Government

Does Ohio’s Kent suffer from Ann Arbor envy?

By Newsroom

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December 2, 2009

Confirming what U-M fans already knew, another city in Ohio wishes it were more like Ann Arbor.Excerpt:KENT, Ohio -- Folks constantly voice Ann Arbor aspirations around here. They admire the Michigan town's nimble and relatively exuberant economy and its high placing in so many lists of the nation's most livable cities. They envy the publicity that Ann Arbor gets in newspaper travel sections and magazines. "That's what we're striving for," philanthropist and downtown redeveloper Ron Burbick recently said. But Kent is still a far cry from Ann Arbor. Read the rest of the story here.

Latest in Government

Cross St streetscape project moves forward in Ypsilanti

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 18, 2009

Ypsilanti's Cross Street streetscape project is at a crossroads, ready to put actual shovels in the ground.The $1 million project would improve Cross between the Water Tower and Depot Town. That means adding bump outs, redoing sidewalks, planting trees and shrubs, installing benches and other street furniture and putting in crosswalks. The bottom line is it will improve the corridor for both motorized and non-motorized traffic."We're trying to improve the pedestrian experience," says Theresa Gillotti, one of the organizers behind the project. "It should also help improve the look of the area."City staff has worked out an agreement with the state, which will cover $600,000 of the project's price tag. The city will show off preliminary plans this fall, finish engineering and get approvals next year and plan to start construction in 2011.A public meeting on the plans will be held at 7 p.m. today in the City Hall.Source: Theresa Gillotti, organizer Cross Street streetscape projectWriter: Jon Zemke

Single-stream recycling expected to produce big gains in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 18, 2009

All of the little streams of recycling in Ann Arbor are about to be combined into one big river, and that river is expected to grow exponentially.The City Council has approved switching from the traditional sorting method of recycling (papper, plastic, etc.) to what is called single-stream, which allows homes to throw all of their recycling into one container. The material is then sorted out at the recycling plant, making the process more user-friendly. Among the other cities that use single-stream recycling are Austin, Texas and Baltimore, MD."We expect to basically double recycling from single-family homes with the program," says Tom McMurtrie, recycling coordinator for the city of Ann Arbor. "There will be a number of materials added and new incentives.Currently, Ann Arborites recycle about 50 percent of their waste. The goal is to hit 70 percent by 2012. Helping make that possible is adding a number of materials to be recycled, such as all plastics except No. 3.The city will invest $3.5 million into upgrades at its recycling facility to accommodate this transition. The staff levels would stay the same with machines handling the extra sorting. The switch would also require new recycling containers, costing $1.3 million. Gone will be the green and brown bins. Replacing them will be one large container for all recycling. Each of these containers will come with a bar code as part of the RecycleBank system, which rewards recyclers with coupons and prizes in proportion to how much they recycle. This system has helped significantly increase recycling efforts in both Rochester Hills and Westland.Source: Tom McMurtrie, recycling coordinator for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor ranked No 5 digital city

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 18, 2009

Ann Arbor continues to climb the electronic ladder, moving up to the No. 5 ranking for digital cities in its population class in the U.S.Excerpt:e.Republic's Center for Digital Government and Digital Communities magazine have named the most advanced digital cities in America. The cities were chosen from the results of the ninth annual Digital Cities Survey, which examines how municipalities incorporate information technology into operations which better serve citizens engaging with local government."This year's winners demonstrate how cities have faced economic challenges with creativity and innovation in the use of information technology," said Cathilea Robinett, executive director for the Center for Digital Government. "The Survey clearly shows that cities place a high value on positive experiences for their constituents when using government services. These winners are at the leading edge of the future in digital advances for citizens."Read the rest of the story here.

U-M prof’s HOT AIR exhibit celebrates fall of communism

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Arts & Culture

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November 11, 2009

Thirty six years ago Anca Trandafirescu's family fled communist-controlled Romanian when she was six years old. Today the assistant professor of architecture at the University of Michigan has returned an artistic hero.Trandafirescu is the designer and fabricator who made the HOT AIR exhibit happen in Timisoara, Romania. The giant inflatable head exhibit celebrated the fall of communism 20 years ago by placing a giant inflatable head laying on its side in Victory Plaza where the revolution began."It looks like what a fallen statue would look like when a regime is toppled," Trandafirescu says. "Like when revolutionaries topple the statues of the old regime and drag them out of the square."The exhibit measured 12 meters long and five meter high. The face was not of anyone in particular, although some compared it to Lenin's face. It remained in the square from Nov. 3-7 to mark the revolution. It's called HOT AIR because heat was rationed in those days and it was unusually warm during the revolution."It helped people stay outside longer," Trandafirescu says.The exhibit was funded with $6,700 in grants, including $3,200 from the University of Michigan. The head is in transit back to the U.S. and will go on display over the next few years to commemorate the fall of communism in Romania.Source: Anca Trandafirescu, assistant professor of architecture at the University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Michigan makes loan to hire Pfizer talent in Saline

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 4, 2009

The Pfizer-is-leaving announcement seems farther and farther away with each passing day, but state officials are still working to keep that drug development talent in Michigan.Saline- and Kalamazoo-based firms have received loans from the Company Formation and Growth fund, a state-based initiative to keep Pfizer talent and assets in Michigan. Research Essential Services of Saline will receive $200,000 so it can occupy space in the newly opened Michigan Life Science and Innovation Center in Plymouth. That money will also allow the company to hire four ex-Pfizer scientists and purchase some old Pfizer assets.The other winner is Kalamazoo-based Kalexsyn, which will use its $150,000 to hire three ex-Pfizer scientists. The Company Formation and Growth fund has approved $7.25 million in loans for 34 life-sciences firms in the Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo and Metro Detroit communities since Pfizer announced it was leaving Michigan.Source: Michigan Economic Development CorporationWriter: Jon Zemke

Ypsilanti City Hall begins installation of solar panels

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Community Development

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November 4, 2009

The solar panels are starting to go up on the back end of Yspilanti's City Hall.The grassroots group of solar-power activists making the project happen (with the help of a $36,000 grant and some local fundraising/volunteer efforts) are putting up the framing and getting ready to install 12 solar panels by the end of the month. The goal is to have the whole thing wired and ready to go in the very near future."We're hoping by the end of the year, hopefully sooner," says Dave Strenski, volunteer with the Ypsilanti Solar Panel Project. People will be able to track how much energy the panels are generating on a website, as soon as the system is functional. The website already shows how much the solar panels atop the Ypsilanti Food Co-op are producing. Next in line is installing 30 solar panels on top of the bakery at the Ypsilanti Food Co-op. That project is expected to start as soon as the City Hall project is done, which should be sometime early next year.The Ypsilanti Solar Panel Project is still looking for $50 pledges to fund the City Hall and future projects. For information on giving, click here.Source: Dave Strenski, volunteer with the Ypsilanti Solar Panel ProjectWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor’s hybrid buses continue to lead the way to sustainability

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 28, 2009

Ann Arbor is at the top of the list when it comes to adopting fuel-efficient hybrid technology for public transit.Excerpt:If you wonder whether hybrid-electric vehicles will ever catch on, simply ask one of the millions of people who ride in them every day.Hybrid-electric buses, that is.Transit systems from New York to Taipei, and from Ames, Iowa, to Ann Arbor, Mich., are adding hybrid buses at a rapid clip. New York, by far, has the nation’s biggest fleet of hybrid buses, which run on electricity and diesel fuel, with nearly 1,000 in all five boroughs, most in Manhattan.Read the rest of the story here.

U-M scores $6.8M in federal stem cell research grants

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Community Development

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October 28, 2009

Thirteen is the lucky number for the University of Michigan. That's how many federal grants the university recently received for stem cell research, totaling $6.8 million in federal stimulus cash."That money will certainly accelerate stem cell research at the University of Michigan," says Sean Morrison, director of the University of Michigan Center for Stem Cell Biology. "It will go towards all sorts of stem cell research."The money represents a 15-20 percent increase in overall funding for both adult and embryonic stem cells at the center's laboratories. That translates to more research positions and new research projects.Michigan recently lifted restrictions on stem cell research, specifically allowing embryonic stem cell research to move forward. With these grants also come new and different stem cells for U-M researchers to study. Some U-M researchers will use induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells. These versatile cells are adult cells that have been reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells.This is the latest federal stimulus research grant the university has received this year. It has scored 260 different grants, accounting for more than $100 million in extra research funding.Source: Sean Morrison, director of the University of Michigan Center for Stem Cell BiologyWriter: Jon Zemke

Chelsea offers free CFLs for local residents

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 28, 2009

Chelsea residents, come and get your free CFL light bulb. The city is giving them away. Literally.The city's Energy Optimization Plan is offering two free CFL light bulbs to customers of Chelsea Electric. The idea is to promote energy efficiency and more sustainable practices, such as replacing incandescent light bulbs with much more efficient CFLs. The city is providing incentives for various Chelsea Electric customer, including those in residential, commercial and industrial sectors. The CFL give away is the primary component of the residential program. The CFL plan calls for spending approximately $50,000 this year and bumping up that amount to $200,000 within the next five years.Just remember, CFL's require proper disposal because of their mercury content. Contact you local recycling center for best practices.For information, click here.Source: John Hannifan, city manager for ChelseaWriter: Jon Zemke