There are vocations and there are avocations. For Joseph Zettelmaier it's clear which is which. By day the Milan, Mich. resident works in data entry. But on stage he's an award-winning playwright with 30 plays to his name. Concentrate's Tanya Muzumdar puts the spotlight on this theatrical wordsmith.
When people talk about paving the way for the next generation of community leaders and activists they're talking about someone like D'Real Graham. Born and raised in Ypsilanti, Graham ran for his local school board, serves on the city's Recreation Commission, taught science at Ann Arbor's Hands On Museum and is the program coordinator for 826Michigan. And he's only 26.
Meet Michael Barera, the Wikipedian in Residence at U-M's Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Not only is he a member of the first student Wikipedia club in the country, he is the first Wikipedian resident ever appointed to a presidential library. Concentrate's Tanya Muzumdar chats with him about what that means, where he goes next, and which wiki entries he's been involved with and inspired by.
Last month, A2 Ethics held their third annual Big Ethical Question Slam. Concentrate's Tanya Muzumdar talks with the winners about the community's questions, the team's answers and what strategies are involved when a competition asks you to tackle the weightiest of issues.
Over the years, sculptor Tad McKillop has taught young artists, constructed motorcycles (which he's bartered for body art), and developed a loyal following of collectors across the country. He embodies Ann Arbor's iconoclastic DIY culture, creating figurative bronze works in a furnace he, uh, forged himself.
Hackerspaces, makerspaces, whatever you call them, they're pretty dang cool. All Hands Active churns out high, low and in-between tech inventions in downtown Ann Arbor, accomodating everyone from kids to start-ups. Concentrate's Tanya Muzumdar descends into their subterranean lair to get the low down.
Juicy Kitchen, a healthy foods catering and delivery business, has moved from a back room into a new storefront café on Ann Arbor's west side. Since Juicy Kitchen opened its café at 1506 N. Maple Road in mid-January, "We have had an overwhelmingly positive response, from the neighborhood especially." says owner Susan Todoroff. "I worked from this hole-in-the-wall kitchen with no windows – all of a sudden I have big picture windows, sunlight, and people," Todoroff adds. Juicy Kitchen now fills the space formerly occupied by the Maple Gardens Chinese restaurant. All traces of the former tenant have vanished. Todoroff and her husband spent a few months on renovations. They installed wainscoting made from northern Michigan white pine and stained it peacock blue. The walls are painted a pumpkin orange, there's a new counter with galvanized steel coating, and school house-style lighting. Todoroff's husband built the dining tables. The cafe has seating for 16 people on Victorian church pews and auction-find chairs. Breakfast and lunch are served daily. After 2 p.m., customers may stop in and pick up prepared meals to go. Todoroff is continuing the catering and delivery operation as well. Baked goods are mostly vegan and emphasis whole grains and less sugar. High-quality foods, such as locally raised, hormone-free chicken and eggs, come out of the kitchen. Calder Dairy supplies the milk, and Mighty Good coffee is poured. Todoroff has seven employees, three of whom are full-time. Chef Dan Vernia is formerly of the Ravens Club. "There's nothing else like us in Ann Arbor, but especially on the west side," says Todoroff. "They don't have a place where they can sit down and have a really good healthy breakfast and a really good cup of coffee." Source: Susan Todoroff, owner, Juicy Kitchen Writer: Tanya Muzumdar
It's full-on winter now, but that's not stopping the Border to Border Trail from growing. In February, work begins in Dexter on a new three-mile segment of what will be a 35-mile non-motorized trail connecting Washtenaw County to Livingston and Wayne Counties along the Huron River. This three-mile leg is expected to be completed by fall 2013. At that point, 23 miles of the planned 35 will be completed, says Coy Vaughn, deputy director of the Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission. This new portion will run from Hudson Mills Metropark to Dexter, linking up to Warrior Creek Park. It will be mostly asphalt, but there will be a boardwalk through the wetlands and a small pedestrian bridge. "Once this is done, it will create a 13-mile round trip that you can take from downtown Dexter up through Hudson Mills Metropark. They already had three miles of trails on the other side of the [Huron] River, so overall it will be a 13-mile round trip bike ride, walk, run, or whatever from downtown Dexter," Vaughn says. On the east side of Dexter, work has concluded on a 1.25-mile trail headed towards Ann Arbor and ending at Dexter-Huron Metropark. That segment connects to the DPW yard in the village, with a small section adjoining Central St. Vaughn says it's not open to the public yet, as the county is in the process of obtaining a railroad easement. Hudson Mills Metropark is north of Dexter on the river, and to the southeast of Dexter is Dexter-Huron and Delhi Metroparks. "We're trying to connect all the Metroparks to the village [of Dexter] and the city of Ann Arbor," sayas Vaughn. Source: Coy Vaughn, deputy director, Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission Writer: Tanya Muzumdar
To keep up with production and R&D demands, American Broach & Machine Co., a maker of broaches (metal cutting tools), broaching machines, and CNC and manual broach tool sharpening machines for the auto, aircraft, train, off-road vehicle, defense, and other industries, recently purchased a new 42,880 sq. ft. building at 535 S. Mansfield St. in Ypsilanti. Adjacent to its 23,200 sq. ft. current location at 575 S. Mansfield St., the acquisition means a near-tripling of the company's current total square footage. American Broach & Machine Co. has been in business since 1919, and once employed Rosie the Riveter (Geraldine Hoff Doyle) as a broaching machine operator in its former Ann Arbor factory. The company will keep its existing building and move about half of its employees and equipment to the new location, beginning in June. The move should be completed by September, says President Ken Nemec. "We're going to be making broach tools in that plant and working on R&D projects for the broach and metal-cutting business. We've got three or four irons in the fire of things we'd like to develop," Nemec says. The purchase price was just under $1 million, and the company will invest another $500,000 in upgrades prior to moving in, according to Nemec. Upgrades include more efficient heating, ventilation and cooling systems systems, and high-efficiency lights using one-third the electricity of the current fixtures. The company has 48 employees and has been consistently hiring, adding a new position every 1-2 months, Nemec says. The average salary is over $50,000 per year. There are 4-5 job openings right now. "We're looking for unskilled trainee workers that have an aptitude for becoming a toolmaker. Over the next five years I anticipate adding probably 30 positions like that, " Nemec says, adding, "Within five years, maximum ten, we'd like to have 100 employees." Source: Ken Nemec, president, American Broach & Machine Co. Writer: Tanya Muzumdar
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
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