Saline : Development News

Be it resolved that this harsh winter, arts boosters will get their day in the sun. The city of Saline's Arts and Culture Committee is putting forth the idea of a new arts and cultural center in Saline. The first of two meetings will be held this week in order to gauge public interest.

"The purpose of this cultural "campus" or "mall" would be to offer established and growing arts and cultural organizations a common location with space to meet teaching, storage, rehearsal, performance, and display needs, as well as space to grow and expand," says an invitation letter for the meeting.

The intention is not for Saline's arts and culture committee, the city, or its school system to either drive or fund the center. "It really needs to be a community effort," says Saline City Council Rep. Linda TerHaar, who is also a Saline Arts and Culture Committee member. "We see our role as the catalyst to get the discussion going."

TerHaar says the center, which would be years away from fruition, is not intended to replace any current arts organizations or infrastructure in Saline.

The committee is seeking a range of public input on everything from potential locations to funding sources to uses for such a center, according to TerHaar. One location that's been floated is Houghton School, which is not currently in use. The school is located near Saline's downtown and Mill Pond Park. It's also expected that the center would be funded privately, with options including private donations, grant funding, and charging users rent.

"We've talked about studio space for individual artists. Houghton School has a kitchen, so if we're at Houghton School there could be culinary arts classes and demonstrations. The Saline Area Players could have a performance, just as an example," TerHaar says, adding, "We see the possibilities as pretty unlimited. We've also talked about landscape art, gardening art. Once again, depending on the facility, the Houghton School has a lovely inner courtyard that we could foresee landscape artists just having a wonderful time designing and working in."

The first of two meetings is set for 7 p.m. on Thurs., Jan. 24 at Stone Arch Arts & Events, at 117 S. Ann Arbor St. in Saline. The second will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at a location to be announced on the Saline Arts and Cultural Center's Facebook page. All are welcome.

Source: Saline City Council Rep. Linda TerHaar
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

A new high-speed slush skin line has been installed to support the Ford Focus program.


In time for the winter auto show season, dollars are hitting the road. Faurecia, the sixth-largest automotive supplier world-wide, is using the proceeds of an Industrial Facilities Tax incentive from the city of Saline to make what Ray Boufford, vice president of strategic transformation for Faurecia, calls a "significant investment" at its Saline factory.

Ann Arbor SPARK helped to facilitate the deal between the manufacturer and the city of Saline. In its 1.6 million sq.ft. factory, Faurecia manufactures cockpits, instrument and door panels, and center consoles for Ford vehicles.

"Under Faurecia ownership, Saline will become a technology plant that focuses on such core technologies as injection molding, skin manufacturing and foaming operations for interior systems. Faurecia is reconfiguring the plant into a streamlined, one-piece flow operation replacing the previous lay out," Boufford says in an email.

The redesign work started when Faurecia began operations in Saline in June of 2012, and will continue over the next few years. Other upgrades include new plant floor lighting and painting the formerly brown walls white for a brighter work atmosphere.

Over the past year, Faurecia has added eight new North American locations, including four in Southeast Michigan.

"The plant will employ approximately 1,200 once the transformation is complete," Boufford says.

Sources: Ray Boufford, vice president of strategic transformation for Faurecia; Ann Arbor SPARK
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Image courtesy of Faurecia

In time for the winter indoor-project season, a new statewide low-interest rate program for businesses making energy-efficient upgrades to their properties has come into effect.

Under the Michigan Saves Business Energy Financing Program, businesses can obtain 2-5 year loans ranging from $2,000-150,000, at rates starting at 5.9%. The financing is provided through Ervin Leasing for businesses using program-authorized contractors, according to Julie Bennett, executive director of Michigan Saves.

A special incentive in the form of a 3.99% rate and a $2,000 rebate from Michigan Saves is available to food industry companies cutting energy use by 20%. That includes grocers, convenience stores, food wholesalers, and restaurants.

"We're really targeting that industry because they use a lot of energy, but they typically don't have the time and resources to make the improvements," Bennett says.

The incentive program is grant-funded and short-term, so Bennett encourages food industry business owners to apply as soon as possible. The loan program, however, has about $50 million in committed funds and is intended to be perpetual, according to Bennett.

"There's a recycling that happens with this money as loans are paid down, so we're hoping that we'll never have to stop this program. But at this time we can do 1,000 businesses...if we had a rush to the door, we could do 1,000."

Qualifying projects include energy-efficient lighting, heating, and cooling, insulation, refrigeration, and motor, door, or window replacement.

The program is targeting business enrollment, and employment as well. "We're always looking for more contractors to enroll in the program," Bennett adds. "It's a kind of job creation angle - that we're really trying to get contractors enrolled."

Source: Julie Bennett, executive director of Michigan Saves
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

The alley is becoming the next promenade in cities like Saline. Saline Main Street, an organization charged with improving the vitality of the downtown, has signed an agreement with the city to spearhead an improvement project in a one-block alley off of Ann Arbor Street, behind the Brecon Grille and Mangiamo Italian Grill on Michigan Avenue.

Alley enhancements include replacing a wooden planter with a wrought-iron fence, raising concrete, stringing overhead lighting, adding planters, and installing an entryway feature of a design yet to be determined. The lighting should be in place later this fall, in time for Saline's holiday parade. The restaurants plan to install outdoor seating in the alley when the weather warms next year, according to Rebecca Schneider, the design team leader for Saline Main Street.

"It's a wonderful way for us to get more community gathering space, and one of the wonderful things about when you find that space in an alley is that utilizing the space doesn't require closing the street or closing a parking lot, which disrupts commerce and traffic in your downtown," Schneider says.

The total project cost is still unknown, says Schneider, due to the expense of overhead lighting and the yet-to-be-determined entryway feature. The city of Saline has contributed $10,000 towards the project. Saline Main Street will raise additional funds as necessary.

Saline Main Street will also hold up to six public events a year in the alley. "It's not just outdoor seating for Mangiamo and Brecon Grille, it's also community space which will be utilized for different functions, where we hope to engage all different facets of our city in that space," she adds. Possibilities include wine tastings, art displays, musical performances, and events for children.

Source: Rebecca Schneider, Saline Main Street design team leader
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

The Bank of Ann Arbor is branching out with the opening of a new Saline location. A new branch is coming to 179 E. Michigan Avenue, close to Saline's downtown. A mid-December opening is planned, according to Hans Maier, a senior vice president at the bank.

The 1,600-square-foot building has been home to branches of various financial institutions since 1968.

The bank is capitalizing on Saline's growing residential population. "With the proximity of Saline in our market area, we thought that would be a great location because of the number of Saline customers we already have in our Ellsworth [Road] office," Maier says.

Five employees will staff the branch, according to Maier.

Source: Hans Maier, senior vice president, Bank of Ann Arbor
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

The sun may be lower on the horizon now, but solar activity is rising, beginning with the National Solar Tour in October. Nine installations in Ypsilanti, along with one each in Saline and Ann Arbor, will be open to visitors interested in seeing solar.

Eight of those sites are within approximately one mile of each other in and near downtown Ypsilanti.

The Ypsi Food Co-op and River Street Bakery at 312 North River Street sport three installations. Other hotspots are: Krzyzanski Apts A,B,C at 403 Huron Street; Ypsi City Hall at 1 South Huron Street; Adams School at 503 East Oak Street; Frog Island Park at 600 Marketplace; and the Corner Brewery at 720 Norris Street.

Power Panel, the provider of the large installation at the Corner Brewery, will be presenting at the brewery at 12 and 2 p.m. And local solar installer John Wakeman will be speaking about the "25% by '25" legislation, an initiative to require that Michigan utilities obtain 25% of their energy from renewable sources by 2025 (the current requirement is 10% by 2015), will be speaking there at 1 p.m.

"We have [panels] on roofs, things on awnings on the side of buildings. We have micro-inverters, regular inverters...it's a lot of examples in a short distance," says Dave Strenski, volunteer coordinator of Solar Ypsi, points out. Strenski will be at City Hall throughout the day to answer questions, and Solar Ypsi volunteers will staff some of the other spots.

Other displays within driving distance will be at the Graf residence at 6232 Munger Road in Ypsilanti and the Bredernitz residence at 2114 Windmill Way in Saline.

All sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Also in conjunction with the National Solar Tour, Novi, Michigan-based Srinergy will host a bus tour of residential and commercial solar installations that day. Ann Arbor's AMMA Center will be a featured stop. Click here for more information and to register.

Both tours take place on Saturday, October 6.

Sources: Dave Strenski, volunteer coordinator of Solar Ypsi; Srinergy
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

With the GetDowntown Commuter Challenge coming to an end, what would the quality of life in Washtenaw County be like if it embraced mass transit every month, not just in May?

One significant impact of residents embracing the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority's (AATA) vision for mass transit in Washtenaw County would mean that everyone in the county could get around, sans car. The AATA has just concluded a final series of meetings to acquaint the public with its five-year transit program, the first stage of the county's 30-year transit master plan completed last year.

The most significant aspect of the proposed program, says Michael Benham, AATA's special assistant for strategic planning, "is that every single person in the county has access to the transit system, without a car."

The program calls for extended service on the current core Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor network of bus service that would be fed by a series of fixed routes consisting of express bus services in the outlying communities, and also community circulators, small bus networks to transport people within Chelsea, Dexter, and Saline, and link them to express bus routes. The final component is a system of would-be demand responsive services that can bring people from their doors to fixed-route bus stops.

Seniors and the disabled would get the added option of door-to-door service anywhere in the county. "Over the next 20 or 30 years there's going to be a more than doubling of the senior population," Benham notes, adding, "We're really trying to focus on either giving people mobility or letting them keep their mobility as they age."

Plan execution is contingent on creation of a countywide transit authority. "Over the years, one community after another has come to us and they are basically asking us to sell them transportation on an annual basis," Benham says.

The city of Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, and Pittsfield Township have purchase-of-service agreements, subject to the vagaries of municipal funding. "It's not a particularly stable arrangement, and that's why we'd like to go with a countywide authority. A countywide transit authority would have its own funding base so these townships wouldn't have to come to us and buy the service anymore."

Funding would also need to be in place. Possibilities include increased fares, a .5-mill countywide transit tax, and bills pending in the state legislature, such as a motor vehicle registration fee applicable to counties with a regional transit authority.

When, exactly, the clock could start ticking on the five-year program is the question. "If the funding comes into being within the next six months and if we can get our countywide board pulled together in, say, the next six months, then the service could be operating in a year and a half. But those two ifs are big ifs. I can't stress that enough," Benham says.

Source:  Michael Benham, special assistant for strategic planning, AATA
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Washtenaw County is continuing with its purchase of properties for its Natural Areas Preservation Program (NAPP). Some of the recent deals have resulted in contiguous tracts of 100 acres or more.

Last November, with a 151-acre purchase in Lima Township, the county established Trinkle Marsh at Easton Farm. The cost was $725,000, or $4,800 an acre. "The real key feature is a marsh that has some open water and it's really a very, very popular spot for birds, not only during summer but especially during spring and fall migration," says Tom Freeman, coordinator of Washtenaw County's Natural Areas Preservation Program. The preserve will be opened later this year with trails and birder-style overlooks with blinds.

In December, the county bought 19 acres for $123,500, $6,500 an acre, in York Township just outside the city of Milan from the Schrock family. The areas will be called the Shrock Family Sanctuary and will be added to the 80-acre Draper-Houston Meadows Preserve. The parcel fronts along the Saline River, a tributary to the River Raisin, and will have trails.

And just last week, the county purchased a conservation easement on a 100-acre plot in Superior Township. This was done in partnership with Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy, which will own the land. The total cost was about $700,000, or $7,000 an acre. The Ann Arbor Greenbelt is contributing towards the conservancy's expense, according to Freeman.

"In that case it becomes part of a very, very large collection of property in Superior Township that is part of the Superior Greenway. We're well over 1,000 acres in terms of protected land in that area."

And in partnership with Ann Arbor Township and the Ann Arbor Greenbelt, the county is acquiring 23 acres from J.A. Bloch and Company for about $163,000, or $7,100 an acre. The plot is on the northern boundary of Ann Arbor Township, in close proximity to the Northfield Woods Preserve. "We're hoping through this acquisition and another that's also pending, but probably much later this year, that we'll have connected about 100 acres and be able to connect them all with trails," Freeman says.

As of the end of 2011, the NAPP program has protected just over 2,200 acres. The county has 19 nature preserves that are open to the public.

Source: Tom Freeman, coordinator of Washtenaw County's Natural Areas Preservation Program
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Innovation is spreading to the kitchen, with incentives both financial and social. Washtenaw County officials and other area organizations are assessing the potential for a commercial kitchen incubator to open in the county. The project, which is in the early planning and needs assessment phase, has a triumvirate of goals: to provide jobs training for chronically unemployed people in the foods and agri-business sector; to improve the low income population's access to healthy, locally-grown foods; and to support food business development.

"The local food industry is a growing industry, and a lot of people are making their own products in their basements and kitchens and so forth," says Tony VanDerworp, project manager for Washtenaw County's Office of Community and Economic Development. "We could not only help train some of our residents in various jobs in the food sector but also help grow companies through this project."

Potential tenants are being surveyed to assess the regional demand for such a facility. That demand would dictate the size of any potential facility, from an existing 600 square-foot church kitchen to a 15,000 square-foot building. "We envision enough kitchen space to accommodate several tenants," VanDerworp says.

A specific location is still to be determined, but could possibly be on the eastern side of the county in order to provide easier access to lower-income residents lacking transportation, he says. A nominal rent will be charged to tenants, who will also get business support services.

"Their goal might be to sell at the farmers market, their goal might be to start a business, their goal might be to start a product line or a catering company," VanDerworp notes.

The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners has set up a task force with representatives from the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor SPARK and others.

Various funding sources, which could be a mix of philanthropy and grants, including federal workforce development monies for worker training, are under consideration. After the tenant survey is reviewed, larger institutions and food prep companies will be surveyed as to their demand for trained workers.

"This is all the due diligence kind of things you would do, with an added twist that we're going to delve very deeply into how we can train and place people. That's our main goal," says VanDerworp.

A go or no-go decision will be made by early summer, he adds.

Source: Tony VanDerworp, project manager for Washtenaw County's Office of Community and Economic Development
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

The city of Saline can now burnish its nameplate with the full-fledged Michigan Main Street community title. Saline is the first city in Washtenaw County to earn this distinction.

The new designation follows after the city's associate-level membership in the Michigan State Housing Development Authority's (MSHDA) Michigan Main Street program, an application process that exceeded one year, and a cadre of volunteers. The state's program is under the umbrella of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Main Street organization. The program focuses on placemaking for communities, facilitating vibrancy and economic development in their downtowns.

With this new hallmark comes benefits: The program provides five years of training, resources, and networking to help the city create a strategic plan to identify downtown enhancement and business attraction projects. To start with, in April the city will receive a baseline assessment by consultants from the national center, according to Cindy Czubko, chairperson of the Saline Business Development Association and president of Saline Main Street. Other services include branding, architectural design, in-depth market analysis, business recruiting assistance, and fundraising assistance for the new non-profit, Saline Main Street, established to administer the effort.

One priority will be a vacant parcel at 147 W. Michigan Avenue that's ready for redevelopment, Czubko says. A developer's plans to turn the property into a mixed-use residential and retail project were felled by the economic downturn.

Saline's Economic Development Corporation has committed $200,000 to the venture over five years. There is no cost for the program, but the city is required to hire a full-time Michigan Main Street manager.

"It's a proven method of downtown revitalization, and it's been proven for over 30 years," Czubko says. "So we're pretty proud of being selected and very excited about getting started."

Source: Cindy Czubko, chairperson of the Saline Business Development Association and president of Saline Main Street
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Downtown Saline, now a full-fledged Michigan Main Street community, has a new storefront catering to the best-dressed crowd. Perry's Tuxedos Plus, a tuxedo sales and rental shop, opened in January at 109 W. Michigan Ave.

"With the closing of the Calico Cat and the storefront becoming open, things just kind of panned out really nicely for it," owner and sole employee Dave Perry says of his new shop, modeled after the original Perry's Tuxedos Plus store in Adrian which is owned by his father.

Perry will add seasonal help as demand dictates later this spring, during the wedding and prom season.

While the formal wear primarily consists of tuxedos, Perry can also supply suits. Other items available in the the 500-square-foot retail space include invitations, engravable gifts, and varsity jackets.

Source: Dave Perry, owner, Perry's Tuxedos Plus
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Bill-shocked electric and gas utility customers who are trying to cut their energy consumption 30 days after the fact will be a relic of the past.

As part of its ongoing SmartCurrents program, DTE Energy will be installing another 450,000 advanced electric meters and gas modules (smart meters), with 120,000 of those destined for Washtenaw County. The cost of the installation is $66 million, according to Scott Simons, a DTE Energy spokesperson.

The meters are being installed in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Ypsilanti Township this month. Dexter, Dexter Township, and Scio Township will see theirs starting in April, followed by Saline, Saline Township, Superior Township, and Whitmore Lake in May. Installations in Chelsea, Milan, Manchester, and York Township will begin in June.

With the new technology, meters will be read remotely and power outages trackable down to the individual meter. It also allows for customers to track their daily energy consumption.

"Customers will be able to see their individual energy usage online and make usage decisions with that information," Simons says in an email. "They can also choose to purchase in-home displays and programmable thermostats, and even appliances, that work with the meter."

Source: Scott Simons, DTE Energy spokesperson
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Washtenaw County will play host to a bigger suitcase contingency of leisure and business travelers, with some of those visitors possibly choosing to stay and do business in the region, if the new $1 million Pure Michigan national advertising campaign has its way.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)'s Pure Michigan initiative is putting $500,000 towards the campaign, which is being matched by a collective $500,000 put forth by the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), the Ypsilanti Area CVB, and Ann Arbor SPARK.

The effort, to be called, "Sense of Place" is a first-time pilot program to combine support for both tourism and economic development, the only area in the state being considered for this combination, according to Mary Kerr, president of the Ann Arbor Area CVB.

"Like tourism marketing, economic development attracts attention to what Ann Arbor has to offer, and creates demand for Ann Arbor as a destination; both are about people: Tourists, visitors, students, families, business owners, job-seekers," Donna Doleman, Ann Arbor SPARK's vice president of marketing and talent, says in a statement.  "Businesses want to locate in a desirable location where they can hire and attract workers, including those who would relocate for a job. This new marketing partnership allows us to scale and amplify our economic development and business attraction efforts."

The campaign follows a three-year partnership between the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti CVBs and Travel Michigan to promote the area to other Midwestern cities.

"We're partnered as a regional partner with Travel Michigan promoting the Ann Arbor area as a tourist destination in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis, which are three of the state's regional markets. And it's been very successful for us. We've seen strong results for Washtenaw County and we feel this is the natural path for moving forward," Kerr says.

"This pilot program gives us the opportunity to reach a much larger audience than we've reached previously with our regional campaigns," she adds.

The campaign is to consist of a national ad running on cable television, articles on the Michigan.org website, press tours for journalists, and a promotional video residing on michiganadvantage.org. And subject to negotiations with HGTV, a House Hunters episode featuring a family's search for a house in the Ann Arbor area will air in June. A firm campaign launch date has not been determined yet, but Kerr expects more details to be available later in March.

In 2010, out of 83 Michigan counties, Kerr says Washtenaw County ranked number 5 and 7 in business and leisure travel spending, respectively. Travel spending in the county totaled about $595 million. Of that, business travel was $223 million and leisure travel $372 million. According to metrics released by the Pure Michigan campaign, $3.29 is returned in sales tax for every $1 spent on advertising.

Kerr says Pure Michigan is "probably the number one tourism campaign in the country, definitely the number one tourism website in the country as well. So we're not just a $1 million national campaign, but very much a part of the overall state's national campaign for Pure Michigan."

Sources: Mary Kerr, president of the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau; Donna Doleman, vice president of marketing and talent, Ann Arbor SPARK
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Heading into Thanksgiving, the downtown Saline business community has a low vacancy rate to be thankful for. As of press time, downtown has only two vacancies – 109 W Michigan Ave. and the second floor of 101 S Ann Arbor St., home to the Murphy's Crossing property management firm – according to Art Trapp, downtown director for the Saline Business Development Association.

New businesses opening over the last six months include the Downtown Diner at 131 E Michigan Ave., Saline Pharmacy at 75 E Bennett St., and Oxygen Plus, a medical equipment supply company that moved from another Saline location into 98 N Ann Arbor St., a location which the owner "found very beneficial," says Trapp.

Reincarnations Resale, a vintage furniture and clothing consignment shop, just opened a couple of weeks ago at 109 E Michigan Ave.

Interested parties are looking at the 109 W Michigan Ave. space, former home of the Calico Cat gift shop, Trapp says.
"Most folks are doing okay," he says, adding, "We haven't had a great exodus; it seems when one is vacant we find somebody to fill it."

The city is also applying to be a Michigan Main Street Select Level community. Michigan Main Street is a program supporting the economic vibrancy of downtowns. The application should be submitted in 2012, Trapp says.

Source: Art Trapp, downtown director, Saline Business Development Association
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar