Archive for June, 2012

Editor’s note: Nelson’s “In it for the Money” column appears regularly in The Chronicle, roughly around the third Wednesday of the month.

Last Friday my son finished his kindergarten year at Bryant Elementary – an excellent public primary school in Ann Arbor, Mich., conveniently located near our municipal airport and impressive town dump [1]. He learned a shocking amount this year – e.g., he’s now functionally literate and has a solid grip on mathematical concepts I vividly remember my middle school class puzzling over – and I really appreciate everything his teachers and school administrators have done.

But, frankly, it’s hard to be super shocked by these academic achievements. I’m a former English teacher, my wife has taught for at least a decade, and the only consistent forms of entertainment in our house are books – it would be a little weird if he didn’t know how to read yet.

No, what impresses me about my son’s education at Bryant is this: Midway through his school year my blond, Jewish five-year-old told me he wants to be like the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [Full Story]

Ann Arbor District Library board meeting (June 18, 2012): Library trustees spent part of Monday’s meeting reviewing two recent public forums on the future of AADL’s downtown building on South Fifth Avenue. No details were discussed about whether the board plans to seek a millage to fund a major renovation or rebuilding of the structure, and no one showed up for public commentary to address the topic.

Less than two months remain until an Aug. 14 deadline to put a millage proposal on the Nov. 6 ballot. At this point, only one more board meeting is scheduled before then – on July 16.

A third and final public forum on the downtown library is set for Wednesday, June 20 from 7-8:45 p.m. in the fourth-floor conference room of the downtown building, 343 S. Fifth Ave.

Videos of the previous two forums are posted on the library’s website, along with additional information about the building. For Chronicle coverage of the June 9 forum, see: “AADL Board: What’s Your Library Vision?”

In other action during Monday’s meeting, the board voted to make minor year-end adjustments to the budget for fiscal year 2011-12 budget, which wraps up on June 30. In a separate financial report, associate director Ken Nieman told the board that tax tribunal decisions are affecting revenues more than anticipated, but that higher-than-expected revenues in other areas are offsetting that impact.

The board also got an update on the kickoff of AADL’s popular summer game, which took place Sunday night at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival’s Top of the Park. The library is sponsoring Sunday Kids Rock concerts at TOP.

The meeting ended with highlights of a letter of recognition from Richard Cochran, president of the Michigan Library Association, who praised AADL director Josie Parker’s service with MLA. Parker served as MLA president from 2007-2008 and was chair of the MLA legislative committee from 2010-2012. “Josie Parker is a visionary among her peers,” Cochran wrote. “She is a vocal advocate of library services and is extremely well-respected in the library community and by legislators.” [Full Story]

Completing an annual requirement, the Ann Arbor planning commission voted at its June 19, 2012 meeting to approve the city’s master plan resolution. The planning commission’s bylaws require that the group review the city’s master plan each May. At its May 1 meeting, the commission held a public hearing on the item – though no one attended – and postponed action until after it held a  planning retreat on May 29.

The resolution approved by commissioners affirmed the existing master plan, which consists of (1) Land Use Element (2009); (2) Downtown Plan (2009); (3) Transportation Plan Update (2009); (4) Non-motorized Transportation Plan (2007); (5) Parks and Recreation Open Space Plan (2011); and (6) Natural Features Master Plan (2004). These documents can be … [Full Story]

An annexation request for the site of the Summit Townhomes project was recommended for approval by the Ann Arbor planning commission on a 6-1 vote, with dissent from Erica Briggs. But the group unanimously voted to follow staff advice by postponing action on a related zoning and area plan. The votes came during the commission’s June 19, 2012 meeting.

The 2.95-acre site at 2081 E. Ellsworth Road, just east of Stone School Road, is currently located in Pittsfield Township. The developer wants to remove an existing single-family home and detached garage, and build 24 townhomes in four, two-story buildings, with attached single-car garages for each unit. The plan calls for R3 (townhouse dwelling district) zoning. The developer is Shawn Barrow of Orlando, Fla.

The development … [Full Story]

A work plan for a wide range of city planning commission and staff projects in fiscal 2013 was approved by the Ann Arbor planning commission at its June 19, 2012 meeting. [.pdf of work plan]

The plan, covering the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2012, had been reviewed at a June 12 working session. Items include  development of (1) corridor plans for Washtenaw Avenue and South State Street, (2) a sustainability framework action plan, (3) Zoning Ordinance Re-Organization (ZORO) amendments, and (4) R4C/R2A amendments. Among other things, the plan also includes evaluation of the city’s citizen participation ordinance and A2D2 zoning.

This brief was filed from the second-floor city council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron, where the planning commission meets. … [Full Story]

An expansion plan for Knight’s Market – which includes converting a single-family home into a bakery – won a recommendation of approval from the Ann Arbor planning commission at its June 19, 2012 meeting. The vote was 6-1, with Erica Briggs dissenting. Commissioners Eric Mahler and Wendy Woods were absent. The rezoning and site plan requests will be considered next by city council.

The project had first been discussed, but ultimately postponed, at the commission’s May 15, 2012 meeting. The market is located at the northeast corner of Spring and Miller. The market’s owner, Ray Knight, also owns two separate, adjacent parcels. (Knight is perhaps best known for his family’s restaurant, Knight’s Steakhouse, located at 2324 Dexter Ave.) The grocery store … [Full Story]

At its June 19, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor park advisory commission recommended approval of a $115,309 contract with JB Contractors Inc. to construct barrier-free pathways at the Leslie Science and Nature Center. The recommendation includes a 10% contingency, for a total project cost of $126,840.

JB Contractors provided the lowest of two bids. Funding will be provided from the city’s park maintenance and capital improvements millage.

PAC had been briefed on this project – the first phase of a larger renovation – at a Feb. 28, 2012 park commission meeting. The center, located at 1831 Traver Road, was previously part of the city’s parks system, but since 2007 has operated as an independent nonprofit. However, the city still owns and … [Full Story]

A 1.1 mill renewal of the Ann Arbor park maintenance and capital improvements millage will be on the Nov. 6 ballot, if the city council follows a unanimous recommendation of the Ann Arbor park advisory group. PAC voted at its June 19, 2012 meeting to recommend that the council put the millage renewal on the ballot.

The current 1.1 mill tax expires this year. A renewal would run from 2013-2018 and raise about $4.9 million next year. The recommended allocation of revenues is 70% for park maintenance activities, and 30% for park capital improvement projects. Of that allocation, up to 10% can be shifted between the two categories as needed.

Examples of park maintenance activities include “forestry and horticulture, natural area preservation, park operations, … [Full Story]

At its June 19, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor park advisory commission recommended approval of a contract with Wally Hollyday Skateparks for the Ann Arbor Skatepark at Veterans Memorial Park. The $89,560 contract would cover design and construction oversight of the project. It will now be forwarded to the city council for review, likely at the council’s July 16 meeting.

A selection committee reviewed six responses to a request for proposals (RFP) issued by the city of Ann Arbor in April, and selected two California firms – Wally Hollyday Skateparks and Wormhoudt Inc. – as finalists. Additional review resulted in the choice of Wally Hollyday Skateparks as the recommended designer. Wally Hollyday had already been involved in the project He led design workshops for the … [Full Story]

Ward 1 city councilmember Sabra Briere has launched a new blog with the Latin motto, “Officium vocat me de otium” – roughly “Duty calls me from leisure.” The inaugural post describes the blog’s scope as a place “to muse about governmental philosophies, spelling, the way words and thoughts work, gardening, household maintenance, or anything else that I hope is worthwhile.”

From the second post – a reflection on the summer season: “I can listen to the wren try to entice a lady wren to his nest …” [Source]

Washtenaw County board of commissioners special working session (June 14, 2012): A wide-ranging discussion on proposed expansion of public transit in Washtenaw County revealed some sharp philosophical differences among county commissioners.

A three-hour working session was intended to be a chance talk through these issues prior to a formal board of commissioners vote on a four-party transit agreement and articles of incorporation for a new Act 196 transit authority. That vote might take place as soon as the county board’s July 11 meeting. These documents would set the framework for a broader public transit authority than currently exists in the county.

Washtenaw County is one of the parties to the four-party agreement, but with a unique role compared to the other three entities: the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, which is spearheading this effort. Unlike those entities – whose governing bodies have already approved the transit documents – the county would not be contributing assets (AATA) or a millage (Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti). Nor would the county board be asked to put a countywide millage request on the ballot.

Rather, the county clerk would be asked to file articles of incorporation with the state – an action to create a transit authority under Michigan Act 196. When formed, the Act 196 board would have authority to put a funding proposal on the ballot for voters to consider. A financial advisory group that’s been working on this effort has suggested that revenues equivalent to a 0.5 mill tax would be needed to cover the cost of expanded services for the first five years. [.pdf of financial advisory group report]

Most of the comments and questions from commissioners at the working session related to issues of local versus regional control; the process by which local communities could opt-out or opt-in to the new transit authority; parity between Ann Arbor and other municipalities; and how details of the service and funding plan would be communicated. Dan Smith was the only commissioner who put forward specific proposals for amendments to the documents, which were discussed at the working session and covered many of these broad issues.

The original intent of the working session was to review any possible amendments from commissioners and take a straw poll to gauge the board’s sentiment on those amendments. Any consensus could then be reported back to the other three parties, for possible action prior to formal consideration by the county board.

Although eight of the 11 commissioners attended the June 14 session, two of them – Leah Gunn and Rolland Sizemore Jr. – left before straw polls were taken. Not attending were Rob Turner, Ronnie Peterson and Barbara Bergman.

Three possible amendments were considered to have sufficient consensus to discuss with a separate committee that helped develop the draft documents, which includes representatives from all four parties as well as an unincorporated Act 196 board. The three amendments relate to these questions: (1) Should the Act 196 authority be dissolved if a vote on funding fails in any of the jurisdictions? (2) What restrictions should be placed on board membership? and (3) Who should have the power to amend the articles of incorporation?

The outcome of that committee meeting, held on June 18, was to let the current four-party agreement and articles of incorporation stand for now. At the Ann Arbor city council’s June 18 meeting, councilmembers Sabra Briere and Christopher Taylor – who participated in a committee meeting earlier that day – reported to their council colleagues this consensus: AATA, Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor would not consider any further amendments to the documents before a vote by the county board.

Wes Prater described Dan Smith’s amendments overall as being “absolutely necessary” to ensure proper oversight of the new authority. If the changes aren’t made, he said, there will come a time when the board will regret it: “Mark my words.”

Although it’s unclear which of the amendments might have traction, at this point it seems likely that there are sufficient votes on the county board to pass the four-party agreement and articles of incorporation in some form. [Full Story]

A brief ceremony in the lobby of city hall on June 18, 2012 recognized Ann Arbor firefighter Lt. Amy Brow for completion of the U.S. Fire Administration’s Executive Fire Officer Program. [photo 1] [photo 2]

It’s a program that takes four years to finish – with one 10-day course completed each year at the Emmitsburg, Maryland campus. The curriculum includes: (1) executive development; (2) executive analysis of community risk reduction; (3) executive analysis of fire service operations in emergency management; and (3) executive leadership. Each year requires the completion of an applied research project.

Brow’s applied research project for 2010 was an analysis of fire risk caused by upholstered furniture placed on porches. The 48-page report was entitled: “… [Full Story]

At its June 18, 2012 meeting, Ann Arbor mayor John Hieftje announced his nomination to replace Erica Briggs on the city planning commission: Ken Clein, a principal with Quinn Evans Architects. Briggs did not seek re-appointment.

Among the architectural projects Clein has worked on locally are the University of Michigan’s Hill Auditorium renovation, the new Ann Arbor municipal center, and the Zingerman’s Deli expansion.

It was also announced that Kirk Westphal is nominated for re-appointment to the planning commission.

The city council will vote on the appointments of Clein and Westphal at its July 2 meeting. City planning commissioners serve three-year terms.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. … [Full Story]

At its June 18, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council received a nomination to re-appoint formally John German to the city’s environmental commission. German’s term expired in August 2011, but he has continued to serve. The council will be asked at its next meeting to re-appoint him retroactively for a three-year term ending on Aug. 7, 2014.

German’s background includes work with Chrysler, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Honda, and the International Council for Clean Transportation.

Ann Arbor’s environmental commission was established 12 years ago through a city ordinance, with the charge to “advise and make recommendations to the city council and city administrator on environmental policy, environmental issues and environmental implications of all city programs and proposals on the air, water, land and public health.”

This brief … [Full Story]

At its June 18, 2012 meeting, Archer Christian was nominated by the Ann Arbor city council to replace Mike Garfield on the city’s greenbelt advisory commission. Garfield is director of the Ecology Center, a nonprofit based in Ann Arbor, and Ms. Christian is the center’s development director.  The council will vote on the nomination at its July 2 meeting.

The greenbelt advisory commission oversees the proceeds generated by two-thirds of the city’s open space and parkland preservation millage, which is levied at a rate of 0.5 mills.

Garfield is term-limited as a GAC member, having served two consecutive three-year terms. The spot vacated by Garfield is not designated for a representative of the Ecology Center. However, the 9-member commission includes two slots for representatives of environmental … [Full Story]

At its June 18, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council amended the budget for its current fiscal year to bring actual expenditures in line with budgeted amounts – so that the city’s various funds do not show an excess in expenditures over budgeted amounts for the year. The amendments are necessary in order to conform with Act 621 of 1978 (Uniform Budgeting and Accounting Act).

The council’s action bumped the general fund expense budget from $79,642,485 to $80,993,946 – an increase of $1,351,461. According to the memo accompanying the budget resolution, city staff are still projecting that a little less than $0.5 million of fund balance will need to be used for the year, due to other offsetting expenses.

For the general fund, some … [Full Story]

At its June 18, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council authorized allocations totaling $1,244,629 to different nonprofits that provide human services. The amount was set as part of the FY 2013 budget, which the city council approved on May 22, 2012.

The process of making allocations followed a “coordinated funding” approach, as the city worked in concert with Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, the United Way of Washtenaw County, Washtenaw County, and the Washtenaw Urban County to make the allocations. That approach was approved by the city council on Nov. 4, 2010.

The total amount allocated through the coordinated funding process is expected to be $4,285,089, from the following sources: Ann Arbor ($1,244,629); United Way of Washtenaw County ($1,677,000); Washtenaw County ($1,015,000); and Washtenaw Urban County ($348,460).

Proposals from … [Full Story]

At its June 18, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council approved a $822,700 contract with CDM Michigan Inc. for a stormwater analysis project. The project has five phases: (1) collect stormwater GIS data; (2) integrate the GIS with the model information and gather general monitoring data; (3) engage the public and perform preliminary model calibration; (4) gather comprehensive monitoring data and finalize model calibration; and (5) analyze modeling results and engage creekshed groups/neighborhoods.

In 2007, CDM was hired to complete the first two phases of the project. The contract approved by the council on June 18 is supposed to allow completion of the project.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 … [Full Story]

At its June 18, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council approved the purchase of 11 dump trucks and four front plows from Wolverine Truck Sales. The total cost of the vehicles and equipment was $1,548,376.

The 11 trucks to be replaced with the new vehicles are described in the staff memo accompanying the resolution as averaging $14,000 in repairs each for the last five years. Most of them date from 1999-2001. The dump bodies for some of the trucks are described as rusted out to the point that they would need to be replaced – at a cost of $30,000.

The plows to be replaced date from 1979–1981, and have a fixed angle. The new plows will have an angle that’s adjustable … [Full Story]

At its June 18, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council approved the site plan and the brownfield development financing for the 618 S. Main project.

The 618 S. Main project is an apartment complex that developer Dan Ketelaar intends to market to young professionals. The 7-story building would include 190 units for 231 bedrooms, plus two levels of parking for 121 vehicles. The project had received approval from the city planning commission on Jan. 19, 2012.

At 85-feet tall, the project is 25 feet higher than permitted in the D2 (downtown interface) zoning district where the site is located. So it was submitted as a “planned project” – a provision in the zoning code that allows some flexibility in height or setbacks, in exchange for public … [Full Story]

At its June 18, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council approved a $48,000 contract with Governmental Consultant Services Inc., a Lansing-based lobbying firm. It’s a one-year contract for fiscal year 2013, which starts July 1, 2012. The funds were approved as part of the city administrator’s office budget, in the FY 2013 budget approved on May 22, 2012. The contract is the same amount as last year.

According to the staff memo accompanying the resolution, “GCSI has provided excellent work in the areas of legislation monitoring along with advocating fire protection grants and comprehensive corridor planning.”

GCSI’s Kirk Profit, a former member of the state House of Representatives representing the eastern part of Washtenaw County, typically makes an annual presentation to … [Full Story]

At its June 18, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council approved a $75,000 contract with the economic development agency Ann Arbor SPARK.

The contract has been renewed annually since the Washtenaw Development Council and Ann Arbor SPARK merged in 2006. Previously, Ann Arbor had contracted with the WDC for the business support services for which it now contracts with SPARK. On June 20, 2005, the city council authorized that one-year contract with WDC for $40,000. This year’s $75,000 contract with SPARK describes the organization’s focus the same way it did last year, as “building our innovation-focused community through continual proactive support of entrepreneurs, regional businesses, university tech transfer offices, and networking organizations.”

Ann Arbor SPARK is also the contractor hired by the city’s … [Full Story]

At its June 18, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council again delayed a vote on revisions to its medical marijuana licensing ordinance – which it enacted a year ago on June 20, 2011. The postponement is until Oct. 1.

The proposed ordinance revisions, recommended by the city’s medical marijuana licensing board at its Jan. 31, 2012 meeting, had already been considered and postponed once before, at the council’s April 2, 2012 meeting. The licenses that the board recommended be granted to 10 dispensaries citywide – recommendations also made at the board’s Jan. 31 meeting – have not yet come before the city council for final action.

The board-recommended revisions to the medical marijuana licensing ordinance are laid out in detail in … [Full Story]

City records show that Ann Arbor city administrator Steve Powers and his wife, Jayne Powers, have purchased a home inside the city limits of Ann Arbor. Powers started the job as city administrator nine months ago on Sept. 15, 2011 and has been renting an apartment until recently. Jayne Powers has now joined him in Ann Arbor, moving from Marquette County, Mich., where Steve Powers served as county administrator from 1996 until taking the Ann Arbor job.

Previous Ann Arbor city administrator Roger Fraser often drew criticism for the fact that he did not live in the city he served. [.pdf of October 23, 2006 Ann Arbor News article: "Fraser Again Shuns City Life"]

The Powers’ 1,936-square-foot home, built in 1936, … [Full Story]

At its June 18, 2012 meeting, the Ann Arbor District Library board made adjustments to the previously approved 2011-12 budget, for the year ending June 30, 2012. This is a standard action at the end of the fiscal year.

A total of $44,000 was transferred to the line item for supplies, coming from the following line items: capital outlays ($24,000), software ($10,000), communications ($5,000), and repairs ($5,000). The supplies line item covers computer and IT products that cost less than $1,000. Items higher than $1,000 are paid for out of the capital outlays line item.

This brief was filed from the fourth-floor conference room of the downtown library at 343 S. Fifth Ave. in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow: … [Full Story]