Archive for July, 2011

At its July 21, 2011 meeting, the University of Michigan board of regents approved a $116 million “deep” renovation of East Quad. The 300,000-square-foot residence hall – located at 701 E. University, between Hill and Willard – houses about 860 students and the Residential College. The project is part of a campus-wide ”Residential Life Initiative” first presented to regents in September 2004. Other residence halls – including Alice Lloyd Hall and Stockwell Hall on South Observatory, and Couzens Hall on East Ann Street, among others – have undergone similar renovations since then.

The pending renovation has caused concern in some quarters. At the regents’ May 19, 2011 meeting, philosophy professor Carl Cohen passionately urged regents to intercede in the renovation of East Quad … [Full Story]

A $1.6 million renovation to North Hall – which houses the University of Michigan’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs for the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force – was approved by the UM board of regents at their July 21, 2011 meeting. The 48,000-square-foot building, located at 1105 N. University, was originally constructed in 1900 to house the university’s homeopathic medical department. The project will be designed by the architectural firm of Smith Group, with construction set to be completed in the winter of 2012.

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the Fleming administration building, on UM’s Ann Arbor campus. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

At its July 21, 2011 meeting, the University of Michigan board of regents signed off on 10 items that required disclosure under the state’s Conflict of Interest statute. The law requires that regents vote on potential conflict-of-interest disclosures related to university staff, faculty or students. Often, the items involve technology licensing agreements or leases.

This month, the items included purchase-of-service, research and licensing agreements, among other items. The disclosures related to the following companies and individuals: Monkey Shavers Productions, Arbor Research Collaborative for Health, Melisa Schuster, Sakti3 Inc., Reveal Design Automation Inc., 3D Biomatrix, Edington Associates, and NanoBio Corp.

This brief was filed from the regents meeting in the boardroom of the Fleming administration building on UM’s Ann Arbor campus. A more … [Full Story]

The University of Michigan Alumni Association, located at Washington and Fletcher, has set up a webcam that’s streaming live video of the Street Art Fair. A log-in is required, but it’s possible to log in as a guest, without registering a password. [Source] Another live webcam – which refreshes every 5 seconds – overlooks the art fairs at the intersection of South State and North University. It’s positioned from the second-floor office of the Organizational Engineering Institute in Nickels Arcade. [Source]

Ann Arbor city council meeting (July 18, 2011): Councilmembers completed their first two significant tasks in under an hour on Monday evening.

During the time reserved for council communications at the start of the meeting, councilmembers decided to reconsider a 5-4 vote they’d taken on July 5. That vote, which failed to achieve a six-vote majority, had the outcome of rejecting an increase to Recycle Ann Arbor‘s contract to provide curbside recycling service in the city. After agreeing to reconsider the vote, the issue was again fresh before the council.

Councilmembers then unanimously agreed to postpone action on the contract until the next meeting, which falls on Aug. 4 – after the Aug. 2 city council primary elections. Based on remarks from Carsten Hohnke (Ward 5), it appears likely that the council may discontinue a contract with RecycleBank (an incentive program provider) in order to free up funds to supplement Recycle Ann Arbor’s contract.

Next up was a resolution that had been moved forward on the council’s agenda to a spot before all the consent agenda items. After brief deliberations, the council agreed to offer its open city administrator position to Steve Powers. The decision for Powers over another finalist, Ellie Oppenheim, came after two rounds of interviews on July 12-13, including a televised session on the morning of July 13. [Previous Chronicle coverage: "Search Concluding for Ann Arbor City Admin"]

Although Monday’s meeting was brief, the council ticked through a raft of significant votes after those two main business items. The expected start of the East Stadium bridges reconstruction project was reflected in the approval of stormwater control projects near the construction site, and in the approval of a deal to use land as a construction staging area. For a property just down State Street from the bridge, but unrelated to the project, the council approved a sanitary sewer hookup at the location where Biercamp Artisan Sausage and Jerky has opened for business.

Related to the city’s emphasis on the natural environment, the council approved a contract that will allow the planting of 1,200 trees in city rights of way, and added 110 acres of land to the city’s greenbelt program.

The city renewed its membership in the Urban County, a consortium of local governmental entities that allows the city to receive federal funds through a variety of federal U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs. The council also appointed Tony Derezinski (Ward 2) as a hearing officer for liquor license revocation recommendations. Initial approval was also given to two ordinance changes related to employee benefits – one of them for union employee retirement benefits, the other for non-union retiree health benefits.

Only three people addressed the council during public commentary at the start of the meeting. Two of them were the owners of businesses – Earthen Jar and Jerusalem Garden – adjacent to the construction site of the underground parking structure along Fifth Avenue. They reiterated the same theme they’d conveyed to the board of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (DDA) at that body’s July 6 meeting – their business is suffering due to the construction.

And related to the DDA, Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3) continued a pattern of using his council communications slot to update his colleagues on his campaign to press the DDA to provide more information about its budget. It’s a highlight of his re-election campaign in Ward 3, where he’s contesting a three-way primary on Aug. 2. [Full Story]

Local musician Chris Bathgate has launched a Kickstarter fundraising campaign to build a sustainable “touring vehicle.” From his Kickstarter page: “Touring bands burn a lot of gas. Chris alone this year has needed over 700 gallons this year for touring. Waste vegetable oil powered vehicles still require a small amount of diesel to operate, but significantly less. Gas is Chris’ biggest expense on the road. So decreasing the overhead for touring means a more reasonable wage for him and his band, a more sustainable career, and the ability to fund other projects like recording, creative packaging, and an overall higher quality of life on the road.” [Source]

On July 13, 2011, the local League of Women Voters hosted debates for Ann Arbor city council candidates in all wards that have a contested Democratic primary election – Ward 2, Ward 3, and Ward 5. The primary takes place on Aug. 2.

This report focuses on Ward 5, where incumbent Mike Anglin is seeking re-election for his third two-year term on the city council. [See also previous Chronicle coverage of the 2011 Democratic primary: "Ann Arbor Ward 5: Democratic Primary 2011"]

Anglin is retired from a teaching career, and is now an owner of a bed and breakfast on the city’s Old West Side. He was first elected in 2007 after winning a Democratic primary against incumbent Wendy Woods. Neal Elyakin, an administrator in the Washtenaw Intermediate School District, is also seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination. The winner will face Republican Stuart Berry in the Nov. 8 general election.

In response to the alternating questions offered by the LWV moderator, neither candidate offered comments that were terribly dramatic.

Anglin took the occasion to talk about a familiar range of topics: the smaller issues he enjoys helping residents solve; his opposition to the proposed Fuller Road Station; his belief that parks need to be defended against their possible sale; his criticism of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority as a non-elected government entity; and his view of Ann Arbor as a small town that happens to be home to the University of Michigan.

Elyakin spoke of retaining the small-town feel of Ann Arbor (describing specific parks where his children used to play) while at the same time envisioning responsible, reasonable growth that would rely on a regional approach, investments in transportation systems, and an important planning role for the DDA.

After the jump, our coverage includes: an annotated verbatim transcript of the candidates’ remarks at the LWV debate; paraphrases of the questions posed to them; and some highlights from the candidates’ remarks broken down in a bit more detail.

The transcript formed the basis of the top-100 word-frequency analysis shown in the Word Cloud 1 and Word Cloud 2. Close observers of Ann Arbor city politics may be able to match candidates with clouds, without scrolling past the jump. [Full Story]

The Detroit Free Press reports on customer reactions to the closing of Borders, the Ann Arbor-based bookstore chain, and interviews customers at the flagship store in downtown Ann Arbor. One of those customers is Mary Hays, a Saline resident who works at the Bank of Ann Arbor: ”We are always at Borders. We have family outings at Borders. It’s very sad. There is something to be said about a book in the hand.” [Source]

Ann Arbor District Library board meeting (July 18, 2011): Library board members quickly dispatched their business in the public portion of Monday’s regular meeting. The 15-minute session included a brief review of end-of-the-fiscal-year finances, as well as a report from AADL director Josie Parker.

As part of her comments to the board, Parker congratulated trustee Ed Surovell for receiving the Michigan Library Association‘s 2011 Trustee Citation of Merit – the highest award given by that organization. Surovell – owner of the eponymous Ann Arbor real estate firm – has served on the AADL board for 16 years and was a member of its inaugural elected board in 1996, when the library became an independent entity.

In describing his contributions to libraries over the years on the local, state and national levels, Parker also noted that Surovell’s personal library is the envy of many book collectors. “He understands books at their heart,” she said, “and they clearly live in his.” [Full Story]

Vicki Briganti – a writer/producer for WWJ-TV, the CBS affiliate in Detroit – writes about her experiences working at the 1993 Ann Arbor art fairs for the Michigan Guild: “I must have walked at least 20 miles each day of the fair. We were blessed with beautiful, dry weather that summer. On the Tuesday the week of the fair, our team measured booth space and chalked the streets. As an Art Fair Street Manager, your role is to solve problems and supervise the volunteers in the information booth. Questions range from the mundane: ‘Where are the bathrooms?’ to the vague: ‘Where’s the booth with the guy who makes ducks?’ to the scary: ‘Can you help me find my child?’” [Source]

At a special meeting held on July 19, 2011, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board authorized appointment of three of its board members to serve on an unincorporated Act 196 board (U196), with the direction to move towards creation of an active Act 196 transit authority for countywide transportation. There was no discussion among board members on this item prior to their vote.

Act 196 of 1986 is a state statute that provides for creation of transit authorities that encompass wider geographic areas than just cities. It’s the legislation on which a countywide authority for Washtenaw County would likely be based. Under one proposal that has been presented by the AATA to various public bodies, a fully incorporated Act 196 board would have 15 members countywide, with seven of them coming from Ann Arbor.

The rationale for appointing only three members of the current AATA board to the U196 board is to avoid the possibility that the actions of four or more members of the AATA board (a quorum of its members) as a part of the U196 would be understood as the action of the AATA board.

The same resolution authorized the AATA’s CEO to use AATA resources to support an unincorporated Act 196 board. The language of the resolution differed in a subtle but significant way from a draft resolution considered but not voted on by the AATA board at a meeting held on June 3 in a retreat-style format at Weber’s Inn. The draft language from that meeting read “… the AATA Chief Executive Officer shall use the resources of the Authority as needed and as appropriate …” The version of the resolution approved by the board at its July 19 meeting read “… the AATA Chief Executive Officer shall use the resources of the Authority as budgeted by the AATA Board.”

Recent Chronicle coverage: “AATA Finalizes Transit Plan for Washtenaw”

This brief was filed shortly after the July 19 AATA board meeting, which took place at the AATA headquarters at 2700 South Industrial Highway. A more detailed report will follow: [link] [Full Story]

At a special meeting held on July 19, 2011, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board authorized a $193,317 extension of its contract with Steer Davies Gleave (SDG), a consultant hired last year to work on developing AATA’s transit master plan. The contract extension will provide for services from SDG through December 2012.

The original contract with SDG was for $399,805. It was previously extended and increased at the AATA board’s Nov. 18, 2010 meeting by an amount not to exceed $32,500.

The services that the additional contract award is expected to cover includes (1) providing support to an ad hoc countywide transit funding task force; (2) developing “District Recommendations” for services; (3) creating “service development plans” for specific services; (4) creating a fares and ticketing plan with two components: a near‐term component aimed at rationalizing the current AATA fare structure, and a longer‐term component designed to create a countywide fare policy and structure; and (5) doing other studies and planning activities to support ongoing countywide transit development efforts.

This brief was filed shortly after the AATA board met at its headquarters on 2700 South Industrial Highway. A more detailed report will follow: [link] [Full Story]

At a special meeting held on July 19, 2011, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board authorized a policy establishing a goal that 3.4% of U.S. Dept. of Transportation contracting opportunities be given to disadvantaged businesses.

The U.S. DOT requires that entities receiving federal funds have a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program and that the program include the kind of goals the board approved. The AATA policy approved by the board specifies that of the 3.4%, 2% is to be achieved through “race conscious” methods and the remaining 1.4% through “race neutral” methods.

This brief was filed shortly after the AATA board met at its headquarters on 2700 South Industrial Highway. A more detailed report will follow: [link] [Full Story]

At a special meeting held on July 19, 2011, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board authorized expenditures for a range of different capital projects at the site of its headquarters on South Industrial Highway. They included an expansion of the bus storage facility, replacement of bus hoists, a blanket contract for concrete work, and detention pond and landscaping improvements.

The $2.4 million cost of the bus storage facility project will be financed using a combination of roughly $1 million in ARRA (federal stimulus) funds and $1.4 million in existing federal formula funds. The $980,500 bus hoist replacement will be financed by a combination of existing grants and from federal formula funds. The blanket concrete contract lasts for five years for up to $250,000 worth of concrete work for the contract period. The detention pond work will cost $98,500 and will be financed through a combination of Federal Transit Authority funds and federal formula funds.

This brief was filed shortly after the AATA board meeting, which took place at the AATA headquarters at 2700 South Industrial Highway: [link] [Full Story]

Ann Arbor greenbelt advisory commission meeting (July 13, 2011): After discussing several options to expand the boundaries of Ann Arbor’s greenbelt program, members of the greenbelt advisory commission (GAC) ultimately voted to postpone action until their next meeting. Several commissioners expressed a desire to give the proposal more thought. One issue raised was whether extending the boundaries would cause Ann Arbor taxpayers to feel that their dollars are being spent to preserve land too far away from the city.

A subcommittee of GAC has been evaluating a potential greenbelt boundary change since November 2010. Options included expanding in Salem Township and Lodi Township to “square” off the boundaries, and allowing properties adjacent to the greenbelt to be eligible for the program. Another option would be to create a one-mile “buffer” around the existing boundaries, and include properties within that buffer if they met stricter criteria. Whatever recommendation GAC eventually makes would require Ann Arbor city council approval.

Also at July’s meeting, commissioners got an update on Scio Township’s land preservation efforts from Barry Lonik (a consultant who works with the township) and Bruce Manny (a member of the township’s land preservation commission). Lonik noted that the township’s 10-year, half-mill land preservation millage expires in 2014. The land preservation commission would like to get a renewal on the November 2012 ballot, to coincide with higher voter turnout for the presidential election.

It was the first meeting for GAC’s newest commissioner, Liz Rother, who was appointed by the city council in June to replace term-limited Jennifer Santi Hall. Another position, held by former GAC member Gil Omenn, remains vacant. Dan Ezekiel – who was elected GAC’s chair at the meeting – urged anyone who’s interested in serving on the commission to contact their city councilmember.

During his communications to fellow commissioners, Ezekiel noted the recent death of “Grandpa” Don Botsford, calling him a real pioneer and champion of land preservation in this area. Botsford was man who lived in poverty rather than sell his land to developers, Ezekiel said. He eventually sold part of his property’s development rights to Scio Township, in partnership with Ann Arbor’s greenbelt program – it’s now known as the Botsford Recreational Preserve, near M-14 and Miller Road. Botsford introduced thousands of people to the natural environment, Ezekiel said, so it was fitting to note his contribution and his passing. [Full Story]

Detroit News columnist Daniel Howes writes about the downfall of Borders, the Ann Arbor-based bookstore chain that announced on Monday its plans to shut down. ”The coming liquidation of the Borders brothers’ creation is more than another spasm of Schumpeterian ‘creative destruction.’ An icon in a town that worships icons will disappear from the corner of Liberty and State. Yet another Michigan company will go the way of so many other familiar names – Upjohn and Crowley Milner, Handleman and Gerber – gobbled up in a corporate sweepstakes that seldom works in the Big Mitten’s favor. And we get another piece of discomfiting evidence that the era launched by Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press in 1440 is endangered by the accelerating digitalization of … [Full Story]

At its July 18, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council authorized the purchase of development rights for a 110-acre property along Pleasant Lake Road in Lodi Township – the Lindemann-Weidmayer property. The city’s cost for the PDR will be $387,372. The total budget for the project is $699,992, including contributions from other funding sources.

On Feb. 7, 2011 the council had already approved a grant application to the federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program for the purchase of development rights on the property. And on June 6, 2011 the council approved the acceptance of $312,620 from the USDA for the purchase. The deal had been recommended by the city’s greenbelt advisory commission, after discussion in a closed session at its Feb. 9, 2011 meeting.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link] [Full Story]

At its July 18, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council approved a $301,475 contract with Marine City Nursery Company to plant 1,200 trees in the right-of-way of streets in the Malletts Creek, Allen Creek, Traver Creek and Swift Run Drainage Districts. [.pdf of map showing areas to be targeted for tree planting]

The money for the tree planting will come from the stormwater fund’s capital budget. The Washtenaw County water resources commissioner has obtained a low-interest loan on behalf of the city through the state’s revolving fund loan and will reimburse the stormwater fund for part of the project. The rationale for use of stormwater funds to plant trees is based on the idea that trees have a positive impact on the volume and quality of stormwater flow.

The city received only two bids for the tree-planting contract, and only the bid from Marine City Nursery Company was determined to be a responsible bid.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link] [Full Story]

At its July 18, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council authorized petitions to the Washtenaw County water resources commissioner for the design and construction of stormwater controls as a part of the East Stadium bridges replacement project. The bridge project is expected to start construction in the fall of 2011.

The council authorized two petitions – one for the Allen Creek drainage district ($1,094,059 – with the city’s portion being $1,051,391) and the other for the Mallets Creek drainage district ($1,284,330 – with the city’s portion being $1,188,005).

The stormwater controls will provide for detention to slow the rate at which stormwater enters the two creeks. That will help reduce bank erosion and excessive runoff and washout. In addition, the stormwater controls will help remove E. coli, phosphorus, and other suspended solids that diminish the stream quality.

The city has been approved for a low-interest state revolving fund loan at an interest rate of 2.5%. The projects will be financed over the course of no more than 20 years. [Google Map showing watersheds and bridge construction location]

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link] [Full Story]

At its July 18, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council authorized joining the Urban County for a second three-year period from July 2012 through June 2015.

“Urban County” is a designation of the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, identifying a county with more than 200,000 people. With that designation, individual governments within the Urban County can become members, making them entitled to an allotment of funding through a variety of HUD programs, including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships. Those two programs provide funding for projects to benefit low- and moderate-income residents, focused on housing, human services and other community development efforts.

Washtenaw County and the townships of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Pittsfield, Superior, Northfield, Salem, and Bridgewater got the Urban County designation in 2002. Later, the city of Ypsilanti and Scio Township joined, and in 2009 the city of Ann Arbor – which previously received HUD funding directly – joined as well, roughly doubling the amount of money available in the Urban County’s funding pool.

The renewal application needs to be submitted to the Detroit HUD Field Office by July 15, 2011 from all participating jurisdictions.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]  [Full Story]