapes. It has toured the country for the last six years – each year Prueher and Pickett curate a new show. The 2010 edition passed through Ann Arbor last Thursday.

Imagine an exercise video featuring Angela Lansbury in a bath towel giving herself a massage. Or imagine a sexual harassment training video – how to recognize and avoid it, not how to perpetrate it – featuring a guy in a lunchroom holding up a piece of fruit and asking, “What do you think of my banana?”

These are the sorts of videotapes that Prueher and Pickett have sifted through by the thousands. They culled out the very best to make a part of their show, which they host and comment on live in theaters across the land.

On the totter, Prueher discussed with me the requirement that the videos they collect be “found.” The story of how the tapes were found – in many cases in thrift stores – are as important as what’s on the tape, he said. They’ve been producing the Found Footage Festival for long enough that people now send in videos they’ve found – and the story of how they’re found is archived along with the contents of the tape.

But Prueher described on the totter how there could be a kind of “taint” attached to a collection, if someone just sent in, say for example, a bunch of training videos that they themselves produced and directed back in the early 1990s. He also talked about his internship on Mystery Science Theater.

It was the notion of an authentic “find” that I found most intriguing. So I’d like to tie that into a short reflection about The Chronicle’s Stopped.Watched. section and The Muehlig Funeral Chapel at Fourth and William Street in downtown Ann Arbor. [Full Story]