Saline

Local sculptor creates piece for area college

By Newsroom

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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.

Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship to mix it up in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Education

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January 14, 2009

The call is going out for all new economy entrepreneurs in the Great Lakes to come to the Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship in Ann Arbor on Jan. 22. The event will serve as a forum and mixer for entrepreneurs and innovators from more than just the Mitten State but also all the states that border the Great Lakes. "We're trying to build education and we're trying to build growth," says Gerry Rosten, planning chairman for the Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship. He also runs his own consulting company for start-ups call Pair of Docs. This is not something new. The Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship has been at this for nine years, and has watched a number of successful start-ups participate over that time. They include ElectroJet, which has been sealing deal after deal in Asia, and Hybra-Drive Systems, a big winner of 21st Century Jobs Fund money."The companies we have been putting up for presentations and into the pitch competition have become very successful," Rosten says.This year's showcase presenter is Roger Newton, CEO of Esperion Therapeutics. There will also be an elevator pitch competition and an interactive workshop.The event will be held between 4-9 p.m. at the Morris Lawrence Building in Washtenaw Community College. Pre-registration costs $9 or $20 at the door. Source: Gerry Rosten, planning chairman for the Annual Collaboration for EntrepreneurshipWriter: Jon Zemke

Saline looks for destination restaurant for available downtown buildings

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 5, 2008

Saline hopes to take advantage of Michigan's Signature Building Program to breathe a little more life into its downtown. The city is looking for someone who wants to open up a "destination restaurant" in one of the downtown's three marquee empty storefronts. Local officials are pledging to help that entrepreneur by helping them score a grant from the Signature Building Program worth as much as $400,000. "If someone were to qualify for that full amount they could create 14 full-time jobs and 28 part-time jobs," says Art Trapp, the downtown development director for the city of Saline. Three buildings in downtown Saline qualify for such a grant. They include the old Kelly's restaurant (which recently closed), the R&B building and another structure across the street from the old Kelly's that has been vacant for three years. The money for the grant would go towards renovating the structure. It must also come with a 2-1 match, meaning the applicant must spend $800,000 on renovations to get the full $400,000. Source: Art Trapp, the downtown development director for the city of Saline Writer: Jon Zemke

Saline readies to turn on LED holiday lights in downtown

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 5, 2008

The trees in downtown Saline are about to be lit up with holiday cheer, only for much less money this year.The city removed the traditional holiday lights on downtown's foliage after they reached the end of their life cycle earlier this year. Since then, local officials have raised more several thousand dollars to replace them with energy-efficient LED lights.The project cost about $36,000. The city promised to chip in $10,000 if downtown officials could raise the rest. That didn't turn out to be a problem, and the lights are set to start glowing within the next few days."We had a couple of large contributions," says Art Trapp, the downtown development director for the city of Saline.The 50,000 lights usually cost $10.40 per day to light. The LED lights only cost $2.40 a day.LED lights are much more efficient than normal incandescent bulbs because they only produce light visible to the human eye. That requires far less energy. LED also have a significantly longer lifespan.Ann Arbor made a similar move with its downtown trees last year. It's also replacing its downtown streetlights with LED bulbs and plans to extend that to streetlights throughout the city.Source: Art Trapp, the downtown development director for the city of SalineWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor area builders seek edge in troubled housing market

By Newsroom

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General

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November 5, 2008

Innovation lives in the Ann Arbor-area housing market where one home builder is coming up with new ways to move homes in one heck of tough market. Excerpt: One local homebuilder recently added guaranteed buy-backs and expanded leasing to the list of options facing potential buyers. The strategies are among the ways builders are seeking an edge amid a market defined by falling prices for existing homes and slowing new-home demand - which is off 44 percent so far in Washtenaw County this year. Jim Haeussler of Saline-based Peters Building Co., now says he'll buy back any new home in the third year of occupancy for the original price. He said that offers some protection for buyers concerned about having to relocate for job-related reasons. Haeussler also provides "lease-to-own" and "lease-to-build" programs meant to allow residents to contribute to the eventual purchase of a spec or newly built home. The Saline builder said had two goals with the programs: He was looking for something to pull potential homebuyers away from the existing home market and its decreasing prices, and it's a way to try to stabilize the values of already-purchased homes in his subdivisions. "We want to protect our existing buyers," Haeussler said. "If we offer discounts ... it doesn't help the people we sold to in the past." Read the rest of the story here.

Saline Lectronics invests $1.1 million in equipment to target two new sectors

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 22, 2008

Saline Lectronics is growing, and growing, and growing and growing… Excerpt: Boosted by the weak dollar and manufacturers' need to get complex electrical parts quickly, Saline Lectronics has invested $1.1 million in new manufacturing equipment to accelerate its movement into two new sectors. Saline Lectronics received a tax abatement from the city of Saline to install new technology designed to "continue quality improvement," said CEO Mario Sciberras. Sciberras said the new technology would allow his company to more efficiently target the aerospace and medical industries. The 80-person contract manufacturer specializes in producing customized electrical circuit boards. Sciberras has said his company is benefiting from the weak dollar and clients' reluctance to request overseas orders that take weeks to arrive. The new investment will require the addition of about a dozen workers, Sciberras said. "It is specifically to continue to help us be perfect in our manufacturing. What this new line does is count all the material as you're manufacturing and tracks for quantity, so it knows exactly what's been put on the board in assembly," he said. "It provides real-time production feedback." Read the rest of the story here and another one about the Saline-based firm here.

Saline residents hope to create town square with Henne Field renovation

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 15, 2008

Most older cities boast some sort of town square, a green space or commons in the city's center that serves as a gathering point for locals, such as Ann Arbor's Diag, Detroit's Campus Martius or Plymouth's Kellogg Park.Saline doesn't have a green space of similar caliber, but a group of local residents are trying to change that. The Friends of Henne Field are working to turn the 8-acre park near downtown into the suburb's town square. The 60-year-old park is 1.5 blocks from Michigan Avenue, Saline's main drag. It's bordered by Bennett, McKay, North Ann Arbor and Harris. Those streets have traditionally encompassed three baseball fields, some grass and trees.The Friends of Henne Field are quarterbacking an effort to redesign and revitalize the park. The $1.3 million project, which just began, will create two little league baseball parks, a performance pavilion, walking trails, work-out stations, benches, historic-looking streetlights and a small sledding hill. The entire project is expected to take two years to complete, however parts of the park will reopen next summer or fall. Local officials expect the project to have at least two significant impacts on the community. (1) They see it as a way to bolster community interaction by creating a centralized gathering place and (2) the hope it will spur more development in Saline's downtown."It's the basis of building our downtown in a north/south direction as opposed to the east/west along Michigan Avenue," says David Rhoads, treasurer of the Friends of Henne Field.The project is being paid for 0.8 mills CARES millage and an assortment of grants and donations the Friends of Henne Field have assembled.The field was given to the Saline Area Schools in 1948. It's named after Edward Henne, the son-in-law of the man who established the first telephone system in Saline.Source: David Rhoads, treasurer of the Friends of Henne FieldWriter: Jon Zemke

Owners of landmark Saline building turn to new marketing approach

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 8, 2008

One of downtown Saline's landmark buildings is up for sale and the current owners are looking for new ways to move it. Excerpt: Owners of a landmark building on Michigan Avenue in downtown Saline hope a new marketing approach will lead them to a buyer for the former site of the Saline Cafe after nearly four years. Ann Beach, daughter of Herb and Joyce Gaudet, who operated the cafe and the adjacent Kelly's 107 bar from the mid-1980s until the end of 2004, has enlisted the help of Swisher Commercial's Tony Caprarese. Read the rest of the story here.

Saline City Council hires marketing firm for downtown

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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October 1, 2008

Saline residents know how cool their downtown is, but now the city is working to spread the word.Excerpt:The city of Saline hired Phire Branding Co. of Ann Arbor to create a new marketing campaign to help bring more shoppers and new merchants downtown and to research how to best attract this traffic.The Business Development Association, an advisory committee to the Economic Development Corp. for the city of Saline, vetted eight proposals from firms and narrowed the list to three before inviting Phire to present its ideas at Monday's City Council meeting.Jim Hume, a principal and creative director for Phire, told council members that his company found, in preliminary research, that not many people know what to think about Saline."Believe it or not, that's an opportunity," he said.Read the rest of the story here.