Dexter

Thomson-Shore prints books, wins award, invests in Dexter

By Newsroom

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April 8, 2009

Thomson-Shore isn’t growing in Dexter as much as it is investing in the town it has called home for 37 years.The company downsized from 260 to 245 people since last year, but has invested about $10 million in its book-printing business. Thomson-Shore prints lots of short-run books, ranging anywhere from 500-20,000 copies, that are usually special orders for universities or religious institutions."The last year has been a lot about installing new equipment and focusing on our core products and customers," says Kevin Spall, the president and CEO of Thomson-Shore.The new equipment includes three new sewing machines, web press and multi-color press. This is the type of equipment that will allow the company to perform its job more efficiently and effectively.Thomson-Shore is also looking at breaking into some new markets. These range from graphic novels and comic books to digital printing and ebooks. "We'll be looking at a lot of new markets," Spall says.The company expects to use its organic growth from it core products and expansion into new markets to expand its payroll within the next year or two by a handful of people. Spall estimates it could be 2-3 new people for every million dollars in growth.The employee-owned company also recently won the 2008 ESOP Company of the Year Annual Award for Communications Excellence from the ESOP Association. The award recognizes outstanding communications and educational programs.Source: Kevin Spall, the president and CEO of Thomson-ShoreWriter: Jon Zemke

Location scout talks about Michigan’s Hollywood close up

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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April 8, 2009

Detroit is known as the Paris of the Midwest, but could Washtenaw County become the Hollywood of the 'Great Flyover'?Excerpt:Michigan's subsidy for filmmakers has been a great success, as evidenced by California's passage earlier this year of its own $500 million tax incentive to retain productions that have been fleeing the Golden State for places like the Great Lakes State.A 42 percent refund for in-state spending is a difficult lure to resist, but Innocence Production Inc.'s George Constas says it's only a start.Constas is a location scout for the Ann Arbor based production company. He is largely why places like Dexter, Chelsea, Jackson, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti were included in the roster of locations around mid and eastern Michigan.Read the rest of the story here and the YpsiNews' April Fools story about the porn industry setting up shop in Ypsilanti here.

Work nearly done on Broad St storefronts in Dexter

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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April 1, 2009

The road to renovation hasn't been the easy for two storefronts on Broad Street in downtown Dexter, but the bottom line is what really counts. The good news is that work on the storefronts, 3126 and 3115 Broad, is nearly done. The owner is putting the finishing touches on them."It turned out a lot better that I thought it would," says Randy Willis, owner of 3115 and 3126 Broad. "My masonry company went bankrupt halfway through the job."That means it took many times longer to finish the new façade and awning job than expected, but Willis says everyone is paid and happy and the job is "98 percent finished." The new occupants of the late 19th Century industrial buildings are also 96-98 percent moved in, filling up the space."I'm 100 percent leased," Willis says.The diverse group of businesses are occupying them. An off-Broadway musical company is in 3126 Broad 8,500 square feet while several other businesses are in 3115 Broad. They include Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales and Dexter School of Martial Arts in the 3115 Broad's 12,000 square feet.The two buildings have had varied pasts, serving as the home for bus garages, beer-and-wine distributors, a dye-and-stamping shop and a bean sprouts grow house. Source: Randy Willis, owner of 3115 and 3126 Broad StreetWriter: Jon Zemke

Work set to begin again on Dexter Main Street bridge

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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March 25, 2009

Think of this as the home stretch for the Main Street bridge project in downtown Dexter.The Washtenaw County Road Commission plans to begin work on the bridge reconstruction in early April and wrap the whole project up before the end of May. "We expect to be completed with the work in approximately 4-6 weeks," says Aaron Berkholz, construction superintendent with the Washtenaw County Road Commission.Last year workers spent their time removing the 100-year-old dam underneath the bridge, tearing out the old bridge and putting in a replacement -all while allowing traffic to pass. This spring is all about tying up the loose ends.Work crews will be sealing and staining the exterior concrete surfaces, putting the ornamental steel rail on the concrete barrier walls and placing ornamental sandstone caps on the wall columns. Grading, landscaping and remaining road work will also be done this spring. The new $2.5 million bridge will accommodate both motorized and non-motorized traffic. There will still be two-lanes for cars, along with bike lanes and sidewalks for pedestrians. Source: Aaron Berkholz, construction superintendent with the Washtenaw County Road CommissionWriter: Jon Zemke

Moving week is one for the books in Dexter

By Newsroom

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General

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February 25, 2009

Library books are moving into a new home in downtown Dexter.Excerpt:Chelsea Anderson, of Dexter, was surprised to find the Dexter District Library closed Monday morning, but the closure wasn't for President's Day.Returning books and CDs, she walked right through the open front door before she was told that the library was closed for the move to its new location just off Main Street in downtown Dexter.Read the rest of the story here and how the Ypsilanti District Library won an award here.

Construction wraps up on Dexter library, March opening set

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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February 18, 2009

At long last, books in Dexter have a new home. The new Dexter District Library is finished.Construction workers are putting the finishing touches on the new building while movers begin to move the library's stacks into their new home. Library officials are planning for an early March opening."It's all sort of hitting us pretty fast but it's great," says Paul McCann, library director for the Dexter District Library.The new building is in downtown Dexter, 3255 Alpine Street, and overlooks Warrior Creek Park and the Mill Creek bridge. The $7.8 million structure measures out at 25,000-square-feet and two stories. It features more space for books and other materials, studying and reading space and meeting rooms. There will also be computer rooms and wireless Internet access for library patrons.There will be expanded computer resources, significantly more study space, a quiet reading area and more comfortable seating throughout the building. The meeting room space will comfortably accommodate 200 people without the moving book stacks to free up space, which must be done in the current library.It replaces the 4,200-square-foot old library, formerly the Methodist Church Education Building, it moved into in 1996. The future of the old building has been tossed around ever since the library announced it was moving. The village at one time intended to move its offices into it, and is still considering that option. McCann says the library is also looking at selling the building to DISS Data by the time it moves into its new home.Source: Paul McCann, library director for the Dexter District LibraryWriter: Jon Zemke

Local sculptor creates piece for area college

By Newsroom

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General

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January 14, 2009

New Jersey's loss is Saline's gain when it comes to sculptors, or at least one very prominent sculptor known for his bronze works.Excerpt:Saline is a warm, gentle community that keeps great traditions and friendships. Now the community has added to its residents a renowned sculptor, Anthony Frudakis, who continually contributes his art to Michigan locales.Born and raised in New Jersey, Frudakis moved to Saline only four months ago and followed in his father's footsteps of artistry. He became a sculptor and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Pennsylvania.He now creates both large and small bronze sculptures for both private and public venues, and his works can be seen across the country.His most recent, nearly completed task is a 7-foot tall bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson, for which he was commissioned by Hillsdale College."(Hillsdale College) has embarked on a program called Liberty Walk that consists of a series of statues of very important figures in the country's history of freedom," Frudakis said. "I already finished a George Washington statue for them, and they also have two other statues, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher."Read the rest of the story here and how a Dexter artist won a Best of Show award here.

Ann Arbor area workers earn among highest wages in state

By Newsroom

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General

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January 14, 2009

Washtenaw County has always been known as a hub for new economy jobs, now word is getting out that it's also home to high new economy wages.Excerpt:If you're aiming to make money, the Ann Arbor area apparently is a good place to be.New federal wage data shows jobs in Washtenaw County are among the highest paying in the state. Employees in Washtenaw County earned an average of $58,479 last year, the fourth highest average compensation rate per job in Michigan, according to data released Monday from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.Read the rest of the story here.

Dexter to discuss five potential sites for new village hall

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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January 7, 2009

First there were eleven, and then there were three and now the Dexter Village Council is back up to five options for the Village Hall.Even though the options seem to fluctuate from more to less and then more again, one thing is consistent."I think there is a general consensus that they want to stay downtown," says Donna Dettling, village manager for Dexter.The options as of now are as follows:- Expanding the fire and police station on 8140 Main St. The $3 million project would triple the size of the 5,000-square-foot structure, building additions to the Alpine Street side and a new fire truck bay.- Renovating the old Tupper Property on Broad Street. The DDA announced plans to purchase and redevelop last year. - Renovating the old Dexter Library building. The Village Council started to follow through on this project in early 2008 but decided against it.- Leasing space in the new Mill Creek Terrace building. That structure is set to be built on the western edge of downtown next year.- Buy and revamp the old Cottage Inn structure on the east side of downtown adjacent to Monument Park. That building is mostly vacant except for one attorney's office there.The Village Council plans to discuss these potential sites at its meeting Monday night.Source: Donna Dettling, village manager for DexterWriter: Jon Zemke

Dexter moves forward with plans for Mill Creek Park

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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January 7, 2009

Dexter officials now have an idea of what the new Mill Creek Park will look like and they hope to start construction on it sometime next year.The plan calls for a combination of urban park with recreational resources and natural areas filled with trees, shrubs and small woodland creatures. The concept is the work of Ann Arbor-based JJR. Village officials plan to add more design details this year while applying for state funding."It could change once we get into the design phase," says Allison Bishop, community development director of the village of Dexter.The park will run alongside approximately one mile of the east bank of Mill Creek between Warrior Creek Park and Shield Road. It will be integrated into the city's proposed river walk, highlighting the section of Mill Creek that borders downtown.The idea behind the park is to open up the creek to more village residents and downtown patrons. The creek has turned into a mud-filled pond over the years as the old damn under the Main Street bridge has aged. The Washtenaw County Road Commission is tearing out that damn, rebuilding the bridge and the creek.Source: Allison Bishop, community development director for the village of DexterWriter: Jon Zemke