Ferndale library nearly doubles in size, offers green features
Source: Metromode, 9/2/2010
The Ferndale Public
Library opened up its doors
after a renovation last month, offering green features, a bigger
collection, and plenty of space to spread out and be comfortable.
Library
director Doug Raber says that one of the construction outcomes he'd
hoped for is already happening: It's becoming a destination. He says he
recently saw someone in the library reading her own book -- which is
great, because it means she was visiting just to use the building.
"We
have people that come to the library, are spending time here reading
and working on laptops -- definitely more so than before we renovated,"
he says.
Compared to last August, circulation is already up 40
percent, and there have been quite a few applications for new library
cards, according to Raber.
The entire building has Wi-Fi and the
new children's room offers space to spread out and read. Also, a new
meeting room facility is available for community groups.
The
library, on Nine Mile Road on the eastern edge of downtown, nearly
doubled in size, to 21,000 square feet. The addition, paid for by a
one-mill tax increase last year, provided space to increase staff and
the funds to double its purchasing budget for books and other media.
Patrons
appreciate most the overall comfort of the building. "It's a very
comfortable place to be," Raber says. "People like it. They like the
fact that there are places to go and sit down, there are places to
study. They've been commenting on how much they like the place, more
than anything else."
Patrons were formerly crammed into tight
quarters, with the children's section very close to the adults and
vice-versa. "Now people can spread out and be more comfortable," he
says.
The library is going for silver LEED certification for its environmentally friendly
features, including a geothermal heating system, a gray water recycling
system, and a partial green roof. There are a few odds and ends that
still need to be taken care of -- furniture and new book display
shelving -- but nothing that affects its overall function.
Source:
Doug Raber, director, Ferndale Public Library
Writer: Kristin
Lukowski
Pontiac, Detroit to make mini-parks out of parking spots
Source: Metromode, 9/2/2010
Parking spot
enjoyment has taken off in Grand Rapids and other big cities across the
nation and world, and now Sean Mann wants to get people loving parking
in southeast Michigan.
Parking
should be appreciated not just because you grab the space right in
front of the coffee shop, either. Park(ing) Day encourages people to
make a mini-park out of a metered spot for one day -- Sept. 17 this year
-- to celebrate public spaces with friends.
Sean Mann, founder and program coordinator
of Let's Save Michigan, a project of the Michigan Municipal League, says a few
communities in southeast Michigan, including Pontiac, Detroit, Ann
Arbor, and Ypsilanti, and also in Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Traverse
City, will likely be participating in this quirky day of awareness.
There's still plenty of time to sign up, and parking spots don't need an
elaborate makeover. A couple of lawn chairs and a potted plant will do.
With graduates fleeing the state,
oftentimes what they're looking for is a better quality of life above
jobs -- and that includes public places. "It's a fun way to highlight
bringing people together to show they can create those places," Mann
mentions. "Our whole campaign is about moving Michigan forward."
The end-of-summer event also allows for
one last (hopefully) warm-weather celebration before the mitten state
gets cold and dark.
Click here to learn more or to sign up.
Source: Sean Mann,
Let's Save Michigan, founder and program coordinator
Writer: Kristin Lukowski
Choice Neighborhoods program offers $65 million for neighborhood revitalization
Source: Metromode, 9/2/2010
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)
will give neighborhoods a boost through a special $65 million initiative.
Choice
Neighborhoods has 15 planning grants worth $3 million in total, and
19 implementation grants totaling $62 million. Governments and
nonprofits are eligible, and so are for-profit developers who apply
jointly with a public entity.
The idea of the Choice
Neighborhoods initiative is to transform distressed neighborhoods and
public and assisted projects into viable and sustainable mixed-income
communities by linking housing improvements with appropriate services,
schools, public assets, transportation, and access to jobs, according to
the website. Early
childhood education is also a priority.
Nancy
Finegood, executive director of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network,
sees the value in city-nonprofit partnerships. "It would be a wonderful
opportunity for any kind of neighborhood project to revitalize the
neighborhood and do some restoration of both homes and commercial
properties," she says.
Click here to learn more. The deadline is
Oct. 26.
Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development; Nancy Finegood, executive
director, Michigan Historic
Preservation Network
Writer: Kristin Lukowski
Madonna U building upgrades to LEED gold
Source: Metromode, 8/26/2010
Madonna University officials were
hoping its new Franciscan Center building would be silver LEED
certified, so when it was awarded gold status last month, it made the
designation that much more, well, golden.
The building, home to
the university's science and media studies, opened in time for fall
classes last year. It’s the first new building on campus in four
decades, offering classrooms, offices, audio and television studies, a
cafe, and a student gathering area in its 65,000 square feet.
The
4,500-student university was sure it had earned silver Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design certification, but last month brought
home the gold from the Green Building Certification Institute, making it
the first in Livonia.
Madonna University President Sr. Rose Marie Kujawa says that because
they’d never done a LEED-certified building before, they wanted to set a
goal that was reasonable, and shot for silver status.
"We worked
very diligently to earn every point that we could, only to find out we
were just two or three points away from gold," she says.
And
because the point system determining LEED level -- certified, silver,
gold, and platinum -- is ever-evolving, they took a closer look at
anything additional that could be done to earn an extra point or two,
such as using green maintenance products or managing the building's
energy in a particular way. The $20 million invested in the building’s
environmentally friendly features resulted in recycled carpeting,
natural lighting, motion-detecting lights, low-flow plumbing, and cork
and bamboo floors.
Not only is the recognition to the
university’s planning and commitment, but it also speaks to its
Franciscan values as a Catholic university. Plus, the building looks
nice, too. Sr. Kujawa says those involved the planning process didn’t
think a green building had to look like a factory, and the architects
successfully designed it around the campus’ pond, using a lot of natural
light.
"Everyone who's heard about it is thrilled," she says.
"It's not just good for Madonna University, it's good for the
environment, city, everyone associated with city, everyone associated
with green building concepts. We're very happy."
Source: Sr.
Rose Marie Kujawa, president of Madonna University
Writer:
Kristin Lukowski
Basco rehabs downtown Ferndale building
Source: Metromode, 8/26/2010
A crumbling facade and rotting steel
didn't stop Roger and Sergio Basmajian from renovating a building in
downtown Ferndale.
320 W. Nine Mile Road is almost ready to be
occupied, barring some minor work and paperwork, by Painting with a Twist, a
kind of self-serve painting studio. Redeveloper Roger Basmajian says
although he had some unexpected rebuilds instead of repairs, the
improvements, including the facade, brick, windows and awning, had a
good end result.
"We did a whole new facade for that building,"
he says. "At the end of the day it was just not in good shape."
His
company, Basco of Michigan has redeveloped a handful of properties in
the Ferndale and Royal Oak area, knew what they were dealing with when
they began work on that two-story, 7,800 square-foot building in
downtown Ferndale.
"The steel in the back was all rusted from
years of neglect, and that’s why we tore everything down," he says. But,
"We were determined to make it work."
Source: Roger Basmajian, co-owner of Basco of Michigan
Writer: Kristin Lukowski
Mt Clemens welcomes five new businesses
Source: Metromode, 8/26/2010
Sure, having a business downtown is good
for visibility and traffic, but it also gives owners the chance to be a
part of a community.
So says Arthur Mullen, executive director of
the Mt.
Clemens Downtown Development Authority, as to one of the reasons
five new businesses have moved into downtown spaces recently.
"I think a lot of businesses are choosing downtowns because they’re not
alone," he says. "Fellow businesses owners are working together to help
each other."
Since the beginning of the month, five new
businesses have joined the restaurant, retail and office space downtown:
Bodhi Seed Yoga & Wellness Studio, the MINDs Eye Bookstore,
marketing firm Hunch Free, TGM Skateboards, and Handbags of Hope.
"I
think that they're looking for a good location to invest, and they
think Mt. Clemens is that good location," Mullen says. "We're always
excited when someone is willing to try their idea in Mt. Clemens. They
chose us for a reason."
Source: Arthur Mullen, executive
director of the Mt. Clemens Downtown Development Authority
Writer:
Kristin Lukowski
Inkster, Ypsilanti, Detroit, I-275 trail score pedestrian grants
Source: Metromode, 8/26/2010
It's all about the infrastructure. Not
only will Inkster build a streetscape project and Detroit a walk/bike
path, but because of state and
federal grant money, portions of
the I-275 Metro Trail will be also be reconstructed. Ypsi even got a
slice of the community improvement pie.
The Michigan Department of
Transportation announced the federal Transportation Enhancement grants Tuesday, for which Inkster
will receive almost $600,000 in state and federal funding for a planned
streetscape project. The intersection of Michigan Avenue (US-12) and
Inkster Road will be improved about a block in all four directions, with
decorative brick pillars, fencing, benches, decorate stamped concrete,
and landscaping.
Kimberly Faison, special projects manager for
the city of Inkster, says the project will help to define the city’s
downtown, at that intersection, with an emphasis on trees, shrubs and
perennials. And with traffic whizzing by on Michigan Avenue, "Sometimes
our downtown gets missed, especially with the speed," she says. "Our
residents have a lot of pride in the community."
The city has
also acquired three easements in that area, which will be made into a
green space, which will include seating areas.
Improvements done last year, including ramps and cross lights at
pedestrian intersections, make the area more walkable, she says, while
the streetscape is also expected to help calm traffic. Bus shelters are
also a part of the expanded project, and the city hopes to receive
future funding for a greenways project down the line.
Faison says
Inkster's residents know the city has businesses worth visiting and
space worthy of being rehabilitated and reoccupied, and this will help
put them on the map. "The project really is exciting for us," she says.
"We see this as a shot in the arm."
Elsewhere in the metro area,
Detroit will get funding for a nearly 1-mile portion of the Connor Creek
Greenway, to include a bike/walk path, seating areas and trees. Eighty
percent of the $358,376 will be covered by federal funds, with the rest
made up by a match from the city.
Portions of the I-275 Metro
Trail, in Canton Township, Van Buren Township, and Romulus, will also be
rehabilitated, including the addition of a boardwalk over wetlands and
signage. That project is nearly $4 million, covered by federal and state
funding.
Finally, Ypsilanti also received a grant for
streetscape projects.
Statewide, a total of $10 million was awarded to 11 counties for
non-motorized trail improvements, roadway streetscape, parks and water
quality.
Source: Kimberly Faison, special projects manager,
city of Inkster; Michigan Department of Transportation
Writer:
Kristin Lukowski
Emagine Entertainment breaks ground on downtown Royal Oak cineplex
Source: Metromode, 8/19/2010
Shovels went into the ground Tuesday for
Royal Oak's new movie theater, shortly after Emagine Entertainment
closed on the land.
"Everything's on track and we're ready to
go," says Paul Glantz, Emagine's founder and chairman. "This baby's been
gestating for a long time. It's time for it to be born."
The $14
million entertainment center will offer more than a first-run theater:
Food, liquor, and bowling are also in the plans. It's expected to create
100 full-time jobs in the kitchen, at the ticket counter, and in the
food-service area.
The 10-screen complex, 73,000 square feet
spread over two stories, will be located on the parking lot on 11 Mile
Road just east of Main Street, behind the Main Art Theatre. The project
will house 1,680 seats and 16 bowling lanes. There will also be a
private party area/meeting room on a second-floor mezzanine level over
the main entrance.
The
Michigan Economic Development Corp.
is offering up a $1.25 million brownfield tax credit towards the
project.
Plans are for the theater to be up and running by April, to get all
the kinks worked out before next summer's blockbuster season starts.
"We're hoping to build it very promptly so it can open next spring," he
says. "I'm ecstatic we're moving forward."
Source: Paul
Glantz, founder and chairman of Emagine Entertainment
Writer:
Kristin Lukowski