Arbor Update

Site Announcements

Arbor Update updates

Posted by Bruce Fields on 24. August 2009

We’ve done some minor updates of the software. The only user-visible change is that you should only have to pass the “image verification” step one more time; subsequent comments with the same user name and email will skip that step.

If you notice any problems, please let us know here or by email to arborupdate at umich.edu.

Any other problems or requests are welcome as well.

New short link posts:

There have been a number of links from the comments and in our inbox that deserve special attention, so we’ve added a new short-format post to accommodate them. They will contain a simple title, description, and link, but not discussion threads.

I’m still tweaking the design and implementation, and any feedback is welcome.

[Amended 8/29 by Matt]

Comment [3]

City Council

City Council: August Doldrums

Posted by Juliew on 17. August 2009

City Council: Monday, August 17 at 7:00 pm.
Agenda

Highlights:

• Presentation of the E. Stadium Boulevard Bridges Replacement Project’s conceptual design
• Rezoning of 11 park properties (Pittsview Park, Windemere Park, Waymarket Park, Turnberry Park, Stapp Nature Area, Redbud Nature Area, Maryfield Wildwood Park, Oakwoods Nature Area, Molin Nature Area, Foxfire West Park, and Crary Park) from residential to Public Land zoning
• Rezoning of 12.90 acres of the South Side of Narrow Gage Way from Township District to Public Land zoning
• Resolution to allow temporary outdoor sales and the display of goods and services as a special exception use in the C3 Zoning District
• Resolutions to approve temporary liquor licenses to the Nash Bash Country Music Festival at the Farmer’s Market on August 20 and the HomeGrown Festival at the Farmer’s Market on September 12

Comment [5]

City Council

Lawsuit Filed Over E-Mails and Parking Structure

Posted by Matt Hampel on 13. August 2009

A lawsuit was filed yesterday against the City of Ann Arbor alleging that e-mail exchanges during the February 17, 2009 Council meeting violated the Open Meetings Act. It claims that the City did not provide all the e-mails on request, and made unauthorized deletions, violating the Freedom of Information Act. The focus of the suit is the proposed underground parking structure and City Council’s deliberations about it.

The plaintiffs are Herb David Guitar Studio; Kiki Properties, LLC; Jerusalem Garden; and the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center. The defendant is the City of Ann Arbor. This is a Washtenaw County Circuit Court Suit. Case number is 09-945 CZ. It was assigned to Judge Archie Brown.

The suit alleges that the construction of the parking structure will be a nuisance, damaging the nearby business owners. It also alleges that the vibrations, noise and dust of construction will be a trespass on their properties. It is also claimed that the construction of the parking structure violates the Michigan Environmental Protection Act.

The suit asks the Court to declare that the City approved the project in violation of the Open Meetings Act and that the nondisclosure of documents violated the Open Meetings Act. It also asks the Court to enjoin Council members from engaging in any further private e-mail discussions during public meetings regarding the project or its funding.

The suit asks for a preliminary injunction prohibiting the City from constructing the project until a comprehensive study of its environmental impacts and possible alternatives is made.

Our thanks to Dave Cahill for contributing this synopsis.

The filing

Thanks to The Ann Arbor Chronicle and Vivienne Armentrout for sending us this document

MEPA suit filed against the City of Ann Arbor

Comment [59]

Arts

Support Arts & Culture in Washtenaw County -- Tuesday, August 18 at 10a.m.

Posted by Angela Martin-Barcelona on 12. August 2009

The Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan is providing up to $1 million of general operating support to match gifts to support participating arts and cultural organizations made online at www.cfsem.org. A match of $1 will be provided for every $2 contributed. There are more than 70 organizations competing for these funds and only seven organizations are eligible to participate in Washtenaw County. We’d like to see a good portion of this money come here! (Organizations include: The Arts Alliance; Leslie Science and Nature Center; Performance Network Theatre; Purple Rose Theatre Company; University Musical Society; University of Michigan – Museum of Art and Exhibit Museum of Natural History.)

The challenge program starts at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 18, and will end as soon as the $1 million dollars of match is exhausted. Rumor has it that matching funds will be exhausted within an hour – so timing is everything!

Here’s how the community can help support arts and culture here in Washtenaw County:
(1) Save the Date & Donate. Tues., August 18 – 10a.m. Connect to www.cfsem.org to donate $25-$10,000 to participating arts and culture organizations in Washtenaw County. This is a race – once the $1 million matching funds are exhausted, the challenge will be over.
(2) Spread the word. This is a grassroots effort – If we all give a little, we can achieve a lot! Be sure to share this unique giving opportunity with your family, friends, and co-workers.
(3) Attend a Challenge Party. Plan to attend the morning and evening parties on the 18th to give, mingle, & have fun.
• Ann Arbor Challenge Party/TweetUp — The Arts Alliance will be partnering with NEW and the other participating Washtenaw County organizations to host a “Challenge Party” on the 18th from 9a.m.-1p.m. at Sweetwaters on Washington St. Come support good causes, enjoy good coffee, and have a good time. We’ll have an hourly raffle of great prizes! (If possible, please bring your own laptop)
• Challenge Party in Saline — Stop in to support arts and culture and mingle with peers at My Favorite Café (101 S. Ann Arbor St., Saline) from 9:30-11a.m.
• Challenge AfterGlow — Join the Arts Alliance and the other participating Washtenaw County organizations for an evening celebration of arts and culture! We’ll be at the Aut Bar from 5-7p.m. (Even if matching funds are exhausted, there will still be an opportunity to donate to participating organizations online at www.cfsem.org).

For more information, visit the Community Foundation website or follow the event on Twitter at #artsculturemich

City Council

City Council: Near North, R4C and R2A Moratorium, and Gredening

Posted by Juliew on 6. August 2009

City Council: Thursday, August 6 at 7:00 pm.
Agenda

Highlights:

• Revenue Projections
• Rezoning of Near North Proposal area (626-724 North Main Street) to PUD
• Resolution to impose a temporary moratorium on all new development that requires site plan approval, expansion of existing development that requires site plan approval, or zoning changes within the R4C and R2A zoning districts in conjunction with the study and revision of the zoning ordinance pertaining to these districts
• Update on Public Art Plan

Comment [66]

Goodbye Link?

Posted by Chuck Warpehoski on 5. August 2009

The Ann Arbor Transit Authority is asking for feedback on the proposed discontinuation of their Link service. They write

The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority is proposing the discontinuation of the Link route. The route has operated from September through April, with no service during the spring or summer. If this proposal is adopted, service will not resume on August 30, 2009.

Friday, August 7 is the deadline for feedback by phone, email, or writing. They are also hosting a public drop-in meeting will be held on Monday, August 10th from 5:00pm – 7:00pm at the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority offices (150 S. Fifth Av. – 3rd floor, Ann Arbor).

Those are the forums they want you to use to tell them what you think. This is the forum to tell us what you think.

Comment [2]

Politics

Primary results coming in

Posted by Matt Hampel on 5. August 2009

Online at via the County Clerk

UPDATE

As of 10:11pm, Larry Kestenbaum reports the following complete results:

3rd Ward: Kunselman 511, Greden 505, Bullington 379.

5th Ward: Anglin 1301, Rosencrans 694.

-----------------------------

With 9 precincts of 18 counted as of 09:28:46:

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY - COUNCIL MEMBER BY WARD 5
Mike Anglin	912	64.64%
Scott Rosencrans	498	35.29%
Write-In	1	0.07%
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY - COUNCIL MEMBER BY WARD 3
LuAnne Bullington	142	23.01%
Leigh Greden	239	38.74%
Stephen Kunselman	233	37.76%
Write-In	3	0.49%

Comment [73]

Local

Electricians Juice Up Ann Arbor . . . and Close Down Main Street

Posted by Nancy Shore on 4. August 2009

The Ann Arbor Chronicle recently reported on the 2,000 people that will be heading to Ann Arbor for the National Training Institute (NTI), put on by the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC).

According to the Chronicle, this event regularly brings in an estimated $5 million dollars to Ann Arbor.

As part of the NTI training this year, the Convention and Visitors Bureau will be closing down Main Street from William to Liberty/Washington for two block parties, one on August 5th and one on August 10th. No time is given for these parties.

Here’s some info on the Aug 5 block party from the Main Street Area Association’s Website:

Join the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau as they welcome the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) of National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) to the streets of Ann Arbor. Main Street will be closed from William to Liberty. Live music, motorcycles, dining in the street and other festivities will abound. Come on down and join the party!

In light of the recent conversation about making Main Street an occasional pedestrian mall, it will be interesting to see how this pans out.

Arts

Local Candidates' Survey - Opinions on arts and culture

Posted by Angela Martin-Barcelona on 31. July 2009

The Arts Alliance has contacted all candidates running for elected office in Washtenaw County to obtain their views on arts and culture in this region. To view all responses (and lack thereof), click here.

The survey, conducted annually in advance of the primary and general elections, was distributed to candidates throughout Washtenaw County for the offices of:
• Ann Arbor City Council, Wards 3 & 5
• Manchester Village, Village Trustee – Regular Term & Partial Term

As a public service, the Arts Alliance asked the candidates to respond to the following two questions about their positions on arts and culture in our community.
1. What is your position on public funding for arts and culture?
2. If elected, what measurable actions will you take to ensure that arts and cultural offerings survive and thrive in Washtenaw County? Please be specific.

The Arts Alliance is a non-partisan organization that endorses no candidate running for office.

About the Survey
Starting in early July, candidates were contacted about the survey 4 times by email (dependent on what personal information was posted on the Washtenaw County website), and of the 9 candidates contacted, the Arts Alliance received 6 responses.

Politics

Candidate questionnaire, August 09: Constituent communications

Posted by Murph on 30. July 2009

Continuing our candidate questionnaire results…

#2 – What systems do you have to manage communications with your constituents and to track issues?

Greden: I pro-actively distribute an e-mail newsletter to 3rd Ward residents on a periodic basis. Some of my past newsletters remain in the AU archives. I have an extensive e-mail database of a variety of issues raised by 3rd Ward residents.

Kunselman: I prefer to use face to face communication systems when responding to people. If that it too difficult to coordinate with others, then I prefer to talk via phone. E-mails are OK, but they don’t convey the sense of sincere connection to the individual being communicated with – I prefer to have someone look in my eyes and have them know that I’m sincere in what I’m saying. As for “issue management systems”, I don’t have a defined system but I do have an archive system consisting of lot of files with documents and notes lying around the basement from the last time I was on council.

(Candidates Bullington, Anglin, and Rosencrans did not provide responses.)

Comment [3]