Government

Ann Arbor DDA moves forward on Near North, Library Lot

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January 13, 2010

A lot of people took the holidays off this year. Not the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, as it spent more than half a million dollars on developments in the college town's downtown area.The big ticket item is $500,000 for the Near North project on North Main Street, a few blocks north of downtown. The grant will help get the affordable housing project off the ground. The development would build 40 apartments for entry-level workforce (people who make less than $33,000 annually) and provide permanent supportive housing for people who are homeless or have disabilities. "It's really exciting for us because it helps move more downtown employees into the core area," says Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.The stocking stuffer is a $50,000 grant for the Library Lot project. The DDA is giving the money to the city so it can hire a real-estate consultant to help guide city officials through the six proposals for the site next to the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown branch. The idea is to have a consultant from outside Washtenaw County and not affliated with any of the development teams bring a fresh pair of eyes to the process."It would be a very objective look," Pollay says.The RFP for the consultant is due today. The developers behind the proposals will be making public presentations on them on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week at the Ann Arbor District Library's Downtown Branch. There will also be a Q&A session from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the library.Source: Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development AuthorityWriter: Jon Zemke

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Ypsilanti City Hall solar project done, co-op next in line

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Community Development

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January 13, 2010

The solar panels are up on the back of Ypsilanti's City Hall, the wires are connected and now all the project needs to begin generating electricity is finish the paperwork.The grassroots group of solar-power activists behind the project are just waiting for officials from the city and DTE Energy to sign off on the last of the paperwork this month before flipping the switch. The panels are expected to be working and the group's website tracking how much electricity is generated by the end of February. "I need one more piece," says Dave Strenski, a volunteer with the Ypsilanti Solar Panel Project.A $36,000 grant and some local fundraising/volunteer efforts were key to making the 12 solar panels a reality. The group of volunteers is now training its focus on expanding the number of solar panels on the roof of the bakery for Ypsilanti Food Co-op. That project is expected to begin this spring and wrap up later in the year. The electricity generation from the existing panels is also expected to increase because of the recent installation of a white roof that will reflect more light onto the panels. Source: Dave Strenski, volunteer with the Ypsilanti Solar Panel ProjectWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor area rings in new year with regionalism

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Community Development

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January 13, 2010

Budgets are tighter in 2010 and that means more people from different places are playing nicer. It also means more regional cooperation."Clearly, we're in times where there is great pressure to be using your resources in an appropriate manner," says Mark Ouimet, a Washtenaw County Commissioner and chair of the Ypsilanti Chamber of Commerce.In that spirit, the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor chambers of commerce are joining forces, creating the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber. The new regional chamber is expected to expand its programs and benefits for members, create cost savings, increase networking opportunities and a form stronger voice for the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area. Ouimet also believes this could serve as an example for more regionalism in the county."This is an opportunity for the organizations to look at what they do and how they do it," he says.More regional cooperation is also being broached just north of Ann Arbor in Livingston County. There, according to a story in The Detroit News, four of the county's five school districts are considering consolidating their bus service as a way of saving money. There the Livingston Educational Service Agency would manage the bus fleets for Brighton, Hartland, Howell and Pinckney public schools (which transport about 15,000 students), saving the districts an estimated $1 million.Source: Mark Ouimet, chair of the Ypsilanti Chamber of CommerceWriter: Jon Zemke

Could U-M go from a public to a private university?

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Community Development

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December 16, 2009

These days there are fewer and fewer reasons, i.e. dollars, why a grand public university line the University of Michigan should stay as a public institution.Excerpt:The University of Michigan belongs to an enviable class of nationally prestigious public universities; many of its undergraduates picked it over the Ivy League. Thirty years ago, the university began going through the convulsions other public universities are now experiencing. Today, it is largely protected from Michigan’s plummeting economy. Only 7 percent of its budget is provided by the state. Read the rest of the story here.

Green Promise seen in A2’s switch to LED lighting

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Community Development

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December 9, 2009

Ann Arbor is at the top of the list when it comes to worldwide recognition for pushing the environmental envelope with LED lights.Excerpt:To change the bulbs in the 60-foot-high ceiling lights of Buckingham Palace’s grand stairwell, workers had to erect scaffolding and cover precious portraits of royal forebears.So when a lighting designer two years ago proposed installing light emitting diodes or LEDs, an emerging lighting technology, the royal family readily assented. The new lights, the designer said, would last more than 22 years and enormously reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions — a big plus for Prince Charles, an ardent environmentalist. Since then, the palace has installed the lighting in chandeliers and on the exterior, where illuminating the entire facade uses less electricity than running an electric teakettle.In shifting to LED lighting, the palace is part of a small but fast-growing trend that is redefining the century-old conception of lighting, replacing energy-wasting disposable bulbs with efficient fixtures that are often semi-permanent, like those used in plumbing. Studies suggest that a complete conversion to the lights could decrease carbon dioxide emissions from electric power use for lighting by up to 50 percent in just over 20 years; in the United States, lighting accounts for about 6 percent of all energy use. A recent report by McKinsey & Company cited conversion to LED lighting as potentially the most cost effective of a number of simple approaches to tackling global warming using existing technology.LED lighting was once relegated to basketball scoreboards, cellphone consoles, traffic lights and colored Christmas lights. But as a result of rapid developments in the technology, it is now poised to become common on streets and in buildings, as well as in homes and offices. Some American cities, including Ann Arbor, Mich., and Raleigh, N.C., are using the lights to illuminate streets and parking garages, and dozens more are exploring the technology. And the lighting now adorns the conference rooms and bars of some Renaissance hotels, a corridor in the Pentagon and a new green building at Stanford.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor looks at creating one big river of recycling

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Community Development

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December 9, 2009

The first lesson with recycling is the need to separate. Metal goes in this bin. Clear glass over there. Green glass right here. Plastics 1-2 in the big bin. Don't, repeat, don't mix and match.Ann Arbor residents could be throwing that lesson out soon. The city is looking at switching to a single-stream, or fully commingled, recycling effort. That means resident would no longer have to put paper products in the paper bin and everything else in the other bin. It would all go in the same box on the curb each week.Among the incentives for going single stream are making it easier for residents to use, meaning more is recycled, expansion of the recycling list and reduced logistical costs. However, there are some downsides, such as increased sorting costs. Among the other cities that use single-stream recycling are Austin, Texas and Baltimore. "The technology has improved significantly over the years as far as sorting materials," says Tom McMurtrie, recycling coordinator for the city of Ann Arbor. The city would 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, which now includes all plastic products except No. 3 plastics. Each of these containers will come with a bar code as part of the Recycle Bank system, which rewards recyclers with coupons and prizes in proportion to how much they recycle. This systems has helped up recycling efforts in both Rochester Hills and Westland. The time line for the transition is expected to stretch into next summer. The City Council is expected to begin approving the switch in November so it can be implemented by July, 2010. Source: Tom McMurtrie, recycling coordinator for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Ypsilanti’s Clean Energy Coalition lands $15M federal grant

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Community Development

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December 9, 2009

The Clean Energy Coalition will take a major step forward this fall now that it has roped in a $15 million federal contract, a hit that is expected to result in an expanded staff at the Ypsilanti-based non-profit."Obviously our staffing could grow significantly from this," says Sean Reed, executive director of the Clean Energy Coalition.The non-profit currently has a staff of six full-timers and two part-timers at its offices in Depot Town. The staff normally handles six-figure state and federal grants that focus on sustainability projects. The $15 million grant comes from the U.S. Dept. of Energy and is part of the $787 billion federal stimulus package. The money will be used as part of the $31 million Michigan Green Fleets project, a program that looks to integrate more alternative fuels and advanced fuel-efficient technology (think bio-diesel and hybrids) across Michigan.The project will assist nine partners, such as the state, DTE Energy, and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, in purchasing 271 alternative fuel vehicles. These include hybrids, electric vehicles, and compressed natural gas vehicles. It will also install 19 alternative fueling stations across the state. The end goal is to save more than 5 million gallons of fossil fuels and 500 million pounds of vehicle emissions over four years."This is a very significant project for us," Reed says.And it might not be the only one. The Clean Energy Coalition is still waiting on word for another $9-10 million in grant projects this fall, to potentially be used to ramp up the non-profit's hiring.Source: Sean Reed, executive director of Clean Energy CoalitionWriter: Jon Zemke

Does Ohio’s Kent suffer from Ann Arbor envy?

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Community Development

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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.

MDOT replaces U.S. 23 rest area north of Ann Arbor

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Community Development

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December 2, 2009

Ann Arbor's little rest area that could no longer can, now that the state is replacing it.The Michigan Department of Transportation is razing and rebuilding the Northfield Church rest area on U.S. 23 just north of Ann Arbor. The small rest area, which services southbound U.S. 23 traffic, will become bigger and more efficient thanks to an infusion of $2.8 million.The new rest area will be 3,903 square feet and offer dual restroom facilities on both north and south sides of building. There will also be a family restroom and changing station. The parking lot will be able to accomodate 90 cars, 30 trucks/RVs and two bus pull-up parking spots. Picnic tables will also be added.The rest area was originally built in 1967 and was 1,156 square feet. It was expanded in 1984 to 2,025 square feet and able to accommodate 48 cars and 21 trucks/RVs. Construction is expected to wrap up by next June when a short work project that will shut down half of the lanes on U.S. 23 is finished.Source: Kari Arend, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of TransportationWriter: Jon Zemke

What to do with Washetnaw Ave between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti

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Arts & Culture

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December 2, 2009

Washtenaw Ave. clearly isn't the prettiest street in Washtnaw County, but some local stakeholders have some ideas on how to change that.Excerpt:Planners have dubbed the five-mile stretch of Washtenaw Avenue from Stadium Boulevard in Ann Arbor to the water tower in Ypsilanti as the Washtenaw Avenue Talent Center. And they have a bold initiative for it over the next 10 to 20 years.Its creators say the plan aims to reduce sprawl and increase density along the route, relying on the rising demand for public transit and pedestrian-friendly connections. Features include reduced building setbacks, mixed-use development and affordable housing that will help Washtenaw County retain talented young residents.Development would concentrate along transit “nodes” on the route.“We’re imagining that there are areas that could definitely support three-story buildings,” said Anya Dale, senior planner in the Washtenaw County Office of Strategic Planning. Read the rest of the story here and an interesting conversation about where the ugly begins on Washtenaw on the MarkMaynard.com blog here.