Archive for September, 2011

At its Sept. 6, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council voted to appropriate $82,500 from its open space and parkland preservation millage to acquire the property at 5 W. Eden Court. The Eden Court property is immediately adjacent to the Bryant Community Center.

The 2011 taxes on the property were estimated at $1,400, which would be eliminated from the city’s tax base, once the property becomes public land. The parcel could be used to expand the community center’s programming services. It could also be used in other ways in support of the city’s park and recreation system.

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 Sept. 6, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council approved a $120,000 change to its fiscal year 2012 budget to include an expenditure from its major street fund to reconstruct the pedestrian bridge in the Lansdowne neighborhood, connecting Morehead and Delaware drives. The bridge is located in Ward 4.

A bid to postpone the measure by Tony Derezinski (Ward 2) failed to gain support from any other councilmember.

The bridge has been a topic of neighborhood concern dating back at least to the 2010 Ward 4 Democratic primary race between Margie Teall and Jack Eaton, a race won by the incumbent Teall. The neighborhood association owns the structures under the bridge (a “weir” or short dam-like structure), while the city owns the bridge itself. Based on remarks from a candidate forum from that year, the pedestrian bridge has now been out of service for about three years.

The resolution altering the major street fund budget was sponsored by Ward 4 councilmembers Teall and Marcia Higgins.

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 Sept. 6, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council approved a month-to-month lease with The Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Foundation Inc., effective Sept. 7, 2011 for the bay of the 415 W. Washington building.

The Kiwanis Club needed the space for its warehouse sale. The club will pay a rental rate of $100 per month during the life of their tenancy. A hint that some kind of agreement between the city and Kiwanis could be in the works came at the council’s Aug. 15 meeting, when Kiwanis board member Kathy Griswold mentioned the possibility during her public commentary.

At that time, Griswold had indicated 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, previously held at Airport Boulevard Building #837.

The 415 W. Washington building and land parcel are the focus of a renewed effort by the city, begun in February 2010, to redevelop the land. The effort includes city staff, councilmembers and advocates for the arts and for the Allen Creek greenway. The council received an update on that effort earlier this year. The group involved in trying to redevelop the land had identified funds that had allowed the hiring of a grant writer, and it was hoped that $100,000 could be found to support further studies.

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 Sept. 6, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council authorized the allocation of $43,378 to various groups in support of events they sponsor. The largest grant was to the Ann Arbor Summer Festival – for $25,000. Most of the rest of the grants were for $1,000 to cover the city’s costs for placement of street barricades.

Awardees included the Ann Arbor Convention and Visitors Bureau, Arbor Brewing Company, the University of Michigan’s Alice Lloyd Scholars Program, and the Main Street Area Association, among others. [Google spreadsheet of awards]

The council committee recommending the award amounts consists of Sandi Smith (Ward 1) and Margie Teall (Ward 4).

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 Sept. 6, 2011 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council gave initial approval to an ordinance change that increases the city’s pension vesting period for non-union employees hired after July 1, 2011 – from five years to 10 years. It also changes the final average compensation computation so that it’s based on the the last five years of employment, not the last three years.

The preparation of the ordinance change came at the direction of the city council, which passed a resolution at its June 6, 2011 meeting asking the city administrator to bring forward ordinance revisions that for non-union employees would change health care benefits and aspects of the city’s pension plan.

Specifically, the June 6 resolution pointed to ordinance revisions that would base the final average contribution (FAC) for the pension system on the last five years of service, instead of the last three. Further, employees would be vested in the pension plan after 10 years instead of five. Finally, all new non-union hires would be provided with an access-only style health care plan, with the opportunity to buy into whatever plan active employees enjoy.

At its Aug. 4, 2011 meeting, the council gave final approval to an ordinance change that addressed the health care provision from the June 6 resolution. That ordinance change distinguishes between “subsidized retirees” and “non-subsidized retirees.” A non-subsidized retiree is someone who is hired or re-employed into a non-union position with the city on or after July 1, 2011. In their retirement, non-subsidized retirees will have access to health care they can pay for themselves, but it will not be subsidized by the city.

The ordinance change that was given initial approval at the council’s Sept. 6 meeting addresses the retirement plan portion of the June 6 resolution. All ordinance changes require approval by the council at two separate meetings, in addition to a public hearing on the change before the final vote.

The city expects that when it reaches a point when all non-union employees have been hired under the revised pension plan, the city’s costs will be $230,000 less than they would be under the current plan.

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]

The Eastern Echo, Eastern Michigan University’s student publication, reports on student reaction following Newsweek magazine’s ranking of EMU as one of the nation’s top gay-friendly universities, based on an index by the nonprofit Campus Pride. EMU ranked 18th, while the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus ranked 25th. The article quotes Andre Moses, a member of Queer Unity for Eastern Students (QUEST): “When I walk around campus every day, there are people missing limbs, or wearing no shoes, or in a wheelchair, and no one seems to notice. It seems so easy to just be yourself and express who you are; no one seems to care.” [Source]

Bloomberg News reports that Jared Pinsker, a former employee at the Borders Group headquarters in Ann Arbor, has filed a potential class-action lawsuit against Borders “alleging that employees at the head office were fired in July and August without 60 days’ notice required by federal law. If the workers have a valid claim, it may represent an expense of the Chapter 11 case that must be paid in full before there can be confirmation of a liquidating Chapter 11 plan.” The article provides other updates in the firm’s bankruptcy. [Source]

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority has released the final version of its State of the Downtown Report, which is available for download as a .pdf file from its website. It features a raft of statistical information about the district, ranging from acreage, to building square footage by category, to population trends, to real estate occupancy rates, to crime trends, and the like. Interspersed through the text are photos, including a cover photo by Seth McCubbin.  [Source]

At its Sept. 7, 2011 meeting, the board of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority will consider a resolution that names Bob Guenzel as board chair and Leah Gunn as vice chair.

The board is currently without a chair, because board member Gary Boren, who had been elected to that post by his board colleagues at their July 6, 2011 meeting, was not nominated by mayor John Hieftje for re-appointment to the board. Boren was replaced on the board by local attorney Nader Nassif.

Guenzel, who retired last year as Washtenaw County administrator, was elected vice chair of the board at the July meeting and, according to the bylaws, would perform all the duties of the chair. Gunn currently serves on the … [Full Story]

A post on Ann Arbor Schools Musings highlights two upcoming events on Thursday, Sept. 8: Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education, will be part of a panel discussion at the University of Michigan School of Education’s Prechter Laboratory (Room 2202) from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The same day, Duncan’s senior advisor, Greg Darnieder, will visit Ypsilanti’s New Tech High School, located in the former Ardis Elementary building. The UM panel discussion is open to the public, and readers who attend either of these events are urged to share their thoughts in the blog’s comment section. [Source]

The Ann Arbor Chronicle is one of the publications featured in an American Journalism Review report titled “Hyperlocal Heroes,” which looks at local online news publications nationwide. The article quotes Chronicle publisher Mary Morgan: ”One of the biggest challenges is stamina. It is a startup, and like any startup it takes a great amount of work and commitment. We work every day. We haven’t taken a vacation in three years. You get up in the morning and you’re doing Chronicle stuff, and the City Council can last until midnight on a regular basis. Twelve- to 16-hour days are not unusual.” [Source]

The Detroit News reports on how research funding at the University of Michigan and other state institutions might be affected by cutbacks in federal grants. The article quotes Stephen Forrest, UM vice president for research: “We are just hoping and semi-confident that Congress will still regard innovation as being the engine of the American economy and will continue to support it at the levels that are needed to maintain leadership.” [Source]

So after Borders, now what?

What will it take for another bookseller to open shop in the Borders/Shaman Drum neighborhood at State and Liberty, and operate a browseable place with content deep and wide? We’re talking about a books-and-mortar store a stone’s throw from the University of Michigan campus. A spot where you arrange to meet up with your husband after the two of you go your separate ways for an hour. Where you hang out until the movie starts at the Michigan Theater. Where you actually buy a book now and then – sometimes a title other than the one that got you in the real, live door.

Keith Taylor, the poet, UM creative writing teacher and veteran local bookseller, says “it will take idealism, a lot of 80-hour work weeks, a willingness to be constantly present.”

Check, check and check. This is Ann Arbor, after all.

And then there’s Taylor’s fourth condition: “A landlord willing to rent space for less than the going rate.”

“Rents in central Ann Arbor right now will not allow for an independent bookstore, or an independent anything,” he says, “until the business owner owns the building the store is in.”

Karl Pohrt concurs – and the owner of the former Shaman Drum Bookshop, but not the building that housed it, should know: “It’s essential to own the building. If they don’t, they’ll be vulnerable.”

“Rent,” replies Nicola Rooney flatly when the proprietor of Nicola’s Books is asked why she won’t consider a move from Westgate Shopping Center to the State Street area.

We knew that, really. This is downtown Ann Arbor, after all. The market apparently won’t bear an independent bookstore in that neighborhood – Shaman Drum, which was located on South State just around the corner from Borders, closed in 2009 after nearly 30 years in business. Its former storefront is now a burger joint.

So the real question is this: If the market won’t bear a full-blown downtown bookstore, how will the community respond? [Full Story]

The Washtenaw Voice, the student newspaper for Washtenaw Community College, publishes a profile of WCC’s new president, Rose Bellanca. The report includes a look at some of the conflicts during her tenure as president at St. Clair County Community College (SC4) in Port Huron, as well as her plans for WCC. The article quotes Jim Frank, an English professor at SC4: “When there was conflict, it arose from trying to enact policies without engaging with the people they would affect. I think she learned a lot from her experiences here, the sort of relationships you need to build when you’re administrating over a college, the importance of good communication and the importance of information that should be shared when possible.” [Source]

This note updates a previous brief from Sept. 3, 2011. As of Sept. 4, 11 a.m., DTE’s power outage maps indicate that around 3,000 customers are still without power within Ann Arbor. In addition, DTE’s map shows roughly 2,300 customers are without power immediately to the east of Ann Arbor, with most outages centered in Ypsilanti.

Restoration of power in Ypsilanti is indicated for Sunday, Sept. 4, between 9 and 11 p.m. Restoration of power in Ann Arbor is estimated for different areas on: Sunday, Sept. 4, (9-11 p.m);  Monday, Sept. 5 (9-11 p.m); and Wednesday, Sept. 7 (9-11 p.m.).

[Full Story]

Based on DTE online outage maps, at around 8:00 p.m. on Sept. 3, 2011 about 7,500 customers were without electrical power, due to storms that moved through the Ann Arbor area. No estimated time of return to service was indicated.

Earlier in the day, inclement weather had led to the premature end of the University of Michigan football game against Western Michigan University, which UM won 34-10. [screen capture of DTE outage map] [DTE dynamic outage map]

At an operations committee meeting of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority on Aug. 31, deputy director of the DDA Joe Morehouse noted in his update to committee members that the city of Ann Arbor and Village Green now look ready to complete the purchase option agreement for the city-owned parcel at First and Washington, with construction on the City Apartments project to start in the fall.

Interim city administrator Tom Crawford confirmed for The Chronicle via email that the construction start is now expected on Nov. 3, 2011.

City Apartments is a 9-story, 99-foot-tall building with 156 dwelling units, which includes a 244-space parking deck on its first two stories.

Based on the discussion at the DDA committee meeting, completion of the first … [Full Story]

Three years ago today, we launched The Ann Arbor Chronicle with a lot of hope but no certainty of success – we didn’t know if others would embrace our passion for intense coverage of local government and civic affairs. We’re grateful that you did – and on July 29, we hosted an open house to thank the people who’ve helped us get this far, and to honor a few of the people who make this community special.

The lead photo in this column was taken at that event, and like the other photos below, it was shot by my former Ann Arbor News colleague, Lynn Monson. Many of you will recognize Jeremy Lopatin in this image – he and his wife Aubrey are owners of Arbor Teas. They’ve been Chronicle supporters from Day One, but that’s not why we chose this photograph.

The image shows a quiet, gentle moment between a father and his child, amid the cacophony of a crowded room. It’s an intimate detail that likely passed unnoticed by most people around them. But if you were paying attention and witnessed it, it was one of the most special moments of the evening.

Details are important to The Chronicle. We pay attention to them – some might say to a fault. But we see value in the interplay of fine lines that define our community. We’ve strived to bring a finer-grain of detail to the workings of our local government, to record the context in which decisions are made that involve taxpayer dollars. For whatever role you’ve played in helping us do that – as an advertiser, subscriber, commenter, contributor or Chronicle reader and evangelist – we thank you. It’s been an interesting three years.

When we launched The Chronicle on Sept. 2, 2008, we thought we knew this community pretty well. But over the past three years we’ve encountered even more people whose generosity of spirit and commitment to the Ann Arbor area have amazed us.

So as we started thinking of how to celebrate our first three years in business, it seemed obvious that in addition to thanking people who’ve helped us get this far, it was a fitting time to honor some of the people who represent the qualities we admire and respect. And that’s the genesis of the Bezonki Awards, which we gave out at the July 29 open house, held at the Workantile Exchange on Main Street.

We asked local artist Alvey Jones, creator of the Bezonki cartoons published each month in The Chronicle, to make a physical artifact that reflected the uniqueness of this community. And each of the six Bezonki Awards is gleefully unique, at the same time futuristic and grounded in the past – some of the parts were salvaged from equipment at the former Ann Arbor News.

The people who received the 2011 Bezonkis are also unique. Yet for everyone who received an award that evening, there are dozens of others who make similar contributions, shaping this community in special ways. We are thankful for all of you, and thankful that the past three years have allowed us to get to know you in ways we didn’t anticipate.

These awards are a bit unusual in another way. In some sense, they’re just on loan. We’re asking that each winner of the Bezonki be a steward of the award for a year. They will then pass on the physical award to next year’s winner. We hope that in this way the awards will create connections between people in the community year after year – people who might not otherwise have crossed paths.

So who received the inaugural Bezonkis? They are people you likely already know for their work in the community: Claire and Paul Tinkerhess, Jason Brooks and Matt Yankee, Vivienne Armentrout, the teachers and students at Summers-Knoll School, Yousef Rabhi, and Trevor Staples. You’ll read more about them below.

And now, on to the Bezonkis! [Full Story]

The Detroit News reports on efforts to sell off General Motors’ factories that have been closed, including the Willow Run plant, where the trust that was created to sell the plants is based. From the article: ”Like many of the former GM facilities for sale, the plant is massive and full of history. The Albert Kahn-designed facility was first used by Ford Motor Co. to build B-24 bombers during World War II. The plant’s productivity was a big reason Metro Detroit was dubbed ‘the great arsenal of democracy’ by President Franklin Roosevelt during the war. Its last use was as a GM transmission plant, closing in 2010. The plant is so sprawling it could house six Comerica Parks, the home stadium … [Full Story]

The University of Michigan athletic department announced a new set of rules and policies for football home games – the first game is on Saturday, Sept. 3, against Western Michigan University. The changes include: 1) Anyone wearing a jacket will be asked to open it or lift up a pullover jacket before admittance into the stadium. 2) Vehicles are prohibited from lining up on the streets prior to the parking lots opening around the city and UM campus. Fans will be asked to keep moving and will not be allowed to form lines. 3) There no longer will be the Victors Walk approximately two hours prior to the game, when the football team walked through the parking lot up to the … [Full Story]