Jen Lawson, the city's water quality manager, talks with Doug Kelly, the city's director of golf, prior to the start of the Dec. 20, 2011 park advisory commission meeting. (Photos by the writer.)

Jen Lawson, the city of Ann Arbor’s water quality manager, said the city hopes to hire a design consultant in January, with preliminary designs for the project ready by April. Final designs and construction plans would be done by July, and construction is projected to start in November of 2012.

The project would be completed by the spring of 2013, Lawson said, although an additional two growing seasons would be needed for plants to take hold. The intent is to minimize the impact on golfers during construction – parks and recreation manager Colin Smith noted that the project team is sensitive to the need for revenues from the course.

During the December meeting, commissioners also got an update on the city’s natural area preservation program, which has increased the number of volunteers who help with tasks like invasive species control and animal/plant monitoring.

Communications from staff included an update on the Argo Dam bypass, where work has stopped for the season. Additional work, including paving of a footpath, will occur in the spring. And in communications from commissioners, Sam Offen reminded his colleagues of the upcoming sustainability forums. The first forum is on Thursday, Jan. 12, focusing on resource management. All forums, held once a month, will be at the downtown Ann Arbor District Library building, 343 S. Fifth Ave. starting at 7 p.m.

Natural Area Preservation Update

Jason Tallant, a staff member of the city’s natural area preservation program, gave a presentation about the work that NAP does. He began by noting NAP’s mission: “To protect and restore Ann Arbor’s natural areas and foster an environmental ethic among its citizens.” It’s something he had to recite when he first started working at NAP, Tallant said, and something the staff regularly evokes.

NAP tracks volunteer hours by the type of work that volunteers do, Tallant said, and has tracked that data going back to 1994 – the year after the current NAP manager, David Borneman, was hired. Since about 2007, the program has courted private groups to volunteer, from nonprofits like SOS Community Services to companies like Toyota. The number of hours in that category grew from 1,613 in 2007 to 5,031 in 2011. The next-highest category of volunteer hours is logged during public workdays, with 1,464 hours in 2011.

Tallant credited former NAP volunteer coordinator Jason Frenzel with expanding the private group volunteer effort. The work days often include several hundred people, like the more than 400 Community High School students who volunteered at eight different parks in one day this past year. Tallant said that NAP’s field crew, which he supervises, has spent most of this fall following up on work that was started during volunteer work days over the summer.

Controlled burning is the primary task that NAP performs for ecological restoration to achieve the greatest results, Tallant said. But in term of hours spent by staff or volunteers, it’s a small percentage compared to other tasks – 343 hours in 2011, out of a total of 11,869 volunteer hours. Volunteers spend most of their time doing invasive species control, he said, logging 4,737 hours on that task. Other tasks include trail work (2,748 hours), administrative work (659 hours), revegetation (561 hours) inventory and monitoring of animals and plants (594 hours), stewardship training (118 hours), and trash pick-up (98 hours).

This past burn season was the wettest one on record, Tallant noted. Even so, NAP workers did controlled burns on 72 acres over eight days. Two percent of that land was on rain gardens, reflecting the fact that NAP has started to take over maintenance of the city’s rain gardens, he said. Other burns occurred in woodland (45%), prairies/old fields (19%), savanna/prairies (18%), and wet prairies (16%).

Natural Area Preservation Update: Commissioner Discussion

PAC chair Julie Grand asked about the transition for managing volunteers. Jason Frenzel, the former NAP volunteer coordinator, left that job earlier this year to join the Huron River Watershed Council. David Borneman, NAP’s manager, noted that Frenzel had worked with the city in that position for about eight years. It was a Teamster job, but it hasn’t been filled, he said. They’re taking a step back and looking at the broader organization, Borneman said, to decide how to handle that work.

Gwen Nystuen noted that in addition to NAP volunteers, the rest of the parks system also uses volunteers – for the adopt-a-park program, as one example. Colin Smith, the city’s parks and recreation manager, said the staff is looking at how to coordinate volunteers for all the programs, including NAP. Gayle Hurn is volunteer outreach coordinator for the overall parks system. Borneman added that there’s a recognition for greater consistency across all areas regarding volunteer outreach.

Leslie Park Streambank Stabilization

Jen Lawson, the city’s water quality manager, gave a presentation on a streambank stabilization project at Leslie Park, where one of the city’s two golf courses is located. The Traver Creek bank is exhibiting some erosion, as any urban stream would, she said. High volumes of sediment are being swept away, deposited downstream and into the Huron River. The vegetation along that stretch of the creek is golf course turf grass, which provides a limited buffer between the land and the creek. As a result, there are areas along the creek that experience regular flooding, Lawson said.

The project has three goals, she said: (1) improving stormwater quality, because the creek is incorporated into the city’s stormwater system; (2) improving several ecological aspects, such as reducing phosphorus that’s discharged into the river, and enhancing the habitat for wildlife; and (3) improving the recreational experience for golfers.

Lawson described several design objectives for the project, and noted that staff were putting together a request for proposals (RFP) that would be issued soon. The design objectives include:

• Addressing bank erosion and reducing the phosphorus load in Traver Creek, a tributary to the Huron River.
• Assessing hydrologic, hydraulic and geomorphic conditions to develop appropriate stabilization measures.
• Possibly retrofitting the downstream basin and upstream irrigation pond, which might involve moving the pump station. This might help with the limited detention of small flooding events.
• Soliciting ideas for additional stormwater treatment.

The city hopes to hire a design consultant in January, with preliminary designs for the project ready by April. Final designs and construction plans would be done by July, and construction is projected to start in November of 2012. The project would be completed by the spring of 2013, Lawson said, although there would be an additional two-year growing season for plants to take hold.

A photo included in the park advisory commission meeting information packet shows a section of the Traver Creek bank that's been eroded as it runs through the Leslie Park golf course.

The construction will occur in two phases, she said. The first phase, which involves heavy equipment and moving dirt, will take place during the winter when the ground is frozen, to minimize impact from construction runoff. The second phase entails planting grasses, sedges, perennials, wildflowers and other plants.

Because this is a stormwater infrastructure project, Lawson said, the city can use the state’s revolving loan fund, via Washtenaw County’s office of the water resources commissioner. There’s the potential for up to 50% loan forgiveness, if the city can show that it’s a “green” project, she said.

Gwen Nystuen asked if it would be easier to see the creek, after the project is completed. Yes, Lawson said. None of the plantings will grow tall, except in the areas where no golf is played.

Colin Smith, manager of parks & rec, said there’s good collaboration and an understanding of what’s needed in terms of revenues and recreational access at the golf course. He noted that Lawson has worked on this type of project at her previous job, with success. Lawson explained that the project she’d previously done was for a municipal golf course in Troy, which was also in an urban watershed. It’s important to meld the two types of land uses together, she said.

In response to a question from Sam Offen, Smith said the work will be staggered in stages, so that areas of the course that get the most play will be done first. That way, those areas will be ready when the season resumes in the spring of 2013. It’s obvious that they need to be extremely aware of the impact on golf revenues, Smith said. The intent is not to halt golf play at all, Lawson added.

Tim Berla noted that several years ago, a project at Mary Beth Doyle Park aimed to stabilize the stormwater flow and sediment going into Malletts Creek. The project had been designed so that earth-moving equipment could come in every few years to remove the sediment. He wondered if sediment that was collected in the wetlands there was being removed, and whether the same kind of removal would be needed along Traver Creek, too.

Lawson said the county is monitoring the amount of sediment at Mary Beth Doyle Park. No sediment has been removed yet, she said, but when it needs to happen, the county would handle it. For the Leslie Park golf course project, she said they aren’t yet sure how it will be designed. There’s some desire to take the stormwater retention ponds “offline” – that is, to design the ponds so that the creek doesn’t flow through them. Whenever there’s an impoundment, like a pond, the water flow slows and sediment settles out. The common solution is to have ponds there for stormwater control, she said. But the state Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) prefers to have an open creek, which is better from a habitat perspective.

The project’s ultimate design needs to take into account the hydrology of the site, Lawson said, and the multiple uses of the ponds – for sediment capture and stormwater control.

Tim Doyle asked for clarification about the location of the project. Lawson said it would run from where the creek crosses Traver Road to the south, to where it crosses Traver Road again to the north.

Misc. Communications

Every meeting includes opportunities for staff and commissioners to give updates or share information.

Misc. Communications: Dog Park, Argo Bypass, Grants

Colin Smith, the city’s parks and recreation manager, gave updates on several projects. He noted that the Olson dog park would be closed during the week of Dec. 26 for drainage work. Drain tiles will be installed to make it “less of a muddy mess” than it’s been in the past, he said. The dog park – part of Olson Park, which is located off of Dhu Varren Road on the city’s north side – is expected to reopen on Jan. 2.

From left: Colin Smith, Ann Arbor's parks & rec manager, and city councilmember Christopher Taylor (Ward 3), who also serves as an ex officio member of the city's park advisory commission.

Smith reported that work for the season has wrapped up at the Argo Dam bypass. Some additional work will be done in the spring on the spillway, he said, to calibrate the water flow. Paving of the paths along the bypass will also happen in April or May, though the path will be open throughout the winter. And the new bridge, which will be built where the concrete culvert is currently located, will also be installed in the spring.

John Lawter asked for an update on the whitewater area, which will be built in the Huron River near the bypass. DTE agreed to pay for the whitewater section – the utility is being required by the state to complete environmental remediation on its nearby property, which prompted its request that the city hold off on the part of the project that runs along the river. Smith said the city was still waiting to receive a copy of DTE’s remediation plan, but he noted that as he had reported at the November PAC meeting, DTE will now be paying for the whitewater part of the project.

Tim Berla wondered what the status would be of the land along the river that DTE is remediating. He thought it should be a park with a bandshell, and perhaps some commercial operations. He asked what the process would be for deciding what happens to that parcel.

Smith said that if the land came to the city, there would be a public process for deciding what happens to it. In several of the city’s master plans, there are references about possible uses for the site, he said. But all of that depends on whether the city owns the land, he noted. Currently, it is DTE property.

Sam Offen asked whether there would be any other changes at Argo and Gallup canoe liveries, as a result of this project. Parks staff will spend the winter months working out those details, Smith replied. They had always expected to add amenities like inner-tubing and rafts, he said. They’ll also likely be purchasing a new type of kayak that’s better suited for the bypass, since there will likely be more “banging around” as people navigate the descending pools. David Barrett noted that canoes and kayaks will no longer be banged up because of being hauled down stairs, as they had to be with the previous portage.

Smith said the staff will also work on developing a new guide for river tours, since there are now more options. They’ll likely bring something to PAC to review, and plan a grand opening in May or June for the public.

Tim Doyle asked whether there was any concern about congestion in the new bypass. Smith said congestion was an issue with the previous configuration, whenever it was busy. The challenge is to ensure that people know that there are different options, he said, and that they take the trip that best suits them.

Later in his report, Smith also noted that the city had received two state grants earlier in the month: $300,000 for a proposed Ann Arbor skatepark at Veterans Memorial Park, and $300,000 for improvements at the Gallup Park canoe livery. The grants were awarded by the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.

For the skatepark, city parks staff would be meeting with skatepark organizers to talk about next steps, Smith said. It’s likely that a request for proposals (RFP) will be issued for a design/build, he said. When asked by Sam Offen to clarify, Smith said a design/build RFP would ask for bids that include both the skatepark’s design as well as its construction, in a single proposal. It’s similar to the RFP for the Argo Dam bypass, he said.

Misc. Communications: Rec & Ed Fitness Fair

Tim Berla, who’s also a member of the city’s recreation advisory commission (RAC), reported that Ann Arbor Rec & Ed will hold a fitness fair on Thursday, Jan. 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Forsythe Middle School, 1655 Newport Road. The event will include a keynote speech by Pete Thomas, a local resident who was on Season 2 of the TV show The Biggest Loser.

From left: John Lawter and Tim Berla of the Ann Arbor park advisory commission.

Berla said that at the last RAC meeting, commissioners learned that the Rec & Ed budget is still “iffy.” Rec & Ed is a program of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, and Berla said the program has cut costs to address its budget, including moving its offices to Pioneer High School, where they don’t have to pay rent. Berla said Rec & Ed didn’t raise prices for its offerings this year because the market is so competitive, but that means its margins are small, he said.

Berla also reported that Rec & Ed staff are pleased that the city’s softball and baseball diamonds will be renovated – leagues from Rec & Ed use the city’s ball diamonds, as well as ball diamonds that are owned by AAPS.

Misc. Communications: Sustainability Forums

Sam Offen reminded commissioners about the upcoming sustainability forums, starting in January. All forums will be held at the downtown Ann Arbor District Library building, 343 S. Fifth Ave. starting at 7 p.m.

• Jan. 12, 2012: Resource Management – including natural areas, waste reduction, recycling, compost, local food systems, water and air quality. Panelists will include Matt Naud, the city’s environmental coordinator; Kerry Gray, the city’s urban forest & natural resource planning coordinator; Tom McMurtrie, Ann Arbor’s solid waste coordinator; and Dave Borneman, manager of the city’s natural area preservation program.
• Feb. 9, 2012: Land Use and Access – including transportation designs, infrastructure, land uses, built environment, and public spaces.
• March 8, 2012: Climate and Energy – including an overview of Ann Arbor’s climate action plan, climate impacts, renewable and alternative energy, energy efficiency and conservation.
• April 12, 2012: Community – including housing, public safety, public art, recreation, outreach, civic engagement, and stewardship of community resources.

The four forums reflect categories in a framework that the city is developing to organize its existing goals as they relate to sustainability. The project, which began earlier this year, is being led by Jamie Kidwell and funded by a $95,000 grant the city received from the Home Depot Foundation. Four city commissions – park, planning, energy and environmental – participated in a Sept. 27, 2011 joint working session focused on prioritizing existing goals for the city that touch on sustainability issues. [For additional background, see Chronicle coverage of Kidwell's briefing at the Nov. 15 park advisory commission meeting.]

Misc. Communications: Leslie Science & Nature Center

Sam Offen also reported that a new executive director has been hired for the Leslie Science & Nature Center – Offen serves on the center’s board of directors. Until 2007, the nonprofit had been part of the city’s parks system, and the city continues to own the center’s property and buildings.

Susan Westhoff joined the center as executive director earlier this year, following the resignation of Greta Brunschwyler, who had served in that role since early 2010. Offen said he hoped to set up a time for Westhoff to attend an upcoming PAC meeting so that other commissioners could meet her.

Present: David Barrett, Tim Berla, Doug Chapman, Tim Doyle, Julie Grand, John Lawter, Karen Levin, Gwen Nystuen, Sam Offen, councilmember Christopher Taylor (ex-officio). Also Colin Smith, city parks manager.

Absent: Councilmember Mike Anglin (ex-officio).

Next meeting: PAC’s meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 begins at 4 p.m. in the city hall second-floor council chambers, 301 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor. [confirm date]

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Washtenaw County sheriff Jerry Clayton talks with Sarah Taylor, the county's dispatch operations coordinator, before the April 6, 2011 board of commissioners meeting. Taylor and two dispatchers were on hand to receive a resolution from the board of commissioners in recognition of the work of the dispatch staff.

The board heard a report on the Digital Inclusion project, which was launched in 2008 to help address the county’s “digital divide” – the gap between people with computers and Internet access, and residents who lack those resources. Run by B.Side: The Business Side of Youth at Eastern Michigan University, the program uses old computers donated by the county government, and trains youth to refurbish them for re-use. To date, the program has distributed over 200 computers to low-income residents.

Also at their April 6 meeting, commissioners gave initial approval to a new fee structure for the county’s soil erosion control program. Proposed by the office of the water resources commissioner, the new fees – part of a broader ordinance overhaul – aim to recoup staff expenses associated with administering the program.

Commissioners also honored the county’s dispatch operators during Wednesday’s meeting. And as one of two appointments to county committees and boards, former county commissioner Ken Schwartz was re-appointed to a four-year term on the veterans affairs committee, which advises the county’s department of veteran services.

Several people spoke during public commentary – topics included criticism of the cost of public health inspections for small businesses, concerns over the results of an autopsy for a man who died after being Tasered last year, and denunciation of the University of Michigan’s relationship with China.

Soil Erosion & Sedimentation Control Ordinance

Commissioners gave initial approval to changes in the county’s grading/soil erosion and sedimentation control ordinance.

The state requires that all counties operate a soil erosion and sedimentation control program, covering all local municipalities that don’t have their own programs. [The law outlining this requirement is in the state of Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act , Act 451 of 1994 as Amended, Part 91.]

In Washtenaw County, the office of the water resources commissioner handles the program for local governments in Augusta Township, Lodi Township, Webster Township, Northfield Township, York Township, Salem Township, Superior Township, Scio Township, Saline Township, the cities of Saline and Ypsilanti, and the village of Dexter.

One of the major changes of the proposed ordinance revision relates to the fee schedule. In the past, fees were charged on a per-acre basis. New fees are set at a flat rate, with additional charges for staff time spent on projects, at a rate of $95 an hour. Fees would increase for many applications, depending on the size of the project. A new transfer fee – ranging from $100 to $200 for developments less than 10 acres, and more for larger developments – is also imposed for inspections when property changes ownership.

The new fees are designed to recoup more of the cost of staff time spent on these projects, according to the office of the water resources commissioner.

Among other changes, the revised ordinance eliminates the Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Appeals Board. [.pdf of ordinance draft changes proposed] [link to soil erosion fee schedule]

The changes, if given final approval, will take effect on July 1, 2011.

Soil Erosion & Sedimentation Control: Commissioner Discussion

Yousef Rabhi said he assumed that many elements of the ordinance are included to conform to state law. For example, logging, mineral mining and oil and gas exploration are exempt from soil erosion permits and waivers. Janis Bobrin, the county’s water resources commissioner, confirmed that these are part of the state law.

Rabhi also asked for the rationale behind eliminating the section on denying permits. Bobrin said they didn’t want to simply turn someone down – they would identify issues to correct, and would expect a resubmittal. It might take multiple times, she said, but it didn’t seem appropriate to simply deny the permit.

Rabhi then expressed concern about the new fee structure. By charging a flat rate to move soil on acreage over a certain size, the county wasn’t discouraging large-scale soil disturbances, he said. It seemed there’s no disincentive for disturbing as much soil as developers want.

Bobrin said she and her staff spent a lot of time trying to ascertain how much staff time was spent on different types of projects. The new fee structure reflects that time investment. For large-scale development, they do charge on a per-hour basis, she noted. Smaller developments are usually residential, she added, and the amount of soil disturbance usually is limited to the actual construction site.

Given the economy, huge developments aren’t as much of an issue now, Rabhi said, but they might be in the future, and those types of developments aren’t a sustainable land-use practice. It seemed the county was moving in the wrong direction in terms of its fees for large-scale developments, he said.

Bobrin noted that most of the decisions related to developments were under the control of the local governments. She also noted that the county didn’t have the staff to police all of the projects – there’s only one erosion control employee for the entire county.

Dennis Wojcik, chief deputy water resources commissioner, told Rabhi that the previous cost charged per acre wasn’t a deterrent for developers. The new fees are meant to recoup the cost incurred by county staff to provide the erosion control service. For larger sites, which require more inspections and reports, developers will pay more because they’ll be charged for staff time on an hourly basis.

The thought behind the fee structure is to reward people who are doing the right things, Bobrin said. The people who don’t meet the requirements and have to submit multiple plans will face higher charges, because their applications will require more staff time. They’ll pay for every inspection that county staff does in the field, she said.

Alicia Ping asked whether Bobrin or her staff had talked with local communities about these changes, to get feedback before implementing the new fees. They had not, Bobrin said. If local governments don’t have their own program for soil erosion and sedimentation control, then the county must do it. Her staff did discuss the changes with the Builders and Remodelers Association of Greater Ann Arbor, and that group had been supportive, she said. Bobrin said they’d be happy to meet with local communities to talk about the changes.

Noting that the appeals board has never been convened and is now being eliminated, Dan Smith asked what the recourse would be for someone who wasn’t satisfied with the process. Bobrin said the initial appeal would be to her – that’s the process with subdivision or condo development reviews, and at times she has asked the staff to revisit their decisions and work with the developer to address certain issues. If a property owner still isn’t satisfied, they could appeal to the county administrator or the board of commissioners.

Outcome: Commissioners gave initial approval to the ordinance changes. They are expected to take a final vote on this item at their April 20, 2011 meeting.

Digital Inclusion: Computers for Low-Income Residents

Wednesday’s meeting included a presentation about a program that provides refurbished computers to low-income residents. Derrick Jackson, director of community engagement for the sheriff’s office, began by telling commissioners that he had chaired a digital divide task force that was formed in 2007, when he was working as a deputy county clerk. The task force was an outgrowth of the Wireless Washtenaw initiative, which aimed to provide wireless Internet service to all residents in the county. [That project is no longer active.]

Organizers of Wireless Washtenaw realized that they needed to address the county’s digital divide – to help the people who didn’t have access to computers. In his own life, Jackson said, he’s “connected to the matrix” through his personal cell phone, his work cell phone, his laptop computer. He can access things like the county’s online employment information, and receive email alerts with job listings. There are others who have more limited access, through their jobs, school or library. But there’s another group that has no access at all, he said.

Of the roughly 138,000 homes in Washtenaw County, a survey found that 20-25% have no computer. Of those, residents of about 9,000 homes indicated that the key factor was cost, Jackson said: “They simply could not afford it.” So the task force focused on those 9,000 homes, and looked at how they could provide computers to those residents. They used the Food Gatherers model, he said – collecting computers that would otherwise be headed to the landfill, refurbishing them, and getting them into the hands of people who need them.

They got a $16,200 grant from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation to get started, with the goal of becoming a self-sustaining program – and that’s what has happened, Jackson said. The task force is a great example of what government can do, he said – for a small amount of resources, their work was having a large impact, thanks to the efforts of the B.Side: The Business Side of Youth at Eastern Michigan University. Launched in 2007, B.Side is a program to develop entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency in young people ages 13-20.

Jackson handed off the presentation to the B.Side’s director, Jack Bidlack. In October 2008, the B.Side started its digital inclusion program, Bidlack said, working out of space provided by EMU’s College of Business. They initially trained five youth to clean and refurbish 86 computers that they received from Washtenaw County government. By December of 2008, 80 computers were ready for use, and turned over to the county’s Employment Training & Community Services (ETCS) department for redistribution to low-income residents.

It became apparent that ETCS wasn’t equipped to handle the technical questions that arose from people who received these computers, so B.Side took that on as well, Bidlack said, seeing it as additional opportunity for training youth. They created a system that allowed ETCS to distribute vouchers, and residents would bring those vouchers to B.Side in exchange for computers.

In 2010, they attended an ETCS open house to promote the program, Bidlack said. While they didn’t get much response that day, word soon spread and within two weeks they’d been contacted by about 50 people. Over the next four months they distributed 125 computers – more than they’d given out in the previous 18 months.

The program has employed 14 local youth, Bidlack said, including over 1,200 hours of paid training. One young man who worked with the program for a year made over $2,000, he said, in addition to learning technical and leadership skills. Last fall they did a pilot program, working with special needs students at Ypsilanti High School. They’ve also hired four EMU student site coordinators for the program, and one community coordinator to oversee the Ypsilanti High School project.

In total, the program has refurbished 212 computers, helping bridge the digital divide for over 200 residents and nonprofits in the county, he said. They’ve also been able to raise funds equivalent to the grant they received from the community foundation – about $16,000 – to sustain the program.

In the future, they hope to continue their partnership with Washtenaw County, Bidlack said. B.Side picks up the computers, so no county labor is involved. The county saves money by not having to pay to have its old computers hauled away, he said. They’re also partnering with EMU, which will give them another source of computers to refurbish. And by the end of April, they expect to become an official job-training program with Michigan Works, the state employment agency.

Bidlack said possible expansion might include opening a retail store, or becoming a recycling program for other electronics as well.

He concluded by thanking EMU, the university’s College of Business, the county and Derrick Jackson in particular for helping with the program. He noted that they’ve created a sustainable model – he wasn’t there asking for funding.

Digital Inclusion: Commissioner Comments, Questions

Kristen Judge said it was great to hear about good projects like this. She wondered if they’ve looked for private funders or partners to help support the project. It would be a good fit for the Washtenaw County Cyber Citizenship Coalition (WC4), she noted. Bidlack said they hadn’t reached that point yet.

Judge wondered whether they were looking for more computers to refurbish, or whether they were at capacity. Bidlack replied that they weren’t yet a recycler, so if they got too many computers, it would be a drain on their resources.

Noting potential privacy issues, Judge also asked whether the program involved removing data that might be left on the old computers. Bidlack reported that they use a software program that clears the hard drives of data; they then install clean operating systems.

Yousef Rabhi observed that the program addresses several important things. First, it embraces the concept of reuse, which is better for the environment than recycling, and it’s keeping toxic equipment out of the landfills. The program provides computers for people who need them, and trains youth so that they can actually make something. Rabhi said he’s proud to live in a community where an organization like B.Side is so well-supported.

At left: Curtis Hedger, Washtenaw County's corporation counsel, talks with commissioner Dan Smith, vice chair of the board of commissioners Ways & Means committee. Smith officiated the April 6, 2011 meeting in the absence of Ways & Means chair Rolland Sizemore Jr.

Barbara Bergman said she was thrilled with the program. Noting that the focus is on the eastern side of the county, which she acknowledged had needs, Bergman said there are also residents of Ann Arbor who lack access to computers. Are there plans to expand the program to the west?

Bidlack said they don’t have plans to expand beyond Ypsilanti at this point – the program grew so fast that they’re just trying to keep up with demand. But they could always look for partners to help bring the program to other parts of the county, he said.

Dan Smith asked about the computer specs. Bidlack said all the computers are running on Windows XP, and are installed with freeware – software available at no cost. The cost of licensing commercial software programs would be too high, he said. The computers have 40-gigabyte hard drives and most have a Pentium 4 processor. Since most people use the computers for Internet access, not for storing data, the capacity needs aren’t as great, Bidlack said.

Smith also asked how they raised the $16,000 in revenues. Bidlack said most of the money is through ETCS grants, via its voucher program.

Honoring Washtenaw Emergency Dispatchers

During the April 6 meeting, commissioners passed a resolution honoring Washtenaw Metro Dispatch workers, and declared the week of April 10-16 as National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week in Washtenaw County. The dispatchers handle all emergency calls and dispatch law enforcement for the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Northfield Township, the Michigan State Police and the Washtenaw County sheriff’s office. In 2010, they received over 162,000 calls for emergency assistance in the county.

Sarah Taylor, the county’s dispatch operations coordinator, and dispatchers Eric Waddell and Steve Wilson were on hand to receive the commendation. They were introduced by Marc Breckenridge, the county’s director of emergency management. Taylor thanked the dispatch employees for keeping the community safe, calling dispatchers the least-known heroes in an emergency. Their ability to get information from callers and to transmit it accurately and quickly to emergency personnel is critical, she said. The board gave them a round of applause.

Waddell told commissioners that recognition like this is part of what makes the job worthwhile.

Appointments

Without comment, the board approved two appointments during Wednesday’s meeting:

• Former county commissioner Ken Schwartz was re-appointed to the county’s veterans affairs committee, filling the category of a Vietnam-era veteran. His four-year term expires Dec. 31, 2014. [Previously, the board had also appointed Schwartz to the Washtenaw County Road Commission – they took that action at their Dec. 1, 2010 meeting.]
• Jenny Bivens of Belleville was appointed to the joint county/city of Ann Arbor community corrections advisory board for a three-year term that expires Dec. 31, 2013. She is a workforce development program manager and deputy director of the county’s Employment Training & Community Services (ETCS) department.

A resolution that would have made an appointment to the county’s human services board was pulled from the agenda during the meeting, without comment.

Public Commentary

Several people spoke during the four opportunities for public commentary, touching on a range of topics.

Public Commentary: Small Business

Michael Koutsogiannis, owner of Mr. Mike’s Lounge on Ecorse Road in Ypsilanti Township, told commissioners he’d been in business for 43 years. He said he was speaking on behalf of small business owners, who were being treated unfairly by government regulations. His business pays as much to county health inspectors as the McDonald’s down the street, even though the fast food restaurant makes over $1 million a year – much more than his business, which doesn’t sell much food. He was appealing to the board for relief, and urged them to consider basing the public health department’s inspection fees on gross sales, not square footage. “You’re killing the small businesses,” he said, “not only in Washtenaw, but across the country.”

Some commissioners responded to his comments. Barbara Bergman said that the Washtenaw Community Health Organization (WCHO) encountered a similar situation. A small agency was having difficulty meeting WCHO requirements, she said, so they asked how the WCHO could change its requirements to fit the agency’s abilities. This won’t work for everything, she noted, but it’s worth asking staff to explore possible modifications for small businesses, rather than taking a pre-packaged approach.

Wes Prater said he was familiar with the business, though he hadn’t been there in years. It’s large in terms of square footage, he said, but does little food preparation. He recalled that Koutsogiannis had spoken to commissioners a few years ago as well. [Minutes from the board's March 17, 2004 meeting state that Koutsogiannis expressed concern during public commentary about the cost of getting a food license.] Prater hoped the county could look into the situation.

Yousef Rabhi also voiced support for small businesses, saying the county should be encouraging them, not treating them unfairly.

County administrator Verna McDaniel said she’d talk with Dick Fleece, head of the public health department, then report back to the board.

Public Commentary: Social Safety Net

Patricia Schock of Ann Arbor thanked the board for supporting the county’s social safety net. She said she worked for several organizations that provide food to those in need, and mentioned in particular Brown Chapel, which she urged the county to continue supporting.

Thomas Partridge spoke during three of the four opportunities for public commentary. During this month in particular, in which Easter falls, it’s paramount to ask what Christ would do if he were among us, Partridge said. He asked the board to adopt an agenda for every meeting that addressed the basic needs of the most vulnerable, providing help to find affordable housing, jobs, health care, transportation, and education.

Partridge also said that too many people have become callous about civil rights, and he criticized the county for disbanding a law enforcement citizens review board. [For background on that decision, see Chronicle coverage of the board's Jan. 20, 2010 meeting.] The only way to reverse this is for the public to protest, he said, and harken back to the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr.

In responding to Partridge’s remarks, Barbara Bergman took issue with his reference to Christ, saying that she served by the laws of men and women. This county includes people of all faiths, races and economic status, she said – residents aren’t just looking to one religious figure. She said asking what Christ would do is not a charge she’s willing to accept.

Public Commentary: Medical Examiner

Douglas Smith told the board that he’s a retired University of Michigan pathologist, and that his comments related to the county medical examiner‘s autopsy report on Stanley Jackson Jr., who died hours after being Tasered during an August 2010 drug raid in Superior Township. [Smith previously had spoken to commissioners about Jackson's case at their Jan. 5, 2011 meeting.] Smith said it was a “really poor” autopsy, and that the five minutes allotted for public commentary was too brief to describe all of its problems – he hoped commissioners would allow him to go into greater depth at another time.

The autopsy stated that Jackson died of sudden stoppage of the heart. However, Smith said the lungs contained a quart of excess fluid, which he said was almost certainly caused by congestive heart failure. A memo from the county prosecutor’s office stated that Jackson was given a sedative, then developed breathing difficulties about two minutes later, Smith said. But the autopsy found no sedative in the blood, he said – so what did they give him? The autopsy also indicated that there were two Taser marks, in the lower back and on the abdomen. But the prosecutor’s memo doesn’t indicate that Jackson was Tasered twice, Smith said.

Smith said the case raised some red flags. He urged commissioners to Google Jeff Jentzen, the county’s deputy medical examiner, saying that there were a number of controversial cases in Milwaukee when Jentzen was medical examiner there.

Public Commentary: University of Michigan and China

Bill Kauffman, a Webster Township resident and retired University of Michigan engineering professor, told commissioners that when he came to the university in 1965, it was a truly great institution. It’s not now, he said.

Bill Kauffman, a retired University of Michigan professor, spoke to the board of commissioners during public commentary. He criticized UM's relationship with China, charging that the university is undermining national security.

Among many concerns he cited, Kauffman said the university is threatening national security by giving away this country’s technology to China. He recounted how he’d been asked by his UM department chair, a Chinese man, to meet with a Chinese delegation from Harbin and share his research with them. He refused and started writing memos about it, and eventually got into trouble with the administration, he said.

Kauffman provided handouts to the board, including a copy of an email describing a presentation he and others gave recently to the attorney general’s staff, as well as links to a four-part video on the allegations. “I literally have file cabinets full of information,” Kauffman told the board. Even though they’re not the UM board of regents, he said, it’s in their interest to pay attention. [Kauffman has previously addressed the regents on this same issue.]

Commissioner Communications

Several commissioners made comments during the time set aside for liaison reports.

Kristin Judge reported that the Community Action Board met recently – there are some great new members, she said, and that board will be making changes and be more active in the future. The CAB is one of two advisory groups for the county’s Employment Training and Community Services (ETCS) department. Wes Prater mentioned the other advisory group – the Workforce Development Board – by noting that the minutes from their meetings were habitually late. Commissioners were just now receiving minutes from the WDB’s Nov. 4, 2010 meeting, he noted. “I think those are a bit tardy in coming before the board,” he said.

Yousef Rabhi said he had attended the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) general assembly meeting, along with Judge. Some of the discussion there related to regional cooperation and collaboration, which he noted had been the subject of the board’s March 17 working session.

Barbara Bergman reported from a recent meeting of the Area Agency on Aging 1-B – she serves on the nonprofit’s board of directors. She said they’re working hard to preserve programs for seniors, but it does not look promising. She hoped she was just being prematurely pessimistic.

Present: Barbara Levin Bergman, Kristin Judge, Ronnie Peterson, Alicia Ping, Wes Prater, Yousef Rabhi, Dan Smith.

Absent: Leah Gunn, Rolland Sizemore Jr., Conan Smith, Rob Turner.

Next regular board meeting: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. at the county administration building, 220 N. Main St. The Ways & Means Committee meets first, followed immediately by the regular board meeting. [confirm date] (Though the agenda states that the regular board meeting begins at 6:45 p.m., it usually starts much later – times vary depending on what’s on the agenda.) Public comment sessions are held at the beginning and end of each meeting.