July 2012 - A2 City News

The Newsletter for the City of Ann Arbor, Mich. • July 2012 • Volume 6 • Number 7 Public comment sought for fire restructure plan At the City Council budget work session on March 12, a fire department restructuring proposal was presented by Fire Chief Chuck Hubbard which would position the department to operate from three fire stations: stations 1, 2 (reopened) and 5. This plan would enable four firefighters to be on duty at each of the three stations. Before this proposal is considered further, the City Administrator and Council would like to give community members the opportunity to hear more about the proposal and ask specific questions. There are a variety of options available to citizens to learn about the Fire Restructure Proposal including: View Fire Restructure Proposal presentation . Watch Chief Hubbard’s March 12 Work Session presentation to City Council via CTN’s video on Demand (use the pull-down menu at the top left of the screen to select "City Council," then scroll through the pages to find the March 12 meeting link). Watch an interview of Chief Hubbard on CTN’s “Conversations” program which airs on Channel 19 via Video on Demand (use the pull-down menu at the top left of the screen to select "Conversations," then scroll through the pages to find the Chief Hubbard interview link). Email your feedback, questions and comments about the proposal, with the subject line: Fire Proposal Request a Fire Restructure Proposal presentation to be given to your neighborhood, community, or Business association by contacting Lisa Wondrash , 734.794.6152. Website survey Please take a few minutes to complete an online survey about the City of Ann Arbor website . Feedback will be instrumental in helping the city to identify ways to improve user experiences. The survey deadline is July 23. Concerts in the park The Ann Arbor Civic Band summer 2012 concert series is underway. Bring the family, bring a friend and enjoy music in the open air at the West Park band shell. Concerts are Wednesdays at 8 p.m.: July 4: Tribute to the USA July 11: Children's Concert July 18 (season finale): Big Bands Admission is free. Visit the Ann Arbor Civic Band online for more information. MDOT to host meeting for I-94 Business Loop improvements The Michigan Department of Transportation will host an open house-style meeting on Tuesday, July 10 to discuss improvements to I-94 Business Loop (BL) in Ann Arbor, between I-94 and Main Street. The meeting will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at Abbot Elementary, 2670 Sequoia Parkway. MDOT officials will be available to answer questions about plans to convert a section of I-94 BL, between Dexter Avenue and Burwood Avenue, from four lanes to three. There will be no formal presentation given at the meeting; however, maps and project information will be on display. Construction is currently scheduled for 2014. Go online (PDF) for more information. 2011 water quality report Wonder what’s in your drinking water? Check the annual City of Ann Arbor Water Quality Report to find out! Grand opening of Library Lane Parking Structure On Thursday, July 12, a grand opening party will take place 5–8 p.m. for the Library Lane Parking Structure, 319 S. Fifth Ave. Hosted by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, there will be cake, music and a fabulous collection of vintage cars on display, a preview of the Rolling Sculpture Car Show. Bring along something for the parking structure time capsule (which has a 12-inch diameter). Visit the DDA online for details. Transportation survey The Washtenaw Area Transportation Study is beginning development of the 2040 long-range transportation plan for Washtenaw County. To help inform this process, WATS is inviting feedback via the Community Values Survey. The Community Values Survey is available now through the end of July. West Park construction In 2010, various improvements were made to West Park , including band shell seating; new access stairs from the Huron Street entrance; new pathways from Seventh Street; relocation of the basketball court; regrading the open-field play area for better drainage; a boardwalk; and installation of stormwater-management features, such as swirl concentrators and bioswales. During the construction in 2010, problems were encountered with the new underground stormwater treatment systems. Therefore, repairs and alterations will be made this summer and fall to the treatment units and reconnect them to the stormwater system, along the west edge of the park. During construction, the north and south access paths to West Park off of North Seventh Street will be closed. The central access path will remain open. This work is expected to be complete in early fall 2012. If you have any questions, please contact the project’s manager, Nick Hutchinson, via email or call 734.794.6000, extension 43633. Information is also available on the project’s Web page . If you would like to receive email updates for this project, send an email to Hutchinson with “West Park email list” in the subject line. Ann Arbor Bridges Facebook giveaways The Ann Arbor Bridges Reconstruction Project (AAB) is continuing to progress. Project update meetings are being held every third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Burns Park Shelter, 1200 Baldwin Ave., with the next meeting taking place Thursday, July 17. Updates are also available on the AAB website or Facebook page. When you like AAB on Facebook , you will be entered for a chance to win project logo buttons or a project golf wind shirt. This contest will run until the project’s next public meeting, Thursday, July 19, 2012. Ann Arbor to host sustainability conference The City of Ann Arbor is set to host the Michigan Green Communities (MGC) Leadership Academy later this month. Senior officials and key stakeholders from up to 20 Michigan communities, counties and regions will attend workshops about local government sustainability, economic development and planning staff to help further sustainability initiatives around Michigan. These peer-learning workshops will showcase national and local examples of effective action at the intersection of sustainability and local economies. Go online for more about the City of Ann Arbor’s sustainability efforts . New electric vehicle-charging stations The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority and Clean Energy Coalition held an event last month at the Forest Avenue Parking Structure, 650 S. Forest, to celebrate the installation of 18 electric vehicle-charging stations. The charging stations can now be accessed by the public free of charge; electric vehicle owners need only pay the usual parking fees. This project was substantially funded by a U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Recovery Act grant awarded through Ann Arbor-based Clean Energy Coalition . In this issue: Comment on fire restructure plan * Website survey * Concerts in the park * I-94 BL improvements meeting * 2011 water quality report * Library Lane Parking Structure * Transportation survey * West Park construction * Ann Arbor Bridges Facebook giveaways * Ann Arbor to host sustainability conference * New electric vehicle-charging stations * Huron River Day is July 15 * Summer taxes due * Art Fair * Vote Aug. 7 * Local rainfall cycles on display * SEMCOG FY 2011–2014 Transportation Improvement Program * Dates to remember Huron River Day is July 15 Celebrate one of this community’s greatest resources, the Huron River. The 32nd annual Huron River Day is Sunday, July 15 at Gallup Park and Parker Mill Park. Activities include TRI the Huron Triathlon (beginning at 7 a.m.); $5 canoe/kayak rentals; children’s activities; live animal programs; river exhibits; live music; food; fishing; and more. Arrive by bike, and receive a coupon for a free boat rental! Sponsored by DTE Energy Foundation.Go to the Huron River Day website, , for details or call 734.662.9319. Summer taxes due Summer property taxes are due this month. Taxes may be paid online, by mail, at the City of Ann Arbor Customer Service Center (located on the first floor of Larcom City Hall at 301 E. Huron St.) or at several local banks. TCF Bank, Bank of Ann Arbor, Michigan Commerce Bank, Huntington Bank, Citizens Bank and Ann Arbor State Bank will accept full tax payments in July only. Online payments can also be made . Go to the city’s treasury Web page for more information, including how property taxes are calculated. Art Fair comes to town The annual Ann Arbor Art Fair will draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city when it returns this year Wednesday through Saturday, July 18 through 21. Drawing an equally impressive crowd during the Art Fair is the Ann Arbor Community Television Network video greeting booth. The CTN video booth will be located on North University between Thayer and Fletcher. Be sure to stop by to record a fun video greeting, which will be aired on CTN Channel 19 (Comcast Cable) and online. This year, CTN will be recording interviews with not only fair goers, but fair artists, directors and special guests. Visit CTN’s website for details. The CTN video greeting booth is also sure to be a draw at the traditional kick off to the Art Fair, the Townie Street Party, Monday, July 16, taking place on East Washington Street, between Fletcher and Thayer streets. While the Art Fair greetings come from visitors throughout the region, country and even the world, Townie greetings are typically for Ann Arbor, by Ann Arbor. Be sure to stop in, say hello, and share why living in A2 is special to you. With the Townie Party and the Art Fair taking place on streets around the downtown and university areas, several detours will be in place. See the street closures maps on the city website — where you can also

You can listen to July 2012 - A2 City News online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

July 2012 - A2 City News is an episode from A2 City News by Rebecca Rhodes for the City of Ann Arbor.

The episode duration depends on the source podcast feed and may not always be available.

This episode was published on Jul 2, 2012.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from A2 City News when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.