Arbor Update

Local

An Eventful Weekend

Posted by Juliew on 12. July 2008

• Tonight (Friday night) is the always-entertaining Rolling Sculpture Car Show in the Main Street area.
• ElvisFest is alive and well in Ypsilanti today and Saturday.
• The Saline Celtic Festival is Saturday with a great roster of Celtic events.
• Sunday is Huron River Day.
• Monday night is the Fourth Annual Townie Party with Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Mifune, and the Huron High School Drum Line. The party will be in a slightly new location on North University near Hill Auditorium.

And of course, the Art Fair(s) are Wednesday-Saturday (July 16-19).

Enjoy!

Comment [6]

Arts

"Vandals" paint over mural painted over Poet's Alley

Posted by Murph on 9. July 2008

The Ann Arbor News reports that large parts of the mural “Infinite Possibilities”, in the alley just west of the Michigan Theater, were painted over with white paint Sunday night. (A part of the mural is shown at right, under a Creative Commons license from Flickr user viscousplatypus.)

While various people quoted in the article call the whitewashing “disgusting”, or, “not a good thing”, the News quotes the mural’s artist, Katherine Tombeau Cost, as saying that she never expected her art to last forever, and that she hopes the next artist finds a good use for her old venue.

Cost’s comments are appropriate to the history of the alley – completed in 1999, her mural covered over the alley’s previous life as a community canvas known (to this author) as Poet’s Alley.

Comment [3]

City Council

City Council: Post-Holiday Cleanup

Posted by Juliew on 7. July 2008

Monday, July 7 at 7:00 pm.
Agenda

Highlights:

• Proposal to allow grass clippings in compost (revisited)
• Resolution to approve a payment in lieu of taxes for Burton Commons Apartments
• Resolution to approve the sale of three of Washtenaw Affordable Housing Corporation’s Property in order to allow for a merger with Avalon Housing
• Resolution to add Project Grow funding to FY09 budget
• Resolution to approve a conceptual plan to redesign Fifth Avenue and Division streets between Packard and Beakes to be more bicycle and pedestrian friendly (revisited)

Note: This Monday, July 7 is the last day to register to be able to vote in the August elections. Click here for a registration form. The City of Ann Arbor’s Clerk’s Office only lists a P.O. Box, but I think you can take it to the office at 100 N. Fifth Avenue, Phone: (734) 994-2725.

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University of Michigan

UM starts Semester in Detroit program

Posted by Matt Hampel on 4. July 2008

As an alternative (or a complement) to a traditional study abroad program, the University of Michigan is now coordinating an undergraduate semester in Detroit program. The program plans to send the first group of 20-25 students in Winter 2009.

Organized internships at local community service and arts organizations will be a core part of the program, along with classes taught at the University’s Detroit Center. Students who participate will be living in a Wayne State dorm, not a Detroit neighborhood.

It seems to me that many of us UM undergraduates don’t spend a semester in Ann Arbor.

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Transportation

Wally Plans Moving Forward

Posted by Nancy Shore on 1. July 2008

As gas prices continue to increase, more and more people in Washtenaw County are looking for alternative ways to get to work.

One possible (though not immediate) alternative is Commuter Rail.

There are currently two proposed rail projects connecting Ann Arbor to outlining areas.

One project that continues to move forward is the Washtenaw Livingston Line, or WALLY.

Today the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study gave a presentation on the WALLY. This presentation is a summary of reports compiled by R.L. Banks and Associates, the consultant that has been hired to judge the feasibility of the project.

Here is a summary of the major conclusions from the reports:

• The Commuter service is feasible.
• The service could be up and running in as little as 16 months.
• The total capital costs for created a 60 Mile Per Hour Service (which is the consultants recommended speed for the trains) is $32.5 M.
• The service should have a 30% farebox recovery ratio, which is considered a good rate.
• The operating costs for the service could be between $6.3 and $7 M depending on the number of staff hired to run the service.
• The estimated ridership is 1,300 a day (but the consultants suggest doing more throughout ridership surveys to get a better sense of the ridership).
• More parking will probably be needed in the form of structures to accommodate all of the people who might want to use the service.
• There will need to be bus service connecting in rail line to other areas in Ann Arbor at a minimum, but also preferably in Livingston County.

There is lots more in the reports online. You can read all of the reports here.

Comment [20]

New Traverwood Branch library opens Monday

Posted by Matt Hampel on 28. June 2008

The Ann Arbor District Library’s new 16,000 square foot Traverwood Branch opens on June 30th at 10AM. Kids can help carry books from the old Northeast Branch to the new site in an organized caravan. Nature walks and performances are scheduled, and souvenirs will be given away (for the Pittsfield Branch opening, there were little erasers).

The library sits at the corner of Traverwood and Huron Parkway (map) Route 1 of the AATA (Wiki page — AATA page) stops nearby.

Aerial-view drawing via AADL:

Replying to comments on an AADL blog post, Library Director Josie Parker set out some stats on the new location:

We have an opening day budget of 300K that will purchase approximately 15,000 items. We are moving 41,000 items from the current NE collection over yielding a collection of 56,000. That is slightly larger than our opening collection at Pittsfield. The current collection is made up of 32,596 books, 3,664 CD’s, 9,550 DVD’s, magazines subscriptions, etc. I don’t have hard numbers for the new items, but I can tell you that $176,600 will be spent on AV, and the remaining $123,400 will be spent on books. New magazine titles were purchased from our regular materials budget. The allocation decision is based on many factors. We used shelf snapshots (what percentage of items in each category are circulating each day at the current NE), a demographic use study, new shelf capacities at Traverwood, and lessons learned from our two previous branch projects. There will be more of everything, and more choice because we have more space and appropriate shelving for different formats.

Also at the new branch:

• Covered bike parking
• 90 parking spaces
• Events room with capacity for 90 (not necessarily open to the public, see more places to have a meeting in Ann Arbor on ArborWiki)
• 10 new MAC based game stations for children, 30 new games, touchscreens.
• Study / tutoring rooms
• 24 new Internet stations with a new server farm, stable performance, simpler startup, consistent support for sound, and better support for USB drives. Let me say, this is a big thing; back in “my day” (last year) the public stations were notoriously not-so-reliable on all those fronts. Those stations will eventually be used at all branches.
• Power for laptops
• Free Wi-fi
• Floors made from wood hauled from the site by a team of horses (photo)

The branch under construction in January, via AADL.org:

And yesterday, with a sneak peek inside:

Traverwood replaces the old Northeast Branch. Northeast, where I went as a child and worked as a teen, has been closed since 1 June 2008, and the northeast side of town has not had a book dropoff location closer than the Downtown Branch since then. I wonder if anyone organized a book dropoff co-op or ride-share.

The old branch also had a very convenient location next to a kid’s tutoring service, grocery stores, and ice cream. The new spot is a 5 minute walk away, but still physically separated, which may significantly change usage. No reply yet from the library if Traverwood’s collections (especially the foreign language collection & periodicals) or services have been expanded to serve the neighborhood.

Furniture from the old branch is for sale, pictures here.

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Cultural Happenings tonight

Posted by Angela Martin-Barcelona on 27. June 2008

There are lots of fun cultural activities happening this evening. Here’s a short list of some of the events that are going on in the area:

1) Ann Arbor Art Center – Opening Reception from 6-8p.m.
117 W. Liberty Street, Ann Arbor
A Place at the Table: Women’s Caucus for Art and the Feminist Art Project
Michigan Chapter of Women’s Caucus for Art (WCA) inaugural exhibition, A Place at the Table, is an all-media juried exhibition, which examines the females’ symbolic place “at the table”. The artists investigate the places they sit or are barred from sitting at in society, politics and their own personal lives. Juror Patricia Olynyk is the Director of the Graduate School of Art at Washington University in St. Louis, MO and an internationally respected artist.

2) Gallery Project – Opening Reception from 6-9p.m.
215 South Fourth Avenue, Ann Arbor
Spirit, an exhibit featuring artists who exalt in expressing the interior space of the soul in a post-modern period of pluralism. Expression of the spiritual through works of art has been with mankind throughout civilizations, from the Mayan Pyramids in Mexico to the Lascaux caves in France. The artists chosen for “Spirit” have a common love of materials to their respective aesthetics, whether expressed through paint or sculpture. The painters focus on narrative imagery. Each body of iconography finds a unique language to explore an individualized vision of self.

3) Ann Arbor Summer Festival
Ingalls Mall, Ann Arbor
6:30–6:50p.m. & 9:30-9:50p.m. – The Dream Engine: Heliosphere
Enchanting outdoor spectacle of aerialist performers suspended from a larger-than-life helium balloon.
7:00–8:00 p.m. – Bump
Fun lovin’ unique brand of intelligent art rock/pop coming to Ann Arbor from the stage at Wakarusa Festival.
8:30–9:15 p.m. & 10:00-11:00 p.m. – Serena Ryder
Juno award winner for Best New Artist, Serena plays deep, bluesy, and soulful music.

4) One Night Stand – Open Show & Sale in Saline from 8-11p.m.
Merchant Square, Downtown Saline (Northeast side of Michigan Ave.)
Local artists can bring 2-3 pieces to show (and sell). Artwork will be hung at 6p.m. Musicians are also welcome to participate in an open jam. Come enjoy music, artwork and wine.

2008 Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti Fireworks Displays

Posted by Matt Hampel on 24. June 2008

Thanks to contributions from a2b3 subscribers and the massive Michigan fireworks website, here are a couple of fireworks displays coming up around Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti:

27 June: Rumor has it that the semi-private Barton Hills Country Club fireworks display will be at dusk this Friday night, the 27th. There are a couple good vantage points along the Huron River near Barton Dam.

28 June: As a kid, my family would go to the Hudson Mills Metropark fireworks every year. You’ve got to get there early, though, in order to pick out a good spot and avoid the traffic jam. This year there is a performance by Big Pink and the Joint Effort Band. A daily entry pass is about $4, and you can also get in with your annual Metroparks pass. Fireworks are at 10pm. (map)

2 July: Fireworks at Ford Lake are resuming for the first time since 2004, reports Brian C.

(U of M-Bird Fireworks by farlane via Flickr)

Comment [1]

Transportation

Amtrak ridership up, regional transit options beginning to improve

Posted by Matt Hampel on 23. June 2008

A recent article in the New York Times says that Amtrak’s capacity is quickly being reached, and it will be difficult for the corporation to increase service:

Today Amtrak has 632 usable rail cars, and dozens more are worn out or damaged but could be reconditioned and put into service at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars each.

Writing specifications for bids, picking a vendor and waiting for delivery takes years, even if the money is in hand.

Use of Ann Arbor’s Amtrak service has been climbing heavily over the last couple of years. Data for 2008 isn’t readily available, but Richard Murphy produced this graph of Amtrak ridership out of ARB from 1994 to 2007 with Department of Transportation data:

Several years ago, Amtrak installed new high-speed switches on the route to Chicago. But service to Detroit is still spotty and inconvenient (the earliest trains from Ann Arbor arrive in Detroit at 3pm).

Plans for efficient lines from Ann Arbor to Detroit and Howell are progressing apace. Service to Detroit, possibly using Amtrak cars, is expected by early 2010. And the AATA’s Chelsea/A2 commuter service is a month into its 2-year pilot program.

Comment [37]

Help Create the Arbor Update Primary Voting Guide

Posted by Chuck Warpehoski on 22. June 2008

What questions would you like to ask the candidates for the August 5 primary?

Help create the Arbor Update Primary Voting Guide. Here’s how it works:

1. You and the rest of the AU community suggest questions for the candidates below;
2. The AU contributors will pick 5 or so questions and ask the candidates to write responses;
3. We’ll post the candidate responses here for you to discuss.

Here are a few other points:
1. Please tell us which contest your question refers to. We plan to cover the races for judge, city council, and sheriff, and we might cover others if there’s interest and we have time. The county has a list or races on the August 5 ballot
2. Submit your questions by June 29 to be sure their considered.
3. We may de-polemicize the wording, so while there will probably be questions about the police-courts building, don’t expect one on “the big ugly cube.”

Comment [62]