2009 – Page 41 of 98

Where’s VC cash? UM spinoffs, Ann Arbor companies early winners

By Newsroom

●

July 29, 2009

When it comes to venture capital, companies with roots in Ann Arbor are cashing in early and often.Excerpt:So far, the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor-based firms are the big winners in early investing from two state funds, the Venture Michigan Fund and the 21st Century Investment Fund.Twelve Michigan companies have received funding from the funds. Of eight Ann Arbor companies, seven are UM spinoffs. Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor’s Salon Vox named one of best in nation

By Newsroom

●

Arts & Culture

●

July 29, 2009

Ann Arbor gets a lot of love for its technical expertise, but now Elle magazine is showing a Tree Town-based salon some love for its fashion sense. The national magazine named Ann Arbor's Salon Vox one of the Top 100 in the nation. Read about it here.

The Ann Arbor News hits the presses for the last time

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

July 29, 2009

The door on The Ann Arbor News closes as the door to AnnArbor.com opens.Excerpt:ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Geoff Larcom has covered higher education, written columns and led sports coverage at The Ann Arbor News. His final assignment: the newspaper's own obituary after 174 years.The only daily newspaper in this college town — daily circulation 45,000 — is rolling off the presses for the last time on Thursday and going out of business. It is being replaced by AnnArbor.com, an online news site that will produce a print edition twice a week, on Thursday and Sunday."This will be our last edition. Farewell Ann Arbor. Hugs all around," said Larcom, 51, when asked what the opening paragraphs of his story are likely to say.Read the rest of the story here and the Chicago Tribune column about it here.

Ann Arbor officials lay out city income tax plan to shift tax burden to commuters, increase revenues

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

July 29, 2009

Ann Arbor city officials are looking to close the latest budget gap with a new revenue generator - an income tax.Excerpt:Marcy Bailey is one of an estimated 75,000-plus people who make the daily commute to work in Ann Arbor, but don't currently pay taxes to the city.Under a new proposal for a city income tax, the Fenton resident could see a portion of her paycheck from the University of Michigan redirected to Ann Arbor's coffers. City officials released the final draft of a feasibility study Friday that includes a 1-percent tax for city residents and 0.5-percent tax for non-residents - the highest amounts allowed under state law."I've worked in other cities that have city income taxes," said Bailey, a manager at the Hatcher Graduate Library. "It's not something that I find particularly offensive. And especially if the tax money that they collect is used for reasonable things - the greater good - then I wouldn't have a problem with it."With Ann Arbor's future budget projections looking grim, talk of placing a city income tax question on the November ballot is gaining momentum.Under the city's charter, if an income tax is adopted, Ann Arbor's general operating millage would be eliminated. That means property taxes would come down by 6.2 mills, or about 15 percent overall.A property tax decrease would help offset the cost of the income tax for many residents, while non-residents would for the first time pay about $12.4 million a year to Ann Arbor."The burden continues to be on property owners to pay for local government services," said City Administrator Roger Fraser. "In our city, there are over 75,000 people that commute every day into work who do not pay for any portion of their services unless they happen to meet one of our finest on the street. We believe that in Ann Arbor, this question is one that we ought to be asking folks."Read the rest of the story here.

New U-M football practice facility set to open in August

By Newsroom

●

Development News

●

July 29, 2009

The University of Michigan's newest football facility is getting ready to open, and no, it's not Michigan Stadium.The storied football program plans to open the new Al Glick Field House next month. The old practice facility, Oosterbaan Field House, will be used by a number of the university's other varsity and intramural teams. Those teams, such as women's softball team, already use the facility from dawn to dusk when the football team isn't using it."Frankly, they need that facility," says Bruce Madej, spokesman for the U-M Athletic Dept.The new $26.1 million facility measures approximately 104,000 square feet, making it big enough for a full-size football field, lobby, restrooms and storage space. The renovation also includes about 3,000 square feet in Schembechler Hall. Jickling Lyman Powell Associates designed the project, which is being paid for the athletic department and private donations.The building is named after Al Glick, an ardent follower of Michigan sports and generous benefactor. His family owns Alro Steel Corp and raised $8.7 million for the facility. The family has also supported the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Women's Hospital.Source: Bruce Madej, spokesman for the U-M Athletic DeptWriter: Jon Zemke

Chelsea lays groundwork for municipal building expansion

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

July 29, 2009

The first project of many that promises to create a small campus of municipal buildings in downtown Chelsea is well underway - behind the scenes.The city is taking bids on building a new police building and hopes to break ground on it first thing next spring. The $2.25 million project will build a new 10,000-square-foot police headquarters. The city plans to make this a LEED silver building."We're acutely award of energy savings from an electrical standpoint," says John Hanifan, city manager for Chelsea, adding the final design could incorporate things like solar panels and wind turbines.The city spent about $1.5 million to buy City Hall from the Chelsea State Bank and obtain land for its new downtown police station earlier this year. The bank will shrink its drive-thru lanes from five to two, making room for a new police station.Source: John Hanifan, city manager for ChelseaWriter: Jon Zemke

Expanded and renovated morgue opens at U-M

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

July 29, 2009

Washtenaw County has a newer and bigger facility for you to "bring out iyour dead," now that the University of Michigan Health System has renovated and expanded its morgue.U-M and the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner partnered on the $1.35 million project. The newly expanded facility should double the number of autopsies (600) that university and county staff handle annually. Among the extras at the new facility are double the autopsy tables (4) and a special autopsy room that can contain odors or infectious diseases. A new obersevation room for police and students was also added, along with extra body storage space for up to 25 corpses. The morgue is also brighter, offers more storage and is more secure. All of this was done thanks of a redesign. No extra square footage was added. However, the redesign does facilitate more basic ergonomically friendly features, such as the easier to move bodies in and out of the facility. Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

LED lights almost complete in downtown Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

July 29, 2009

If downtown Ann Arbor's lights look different these days, it because most of them have gone through an evolutionary change.The city has now changed 800 of its 1,100 decorative lights in downtown from regular incandescent to more energy efficient LEDs. That means the round globes that once had one big glowing center now are illuminated with a sprinkling of smaller-yet-much-more-energy efficient LEDs. The city hopes to wrap up the $640,000 project (expected to pay for itself within four years through electricity savings) before the end of the year."We're getting close to the end here," says Andrew Brix, spokesman for the Ann Arbor Energy Office.LED (short for light-emitting diode) lights are commonly used in traffic and tail lights. They require less than half of the energy of a normal incandescent light bulb and last five times the normal two-year lifespan of an incandescent.The city is also looking to start a pilot program to install LEDs in normal cobra-head streetlights in neighborhoods. The $100,000 pilot project will occur in a student neighborhood.Source: Andrew Brix, spokesman for the Ann Arbor Energy OfficeWriter: Jon Zemke

Energy Outlet consolidates, expands in new Depot Town space

By Newsroom

●

Development News

●

July 29, 2009

The Clean Energy Coalition is becoming more efficient in its new home in Depot Town.The sustainability-based non-profit recently consolidated its offices into a Depot Town storefront. The Clean Energy Coalition now has 400-square-foot retail area, space for its offices behind that and training room in the very back. That allowed it expand into areas like retail and community outreach more effectively."This is an opportunity to reach out to people on an individual or group level," says Deb Heed, project manager for the Clean Energy Coalition. "We want to reach out to the public."The 1,200 square feet houses six employees and a couple of interns. The back conference room will be used for teaching local groups or people about sustainable practices. The front retail space will have space for sustainability products, books and demonstrations."I like to call it our energy boutique," Heed says.Source: Deb Heed, project manager for the Clean Energy CoalitionWriter: Jon Zemke

RADIO CONCENTRATE: The Energy Gospel According To T. Boone Pickens

By Chris McCarus

●

Sustainability

●

July 29, 2009

July 8 was Energy Independence Day….according to Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens. That's when he began his campaign to wean Americans from foreign oil. He came to Ann Arbor to promote it in October and returned to Michigan again recently. More from Michigan Now’s Chris McCarus