Ypsilanti

Pedal over to the Bike Ypsi Spring Ride & Festival

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April 18, 2012

Cycling group Bike Ypsi is organizing its fifth annual pedal mash-up in Ypsilanti. Starting at 9 a.m. on May 6, all cyclists are invited to convene in Recreation Park for the Bike Ypsi Spring Ride and Festival. Cyclists can join 15-mile and 30-mile group rides, as well as a barbecue and bike parade. Bike shop representatives will be on hand to look bikes over and suggest any necessary repairs. There will be bike decorating and games for kids, and bike polo in the parking lot. "We're trying to get as many people to pull bikes out of their garages as possible," says Bike Ypsi spokesperson Natalie Holbrook. The group formed in 2007 in response to the Ypsilanti police department's decision to issue tickets for riding on the sidewalk. It aims to make people more comfortable riding in the street. "So the impetus was this ticketing thing and then it just took off from people wanting to get together and ride." The 30-mile route hasn't been confirmed yet, but Holbrook thinks it will likely go towards Belleville and Lower Huron Metropark. The 15-mile route stays within the bounds of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township, and is meant to get riders comfortably in synch with vehicle traffic. "You can ride down Michigan in Ypsi, and you can ride over on Grove Road and around Ford Lake, and you can ride your bike to Whittaker Library. It's doable, and there are ways to get there that aren't super-scary," she says. Year-round, Bike Ypsi also has group rides at 1 p.m. every Sunday from Recreation Park and a Friday morning "Ride to Work" leaving Beezy's Cafe at 8 a.m. Photos from previous events are available here. Source: Natalie Holbrook, Bike Ypsi spokesperson Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

EMU prof licenses sustainable coating tech to Michigan firm

By Newsroom

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Education

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April 18, 2012

An Eastern Michigan University professor has developed a sustainable coating technology that can be applied to materials in various industries, such as automotive and construction. Vijay Mannari, associate professor of polymers & coatings at EMU, and a group of researchers at EMU's Coatings Research Institute have developed sustainable polymers and coatings that use renewable, non-toxic sources. These coatings (think rust inhibitors) can be used industrial products within the automobile, aerospace, transportation, packaging and building industries. "It's a huge market," Mannari says. "Anybody who uses structural aluminum uses these coatings." The prize product, currently being licensed out to a Michigan-based company, is a chromate-free, anti-corrosive coating for metals that inhibits rust. Traditional coatings are based on hexavalent chromium, a proven carcinogen. Mannari's coating "doesn't have any harmful heavy metals, including chromium," he says. Mannari and his team have received two grants worth $125,000 from the Michigan Initiative for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to fund the commercialization of these coatings. The EMU research group is also partnering to develop these green coatings with Plascore, a Zeeland-based company known as a global manufacturer of honeycomb core and composite structures used in aerospace, marine, military, safety and transportation industries. It utilizes coatings on many of its products. Source: Vijay Mannari, associate professor of polymers & coatings at Eastern Michigan University Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Border to Border Trail mileage gains planned for Ypsilanti

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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April 11, 2012

The Ypsilanti City Council's endorsement last month of a $300,000 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) grant application to build a permanent Border to Border Trail (B to B) segment from Michigan Avenue south along the Huron River to sidewalk and bike lanes on S. Grove Street will bring more closure to gaps in the non-motorized trail that will eventually span Washtenaw County. The approximately ¾-mile path "would finally connect the city of Ypsilanti with Ypsilanti Township. That would be two major population areas finally connected by a non-motorized trail," says Bob Krzewinski, coordinator of Friends of the Border to Border Trail. "The trail is basically on-street right now, but it's pretty confusing, and taking away the confusion factor would be a definite plus." Should the application be approved – the city should know by November, Krzewinski says – then the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Department will match the grant with an additional $292,000 in funding. Should everything go smoothly, construction could start in the summer of 2013, he says. Another $300,000 MNRTF grant was approved last fall for a B to B trail non-motorized bridge segment across the Huron. The original plan was to build it underneath the Michigan Avenue vehicle bridge, but the state of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources denied the permit for structural reasons. "So the plan right now is to still build a bridge, but it's going to go from Riverside Park and it'll hook up right at the east end of the Michigan Avenue vehicle bridge. So it'll be a surface crossing of Michigan Avenue, and what they're hoping to get also is if anyone wants to cross there, there'll be a lighted pedestrian signal so traffic would have to stop to let people cross," Krzewinski explains. He figures construction on that could start sometime either late this summer or early fall and be complete by spring 2013. "With the recreation center hopefully being built [on the Water Street parcel]...that would definitely be a plus, and the trail along the river will hopefully increase the property value of that whole area because it's a great recreation source," Krzewinski says. Source: Bob Krzewinski, coordinator, Friends of the Border to Border Trail; City of Ypsilanti Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

EMU plants green roof on its new Science Complex

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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April 4, 2012

While still rare, green roofs are increasingly getting their day in the sun. Eastern Michigan University (EMU) has installed a rooftop garden on its new Science Complex, which is undergoing a renovation scheduled to be complete this fall. "As part of that process of getting LEED-certified, we looked at a number of different methods and one way to do it was to put a green roof on. Additionally, it was a good thing for a science complex, we thought, to have a living example of a new kind of environmentally friendly technology," says Steven Moore, EMU's energy and sustainability manager. The 3,000-square-foot garden has insulating capabilities and is expected to save EMU about $3,600 a year on energy costs. It has 16 plant species, many of which will be alive year-round, Moore says. The garden is visible from above the third floor on the building's west side. "We've gotten a lot of positive response and a lot of interest on the green roof, so it's been a really good thing to have on campus," he adds. The university is also applying for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification on its newly redone Pray-Harrold building. The building's south facade has a green wall, with vines growing from the second through fifth stories. Source: Steven Moore, EMU's energy and sustainability manager Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Master plan update to focus on Ypsilanti’s downtown development

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Community Development

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March 28, 2012

After 14 years, the city of Ypsilanti will begin updating its master plan and zoning ordinances. The plan revisions, likely to begin this summer, are made possible through a partnership with Washtenaw County and a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Challenge grant. The last version (circa 1998) was completed under certain assumptions, such as the continued operation of the former Motor Wheel and Ford plants, says Teresa Gillotti, Ypsilanti city planner. "It didn't have much consideration for transportation and the potential commuter rail, or improving transit like we've seen with the increased service on the number 4. So in a lot of ways, it's out of date." Depot Town, for example, would be visioned as a transit-oriented development hub with the potential for commuter rail. The city would also like to revisit housing by adding different types and retrofitting downtown buildings, Gillotti adds. She points to the spur of redeveloped lofts in downtown, which has contributed to a 30-40% increase in downtown housing since the last master plan's incarnation. Certain zoning requirements are also outmoded, she says. "Parking requirements seem to be too high for us being such a dense community. So we might want to look at ... other trade-offs. Like if you provide bicycle parking [or] if you're within a certain distance of a bus stop or for other reasons, you wouldn't necessarily need to have all that parking. Obviously we want to promote walkability and continue to promote that, like we have with our non-motorized transportation plan and the complete streets ordinance and streetscaping and all the different programming." Ypsilanti's planning commission fielded 33 development applications last year, the busiest since 2003. Source: Teresa Gillotti, Ypsilanti city planner Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Red Rock Downtown Barbecue to add to Ypsi food scene

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Arts & Culture

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March 28, 2012

In time for grilling weather, Red Rock Downtown Barbecue, a new barbecue and beer restaurant, is on the verge of opening in the former TC's Speakeasy at 207 W. Michigan Avenue in downtown Ypsilanti. "We found TC's foreclosed, so we decided to come in and help make a turnaround in the city," Owner Shawn Cool says. The restaurant is not officially open, but has held private word-of-mouth events and previews over limited hours for the last couple of weekends, says Cool. A firm opening date has not yet been set, but he's aiming for around the second week of April, after about 25 new staff members have been trained. The interior of Red Rock has been completely redone. "The only thing left is the structure ... We literally took everything out of it that was TC's and stripped it down to the bare brick, hardwood floors," Cool says. "We put archways in the walls to connect the two sides, wrapped the bar around so it's a big horseshoe-shaped bar with a copper top, then remanufactured the existing mahogany bar rail." The all-tile bathrooms and utilities are also completely new, he adds. The restaurant will feature 20 beers on tap, 12 of which are Michigan-made, and the focus will be on local menu ingredients to the maximum extent possible, according to Cool. Source: Shawn Cool, owner, Red Rock Downtown Barbecue Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

EMU licenses out wireless prosthetic tech to College Park Industries

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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March 28, 2012

Not all bio-technology advances in Michigan originate at the University of Michigan. One Eastern Michigan University professor has licensed his wireless sensor technology to a Frasher-based company. The technology is called iPecs (Intelligent Prosthetic Endo-Skeletal Component) and is a wireless device that measures stress on artificial limbs. The sensor measures a patient's gait to determine what is happening to them and their prosthetic device while walking. "We're always trying to measure things that are going on," says Frank Joseph Fedel, assistant professor of orthotics and prosthetics at Eastern Michigan University and one of the co-invetors of iPecs. "What is happening to this person while they're walking?" Fedel licensed the technology to College Park Industries, which has been designing and manufacturing prosthetic feet for the worldwide market since 1988. Fedel has created his own start-ups before and dedicated more than a year of his life solely to getting them off the ground. He knew this would be more complicated and decided licensing it out made more sense than trying to go it alone. "Our feet are complicated," Fedel says. "If you're going to make something that replicates it it's going to be complicated." Source: Frank Joseph Fedel, assistant professor of orthotics and prosthetics at Eastern Michigan University Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

VGKids hires, executes on plans to stay in Ypsilanti no matter what

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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March 28, 2012

VGKids is an Ypsilanti company, and it's going to stay an Ypsilanti company. So sayeth its founder, James Marks, who means it enough to move out of state but keep his company in the city he has called home for more than a decade. Marks and his wife (an Ypsilanti native) recently moved to Berkley, California, for a change of pace in life. They decided to keep VGKids in Ypsilanti with a local management team running the company's day-to-day operations. "VGKids will stay in Ypsilanti," Marks says. "There is no danger of it moving to California." Which is a good thing because the 12-year-old company continues to grow. The firm recently hired one person, expanding its staff to 14 people. Marks expects his company to hire at least one more person this year. "We will keep growing slowly, and steadily," Marks says. VGKids is a printing company specializing in things like t-shirts and cards. It has watched sales go up by 25 percent over the last year. It recently started a merchandising arm called Whiplash, which has grown so fast that it is looking to set up its own space in Ann Arbor soon. "We're growing bigger," Marks says. "We're running out of physical space." Source: James Marks, founder & creative director of VGKids Writer: Jon Zemke

SchoolPictures.com adds 4 as it becomes National School Services

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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March 28, 2012

What was once SchoolPictures.com is now National School Services, a new name that better embodies the growing breadth of services offered from the Ypsilanti-based business. The 6-year-old company got its start providing portraits of students, using a formula that allowed the school to create a new revenue while providing student photos. So far that formula has provided $3.5 million in new revenue for schools across the U.S. in the company's lifetime. SchoolPictures.com still exists as an arm of the newly rebranded National School Services. The company has expanded its offerings to include things like diplomas and class rings. "We're doing some different things, but all of our customers know what we do," says Skip Cerier, CEO of National School Services. That has also allowed the firm to expand to 41 people and a couple of interns after hiring four people in the last year. This new hiring is being propelled by double-digit revenue growth, including 20 percent growth over the last two years. "It [growth] has been pretty steady," Cerier says. Source: Skip Cerier, CEO of National School Services Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Encouraged to Think, Create, Write

By Melinda Clynes

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Community Development

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March 28, 2012

826michigan is well known for its Robot Repair Store and writing center in downtown Ann Arbor (not to mention its fun, offbeat events). But did you also know they tutor and host workshops in Ypsilanti? From fiction to stage plays to poetry, volunteers at their Drop-In Teen Writing Workshop inspire kids to find expression through words.