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TURF WARS ARTIFICIAL PLAYING FIELDS GAIN IN POPULARITY BUT QUESTIONS REMAIN ABOUT HEALTH IMPACT STATE TAX TRIBUNAL: FEW VICTORIES FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES SEX OFFENDER LIST: CHANGES AND CHALLENGES TO SYSTEM

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Empowering or problematic: Examining Michigan's registry The Michigan sex offender registry, first created by Oakland Sheriff Michael Bouchard when he was in the state Senate, is going through a number of challenges and changes.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

20

Michigan Senate Republicans have shown their arrogance in a move to control election outcomes by eliminating straight-party voting and have allowed the Oakland County Executive election to move years to help preserve GOP control of that office.

CRIME LOCATOR

27

A recap of select categories of crime occurring in the past month in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills, presented in map format.

MUNICIPAL

71

Bloomfield treasurer violates state election law with defense fund; Emagine Theatre hears from the ACLU; Gazelle Sports coming to Birmingham; city develops park donor policy; only one bistro application sent to planners; plus more.

FRONT/BACK

102

The latest on whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening in the front and the back of the house in metro Detroit area restaurants with a series of short takes on the latest news and gossip for the industry.

AT THE TABLE

107

J. March visits the new Au Cochon in Birmingham and finds promise in the latest restaurant opened by Zack Sklar who already has a number of eateries in Oakland.

THE COVER Cross of Christ Lutheran Church at the intersection of Lone Pine and Telegraph in Bloomfield Township. Downtown photo.

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41 Challenging local taxes Municipalities lose considerable tax dollars when large retail outlets and other taxable entities take tax disputes to the Michigan Tax Tribunal.

52 Artificial playing fields Most local school districts have moved to artificial turf for athletic playing fields, but questions are now being raised about the impact on athletes' health.

28

Eric Smith

THE COMMUNITY HOUSE

109

Wiliam Seklar, President and CEO of The Community House (TCH), discusses the importance of taking time to thank others for good deeds and support.

SOCIAL LIGHTS

111

Society reporter Sally Gerak provides the latest news from the society and nonprofit circuit as she covers recent major events.

ENDNOTE

118

Officials need to study the effects of crumb rubber artificial turf for student athletes; coordination is necessary for sex offender registry regulations.

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PUBLISHER David Hohendorf NEWS EDITOR Lisa Brody NEWS STAFF/CONTRIBUTORS Allison Batdorff | Rachel Bechard | Hillary Brody Katie Deska | Kevin Elliott | Sally Gerak | Austen Hohendorf J. March | Kathleen Meisner | Bill Seklar PHOTOGRAPHY/CONTRIBUTORS Jean Lannen | Laurie Tennent Laurie Tennent Studio VIDEO PRODUCTION/CONTRIBUTOR Garrett Hohendorf Giant Slayer ADVERTISING DIRECTOR David Hohendorf ADVERTISING SALES Mark Grablowski GRAPHICS/IT MANAGER Chris Grammer OFFICE 124 W. Maple Birmingham MI 48009 248.792.6464 DISTRIBUTION/SUBSCRIPTIONS Mailed monthly at no charge to most homes in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills. Additional free copies distributed at high foot-traffic locations in downtown Birmingham.

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INCOMING/READER FEEDBACK We welcome feedback on both our publication and general issues of concern in the Birmingham/Bloomfield community. The traditional “letters to the editor” in Downtown are published in our Incoming section and can include written letters or electronic communication.

Opinions can be sent via e-mail to news@downtownpublications.com or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 W. Maple Road, Birmingham MI 48009.

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

olitical columnist, author, presidential speechwriter (Nixon administration) and journalist William Safire (1929-2009) defines a political power play as “the art of running roughshod over the opposition” in his Political Dictionary, an indispensable gift I received from another political junkie back in 1979.

P

We got a good peek at such a play in recent weeks when the Republican-controlled Michigan Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation on its way to the Michigan House that would eliminate straight-ticket or straight-party voting in general elections in the state.

Yes, I know we already voted on this very issue in 2002, following a petition drive to place straightticket voting on the ballot after state lawmakers eliminated through legislation the practice of straight-party voting in 2001. In fact, 60 percent of state voters opted to overturn the election law.

In Oakland, 62 percent of those casting ballots voted to override what lawmakers tried to put in practice.

On the most recent push in the Michigan Senate, a number of organizations – the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks, the Michigan Township Association and the NAACP – spoke out against the elimination of straightparty voting, citing valid concerns of the added time it will take to vote, which if you still go to your assigned voting place, could translate into longer lines.

But no matter. As I have said more than once in this space, the party in power – whether Republican or Democrat – will always seek out ways to consolidate power as a matter of self preservation. In this state, it happens to be the GOP. Michigan is one of only 10 states still allowing straight-ticket voting.

Legislatures across the country, both Democrat and Republican, have chosen to scrap straight-party voting, usually under the guise of forcing the electorate to make more “informed decisions” as part of their civic duty, rather than just choosing a party affiliation button at the top of the ballot.

In reality, one of the major motivating factors in Michigan is the concern in presidential election years that a strong Democrat contender for president at the top of the ticket could impact races further down the ballot. And the numbers show that Democrat straight-ticket voters usually turn out slightly heavier than GOP straight-party voters in presidential election years. In 2014, for example, an off-year (non-presidential) election, 49.09 percent of straightparty votes in Oakland went Republican, while 49.78 percent were Democrats. In the 2012 presidential election, Barack Obama carried Oakland County by 53.4 percent of votes cast. Among straight-party ballots cast, 45.27 percent went Republican and 53.42 percent were cast by Democrats. Since 1996 when Bill Clinton carried Oakland County, Democratic presidential candidates have been gaining strength at the ballot box, a major concern no doubt to the GOP which controls both the House and Senate, and to the powers-that-be in the full-time posts in Oakland County government.

The Republican-led Senate, however, went one step further this time around.

To make this latest election change immune to a ballot box petition drive, they attached a $1 million appropriation to the bill as it passed, without going through the normal appropriation process. In Michigan, appropriations are not subject to petition referendum. The definition – pure arrogance.

The vote in the Senate was along party lines, with the exception of two Republicans who sided with Democrats on this issue. And, for the record, the bill was sponsored by Senator Marty Knollenberg, (R-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Troy), not someone with whom I am impressed and I am told others share this view in Lansing.

While the Senate was fine tuning election law to benefit the GOP, they also made a major change that impacts the future of the Oakland County Executive's office, even though political insiders months ago dismissed as unlikely any movement on a senate bill that has now been sent to the House, which will move the election of the county executive in Oakland to non-presidential years.

Assuming House members approve this, when you vote on the county executive position in the 2016 balloting, the term will only be for two years.

Henceforth, we will elect the county executive to four-year terms in off-year elections, when Wayne and Macomb counties also cast ballots for their county executives.

While I would like to believe the reasoning put forth publicly by Oakland officials that the move makes sense and puts us in line with neighboring counties, I also know that GOP officials here are nervous about the growing strength of Democrats in county-wide offices, so moving to a non-presidential year on county executive increases the odds that Republicans can still hold the executive office in the county.

The immediate concern is not that incumbent Brooks Patterson cannot withstand the increasing power of Democrats at the polling places. After all, Patterson carried the Oakland County 2012 vote by 56.71 percent, with little to no campaign effort at all following a car accident that laid him up well past the election.

The most pressing issue is what happens when Brooks Patterson decides not to run again. So if he can be re-elected for a shortened two-year term next year, he could either step aside and hope a Republican can get appointed or will at least stand a better chance of being elected in 2018 in an off-year election.

The political rumor mill has it that there are four potential contenders Patterson would support, including Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett who just won a stunning write-in campaign for a third term in that city.

Backing by Patterson could keep the executive's office in the hands of the GOP, which Safire's Political Dictionary would say is an illustration of “clout.”

David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@downtownpublications.com

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

PROGRAM Beethoven // Egmont Overture, Op. 84

P I N C H A S Z U K E R M A N , P R I N C I PA L G U E S T CONDUCTOR AND VIOLIN

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Elgar // “Enigma” Variations, Op. 36

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INCOMING DDA funding I read your article on DDA funding (November/Downtown) and found it very informative and well written.

This morning I picked up the Free Press and read where "Wayne County sues to halt tax siphoning.” You had all the details on this issue in your article.

You guys are really on top of things.

Bill Person Bloomfield Village

Roundup, West Maple Congratulations for an outstanding long article on Roundup (November/Downtown).

Also, for the positive report on the West Maple reconfiguration.

I will look forward to future serious articles in your publication.

Ralph Deeds Birmingham

Glyphosate article Thank you for your article on glyphosate in the November issue. This has concerned many of us in alternative health venues for many years and I am glad to see you put it under the public's nose.

Since you didn't allude to it, I will assume that you have not seen The World According To Monsanto on YouTube. Please watch it as it is a definitive resource on both Monsanto and glyphosate. Pretty much everyone who sees it ends up crying, so bring a hanky.

As Michigan residents and journalists, the question you need to ask yourself about any research is: who paid for it and who did it? Studies done

by Monsatan can hardly be referenced as accurate as they would never report any negative info when they stand to lose so much. To insure they get what they want, they donated $2 million dollars to Obama's re-election campaign.

As guardians of the Great Lakes, we have to err on the side of caution rather than to let the EPA wait 10 years to do anything about anything. Everything we use on the land eventually runs into the Great Lakes. With the world running out of fresh water, it's our most valuable resource, worth more than oil.

Certainly glyphosate should be banned as there is no way to remove it from the water supply, except by distillation, and it has a "half-life" of 2000 years. We need to get serious about this. Michigan should be the paragon of natural farming, with few–if any– downtownpublications.com

SPEAK OUT We welcome your opinion on issues facing the Birmingham/Bloomfield communities.

Opinions can be sent via e-mail to news@downtownpublications.com or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 West Maple Road, Birmingham MI 48009.

chemical pesticides and fertilizers. All the well water from Oakland County into the thumb is already poisoned by a natural vein of arsenic, and GM sites are not closed down by them because, as at the Pontiac plant, there are seven basements full of toxic, leaking chemicals unbeknownst to the public.

We don't need any more poisons, especially when we know that they are poison.

Monsatan keeps telling everyone that their GMOs actually produce greater yields than natural, traditional methods when in fact, they produce less. GMO plants do not reseed themselves making it imperative that poor farmers buy more seed for each planting, and glyphosate is producing super bugs and glyphosate resistant weeds – that nothing can kill.

Keep up the good work. We deserve food as clean as Europe's – without hormones, antibiotics or pesticides.

Joe Bonfiglio Bloomfield Township

Eric Gorges Faces Thank you for your feature article on Eric Gorges (Faces/November/ Downtown) It was so well written and did a wonderful job of telling his story.

The photo was great, too.

Wishing you continued success with Downtown newsmagazine and beyond.

Lynn Harper, Publicity Manager A Craftsman's Legacy

Clarification of story An article about Downtown Development Authority (DDA) funding published in the November issue of Downtown should have clarified that DDAs utilizing Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts have not collected /capturedl local school tax funds since 1994.

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CRIME LOCATOR

NORTH

Map key

Sexual assault

Assault

Murder

Robbery

Breaking/entering

Larceny

Larceny from vehicle

Vehicle theft

Vandalism

Drug offenses

Arson

These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills through November 12, 2015.

Placement of codes is approximate.

FACES Eric Smith ne of the first things you might wonder when listening to Birmingham musician Eric Smith's debut EP released in late October is why he hasn't already released a collection of albums.

"I just turned 21," Smith said from East Lansing, where the Michigan State University class of 2017 student is pursuing a degree in Jazz Studies as a piano major. "It's just one of those things where you get some songs together, then when you work on them and practice, and by the time you would have recorded something, you would have been better, and you're waiting.

"Finally, I decided it was better to record something and have it in that moment."

"Just one of those things" â&#x20AC;&#x201C; like when a student teacher at Seaholm High School heard one of Smith's music compositions and turned him onto jazz.

"I always enjoyed listening to big band music â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Count Basie and Duke Ellington, and the crooners like Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, but I didn't take it seriously until I got to the band program at Seaholm. A student teacher took the time to listen to one of my compositions, and he suggested studying jazz."

The encounter led Smith to study under the direction of Dennis Tini, a distinguished professor emeritus of music and a former senior associate dean at Wayne State University.

"Within a couple of lessons, I saw the windows that had already started to open," Smith said.

Smith's talents also opened up opportunities to study with many notable musicians, including Reginald Thomas and Steve Taylor. He has also been coached by singer/songwriter and producer Herschel Boone. At MSU, he studies jazz piano with Xavier Davis, under program director Rodney Whitaker. Recently, Smith has performed with the MSU Jazz Orchestra alongside Grammy Award-winning trumpet player Brian Lynch.

"If you're trying to master jazz and be an improviser, it requires a lot of work," Smith said. "Some of it isn't very technically challenging, where others are. But with straight ahead jazz and improvising, you have to take your time and listen to the masters of the genre. I'm still learning, but even my professors, who are some of the best players and educators, they say they are still learning."

Smith started learning how to play music at a young age, beginning with his church choir. He later learned to play the piano, drums and guitar. By the time he was 11 years old, he started writing his own songs. But it wasn't until later that he started to get very serious about music and decided to pursue it as a career.

In addition to learning his craft, Smith said he's learning how to navigate the music business, and how to get his EP, "Hey there Miss," heard. The EP contains less of the straightforward jazz he's studying and more of a mix of jazz, folk, rock, and pop, with a classic crooning style. Smith provides the lead vocals, as well as piano, acoustic guitar, Wurlitzer and keyboards.

"The next step is making sure people hear it and playing more," he said, adding that the tracks are available at www.musicbyericsmith.com.

"In order to get heard, you really have to hustle," he said. "I'm losing a lot of sleep, but that's just the business I'm in. It can be relaxing sometimes, and other times you have to muscle through it. It definitely helps that it's something I love."

O

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Caroline Olsen

SEX

OFFENDER

EMPOWERING OR PROBLEMATIC: EXAMINING MICHIGAN'S REGISTRY

BY KEVIN ELLIOTT

I

If knowledge is power, then it would seem that knowing the names, addresses and other identifying information of some 38,521 state-registered sex offenders in Michigan, including more than 1,800 in Oakland County, would help give the public the ability to keep themselves and their children safe.

"Certainly it takes resources, but when given a list of convicted sex offenders, it's a great resource for people to know where they are living," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard who helped draft Michigan's initial Sex Offender Registry Act established in 1994, as a state senator.

Since the law drafted by Bouchard was enacted, the state's sex offender registry has undergone several changes beyond who has access to the database. Based on their offense, offenders must register for 15 years, 25 years or for life. Registrants must provide physical addresses and phone numbers of where they live and work, the vehicles they drive and Internet identifiers, such as e-mail addresses or online identities. Those required to register are also prohibited from living, working or loitering within a "school safety zone," or within 1,000 feet of a school, and must adhere to a list of other requirements.

"I knew when we wrote it there would be constant monitoring of the system to make it more effective and productive for the public because information is power," Bouchard said. "If you have a convicted pedophile on your block, the public has a right to know that, the same way they should know if there's a toxic waste dump at a playground."

Bouchard said the registry empowers the public, and has even helped law enforcement agencies locate missing children. However, a growing number of scholarly researchers, attorneys and public officials, as well as a federal court ruling earlier this year, are spurring changes to the state's registry.

Critics of Michigan's sex offender registry law say it gives the public a false sense of safety; forces people to register who logically shouldn't be required; does little to reduce rates of re-offense, or recidivism; and puts the general public in more danger. Further, a federal court in March of this year found that some parts of the law are unconstitutional, and are so complicated that it is impossible for some offenders to comply.

"We have the fourth largest registry in the country, and that is because we have a lot of people that don't belong there," said Miriam Aukerman, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.

Aukerman cited an example of one man on the registry who has two children with his victim, whom he has since married. However, she said the couple was unable to live together because of the residency restriction placed on Michigan's registered sex offenders.

"One individual (victim) is married to the individual," Aukerman said. "She testified that she wasn't so much a victim of him, but a victim of the registry.

She snuck into an adults-only club and had sex. They had a child, and now they are unable to live together because of the exclusion zones."

The couple's situation was one of six people represented by Aukerman on behalf of the ACLU in a federal lawsuit filed in 2012 that challenged Michigan's Sex Offenders Registration Act in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division.

Aukerman said the husband, identified in court documents as "John Doe #4," was 23-years-old in the summer of 2005 when he met the victim at an adults-only nightclub. The girl, then 15-years-old, had used a fake ID to enter the club. The couple met and had sex. It wasn't until the girl became

pregnant and he was arrested that he learned of her actual age.

In 2006, the man pleaded guilty to attempted criminal sexual conduct.

Under the terms of that plea agreement, the case was to be dismissed if the baby's DNA didn't match his, as it was revealed that she had had other sexual partners, and it was unclear with whom she had become pregnant.

When it turned out that Mr. Doe #4 had fathered the child, the case went forward. He served five years probation, and completed sex offender counseling. At the time of his conviction, he was required to register on the state's sex offender registry for 25 years. A change in the law in 2011 retroactively re-classified him as a Tier III offender, requiring him to register for the rest of his life. Today, "Doe #4" and the victim are married and have two children together.

Under the state's sex offender registry laws, the father can't live or work within 1,000 feet of a school. The lawsuit states that because a school is at the end of the family's street, the father can't legally live at the home with his wife and children.

"When people think about the registry, they don't conceptualize that," Aukerman said. "They don't conceptualize a dad who is married to the mother of his children. This is a family that can't be together because of the registry."

Looking to the original version of the state's sex offender registry act, Bouchard said he anticipated the law would need to be looked at in the future.

"I expected after I wrote the original act that it would take a constant process to stay on top of it," Bouchard said. "When originally written, it was just available to local police departments. As technology evolved, it made that information more accessible."

In its original form, the act established a database that contains the names, addresses and listed offense information of all people in Michigan convicted of certain sexual offenses. The complete database was, and still remains, only accessible to law enforcement officials.

Michigan's registry was created in response to the passage of the federal Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act of 1994. That act required states to implement sex offender and crimes against children registries. Under the original federal law, all states must verify the addresses of sex offenders annually for at least 10 years, and those classified as a "sexually violent predator" must register for life. The law allowed states the discretion to share registration information with the public, but wasn't required.

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Michigan's original law set registration requirements of 25 years, and a lifetime registration for second or subsequent offenses.

Information in the database, at the time, was only available to law enforcement and was exempt from Freedom of Information Act requests. In 1996, the names on the registry were made

available to the public via local law enforcement agencies.

The public sex offender registry (www.mipsor.state.mi.us) was made available on the Internet in 1999, when at the same time, offenses requiring registration were expanded. In 2002, the law was changed to require registrants to provide information to local law enforcement if they were working, volunteering or attending an institution of higher learning.

Several changes to the the state's registry law were made in 2004 and 2005, including the requirement of photographs of each registrant, as well as the creation of "student safety zones," which prohibits convicted offenders

from working or loitering or living within 1,000 feet or less from school property.

In 2011, the state's registry law was again updated to conform with requirements of the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. Changes that year also allowed for some offenders to be removed from the registry, including the exclusion of some so-called Romeo and Juliet and juvenile offenders, or those having consensual sex with partners between the ages of 13 and 16, provided the offender wasn't more than four years older than the victim. However, it is still illegal for anyone under 16 to have sex in Michigan.

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The 2011 changes also implemented a threetier offender system, where offenders are classified into tiers based on the severity of their offense, and required to register for 15 years, 25 years, or for life. Prison and jail time aren't included when calculating the end registration date. The changes were tied to federal mandates

requiring states to make the changes or risk losing federal funds for law enforcement.

After registering, offenders must report to the law enforcement agency where they live to verify their address. Tier I offenders must verify once a year; Tier II offenders verify twice a year; and Tier III offenders register three times per year.

According to the Michigan State Police, individuals can be found out of compliance if they: fail to register; fail to change their address when they move; fail to verify their address; fail to provide or update campus information; fail to update vehicle information; fail to provide or update employment information; fail to provide a name change; fail to report e-mail addresses or Internet identifiers; fail to maintain a valid Michigan driver's license or personal identification card; reside, work or loiter within 1,000 feet of a school.

Those who don't follow the rules of the registry can face anywhere from a misdemeanor to a 10-year felony. For instance, the penalty for failing to verify an address is a misdemeanor, as is failure to pay for the registration fee, sign a registration card, registration notification, or verification form.

All other violations carry a graduated penalty, ranging from a four-year felony to a 10-year felony.

The state sex offender registry law allows an arrest warrant to be authorized by a prosecutor for a non-compliant offender. After a warrant is entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN), the offender can be apprehended during a traffic stop or any other contact with law enforcement. In addition, law enforcement agencies may conduct periodic offender sweeps, during which offenders' addresses are confirmed, and noncomplaint offenders are actively sought.

Enforcing the rules and checking up on registrants can take resources from law enforcement agencies, some of which conduct community checks to see whether offenders are providing accurate information. However, those checks aren't required under the law.

Bouchard said sheriff's substations in the county do check on offenders that may be non-complaint when addresses are in question.

"It's not required for agencies to go out and physically check â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that would be unconstitutional under the Headlee Amendment," Bouchard said.

"But we suggested it."

Statewide, there are about 30,877 offenders that must verify their address

either yearly, semi-annually or quarterly, while some 11,123 incarcerated offenders don't have to verify their information. According to the Michigan State Police, 28,372 offenders were in compliance, while 2,507 offenders failed to comply, following the state's September 2015 verification period.

The Michigan State Police Department's Public Sex Offender Registry is constantly being updated by the department's Sex Offender Registry Unit, which receives updated offender information from local law enforcement agencies electronically, by fax and by mail. Department spokeswoman Tiffany Brown said the public registry is updated in real time as the new information is added.

"Generally, the unit updates the registry within five business days after receiving a record change," she said. "The information received by the unit typically includes court orders for removals or tier changes."

Law enforcement agencies also rely on the public to help identify noncompliant offenders as well. Such was the case with a 29-year-old offender allegedly working within the 1,000 foot restriction of a school in September.

Walled Lake police said an off-duty officer was bowling at Langan's All Star Lanes, 257 Ladd Road, on September 27, 2015 when he was informed an employee at the bowling alley was a registered offender in the city, and was non-compliant by working at the location. Police confirmed the complaint on October 1 when the man registered a different work address, and the detective caught the mismatched information. The case was forwarded to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office.

On March 31, 2015, U.S. District Court Robert Cleland issued a ruling on the case filed in 2012 by the ACLU, John Does #1-5 and Mary Doe v Governor Richard Snyder and Col. Kristie Etue of the Michigan State Police Department. In his ruling, Cleland held that ambiguity in the act, combined with the number of and length of the act's provisions, make it difficult for a well-intentioned registrant to understand all of his or her obligations.

"SORA (Sex Offender Registry Act) was not enacted as a trap for individuals who have committed sex offenses in the past (and who have already served their sentences)," he stated in his ruling. "Rather, the goal is public safety, and the public safety would only be enhanced by the government ensuring registrants are aware of their obligations."

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Specifically, the court found that the act's geographic exclusion zones are unconstitutional because registrants have no way to know where these zones are, and even law enforcement doesn't know where these zones are. The court also found the prohibition on "loitering" within those

zones is unconstitutional because an ordinary registrant can't know whether his or her conduct is "loitering." Further, the court found that registrants can't be penalized unless they knowingly violate the registry law; and that because the registry law's Internet reporting requirements are vague and because the registrants must report changes in person, the majority of those requirements violate the First Amendment's protection for free speech.

The federal court also found that certain reporting requirements pertaining to vehicles, phones or other items "regularly" or "routinely used" are unconstitutional, as neither registrants or law enforcement know exactly how often the item must be used to be reportable.

While the court questioned whether geographic exclusion zones and "loitering" bans also violate the parental rights of registrants who have

YOUR COMMUNITY: WHERE DO THE OFFENDERS LIVE? The Michigan State Police Department maintains the state's public Sex Offender Registration (SOR) database, which contains the names, addresses and listed offense information of all persons in Michigan convicted of sexual offenses. The complete SOR is available for law enforcement purposes only, while the public database is available to the public to search at www.mipsor.state.mi.us.

As of November 1, 2015, there were about 42,000 active sex offenders in the database, including 11,123 offenders who are incarcerated. About 38,521 offenders appear on the Public Sex Offender Registry, including 1,815 offenders in Oakland County.

children, it held off on deciding the question because the statute is so vague the court couldn't determine its impact.

"We actually had volunteers call police departments and prosecutors to get information, and all of them were different," the ACLUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aukerman said. "If the people enforcing the law don't know what the law means and give different information to different people, how can you expect the folks registering to understand this incredibly complicated law?"

Bloomfield Hills defense attorney Shannon Smith, who specializes in criminal sexual offense cases, said some portions of the state's sex offender registry law are so confusing that they can't consistently be answered.

"One of the major issues with the law is that it is very vague and unclear," she said. "We have calls to my office that we literally can't answer. The law is inconsistently applied. One answer that works in one county may not work in another. It makes it a mess.

"Sometimes I call the Michigan State Police, and they say that they don't know what the answer is. The problem is that the law is very unclear, it's difficult to read, and it doesn't take into account every circumstance."

Even in some instances where registrants have taken measures to ensure they are following the law, they receive conflicting information from law enforcement agencies. A federal court case recently filed on behalf of a Grand Rapids man claims that a registrant checked with police there whether he could move into a specific address and was told he could, only to be told when registering the address that he would have to move within 30 days.

Aukerman said the federal ruling means that Doe #4 will still be required to register on the state sex offender registry, but that he isn't subject to the geographic exclusion zones. The ruling also clarifies and provides relief to other plaintiffs in the case, however, the ruling doesn't have immediate effect for all offenders on the state's registry.

"The ruling is limited specifically to that case. It has no binding effect on the state, but it's a persuasive argument," said Paul Walton, chief assistant prosecutor for Oakland County.

The following is a list of the number of registered offenders on the public registry in Oakland County by community: Addison Township: 4 Auburn Hills: 36 Berkley: 20 Beverly Hills: 2 Bingham Farms: 0 Birmingham: 4 Bloomfield Hills: 13 Bloomfield Township: 5 Brandon: 0 Clarkston: 48 Clawson: 17 Commerce: 13 Farmington Hills: 67 Farmington: 7 Fenton: 42 Ferndale: 48 Franklin Village: 0 Groveland Township: 0 Hazel Park: 75 Highland: 35 Holly (Township & Village): 43 Huntington Woods: 1 Independence Township: 0 Keego Harbor: 6 Lake Angelus: 0 Lake Orion: 40 Lathrup Village: 2 Leonard Village: 6

Lyon Township: 0 Madison Heights: 35 Milford (Township & Village): 18 Northville: 12 Novi: 25 Oak Park: 50 Oakland Township: 1 Orchard Lake: 0 Orion Township: 5 Ortonville: 8 Oxford (Township & Village): 31 Pleasant Ridge: 1 Pontiac: 566 Rochester Hills: 52 Rochester: 10 Rose Township: 0 Royal Oak: 55 Royal Oak Township: 0 South Lyon: 18 Southfield: 118 Sylvan Lake: 1 Troy: 42 Walled Lake: 11 Waterford: 159 West Bloomfield: 27 White Lake: 42 Wixom: 11 Wolverine Lake: 6

*Source: Michigan State Police Department

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While Walton said the case doesn't relieve all offenders of their duties under the law, it does provide a persuasive defense for some defendants.

Ultimately, he said, prosecutors and state courts are bound by the state's law.

"I know both sides of the argument, and there is a lot of pressure to look at the

sex offender registry," he said. "Some of the provisions become difficult to enforce. What is 1,000 feet of a school? Where does that start? How is it marked? There are pragmatic issues there."

While the court ruling suggests the state must take action to address some issues with the state's sex offender registry, relaxing some of the state's existing requirements could be viewed as a politically risky move where the public is less than sympathetic to the plight of sex offenders on a whole. Since the court ruling, only one bill has been introduced in the state legislature to address the federal court's findings.

"I think it's politically risky not to do anything. Right now, the offenders can go back to the school yards," said state Sen. Rick Jones (R-Eaton), who introduced Senate Bill 581, which would amend the state's Sex Offender Registry Act. "I was a law enforcement officer for 30 years, and I

have opinions of a sex offender. Whether they are a flasher or a pedophile, I don't think they belong around schools. We've had these laws for 30 years, and I think they are helpful, but a federal judge said it wasn't very clear."

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The bill, which was introduced on October 27, 2015 would make five key changes to the state's sex offender registry law, including: revising the definition of "loitering," "student safety zone," and "school property"; revise the information that must be reported immediately and in person; revise the prohibition against a

sex offender registrant's loitering near a school; revise information that must be included n the law enforcement database of registrations and the publicly available website, which are maintained by the Michigan Department of State Police; and revise provisions dealing with a waiver of initial and annual registration fees for a registrant who is indigent.

"We had to redefine 'loitering,'" Jones said. "Also, because of the judge's ruling, we had to deal with sex offenders who are parents. If a sex offender is a parent, and they have a child in school, they can go to a parent teacher conference, drop them off and pick them up at school, or go to an event or something at the school."

Under the current act, "loiter" means to remain for a period of time and under circumstances that a reasonable person would determine is for the primary purpose of observing or contacting minors. Under the bill, "loiter" instead would mean to remain for a period of time, whether or not in a vehicle, with the intent to engage or solicit another person to engage in an act prohibited by a listed offense involving a minor for which registration is required under the act.

Also under the bill, a "school safety zone" would mean school property and the area that lies 1,000 feet or less from the property line of a school property.

The bill also further clarifies the definition of school property.

The bill would also eliminate immediate reporting and notification of e-mail or instant messaging addresses, or other Internet identifiers; or buying or beginning to regularly operate any vehicle, and discounting ownership or operation of the vehicle. However, such information would still be required to be reported.

"In my opinion, and those of the great legal minds that helped me, it brings us into compliance with the federal judge's wishes," Jones said.

While the bill addresses some of the issues brought up by the federal court, Aukerman with the ACLU said it doesn't address all of the issues with the geographic restrictions placed on registrants.

"It addresses a number of problems, but there are a lot still out there in terms of what the court said is unconstitutional, and the larger issue of who needs to be on the list," she said.

While court battles are fighting over specifics of the current state sex offender registry law, mounting research and legal experts are calling for a change in determining who should be on the list, and for how long.

According to results from several national and state studies, the recidivism rate of sex offenders is lower than criminals convicted of nonsexual related crimes. Further, research has shown that offender-based registries, such as Michigan's, which requires offenders to register based on specific offenses, have a negative effect on recidivism.

Dating back to 2003, a study conducted by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics found that about 5.3 percent of sex offenders released from prison in 1994 were rearrested for another sex crime within three years. The study

found that 43 percent of sex offenders were rearrested for any crime, while 68 percent of all offenders in the study were rearrested for any crime. However, sex offenders were about four times more likely than non-sex offenders to be arrested for a sex crime after their discharge from prison, or 5.3 percent of sex offenders versus 1.3 percent of non-sex offenders.

Of the almost 9,700 sex offenders released in 1994, nearly 4,300 were identified as child molesters. An estimated 3.3 percent of the child molesters were rearrested for another sex crime against a child within three years. In almost half of child victim cases, the child was the prisoner's own son or daughter or other relative.

Attorney Smith said the connection to the victim is one reason why the state's registry tends to provide a false sense of safety.

"It happens around Halloween. Everyone looks up all the sex offenders on their streets and says they won't go to those houses. They really need to be worried about family and others who spend a lot of time with their children," she said. "I've never had a case where I've defended someone who lost their mind on Halloween and went out and molested a kid. It's the family member, the day care worker or teacher."

J.J. Prescott, a law professor at the University of Michigan and nationally recognized expert on sex offender registry laws, said offense-based registries, such as the registry in Michigan that lists registrants based on their specific offense, don't take into account the actual risk of that individual reoffending.

"What we do know, I think, is that we passed these laws without any evidence to indicate that they work. And there are some good reasons to show that they do more harm than good."

In a report to the federal court in the John Doe case, Prescott stated that while the threat of becoming subjected to a notification regime – and the shame of collateral consequences that accompany being publicly identified as a sex criminal – had a measurable deterrent effect, i.e., reducing offenses by non-registrants. But, he said, "once we take into account the number of individuals subjected to public notification, we find that the more people a state subjects to notification, the higher the relative frequency of sex offenses in that state.

"These results are highly statistically significant. Our estimates indicate that it is very unlikely that these laws are reducing recidivism by registrants, and that it is likely that these laws are actually increasing recidivism."

In Michigan specifically, a 2013 study titled "An Evaluation of Sex Offender Residency Restrictions in Michigan and Missouri", stated that research hasn't substantiated a link between residency restrictions and reduced crime.

"Overall, the findings suggest that if residency restrictions have an effect on recidivism, the relationship is small," the study states. "In Michigan, trends indicate that this effect would lead to a slight increase in recidivism among the sex offender groups, while in Missouri this effect would lead to a slight decrease in recidivism."

In its summary, researchers cautioned the expansion of residency restriction legislation. "The findings suggest that residency restrictions are unlikely to mitigate or reduce the risk of recidivism among sex offenders."

Prescott said "risk-based registries take into account lots of additional details, such as the age of the offender and victim, the type of victim and other information.” Risk is then calculated based on evidence beyond the type of conviction, and only those at high risk or at least medium risk would be publicly registered. In other words, the actual statute violated only plays a role in the risk calculation, not the sole determining factor.

Under offense based registries, he said, some minor offenders who pose little realistic threat are likely to become more dangerous – either with respect to sex crimes or other crimes – because these individuals will be harassed, made pariahs, have great difficulty finding employment and housing and other problems.

"In other words, if you're not already destined to be a life-time criminal, being publicly listed as a sex offender is going to make you more likely to lead a life of crime, or at least make few or only negative contributions to society,” Prescott said.

"There is little doubt in my mind that there are a very small group of sex offenders who need to be very carefully regulated and monitored.

Probably identifying these people using a risk-based approach would make the most sense. If we focus our resources on these people, we can do a better job at reducing the threat."

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Extensively remodeled Quarton Lake Colonial on a great lot. New kitchen in 2009 with SS appliances and granite counters.

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275 S. Old Woodward Downtown Birmingham

FACES Michael Alberts hen a half-acre vacant lot next to his home on Lahser Road in Bloomfield Township became available in 2011, Michael Alberts and his wife Marcia began thinking of what they could do with the land.

"The goal was to keep the land a sustainable, open space," Alberts said. "We looked at tennis courts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we don't play; a pool â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we already have one; a pasture for goats and chickens â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the township wouldn't give that a green light. Thus was born the little vineyard that sits on the land now."

Dubbed the "North Course Vineyard," for its proximity to the north end of the Oakland Hills Country Club, the couple now uses the land for growing grapes used for making wine. In addition to the vineyard, Alberts re-established an abandoned garden on the lot, which is used for growing asparagus, corn, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, eggplant, collards, kale and cucumber. Most recently, Alberts added hops to the garden, which he sends to his son in Baltimore for making beer.

"It keeps me both physically and mentally engaged," he said of the endeavor. "We don't use any chemical fertilizers or pesticides. We keep it green, and it's a green space. Our goal is to keep it attractive for the neighbors, but put some food on the table."

Each fall, Alberts invites friends and neighbors to the lot to help share in the harvest. Using an old telephone pole that he split in half and refinished as a table, dozens of people partake in the work.

"We don't tell them that they're migrant workers, but we tell them 'you can't eat if you don't pick.' It's meaningless if you don't get involved in the harvest."

It's also during the harvest gatherings that friends can literally taste the fruit of their previous year's labor, which included a total of 84 bottles of red wine from grapes harvested in 2014.

"We drink it and give it away," Alberts said of the wine they make. "This year we had about 40 people. We harvest and sit at the table. There were some happy people. We drank about 24 bottles. It's been fun, and there's a social aspect to it."

Utilizing Foch and Geneva varieties of grapes developed by Cornell University's grape breeding program, the entire process, from vine to wine, takes about 11 months. That includes a growing season, picking the grapes, and the production process.

"People think you just squash them, but after they sit in the juice for four or five days to ferment, you press them again to get another quarter of the juice out of it," Alberts said. "They are crushed gently. You don't want to press them right away, or you put the tannins from the seeds into the juice."

A retired educator, Alberts moved to the Bloomfield Township home with his wife in 2009 from Detroit's Sherwood Forest neighborhood. However, he said the vineyard and garden, along with a greenhouse, pool and grandchildren, have kept he and Marcia very active. The work has also provided a learning experience in agriculture, wine making and land use.

"You can grow a lot of food on a little bit of land," he said.

"It's a great break from the iPhones and speeded-up process of today."

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Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Jean Lannen

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FIGHTING OVER ASSESSMENTS FEW WINS FOR COMMUNITIES AT TAX TRIBUNAL

BY LISA BRODY

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efore Northland Mall shuttered its doors and fell into foreclosure, it was already costing the city of Southfield millions of dollars, as its owners challenged the city's assessed value, the price a municipality determines for tax purposes what a property is worth.

For at least 15 years before the mall was foreclosed, subsequent owners disputed the city's assessments, which originally valued it at $36 million.

Owners brought it before the Michigan Tax Tribunal, and Southfield sued and lost, receiving a reduced assessment for the mall of half â&#x20AC;&#x201C; $18 million. The mall property, which recently sold to the city for a little over $2 million, will be completely taken off the tax rolls, demolished, and sold for redevelopment.

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DOWNTOWN

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In every community, parcels of property are assessed and evaluated for their value, and then provided a value for taxation purposes.

When the millage in the municipality is applied to the value, the property tax is determined for the specific property, whether it is residential, commercial or industrial.

Not every property owner, however, likes or agrees with the assessed value of their property. Their redress is in the form of boards of review in their city, township or village, or by taking it to the Michigan Tax Tribunal, where the five appointed judges look at various assessments, listen to attorneys' arguments, and determine the absolute valuation at that period of time for a property.

T

he Michigan Tax Tribunal is a tax appeals court that most residents have never heard of. It is an administrative court that hears tax appeals cases for all Michigan taxes, with an emphasis on property tax cases. The tax tribunal is divided into two separate divisions, with the Small Claims Division hearing primarily residential cases and some agricultural appeals, while the Entire Tribunal hears all other cases.

If you get your tax bill twice a year and pay it promptly, how does the Michigan Tax Tribunal still affect you? A case going before the tax tribunal can have a significant financial impact to your community, costing it a great deal of revenue. Occasionally, a city, township or village may actually receive a more significant judgement from the tribunal, but in most cases, either a judgement from the tax tribunal, or a settlement between the municipality and the plaintiff is reached that is significantly less than the original assessment, such as what the city of Southfield experienced with Northland Mall. And the losers are actually all the residents and businesses in the municipality, because there is less money to provide services to everyone in that municipality.

Cities, townships and villages receive a majority of their revenues for their general operating funds from property taxes. These taxes fund municipal programs and services, including police and fire protection, capital and infrastructure improvements, often refuse and waste collection, and can include recreational facilities and activities. The revenue source is based on the taxable valuation of residential, commercial and industrial real and personal property as determined by the city or township assessor. Many communities in Oakland County outsource their assessing duties to the Oakland County Equalization Division, including Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Commerce Township, Rochester, Walled Lake and Wolverine Lake, while others have their own municipal assessor.

Millage rates levied on taxable values are determined annually during the budget process for the municipality, and are established in order to have adequate funding to support the level of services, programs and projects that have been approved in the annual budget. In Oakland County, tax bills also include school millages, taxes for Oakland Community College, state education tax, an Oakland County tax, and millages for the Detroit Zoo, Detroit Institute of Arts, Oakland County Parks and Recreation, and in some municipalities, Oakland County Public Transportation millage for SMART services.

The Great Recession not only saw a massive drop in property values and attendant assessed values, but also challenges to municipal assessments of property, regardless of whether they were residential, commercial, or industrial.

“When the economy went down, tax tribunal cases inversely went up,” said Glenn Lemon, assessor for the city of Novi.

“At one time, we had more than 300 cases before the tribunal, just business, commercial, and industrial, not counting any residential. The numbers have fallen down considerably now. We only have about five cases.”

At one point in Oakland County during the recession, about $3.9 billion in taxable value, or 5 percent of the county's tax base, was under review by the Michigan Tax Tribunal.

“There's a gap now between assessed values and taxable values. We're looking at 2028 before we're at the same taxable value.” noted Nino Licari, assessor for the city of Troy, which saw 600 cases pile up at the Michigan Tax Tribunal at its peak. “This year they're down to 27. We budget each year for tax tribunals, and as they move forward, we adjust our projections. We lost one-third of our tax rolls. Now, we're limited (by the Headlee Amendment) to (increases less than) the rate of inflation. Last year it was 1.6 percent; this year it's 1.6 percent.

Next year, the CPI (consumer price index) is .3 percent – basically nothing.”

“We budget for some of that, because it obviously impacts us, and it's been bad since 2008,” said Karen Ruddy, treasurer of Bloomfield Hills. “Our property taxes are our primary revenue, and fund just about everything we do, so there goes our revenue. When you talk about Michigan Tax Tribunal, they can go back three years, so we may be done with a year (budgetwise), and they can open it back up; that's not on our radar and that revenue is already booked. We try to account for that in our budgeting. We adjust at the end of the year.”

For Bloomfield Hills, foreclosed homes hit their community the hardest. “2008 – that was the bad year,” Ruddy said. “It took a couple of years to affect us on the property value revenues side.”

Bloomfield Hills, which is primarily a

residential community, has a small amount of commercial property, which also saw large depreciations. The most significant tax tribunal judgement the city saw was for the Kingsley Inn property, which was assessed at $5 million in 2012; after the tribunal, its assessed value fell to $3.1 million, an important loss of revenue for the small city.

“We've had less revenue, and we've adjusted to the loss of the revenue,” said John Hiller, treasurer of Rochester, noting they do not have any big box retailers or large corporate businesses in the city. “All of the residential has come back, and commercial is coming back, too, and assessed values have come back and will exceed 2007 values this year. But property tax revenue is not increasing unless it becomes uncapped.”

Many other communities were decimated by the impact of commercial properties assessments being taken to the Michigan Tax Tribunal.

Lemmon said Novi had a lot of empty buildings, including a lot of empty car dealerships, hotels and even the Fountain Walk strip center. “They had a tremendous difficulty getting off the ground. They felt the market did not reflect their investment,” Lemmon said. He said the initial assessment by the city of Novi was $25 million, and the owners of Fountain Walk negotiated it down by $8 million. “We ended up at $17 million. It's a huge reduction. We didn't go to trial because it can cost $20,000 to $30,000 per case to fight it. We can't spend that on each case. It's an expensive proposition. The cost to defend and negotiate, to spend out of pocket for appraisers and attorneys, that's a lot of money, as well as what taxpayers end up giving back in the form of reductions. That was in 2009, 2010 – in that time frame when every community was at a disadvantage.

We weren't giving money away.

“We had hotels, medical centers, mobile park homes and big box stores, like Target,” he continued. “When I'm dealing with as many parcels as I have, they each add up to a lot of money.”

J

im Geierman, Royal Oak assessor, agrees with Lemmon.

“We spend a lot of money, you spend a lot of money, and you don't know what the outcome will be,” he said. “The petitioner spends thousands of dollars, and you spend thousands of dollars, and who knows what the tax tribunal will decide.

With the tribunal, you don't know what you're going to get. The big box theory definitely favors the petitioner, not the responder.”

Geierman said he has done it long enough to know how it works. “I just started my 30th year. You have to look at what it's going to cost you. You know it has value,

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but it could cost $20,000 to $30,000 to fight it, and as the tax tribunal has shown, they won't agree with you, so why bother? It's best to come to some agreement. You might not like it, but neither will they, so find some number to settle on.”

L

emmon said Novi went to trial on approximately 20 to 25 properties over the last decade, including twice with the Sears location at Twelve Oaks Mall, where in 2008 their assessment was reduced from $7.4 million to $6.3 million. “And almost none went my way. I think there's an assessor's thing that the tribunal is taxed with finding some relief. We expect we're not going to find we're going to win totally.”

“Two-thirds of our tax base is commercial real estate. Our daytime population is 175,000, while at nighttime, our residents make up 75,000,” said Southfield treasurer Irv Lowenberg. “We have several Fortune 500 companies, and we're not reliant on any one industry, big box or factory. We have 20 to 25 million square feet of office space.

Providence Hospital is our largest employer, and is expanding their operations. We have the auto headquarters of Denso, Lear, Federal Mogul, the German company Durr is coming, BASF. It's the headquarters of law firms, architecture firms, many professionals. New owners from New York just purchased Town Center, which is our largest taxpayer.”

Until recent years, Northland Mall was one of Southfield's largest taxpayers. The mall, which fell into foreclosure in 2014 and closed for good earlier in 2015, was purchased by the city in October for $2.4 million. A $31 million lien on the property will be extinguished when the sale is complete. The mall will be demolished and the site cleared.

“The city took a proactive role so we won't see blight like at Summit Place (in Waterford),” said city assessor Mike Racklyeft. “We foresee a mixed use development over time. It won't be a mall anymore.”

Once it is redeveloped, the mall, which currently is off the tax rolls, will once again be assessed and provide the city with property tax revenue. Over the past 10 to 15 years, Racklyeft said, Southfield lost money on the decaying mall as it went to trial at Michigan Tax Tribunal, and the city lost.

“The tribunal favored the landlord with a settlement,” he said. “Their counsel felt it was worth less than we did. Over the years, it continued to decrease in value.”

The city assessed Northland Mall in the range of $36 million, which was then reduced to an assessed value of $18 million.

“Its value has been reduced again and again over the years up until it closed. In 2016, the city will become the new owner,

and it will come off the tax rolls,” Racklyeft said.

Northland was not the only large taxpayer that challenged Southfield over the last decade at the Michigan Tax Tribunal.

Much of that now-prized office space was vacant at various times, including Town Center, and landlords fought assessments.

Many of those Southfield settled with in order to avoid costly tribunal trials. Yet the city still suffered in lost revenue.

Of greater impact was an issue that is affecting many municipalities – big box stores, such as Home Depots, Targets, Walgreens, Krogers, which build new stores near their old ones and immediately impose deed restrictions on their closed ones, preventing or restricting new retailers from coming into that location, and then insisting the value of their new location be taken from the value established by the old closed one. They are often referred to as “dark stores,” because they purposely leave their old stores dark and unusable by any other tenant.

“Southfield was no different than any other city around the state with appeals on big box stores,” Racklyeft noted.

Every big box store in the city, other than the Meijer store on Telegraph at Twelve Mile Road, at one time challenged the city on their assessments, “arguing that a building is worth nothing even though the value added is significant,” he said. “Many of the suits (in other municipalities) were based on Southfield cases, from Target, Home Depot, Lowe's. They would value property merely on sales, impose deed restrictions on their closed store, lower the value on the closed store, and open a new one down the street for $100 a square foot, but use the $40 a square foot value of the closed store as the basis for their assessment. And the tax tribunal has agreed to that. We settled (with all of the stores) because other communities around the state had settled.”

“It did not pay to beat a dead horse,” agreed Lowenberg.

The big box cases began in Marquette, where 12 big box stores prevailed at the Michigan Tax Tribunal. Marquette has been battling with the tax tribunal for almost four years, arguing that a ruling by the tribunal in Lowe's Home Centers Inc. v. Marquette Township, which set the pace for tax assessment reductions, did not reflect the property's true cash value. The tribunal ordered Marquette to revise the tax assessment by two thirds from the previous three years, and to refund the excess taxes with interest.

Between 2010 and 2015, Terry Schultz from Oakland County Equalization Department said valuations decreased by 40 percent for big box stores in Oakland County. “Every big box store at some point was under review by the tribunal, but settlements were reached in almost every case,” he said.

The Marquette cases, and big box cases around the metro area, are potentially leading to potential legislative changes.

Sen. Tom Casperson (R- Marquette) has introduced Senate Bill 524 which would change assessments to determine “the highest and best use of the property and shall state a value of the property as vacant and a value of the property as improved.”

“The tax rulings when they come down (from the tax tribunal) are often retroactive for several years. Often originally these local communities have given them tax abatements to get them to come into their communities, so after the rulings, these communities are actually cutting them checks,” Casperson said. “It really hurts the communities. Eventually the burden is going to shift to the small businesses and residents to support the communities.”

Casperson said that he, and some other legislators, are running into an unexpected problem as they seek to push this bill and one in the state House of Representatives – a perception that they would be raising taxes, even though it is in the form of justified property taxes for a corporate entity.

“It's like a runaway train right now,” he said of the situation with big boxes at the tax tribunal. But he said he believes the tribunal “has done this so many times now they are digging their heels in.”

M

ike Shapiro, an attorney with Honigman who represents many big box stores before the tax tribunal, stated that “the problem with a true cost value approach is the big box stores suffer from substantial obsolescence the minute they're built because the stores are not built with the purpose of reselling them in mind,” and asserted changing the assessment method would be unconstitutional, according to reports on a November 5 House committee hearing on House Bill 4909, which is designed to deal with deed restrictions in big box stores.

However, Rep. Jeff Farrington (R-Utica), the committee chair, indicated he was mindful of constitutional questions, and said it was worth the committee investigating whether it is something the legislature can fix in a “fair and legal way.”

Casperson has not yet brought his bill up for committee hearings, waiting to see the results of the House bill. “I think it's an uphill battle because of the perception it's a tax increase when it's really a stabilization.”

“The pushback is coming from all over the country because of the success in Michigan,” said Lowenberg. “Tax attorneys want to keep pushing this because of Michigan.”

“If it continues this way, evaluating office buildings and big boxes, it will overflow into other uses, like fast food. The state will need

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DOWNTOWN

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to intercede before cities and/or school districts file for bankruptcy, because the amount of revenue loss is staggering. It all comes down to services,” noted Racklyeft.

“At some point, it cuts into the core. A community cannot keep any more tax dollars than the rate of inflation. But health costs, electricity are not capped by inflation.” Southfield estimates it lost $56 million in 2009, and $44 million in 2011, to tax tribunal judgements.

Commerce Township Supervisor Tom Zoner noted, “The township never wins. All you can do is negotiate between numbers, and there's a loss of revenue to the whole township overall.” In terms of assessment battles at the tribunal level, he noted everything from a “dark” Kroger, when the grocery chain built a new one, leaving their old one dark, to the AMC Theater at Fourteen Mile and Haggerty roads, which the township went to trial against at the tribunal.

He said, “In my opinion, all of the cases the owners caused their own “dark” box by declaring nobody else could use it by putting deed restrictions on the property and/or on the site, saying it is a signature site, so nobody can use it for another purpose other than the purpose it had been used for. That's just what Lowe's did in Marquette, where they built new stores and immediately asked for big box reductions.”

Z

oner said in the last five years, Commerce has had numerous commercial challenges to their assessments. “I think we settle mostly before we go to trial, because you can't win with Michigan Tax Tribunal.

The Michigan Tax Tribunal has already reduced, at 75 percent of the big box stores in Commerce Township – the three Kroger stores, Home Depot, Target, Lowe's, AMC theaters. They've all either been before the tribunal or negotiated,” he said. “And it's at least 10 years before values come back up once they are lowered. We have to remember that taxable value supports more for public safety from commercial and industrial than all the residential put together. People always think about the impact from residential, but not the impact from commercial and industrial. It's huge.”

Licari, Troy's assessor, agrees. He said the city is “way out of the woods, but it was a different story five years ago.” Currently, he has two big box stores under appeal at the tax tribunal, the Home Depot and Target stores at Maple and Coolidge in the Midtown Square center. As they are active cases, he declined to elaborate on details.

He said that the Somerset Collection has never had a tax issue with the city, and the former Kmart headquarters has not had a building value in the last nine or 10 years.

“All of the value is in the land,” Licari said of the parcel at Big Beaver and Coolidge. He

said there are three different parcels of over 20 acres, and eventually will need to be torn down. “Their issue is the building. It's filled with asbestos.”

The biggest tax problems Troy has been encumbered with have been office complexes that have been vacant, sold and repurposed over the decade.

“Our biggest issue has been the Northfield Hills Office complexes at Long Lake and Crooks,” he said. “Most of those buildings went into foreclosure and have been redeveloped. Three or four have been sold. Tax-wise, there's a drop, about 33 percent, and commercial has been the slowest to rebound. The former Ameritech building on Big Beaver, is 95 percent vacant; the Entertainment Publications building on Butterfield is vacant. So are several others.

We have 785 industrial buildings. That's a substantial number, and those have rebounded. They're selling at pre-recession levels. Commercial buildings, they're selling at half their 2007-2008 levels.

“A few years ago, every office building in the city went before the tribunal. We didn't really lose – you stipulate to a value, and no one gets what they wanted. If they got 40 percent of what's asked for, that's a lot. It's a negotiation. But 85 to 88 percent of the tribunal cases are settled out of court. You exchange appraisals, you dicker over the cap rate, and eventually, you come to a valuation you both can live with. If you go to the court, you never know what you're going to get. It's rolling the dice there. Reasonable people can come to reasonable conclusions.”

“Our values were really reasonable and we changed accordingly,” said Kurt Dawson, Rochester Hills treasurer/assessor, asserting that appeals have dropped to historic lows in the last two years.

Yet significant commercial properties, notably shopping centers and a big box store, in 2008, 2009 and 2010, in the “heyday of appeals,” significantly impacted Rochester Hills.

City Walk, at the corner of Tienken and Rochester roads, was originally developed as a single-story retail building on 12 acres in 2004, with an adjacent lifestyle-themed community center featuring casual restaurants, a Walgreens and other tenants.

In 2008, the owners fought the city's assessment, stipulating to a $600,000 decrease, Dawson said.

The Adams Marketplace, at M-59 and Adams roads, “struggled with occupancy from the beginning, and they still are,” said Dawson. “We agreed to a decrease in the assessment of about $1.5 million, which is a 30 percent reduction.” He said a shopping center at the corner of Crooks and Auburn roads, anchored by a Walgreens, received a similar reduction.

A new Lowe's Center built on Rochester Road near Auburn Road, pushed the big box argument with the tax tribunal, Dawson

said, “and went down 25 percent, which was about $2 million. It was a new facility.

We resolved them all without hearings. In 2008, we had 56 appeals, and 35 percent withdrew or were dismissed. Some we had pretty good success with; some other big ones, not so well when the market dropped out.”

He said 2009 was the biggest year for the city, when they had 156 appeals, and 76 before the tax tribunal. The only big one, he said, was the Lake Village of Rochester Hills apartment complex on Hamlin Road near Crooks. “We resolved that before going to hearing, and it went down $830,000,” he said.

In 2010, Volkswagen of American, on Hamlin Road near Adams, had a huge vacancy rate, he said, and they received a reduction of $1 million in their assessed value. Since, he said, they haven't had many major issues with the tribunal. Yet, all have had an impact upon the budgeting and finances of the city.

T

he rarity among tax tribunal judgements was received by Bloomfield Township, when they fought LA Fitness in 2011, and prevailed, and actually had its assessment significantly increased.

LA Fitness, located on Telegraph Road north of Square Lake Road, was originally assessed by Bloomfield Township at almost $3.7 million in 2011; $3.8 million in 2012; and $3.84 million in 2013.

“They contended it was worth $1.45 million 2011 and 2012, and $1.5 million in 2013,” said Darren Kraatz, Bloomfield Township Assistant Assessor. He said the Michigan Tax Tribunal heard the case on November 8, 2013, and the order was issued December 18, 2013. “They came back with basically an answer that we were both wrong. For 2011, they said it was worth almost $6 million; for 2012 and 2013, almost $6.2 million.”

He said the fitness facility owners tried to use the big box argument, “and used it very, very poorly. They’re going around the country buying property for big, big bucks, and then contesting their values after they fix them up.”

Another situation impacted the property after the tribunal's judgement. The property had been sold midway through the suit – meaning it's value was uncapped, and the new owner had to pay taxes based upon the 2013 valuation. “The new owners were the ones really impacted,” he said.

Kraatz concurs with other area assessors and treasurers. “Very few of them have impacted us positively. LA Fitness was one that impacted us well, and that's an important one. We've only tried this case.

Most get worked out beforehand. We only go to trial on ones we're pretty sure we can win. This was an anomaly.”

FACES

Renée Elise Goldsberry here is nothing like watching the seasons change in Michigan, according to Renée Elise Goldsberry. She’s hoping to catch a brief glimpse of winter visiting family in Bloomfield Hills over New Year’s, during a rare day off from the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton”, in which she stars as Angelica Schuyler Church, a daughter of a Revolutionary War general and New York state senator.

On stage, she sings and raps about Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s lesser-known founding fathers. As a freshman at Cranbrook Kingswood Schools in the mid-1980s, she discovered her voice on stage with the Madrigals, the all-female chamber singing choir, under the guise of longtime director Nina Machus.

It wasn’t until her junior year that she began to audition for the school’s plays and musicals. However, Goldsberry does recall participating in local summer theater programs as a pre-teen at St. Dunstan’s Theatre, and of all the opportunities she had to pursue her budding interest in musical theater throughout Metro Detroit.

“I don’t know what my trajectory would have been without Kingswood.

That’s what prompted me to apply as a musical theater major for all of the colleges I applied to.”

She attended Carnegie Mellon University as a theater major, and earned her master’s from the University of Southern California in vocal jazz performance. From there, she has been, what she describes as “in close proximity to things that have blown up.”

“Hamilton” notwithstanding, Goldsberry was an original cast member in the late ‘90s hit television show “Ally McBeal”, on Broadway in “The Lion King” and “Rent”, and has a recurring role on CBS’s “The Good Wife”.

T

But nothing could have prepared Goldsberry for the cultural phenomenon that is “Hamilton”. “It is really pervasive. It’s calling me from Birmingham. We’ve had the President a couple of times, Anna Wintour from Vogue, hip hop icons, the theater community has celebrated it, politicians, sports athletes, television and film, journalists. The way that everyone has claimed it and celebrated it, most people really, really love it and want to come back, and that’s been really unique and special.”

Goldsberry comes from a family of scientists, of chemists and mathematicians, but she says she’s always been a lover of the humanities. However, she makes clear that a historical story like Hamilton is only as interesting as the medium in which it’s conveyed.

“Everybody’s life is interesting if you know how to tell the story.

Hopefully, that compels historians and teachers of history to find that connection.” Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote “Hamilton”, as well as the musical “In the Heights”, has found success connecting to audiences using rap and hip hop as a storytelling medium, resonating with audiences that transcend the typical Broadway audience.

To Goldsberry, “What seems unique is what this does for history, for the love of history. We get letters from kids who hated history and say that, ‘now I love it.’ Just giving the birth of our nation and our founding fathers to a diverse community of people, it’s really beautiful. So many different races play these characters, that it blows up the notion that this story belongs to one group of people – it’s all of our story. That’s always been true, but it’s a wonderful reminder.”

Story: Hillary Brody

Photo: Jason Goodrich

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Advent Lessons and Carols â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sunday, December 6 at 6 PM Traditional service with telling the story of the coming of Jesus. Music will be presented by the Christ Church Choir and baroque string ensemble.

Mary McLaren Honsel, Exec. Dir. of Crossroads of Michigan, will preach.

Blue Christmas â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sunday, December 20 at 4 PM

A service dedicated to all who are challenged by this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s holiday season; such as the grieving, the unemployed, and those feeling alone.

Christmas Eve ~ December 24 Holy Eucharist (Jazz Service) at 1 PM Featuring Rodney Whitaker Holy Eucharist at 4 PM (suggested for families with small children and youth) Festive Holy Eucharist at 7 and 10 PM with full choir and musicians.

Christmas Day

Friday, December 25 at 10 AM Holy Eucharist service with cantor and sermon.

Christmas Brunch â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Christmas Day at 11 AM Offering appetizers, conversation, and a traditional Christmas day feast with turkey, ham, and all the trimmings.

Christ Church Cranbrook 470 Church Rd. %ORRPÂżHOG +LOOV 0, 248.644.5210 www.christchurchcranbrook.org

Christmas Services Christmas Eve Jazz Service Featuring Rodney Whitaker An internationally renowned Mack Avenue recording artist, jazz bassist, professor of jazz double bass, director of Jazz Studies and artistic director for the Professors of Jazz at Michigan State University.

1:00 PM at Christ Church Cranbrook 470 Church Road Â&#x152; Bloomfield Hills 248-644-5210 christchurchcranbrook.org

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ARTIFICIAL TURF: The debate has all the signs of a classic case of passing the buck. elements in the crumb rubber turf playing fields, while our state agencies, and the excuses continue to mount. Meanwhile, staff was ordered closed due to health concerns and how a coach of a anecdotal evidence of an increase of cancer among goalkeepers

Old car and truck tires, pulverized and repurposed, create cushioning in artificial athletic fields nationwide, enabling schools to increase the number of practices and games played, yet the safety of crumb rubber – tiny black rubber particles, called “turf bugs” in the sports community – remains disputed as a purported cause of increased injuries to student athletes. There are also numerous parents, coaches, and physicians nationwide who cite an increase of serious illnesses, including cancer, in those athletes who have played on artificial crumb rubber turf. Yet studies remain ambiguous as more and more school districts add artificial turf to their high school playing fields.

INCREASED CONCERN The EPA says it is up to the states to determine the impact of toxic environment officials say such testing is the purview of the federal reporter KATIE DESKA notes how one playing field in New Jersey women's soccer team at the University of Washington found who competed on artificial turf.

Made of multiple layers, artificial turf systems require a base of drainage material such as stones, followed by a pad of rubber, commonly called the E-layer, topped off by a carpet of synthetic grass blades, which is filled in with crumb rubber, leaving about a half-inch of grass blades on the surface. Artificial turf “is made up, at least in part, of a lot of toxic substances,” said Nick Leonard of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center (GLELC), which is affiliated with Wayne State University. Citing a peer review study in the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the GLELC reported, “the four metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium), that are commonly found in crumb rubber, have been described as systemic toxicants that are known to

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induce severe adverse health effects, even at lower levels of exposure.”

The health risks from overexposure to the four metals, which are all listed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Carcinogen List and Priority Chemical List, include, “cardiovascular disease, developmental abnormalities, neurologic and neurobehavioral disorders, diabetes, hearing loss, hematologic and immunologic disorders, and various types of cancer,” according to the GLELC. Under contract from CalRecycle, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), published a brief explanation of a planned study that will evaluate athlete exposure to chemicals released from crumb rubber and artificial turf blades, “in synthetic turf from indoor and outdoor fields throughout California,” it stated. A recent statement from Laura Allen, deputy press secretary for the Environmental Protection Agency, said, “EPA and other federal agencies are collaborating with California as they design and carry out their assessment” of crumb rubber.

surface than natural grass, and crumb rubber infill is used in over 98 percent of all synthetic turf fields worldwide, according to the Synthetic Turf Council (STC). In addition to other high schools throughout Michigan, almost all high schools in the Oakland Activities Association have ripped up grass fields in favor of installing artificial turf since the 1990s. The list includes all high schools in the districts of Birmingham, Bloomfield, Farmington, Rochester Community Schools, Southfield, Troy, Walled Lake, Waterford, and West Bloomfield, as well as several metro Detroit area private schools including Cranbrook Kingswood, Detroit Country Day School, The Roeper School, and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Preparatory.

“We like that it’s very little maintenance and you can play a lot of games, endless amount of games, and not chew up the fields,” said Mike Cowdrey, athletic director for Bloomfield Hills Schools. “When it’s inclement weather, the (grass) fields get chewed up real quickly with cleats. It’s a huge concern, when running several practices a day on the surface, that we have it stay in good condition.”

The second advantage to using crumb rubber as an infill layer in fake turf is that it enables schools to increase athletic programming, without the risk of large divots or filthy mud pits that often characterize grass fields after a rough winter or an aggressive game played in inclement weather. In comparison to first generation turf, which didn’t have the rubber infill and was akin to playing on cement, the crumb rubber adds cushioning, Cowdrey said.

Touted as cheaper and more durable than grass fields, school staff in various local districts echoed each other in that the primary reason the switch was made from natural grass to synthetic turf is in order to maximize use of the field without losing quality, while also cutting down on weekly maintenance duties, which require the costs of equipment and hours of manpower. A number of Oakland County schools that Downtown Publications contacted, including Rochester Community Schools, Waterford, Farmington, and Troy, switched to artificial fields after voters approved bonding proposals, which funded the synthetic turf installation, along with other improvements to the athletics facilities.

Walled Lake Northern was “originally installed in 2002, but replaced in 2012,” said Bill Chatfield, director of operations

for Walled Lake Consolidated Schools.

The “original turf system at Northern cost approximately $750,000 and included grading, drainage, concrete border, etc.

Replacement of turf grass cost approximately $425,000, (because we) didn’t need to replace all the infrastructure,” said Judy Evola, spokesperson for Walled Lake Consolidated Schools.

“Western and Central were installed in 2005 as part of the 2004 bond,” said Chatfield. “Ten to 12 years is the expected life of a turf field, but that varies with use.

Western and Central are still in pretty good shape and should last several more years.”

E T he EPA recently stated that previous studies conducted by federal, state and local agencies, including the Consumer Protection Safety Commission and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry “were not sufficient in size or scope, to draw conclusions about the safety of all fields and they cannot fully answer questions that have recently arisen about exposure to tire crumb beads and their potential to be ingested or get under the skin when abrasions occur, and what if any potential risks might be posed from that exposure.”

Yet, the EPA continues to fail to conduct an independent federal study, asserting that “states and local governments are the primary agencies for regulating the management of used tires and have been responsible for assessing the environmental and public health impacts and challenges of managing tire piles, which can be vectors for mosquitoes and/or at risk for tire fires.”

While under scrutiny for safety, artificial fields have gained substantial popularity as a more reliable playing

vola said the costs for maintenance with grass ran approximately $25,000 per year including irrigation, fertilizer, striping the lines, and seeding. Maintenance for turf, on the other hand, costs about $10,000 per year for raking, replenishing the rubber infill and occasionally making seam repairs.

Rochester Adams, Rochester High and Stoney Creek put in their new fields in 2005. “They were part of a 2003 bond that renovated the middle schools and updated some athletic facilities,” said Rochester Community Schools enrichment and athletic supervisor Tim Novak.

Farmington Public Schools installed synthetic turf fields one at a time at each of the district’s three high schools after voters approved a 2004 bond proposal.

Margaret Tellford, athletics secretary for Farmington, said, “It’s easier to take care of. We supposedly save money on maintenance, and it’s supposedly easier on children, as far as injuries. As a taxpayer here in Farmington, I’m still paying that bond.”

Waterford Mott and Waterford Kettering each got the new synthetic turf fields in 2013. “Those were funded through a 2003 bond, but it was a matter of the economy tanking,” said Rhonda Lessel, school and community services associate director for Waterford School District. “We just sold the last $15 million of the $100 million, which was for a variety of projects.”

The former Andover High School, now the home of Bloomfield Hills High School,

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WEST BLOOMFIELD 4711 Cove Road | $1,899,900 5 Bedrooms 6 Full, 1 Half Baths 8,294 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 215123335

Gated 2.3 acres with 226’ of lake frontage & dock/beach on all-sports Walnut Lake. 1st floor master. Walkout LL with spa/ workout room and 2 BR/baths.

WEST BLOOMFIELD 3332 Pine Estates Drive | $579,000 3 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,260 Square Feet MLS# 215095355

Quiet street with Pine lake access and dock at end of street. Volume ceilings for lots of light. Updated kitchen and bathrooms. Finished LL.

FRANKLIN VILLAGE 25301 Franklin Park Drive | $749,900 4 Bedrooms 3 Full Baths 3,814 Square Feet MLS# 215114545

Estate section on wooded 1.33 acres surrounded by multimillion dollar homes.

Panoramic views. Upper level balcony. Greenhouse.

BLOOMFIELD 5699 Raven Road | $449,900 5 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 3,317 Square Feet MLS# 215093179

Numerous 2015 updates! 5th bedroom could be an au pair suite or 2nd floor family room.

Renovated kitchen & newer baths. 3-season porch.

TROY 2884 Vineyards Drive | $749,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 3 Half Baths 6,727 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 215059718

Bailey’s Vineyard sub with Bloomfield Hills schools.

Sweeping staircase& 2-story great room. 1st floor master.

Walkout LL. 3-car garage.

ORION TWP. 4963 Middlebury Drive | $444,900 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 3,388 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 215097057

Upgraded former model in Stonegate Ravines with community pool & clubhouse. Cherry/granite kitchen opens to great room.

Walkout LL. 3-car garage.

Visit LynnandDeby.com or Like Us on Facebook at Lynn & Deby - Hall & Hunter Realtors 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Ginny Fisher Realtor

248.593.0518 GFisher@HallandHunter.com

BLOOMFIELD HILLS 1772 Heron Ridge Drive | $1,699,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 7,385 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 215005629

Pristine executive retreat in private gated enclave on gorgeous ravine setting. Renovated Millennium cherry kitchen opens to family room. Beautifully finished walkout lower level with possible 5th bedroom. Lower paver terraces and expansive decks. 4-car garage.

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 1000 Bretton Lane | $699,900 4 Bedrooms 4 Full Baths 5,994 Total Sq Ft. MLS# 215057021

California-styled custom contemporary on almost 2 private, wooded acres! Vaulted great room has expansive windows for gorgeous views. Walkout lower level features unique professional kitchen & possible 5th BR for entertaining/apartment area.

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 245 Chestnut Circle | $777,000 3 Bedrooms 3 Full, 2 Half Baths 3,823 Square Feet MLS# 215109669

Classic Tudor on 3/4-acre elevated site in prestigious Chestnut Hills. Paneled library with fireplace and built-in bookcases. Expansive great room leads to back gardens.

Island kitchen with dual cook tops. Spacious master suite. Lovely setting in desired neighborhood!

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 1111 Kensington Road | $425,000 4 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,754 Square Feet MLS# 215107960

Wooded, private 1-acre setting with amazing views from every room. Eat-in kitchen. Master with spacious walk-in closet & deck access. Lower level offers family room, office/library, full bath & 4th bedroom. Property would make great build siteâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;also listed as vacant land.

For more information, visit GinnyFisherHomes.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Nanci J. Rands

Meredith Colburn

Associate Broker

Associate Broker

248.701.9000

248.762.5319

NRands@ HallandHunter.com

MColburn@ HallandHunter.com

The Real Difference in Real Estate

WEST BLOOMFIELD 4922 Panorama Circle | $570,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 3 Half Baths 4,203 Square Feet MLS# 215111358

Fabulous Herman Frankel contemporary. Open floor plan. Gourmet kitchen.

Spacious master suite.

Finished LL. 3-car garage.

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 675 Hillcrest Drive | $2,495,000 6 Bedrooms 7 Full, 1 Half Baths 6,758 Square Feet MLS# 215106570

Estate property on 3.73 acres off Vaughan Road.

Pool, spa, tennis and allsports courts. 1500 sq. ft. guest house. 3-car garage.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS 4710 Ardmore Drive | $1,950,000 6 Bedrooms 5 Full, 2 Half Baths 9,446 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 215085589

2000-built soft contemporary on nearly 2 acres. Luxurious 1st floor master suite. Gourmet kitchen. Walkout lower level.

4-car garage. Generator.

BIRMINGHAM 111 Willits Street, Unit #307 | $895,000 2 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 1,537 Square Feet MLS# 215081486

Beautiful in-town Willits unit with quiet balcony.

Stone and wood floors.

Open kitchen. Spacious master suite. In-unit laundry.

METAMORA 3211 Wilder Road | $1,850,000 55-acre estate in the heart of Metamora Hunt Country.

Exquisite Frank Lloyd Wright inspired architecture. First floor master suite.

3 Bedrooms 3 Full, 3 Half Baths 4,275 Square Feet MLS# 215053788

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 1650 Rathmor Road | $1,695,000 Exciting postmodern home overlooking Bloomfield Hills Country Club. 1st floor master suite. Gourmet kitchen with dining alcove.

4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 6,137 Square Feet MLS# 215084289

3.37 Acre Build Site

BEVERLY HILLS VILLAGE 18189 Saxon Drive | $449,500 4 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 1,758 Square Feet MLS# 215112422

Fabulous updated Cape Cod in Beverly Hills Village.

Gorgeous master suite.

New all-seasons family room. Move-in perfect!

BIRMINGHAM 911 Brookwood Street | $2,075,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 5,638 Square Feet MLS# 215097377

Phenomenal 2000-built Kojaian home. Tremendous quality and millwork throughout. Luxurious master suite. 3-car garage.

FRANKLIN VILLAGE 31600 Briarcliff Road | $895,000 Build Site 3.37 Acres MLS# 215106579

Fantastic opportunity to build the home of your dreams on this 3.37 acre site in the heart of Franklin Village.

Architectural plans available.

For more information, visit RandsColburn.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Kathleen Jardine Realtor

248.755.4710 KJardine@HallandHunter.com

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CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS | 289 Barden Road

BIRMINGHAM | 928 Poppleton Street

(Buyer’s Agent)

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BEVERLY HILLS VILLAGE 22656 Highbank Drive LD

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TROY 1682 Rolling Woods Drive (Buyer’s Agent) LD

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BLOOMFIELD 786 Hawthorne Drive (Buyer’s Agent)

Thank you for allowing me to help make your wishes come true...

Merry Christmas

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE 3624 Tuckahoe Road LD

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ROYAL OAK 4118 Edgar Avenue LD

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to you and your family!

ROYAL OAK 4119 Edgar Avenue

STERLING HEIGHTS 35838 Electra Drive

For more information, visit HallandHunter.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Erin Keating DeWald Realtor

248.259.3544 Erin@erinkdewald.com

Gorgeous New Construction

BIRMINGHAM 492 Larchlea Drive | $1,699,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 4,580 Square Feet MLS# 215111910

Custom home built by Lewand Builders & designed by Alex Bogaerts. Open floor plan. Impressive kitchen with butlers pantry & walk-in pantry. Elegant master. suite.

Huge 2nd floor bonus room. Covered outdoor terrace/ patio with fireplace. Finished LL with theater.

BIRMINGHAM 1976 Shipman Boulevard | $949,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 3,104 Square Feet MLS# 215103527

Spectacular in-town custom built home by Lewand Builders. Uncompromised quality and detail with premium appliances in gourmet island kitchen overlooking living room. Stunning master with dual vanities & dream closet. Finished LL with full bath.

SALE PENDING

BLOOMFIELD 3905 Cottontail Lane | $509,900 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,794 Square Feet MLS# 215116556

A peaceful serene setting on almost one acre with Gilbert lake privileges. An open floor plan with beautiful travertine and wood floors. First floor master suite with walk-in closet and luxurious bathroom with jetted tub, dual sinks and Euro shower. Master walks out to beautiful brick paver patio. Great room offers vaulted ceilings and fireplace with limestone surround. Updated kitchen with granite counters and custom cabinets. New roof, windows, landscaping, sprinklers and heated garage. Finished basement with daylight windows and wet bar.

Updated bathrooms. Impeccably maintained - too many amenities to list!

For more information, visit ErinKDeWald.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Cheryl Riback Associate Broker, ABR, SRES

248.808.3112 CRiback@HallandHunter.com

BLOOMFIELD 1430 Inwoods Circle | $5,900,000 5 Bedrooms 5 Full, 3 Half Baths 13,884 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 215075349

BLOOMFIELD 5330 Woodlands Estates Drive S.| $2,900,000

Prestigious Kirk in the Hills with panoramic views of lower Long Lake from all rooms. This stunning custom home is on the highest point of land on the lake. 1st floor master with incredible marble bath. Spectacular finished walkout lower level. Too many details to list!

4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 7,505 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 215069318

Custom Tobocman home in the gated community of Woodland Estates on Gilbert Lake. Unparalleled in design and details. Magnificent cook’s kitchen with breakfast room leading to stone terrace. Amazing master suite. Walkout lower level. 24-hour concierge.

BUILD SITE

BIRMINGHAM 1150 Puritan Avenue | $849,900 5 Bedrooms 3 Full, 2 Half Baths 3,536 Square Feet MLS# 215111804

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE 2640 Endsleigh Drive | $771,750

Beautifully appointed Colonial 4 Bedrooms in sought-after area. Cook’s 3 Full, 2 Half Baths kitchen. Designer stone 3,453 Square Feet fireplace. Updated baths, MLS# 215104963 including gorgeous master.

Beautifully appointed Colonial in sought-after area. Cook’s kitchen. Designer stone fireplace. Updated baths, including gorgeous master.

BLOOMFIELD 465 S. Evansdale Drive| $699,000 Vacant Land 200’ x 202’ x 360’ x 390’ MLS# 215060334

Breathtaking views from cleared 1.75 acre lot to accommodate up to 10,000 sq. ft. home with walkout LL. Plenty of room for pool/tennis.

For more information, visit HallandHunter.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Holly Geyer Realtor

248.506.7345 HGeyer@HallandHunter.com

Thank you to my clients f a succes ul 2015!

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Best Wishes for a Wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!

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Represented buyer in sale BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $1,895,000 PE N D IN G

BLOOMFIELD | $2,999,000 LD

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FARMINGTON HILLS | $429,000

ORCHARD LAKE | $399,900

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Represented buyer in sale BLOOMFIELD | $329,900

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BIRMINGHAM | $219,999

For more information, visit HollyGeyer.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

442 South Old Woodward Avenue Birmingham, Michigan 48009

248.644.3500

Lynda Schrenk

Pam Gray

Realtor

Realtor

248.760.6026

248.842.4696

LSchrenk@HallandHunter.com

PGray@HallandHunter.com

NEW PRICE

BLOOMFIELD HILLS 1072 Autumn Lane | $625,000 Custom home in private enclave. Open, light-filled floor plan with Tobocman interior finishes. 1st floor master with spacious spa-like bath. Island eat-in kitchen with terrastone counter tops & deck access.

Family room with built-ins. 3-car attached garage.

3 Bedrooms 2 Full, 2 Half Baths 3,671 Square Feet MLS# 215107746

BIRMINGHAM 825 Hazelwood Street | $999,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 3,977 Square Feet MLS# 215104539

Newer-built Victorian in sought-after neighborhood.

Sweeping front porch & professionally landscaped yard. Open floor plan. Gourmet kitchen opens to family room & patio. Master suite with fireplace. LL has gym, steam shower, dry sauna, bar and family room.

TROY 3572 Salem Road | $299,000 4 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,095 Square Feet MLS# 215115083

Walk to Schroeder Elementary School from this West Troy Colonial. Newer roof & furnace, plus Pella windows throughout. Eat-in kitchen. Family room opens to large deck overlooking .35 acre yard. Master with private bath & walk-in closet. Home warranty.

For more information, visit HallandHunter.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

had a turf field system installed about a decade ago. A year later, one was installed at the district’s second high school, then known as Lahser, which was replaced with new turf in 2012. Bloomfield Hills' Cowdrey said the district decided by a vote of the members of the board of education to switch to turf.

“It was a large expense,” Cowdrey said. “They represent the voters; I imagine they fielded a large amount of questions.” During the construction of the new, larger high school, Andover’s turf field was replaced. What we did was change it to new carpet that represents the Blackhawks.”

installation) because you’ve done the drain work and sub prep; but you do have to plan for that. You hope to get 12to 15-year life out of a turf.”

Detroit County Day School, located in Beverly Hills, installed its first artificial field in 1998 at the school’s Stadium Field, and then replaced it with a new turf in 2011. Other turfs on DCD grounds include Fieldhouse, installed in 2011; Hillview Fields; installed in 2012; and a multipurpose field installed in 2015.

West Bloomfield High School installed its artificial turf about 15 years ago, said athletics secretary Chris Holt. “People wanted to rent it because it was turf.

We’ve had work done to it, like patching, but we’ve never replaced it.”

“For Athens (High School) and Troy (High School), at some point they looked at cost, to cut the grass, maintain the grass, and felt that turf would allow sports teams to be on the field longer, and during inclement weather wouldn’t get muddy. The band is on that turf a lot, too,” said Mike Jolly, athletic director for Troy School District, which installed the new fields at both high schools about 15 years ago. “Back in 1999, 2000, it was about a million (dollars) a field. That price came down.”

The Roeper School began renting time on artificial turf from Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac to ensure their players have the field for the hours of practice during the athletic season.

“We’ve rented it for the next 15 years during the athletic seasons,” said Ed Sack, interim athletic director. Roeper has reserved their slot “from 4 to 6 p.m. for three months in the fall and three months in the spring.”

Sack said the community was excited.

“We wanted to have assurance we would have a place to have our kids play in the long term.” Roeper had previously been renting time and playing space at St. James Park, behind the YMCA in Birmingham.

None of the schools said they had had an increase in injuries due to play on artificial turfs; neither was there concern over potential risks to their athletes. Most local athletic directors focused on the positive aspects of the turf, and the decreased cost to their school, while nationwide there is an increasing concern over potential health risks to athletes.

Each new synthetic turf field, using crumb rubber infill, utilizes about 40,000 tires, said Nancy Alderman, president of Connecticut-based Environment &

Human Health, Inc. (EHHI), a non-profit composed of physicians and public health officials. “Recycling is good, but certain products should never be recycled,” said Alderman. “You shouldn’t recycle lead, you shouldn’t recycle asbestos, and you shouldn’t recycle tires where children play.” EHHI began researching the effects of exposure to ground up rubber tires in 2006.

“We didn’t really think about it,” said GLELC's Leonard of Wayne State. “We saw the benefits of increased usage and lower maintenance responsibility, but didn’t give full consideration of what these fields are made of. The closest we have was a very informal survey conducted by a soccer coach.”

One of the “pros” of such tire repurposing is that it utilizes the endless surplus of scrap tires. “The industry standard is about one (scrapped) tire per person, per year,” said Rhonda Oyer, acting chief of solid waste for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).

T A he carpeting on the fields has to be replaced about every decade, he said, and annual maintenance must be done in the interim. “There are companies that come in and sweep the field professionally, and run very large magnets across it for things like track spikes and bobby pins, whatever might fall off an individual and into the carpet.

It gets compacted into the crumb rubber,” said Cowdrey. “They vacuum it, and add more crumb rubber. Our maintenance people can sweep and spread crumb rubber, as well.”

Cranbrook Kingswood High School in Bloomfield Hills, which played their homecoming football game in 2013 on the new turf at Del Walden Field in the Thompson Oval, purchased the equipment to do heavy duty cleaning on their own. “We purchased a magnet and one of the brushes and our facilities staff come through regularly,” said Steve Graf, athletic director for Cranbrook's Upper School. “They will clean it before the home game in a couple weeks, and once before we put the turf to bed for winter, and once before spring season. We heard that regular maintenance care can go a long way, and that those who neglect the turf, as it's easy to do, say ‘What happened to our turf?!’”

Graf said their turf field cost around $1 million, and that an alumni donated the majority of resources for the project.

“We talked to our booster club about when would we start putting funds aside on an annual basis for new turf. It’s about 40 percent of the cost (of original

bout 9.5 million to 10 million tires get scrapped every year in Michigan, according to Oyer. Before Michigan’s Scrap Tire Statute became effective in 1991, and six years after the first scrap tire law was introduced in Minnesota in 1985, “We had 31 million scrap tires piled throughout the state in various places,” Oyer said. “The response was to come up with a law that required proper management, including storage requirements, pile sizes and making sure there were fire lanes because one of the hazards with scrap tires is fire. If they catch, it’s a big problem for air and water. The other big issue caused by unregulated piles of scrap tires is mosquitos and mosquito-borne illness, so it’s a public health issue.” It’s illegal to put a whole tire in the landfill, but “if you cut it in half, you can put it in the landfill.”

The question is, if tires aren't safe enough for landfills and the environment, are they safe enough as a playing field for our children?

Various levels of authority assume the safety of crumb rubber used in the fields is a non-issue, or place the responsibility

of investigation on different governing bodies. “We, in Michigan, have not researched it. We basically rely on the EPA and the industry to put together standards for those materials,” said Oyer.

“Past studies have not shown there to be any problem with the material.”

According to John Johnson, communications director for the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA), the perspective of the MHSAA is that, “it’s up to the schools to do the research and make the determination. The schools haven’t given the association the authority to tell a school, ‘No, you can’t install that astroturf,’ because there’s a body of thought out there about the long-term effects. If the day were to come when there’s an overwhelming body of evidence that it should go in this direction or that, then the organization may take a stance relative to its tournaments because that’s where our authority is.”

One of the questions posed this October by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to the EPA reads, “What does the Agency know about the incidence (percentage of population by sex and age level) of cancers in the general population? To the best of your knowledge, is the incidence for persons who play on fields treated with crumb rubber higher than in the general population?”

In response, the EPA acknowledged, “The existing studies do not comprehensively address the recently raised concerns about children’s health risks from exposure to tire crumb.”

Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairperson Elliot Kay said, “Our agency is not big enough to do everything we want and need to do. With more funding and more enhanced legal authorities from Congress, the federal government can do far more. Progress will remain slow – and much-needed clarity will be delayed – until Congress finally treats potential exposure to harmful chemicals as the public health priority that is should be.”

“Right now, artificial surfaces find favor with us when selecting football semi-finals in late November and soccer finals in early November,” said MSSAA's Johnson. “It’s a playing surface you can depend on. We’re supportive of anything that schools do that maximize what they’re able to do for their schools and communities.”

Amy Griffin, associate head soccer

coach for the University of Washington women’s team, compiled a list of athletes who have developed cancer. To date, she has anecdotal evidence of 38 cases of cancer among soccer players, 34 of which played the position of goalkeeper.

“She surveyed soccer players from around the county who played on artificial fields, and she basically found that there was a higher rate of cancer amongst that population, among those players. So everyone is trying to figure out ‘Why these players?’ It begs for more research,” Leonard said.

He continued, “We’re especially concerned about children being exposed when they play on it. A New York state environmental conservation study found a lot of artificial turf fields contain these carcinogens at levels that exceed healthbased soil standards. If it was on publicly held land, the state would remove the contaminated soil and replace it with non-contaminated soil.”

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eferencing a study conducted by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 2013, stated, “Artificial turf made of nylon or nylon/polyethylene blend [grass] fibers contains levels of lead that pose a potential public health concern.”

It went on to say, “as the turf ages and weathers, lead is released in dust that could then be ingested or inhaled, and the risk for harmful exposure increases.” It also noted that, “fields that are old, that are used frequently, and that are exposed to the weather break down into dust as the turf fibers are worn.”

Bernadette Burden of the CDC said, “The NJDHSS assisted the EPA in a study of a scrap metals yard in Newark, New Jersey, and collected and tested dust and fibers from a neighboring turf field, where children play.”

“The department found high lead levels in the turf fibers, and recommended the field be closed, which was done,” noted a 2008 press release from New Jersey’s Department of Health.

For the study, the department used the NJ Department of Environmental Protection’s residential soil clean up criteria for lead of 400 mg/Kg.

Burden said “The ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) International published a standard for lead in synthetic turf which limits the lead content of the ‘grass blades’ to no more than 300 mg/kg.”

However, those standards are voluntary, not forced. The standard was created after a request was made in 2008 by the CPSC, an agency charged with the responsibility of protecting consumers. After the discovery of elevated levels of lead in the New Jersey study, CPSC stated, “Staff is asking that voluntary standards be developed for synthetic turf to preclude the use of lead in future products. As turf is used during athletics or for play and exposed over time to sunlight, heat and other weather conditions, the surface of the turf may start to become worn and small particles of the lead-containing synthetic grass fibers might be released.”

“The majority of peer-review published studies focus on the off-gassing of chemical constituents and the potential leaching of chemicals in crumb rubber infill,” said Burden. She cited a study published in 2010 from a journal on occupational health which concluded, “This study provides evidence that uptake of PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) of football players active on artificial grass fields with rubber crumb infill is minimal.”

“Not one study out of the 51 we cite and make available on our website warns against a serious elevated human health or environmental risk from synthetic turf,” said a March 2015 post

by Synthetic Turf Council, which is composed of executives from the rubber and synthetic grass industries. “No one study will ever provide a definitive overview on every aspect of research that could be analyzed related to synthetic turf. That is the nature of scientific research; there can always be one more study and one more opportunity for review.”

Leonard, of the GLELC, said, “Typically, artificial turf increases usage, and has a lower maintenance responsibility, and those are great. But everyone would agree that talking about the safety of our kids, especially in relations to cancer, you want to make sure you’re making the right decision.

You can go back and, if you find artificial turf is safe, you can put it in later. But you can’t go back and help the child that has cancer or lead poisoning. Those are so much more severe and serious.”

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Andrew Aronow loomfield Hills native Andrew Aronow left his hometown in 2004 after graduating from Cranbrook Kingswood to play hockey at Johns Hopkins University, but it was professional football that ultimately led to his first big break.

"I've always been a big sports guy, especially a big hometown sports fan," said Aronow, who just released his first documentary film, "Fandom," which gives an in-depth look at the rapidly expanding business of fantasy football.

"When I started playing, it wasn't the same game as it is now," he said.

"Now, you can't watch any sports channel without seeing ads for fantasy sports."

Released on August 28, the documentary is narrated by Christian Slater and features former and current players, such as Marshall Faulk, Tiki Barber and Emmanuel Sanders, as well as some of the most wellknown fantasy players and leagues that support the multi-billion dollar fantasy sport. Available on iTunes, Google Play, Xbox and Vimeo, Aronow created and co-produced the movie over the past year.

"I wasn't going to do a documentary for my first film, but fantasy football is something I'm passionate about because I've been playing it for more than 10 years, and is something I thought I had an intimate knowledge of what's going on. I thought that I could put together a good story."

Aronow's own sports career included two years as goalie with Johns Hopkins University, before moving back to the Detroit area and earning a degree in political science from Wayne State University. Post-grad, Aronow moved to Washington D.C. and worked for former Rep. John Dingell. After

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two years in Washington, Aronow headed to New York City and worked for RadicalMedia, where he got his feet wet in the industry.

"Film was my passion, and I knew one day I would end up getting into this," he said of his entry into filmmaking. "I was really methodical in what I was doing. I was very aggressive about moving forward and learning and absorbing as much as I could."

Building on his elective film courses, Aronow moved to Los Angeles to work on the film.

"I did a ton of research in the marketplace in terms of how many people play," he said. "It was so much bigger than I imagined. And then there's the financial impact on the NFL. We were shooting two months after starting the project."

Aronow and others working on the project traveled the country talking to fantasy football league members, learning about them and telling their stories. He said he was careful to keep the stories natural, and not forced or unnatural.

With the film finished, Aronow said he plans on moving back to New York City this winter. While Fandom is relatively new on the market, he said he's been receiving positive feedback.

"People seem to like it," he said. "One of my concerns was, are we going to be able to sustain people's interest for 90 minutes. Watching someone play fantasy sports is inherently boring, so we had to find a way to make it entertaining for our audience. I tried to make something that I would what to watch."

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MUNICIPAL Devine legal fund violated state law

Gazelle Sports coming to Birmingham

By Lisa Brody

By Lisa Brody

Bloomfield Township Treasurer Dan Devine violated Michigan campaign finance laws by funding his recently created legal defense fund with contributions from his campaign funds, and state officials are now reviewing the situation.

The Legal Defense Fund Act (LDFA) was passed in 2008 to regulate and require reports for contributions and expenditures made to assist officials in defending themselves against a criminal, civil or administrative action arising directly out of the conduct of the elected official's governmental duties.

The website for the secretary of state expressly states that the “Michigan Campaign Finance Act limits the use of those (campaign) funds which does not include funding a legal defense fund.”

Devine changed his campaign fund to a legal defense fund with the Michigan Secretary of State on July 22, citing “legal action to defend against removal from public office and relating to action taken on July 13, 2015 by Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees in resolution to censure township trustee Devine for 'official misconduct.'”

Detailed campaign statements for both candidate campaign and legal defense funds for the quarter ending September 30, by law, were due October 25. Records reveal Devine filed his candidate campaign fund report on October 21, and his legal defense fund report on October 15..

His candidate campaign committee, Vote Dan Devine for Bloomfield Township Treasurer, filed with the Oakland County Elections Division, showed a beginning balance of $17,937.72, and an ending balance of $10,937.72. There was an expense disbursement of $7,000, explained in the report as going to the Daniel Devine Legal Defense Fund, whose purpose was “retainer for law firm for legal representation.”

Devine's legal defense fund had one contribution, $7,000, from “Vote Dan Devine for Bloomfield Township Treasurer.” An expenditure of $5,000 to Sommers Schwartz PC, the purpose of which was “retainer for law firm for legal representation,” was made on August 3.

Fred Woodhams, spokesperson for the Michigan Secretary of State's office, said, “The state Campaign Finance Act downtownpublications.com

azelle Sports, an activewear store featuring footwear and apparel for women and men first begun in Kalamazoo 30 years ago, will be locating in The Woodward Building in downtown Birmingham in early summer 2016.

Sam and Max Surnow, principals of The Surnow Company, owners of the building, confirmed Gazelle Sports will be going into the former Bank of America location at the corner of Maple and Pierce. The building is currently undergoing major reconstruction, which Sam Surnow said will likely take about five months, and is currently vacant of all tenants.

“We're excited to come aboard into a terrific downtown,” said Chris Lampen-Crowell, who co-founded the business in 1985. “I started with a partner (who is no longer part of Gazelle) in downtown Kalamazoo, and we're going to celebrate our 30th anniversary with our employees and customers with a 30 Days of Care Challenge, encouraging people to do something everyday that involves giving and receiving care and kindness.”

The merchandise of the store, which focuses on running and walking footwear, apparel and accessories, as well as lifestyle and yoga apparel, is highlighted by special products from Nike and Lole, out of Montreal.

“It's an amazing lifestyle brand for women that fits a little more mature woman, not kids,” Lampen-Crowell said. “It does a great business for us.”

Lampen-Crowell said an emphasis of the store is “to give people a great platform to make a strong lifestyle change. The biggest change is people meet each other and support each other organically.”

Gazelle Sports offers free weekly runs, training programs and free clinics so people can learn how to prevent injuries as they train.

Lampen-Crowell said they intend to include these at the Birmingham location.

“We'll be rolling that out in 2016,” he said.

He also noted that they are a little different from other activewear retailers “because we put on events for charities, such the Gazelle Girl half-marathon in Grand Rapids, and the New Year's Day marathon in Kalamazoo that gives back to the Girl's and Boy's clubs.

The Birmingham location will be the second Gazelle Sports on this side of the state. In August 2015, they opened a Northville store at Haggerty and Seven Mile. Lampen-Crowell said they are looking into metro Detroit initiatives that would include supporting kids in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties.

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does not permit campaign funds (to be used). The money must be raised separately and paid back.”

He said Devine was sent a letter from the state on Friday, November 6, asking him to clarifying the expenses for the Legal Defense Fund, and noting the prohibited contributions from campaign funds. Devine has until Friday, November 20 to respond. If he doesn't, Woodhams said they will be required to refer the matter to the attorney general.

Woodhams said the secretary of state's office is also examining the validity of a legal defense fund in Devine's situation because he is the plaintiff in a whistleblower lawsuit against Bloomfield Township, which his lawsuit says is his employer, and

co-worker Leo Savoie, alleging they have subjected him to retaliation because he reported suspected violations of law to public authorities.

Legal defense funds are usually designed for defendants, not plaintiffs.

“It does ask him to clarify why he feels it necessary to file a legal defense fund as he is the plaintiff,” Woodhams said. “We are asking for further information.”

Devine did not respond to calls from Downtown Publications.

Building construction halts left turns Exterior construction on the Woodward Building at 100 S. Old

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Woodward began halting left turns onto northbound Old Woodward from eastbound Maple Road on November 9, and will last the length of the construction, estimated at about five months.

The building, which until recently housed David Wachler & Sons Jewelry, was purchased by the Surnow Company of Birmingham.

Last winter, late owner Jeff Surnow revealed plans created by architect Kevin Biddison of Birmingham to renovate of the current two-story building, lightened by removing all of the black window glass, and architecturally defining it through the use of organic materials as well as creating grand entrances at both the Old Woodward and Maple sides of the building, along with punching up the Pierce Street side.

Surnow felt the office entrance, on Maple just east of Pierce street, was innocuous, and he sought to design a grand entrance in the same location, with glass and a thin canopy above.

A fluid-formed metal which will rust naturally, creating both design and color to the building as well as emphasis to the entranceway, will be placed to highlight interest. The Old Woodward entranceway's design will have a strong black stone canopy which rises above the entrance, creating a statement of elegance and grandeur.

The city of Birmingham announced on Monday, November 2, that as the building will have its outside walls completely removed and replaced to accomplish the renovation goals, the sidewalks on all three sides will need to be closed during the duration of the construction, which they estimated at about five months.

During that period, there will be no left turns permitted from eastbound Maple onto northbound Old Woodward. On Maple, pedestrian traffic has been moved out into the right lane of Maple Road, preventing left turns.

On Pierce Street, the sidewalk is closed from Maple to the alley just south of Maple, next to James Designs Fine Jewelry. The city is encouraging pedestrians to cross Pierce at the Martin Street crosswalk instead of at Maple during the construction period.

The building will remain a twostory building, with first floor retail and second floor office usage.

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Four new city commissioners In a hotly contested election involving 13 candidates to fill four vacant Birmingham City Commission seats, Pierre Boutros, Patty Bordman, Andrew Harris and Carroll DeWeese received the most votes from the electorate on Tuesday, November 3.

The campaign pitted two separate factions, Balance4Birmingham, a slate “for people who believe in balance” between the city's downtown business district and its neighborhoods, and Birmingham Citizens for Responsible Government, which asserted that the current conversation among “our elected municipal leaders is dominated by downtown-related issues: Triangle District development, parking structures, Rail District development, liquor licenses – and parking again”, according to a mailing on September 25.

Voters chose a mix from each camp, with Boutros and Bordman part of the Balance group, and DeWeese a member of the Citizens for Responsible Government. Harris, a Baldwin Public Library board member, was not part of either faction.

According to Birmingham City Clerk Laura Pierce, Birmingham has 16,951 registered voters, and 1,692 absentee ballots went out. A total of 13,613 votes were cast, with Boutros receiving 2,029, or 14.9 percent.

Bordman received 1,857 votes, or 13.64 percent of the vote, and Harris had 1,617 votes, for 11.88 percent of the vote's total. In fourth place was DeWeese, with 1,492 votes, 10.96 percent of the vote.

Boutros, owner of Mills Pharmacy on Maple, will be serving on his first city board. “I'm so excited,” he said on election night. “Thank you to the people of Birmingham for their trust and support. I look forward to working together for an even better Birmingham.”

Harris noted of the tight race totals, “This close shows every little bit helps. I got great support from commissioner (George) Dilgard and my five colleagues on the library board. I'm grateful for the support I got. I look forward to exercising good judgement for the residents of Birmingham.”

“I want to thank everyone that supported my effort to become a Birmingham city commissioner. I am downtownpublications.com

McCarthy joins city commissioners loomfield Hills planning commissioner Susan McCarthy will join the four incumbent city commissioners, Michael Dul, Stuart Sherr, Mike Coakley and Sarah McClure, as the five prevailed in a crowded pack of nine on Tuesday, November 3.

The city saw high voter turnout, with 3,228 votes cast out of 3,438 registered voters in Bloomfield Hills. Clerk Amy Burton said she had mailed out 598 absentee ballots, with 345 turned in by Tuesday morning.

McClure, who has been a commissioner since 2010, has a strong finance background. She received 16.02 percent of the vote, 517 votes, with Sherr right behind her with 510 votes, for 15.8 percent. Dul received 457 votes for 14.16 percent, and Coakley, 453 votes, for 14.03 percent of the total. McCarthy, filling retiring commissioner Pat Hardy's seat, received 401 votes, for 12.42 percent.

“I look forward to working with all the commissioners and Susan, our new commissioner, and continuing with our initiatives,” said Dul. “Hopefully, we'll all work well together.”

“I'm thrilled. I'm proud, and I look forward to working hard to making my community as good as it possibly can be for the benefit of all the residents,” Sherr said. “It's about being able to make a difference, and we have a very good team to lead it for at least the next two years.”

“I'm thrilled, and I want to thank everyone who supported me,” said McCarthy. As for her goals as a commissioner, “We have to plan for today, but also for tomorrow. We have to consider everyone in the community.”

McClure and Coakley could not be reached on election night for comment.

Bloomfield Hills city commissioners meet once a month, on the second Tuesday of the month, and are paid $5 per month. Commissioner terms are for two years.

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grateful for the trust and support that they have placed in me,” DeWeese said.

The open commission race, the first of its kind in many years, occurred after four incumbent commissioners, George Dilgard, Tom McDaniel, Scott Moore and Gordon Rinschler, whose four-year terms all expired this year, all chose to retire.

Each had served at least eight years on Birmingham's city commission, and in the case of Moore, up to 20 years.

Birmingham city commissioners serve four-year terms.

Commissioners meet twice each month, on the second and fourth Monday nights at 7:30 at city hall.

Commissioners are paid $5 per meeting.

Commission run costly for some

By Lisa Brody

Birmingham's city commission election, where four open seats were fought over by 13 candidates, was an expensive campaign for several candidates, including for some who ended up not winning.

Candidates Patty Bordman, Pierre Boutros, Andrew Harris, and Carroll DeWeese were sworn in as new city commissioners for a four-year term on Monday, November 9, replacing outgoing commissioners George Dilgard, Tom McDaniel, Scott Moore, and Gordon Rinschler.

According to campaign finance reports that were due to the Oakland County Elections Division October 25, for the third quarter ending September 30, almost all of the 13 candidates self-funded their own campaigns, with Boutros spending $8,818.59 of his own money in his successful campaign.

Bordman contributed $5,000 out of a total of $7,943 raised by her campaign. She did not spend much, however, on her campaign, unless she did in the final days, ending the quarter with a balance of $5,720.78.

Harris raised $5,625 for the quarter, of which he personally contributed $2,050. He had a number of small contributors, including George Dilgard, David and Marcia Harris of Glen Arbor, Kevin and Evelyn Joy, Justin Gellar, and Richard Bennett. His campaign

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spent $5,241.36, leaving a balance of $383.64.

DeWeese did not file, indicating he did not raise at least $1,000.

Patty Edwards raised $7,400, and spent $3,557.63 in the last quarter, leaving an ending balance of $3,842.32. It does not show that she contributed to her own campaign.

Unsuccessful candidate Stuart Jeffares raised $6,240, spending $1,192.49 on his campaign for commissioner. His filing indicated a loan by Jeffares of $5,534.85 to the campaign.

Daniel Share contributed $3,500 of his campaign filing's contribution of $3,880. Expenditures for his campaign were $3,187.80, leaving the campaign with an ending balance of $692.20.

David Potts had $2,800 in contributions, including $2,000 from Jeffrey Ishbia of Ishbia & Gagleard.

Potts indicated an outstanding debt to himself from a loan of $1,869.46 for expenditures. His campaign spent $1,938.46, leaving an ending balance of $861.54.

No filings were found for Nancy Fowler, DeAngello Espree, Linda Peterson, or Corey Jacoby.

The Bloomfield Hills City Commission race, where all five commission seats were up, was also costly for some candidates.

Incumbents Michael Dul, Mike Coakley, Sarah McClure, and Stuart Sherr all retained their seats, and were joined by Susan McCarthy.

Dul, who stated he had no contributions nor expenditures during the third quarter, had a beginning and ending balance of $1,443.85. He is owed $2,488.52 by his campaign.

McClure loaned her campaign $5,216.68 for in-kind expenses.

Sherr loaned his campaign $2,000.96 for expenses and mailings for his campaign. He had a beginning and ending balance of zero.

Coakley and McCarthy did not file, indicating they had contributions of less than $1,000.

Unsuccessful candidate Mark Kapel had no contributions nor expenses, but loaned his campaign $1,694.02 for in-kind contributions.

Unsuccessful candidates Henry Baskin, Edith Carter and Ronni Keating did not have filings.

Commissioners in both Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills receive $5 per meeting.

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Hoff named mayor for Birmingham In a transitional night Monday, November 9, that included the Birmingham City Commission saying good-bye to four long-time commissioners and installing four new ones, the newly constituted commission elected commissioner Rackeline Hoff mayor of the city for the next year, and commissioner Mark Nickita mayor pro tem.

At the commission meeting outgoing mayor Stuart Sherman recognized the service of retiring commissioners George Dilgard, Tom McDaniel, Scott Moore and Gordon Rinschler, who had all been commissioners for at least two fouryear terms. Moore was first elected city commissioner in 1995.

In addition, Oakland County Commissioner Shelley Taub presented each retiring commissioner with a tribute from the county, and state Rep. Mike McCready presented each with a proclamation from Gov. Rick

Snyder thanking them for their service to the city of Birmingham. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has been quite an honor to serve with them. They have volunteered many, many years to this city,â&#x20AC;? said Sherman in tribute of his fellow commissioners. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There's a lot of years of experience, and I'm really pleased I can call every one of these my friends. In all the years, everything was discussed with professionalism. I only hope it continues with the new commission.

That is my only charge to them.â&#x20AC;?

The four new commissioners elected on Tuesday, November 3, Pierre Boutros, Patty Bordman, Andrew Harris and Carroll DeWeese, were then called to the front of the commission room, where they were sworn in as Birmingham city commissioners.

Hoff, who has been a city commissioner for 14 years, had been mayor pro tem under Sherman, and was unanimously voted mayor by her fellow commissioners. Nickita, a commissioner for the past six years, was unanimously elected mayor pro

tem. Sherman resumed his place as a city commissioner.

Birmingham is a city managerform of government, with the mayor as an honorary position. The mayor represents Birmingham, helps set the agenda with the city manager, leads commission meetings and can perform weddings.

New Bloomfield Hills mayor appointed After recognizing outgoing mayor Michael Dul, the Bloomfield Hills City Commission unanimously appointed commissioner Stuart Sherr the city's mayor and commissioner Michael Coakley mayor pro tem at the commission meeting on Tuesday, November 10.

The Bloomfield Hills City Commission is comprised of five members. City clerk Amy Burton began the meeting by reading the official results of the election on Tuesday, November 3, and then administered the oath of office to returning commissioners Dul, Sherr,

Coakley, and Sarah McClure, along with new commissioner Susan McCarthy.

Upon becoming the city's new mayor, Sherr paid tribute to his late wife, Bonnie, and his father, and thanked McClure for mentoring him through his first term as a commissioner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I'm very proud, I'm very pleased, I'm very happy. It's so nice to give back to the community, and I've got exactly the right skill set for the job,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I've got four other great commissioners, and great professionals in the city. We are sound financially. We are on solid ground. I'm anxious to make my mark and make it even better.â&#x20AC;?

Township fire chief receives state honors Bloomfield Township Fire Chief David PichĂŠ has been honored by his peers, being named Fire Chief of the Year for 2015 by the Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs, an honor

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he received in late October at the association's fall conference at the Grand Traverse Resort.

He was then doubly honored at the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, October 26, when his full squad arrived at Township Hall to support him and pay him tribute.

Piché has been fire chief for Bloomfield Township since 2008, and a member of the fire department for 30 years.

He had been nominated for the honor by township supervisor Leo Savoie, with full support of the department.

In nominating him for the award, which is presented annually “ to honor a fire chief in Michigan for their dedication and service to the community they serve as well as the betterment of the fire service in Michigan,” Savoie wrote, “Beyond performing his required duties, Chief Piché has continuously demonstrated innovation, creativity and a determination to improve the department to the highest level of

professionalism. Chief Piché has never been satisfied with the status quo and has always sought ways to improve the department and service to the community.”

Piché created a pilot program that is being instituted with an area hospital which provides direct links between doctors in the hospital and patients being treated onsite by paramedics. He is also part of a team that authored an article in the Journal of Burn Care & Research, relating to the results of the effectiveness of a youth fire prevention program he has overseen.

“Dave Piché is truly a chief who represents a good example of leadership, innovation, professionalism and integrity,” said Mike Morin, assistant fire chief.

City parks donor policy approved Following the rejection of a $30,000 donation towards a conifer rock garden in Linden Park with strict

guidelines from the donor by the Birmingham City Commission in September 2013, the city's parks and recreation board recommended a detailed citywide donor policy that includes both large scale gifts as well as the availability of naming rights.

Birmingham Director of Public Services Lauren Wood stated that the new donor policy “would be one practiced citywide, and combines existing policy, spells out donation categories, and donor recognition specifications.” City commissioners unanimously approved the policy at their meeting on Monday, October 26.

She explained that while the city already has a policy that acknowledges donors, this one expands it. “It's also a marketing tool as well to get bigger donors and bigger donations for park development. It makes it more user friendly.”

The policy states that it will not interfere with the existing recognition program “which services donations for memorials and other honors including such items as benches, drinking fountains, city trees, tables

and chairs, and playground equipment.”

The policy provides specific categories of gifts, including cash. Gifts must enhance the park, enrich the experience of park users, and be consistent with park planning processes.

In the Linden Park situation, the donor wanted to specifically design the park enhancements to his specifications, not necessarily in accordance with the city nor park planning processes.

The policy specifies donation guidelines, and that all donations become the property of the city of Birmingham. It also states that “While the city recognizes the generally good intentions behind any donation, the city, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to decline any gift or donation.”

“It's an umbrella,” said mayor Stuart Sherman.

“I agree it's an umbrella. We don't need a separate donor policy,” said commissioner Rackeline Hoff.

Commissioners voted 7-0 to approve the policy.

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Code of conduct for Emagine teens

By Lisa Brody

In response to an October letter from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), informing him that a policy the theater implemented earlier in the month to forbid all unaccompanied teens without a family membership to the Emagine Palladium, is in fact age discrimination prohibited by the state's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, Emagine owner Paul Glantz announced on Thursday, November 19, he is immediately implementing a policy requiring unaccompanied teens without a membership to have a signed parental authorization and agreement.

“We listened to our critics and adjusted our policy,” said Glantz.

The parental authorization and agreement, called the Common Courtesy Code of Conduct, is the same one that members, who pay $350 for a family plus the cost of tickets, sign to permit minors under the age of 18 to attend a movie at the new theater in Birmingham. If a member or child of a member does not abide by the agreement, Glantz said their membership can be revoked.

Located in the Palladium Building at 250 N. Old Woodward, the theater replaces the former Uptown Palladium, which could accommodate up to 2,200 patrons in large auditoriums. Utilizing five of the former theaters, the new theater is smaller, featuring luxury recliners and luxury rockers with a total of 590 seats. Glantz also opened Ironwood Grill Inside Emagine Palladium.

Among the policy restrictions which teens and members must abide by are, no guest shall “talk or communicate in any manner that disturbs other guests; use a cell phone or pager; engage in text messaging or other electronic devices; place one's feet or shoes on any portion of a seat whether his/her own or on an adjacent seat; kick or push another guest's seat; use electronic cigarettes; run in aisle ways, hallways, or staircases; allow small children to cry, misbehave, or cause any other form of disturbance; bring in outside food or beverages; dispose of chewing gum in other than a waste receptacle; and dress downtownpublications.com

in an inappropriate manner.

When asked about the attire issue, Glantz said, “In all candor, we have not removed anyone for their attire. It's not designed to filter based on ethnicity. It's just designed to be there. We want to remove someone if it's an application that is clearly inappropriate.”

Glantz acknowledged that it is not only teens who can talk or text in a movie, disturbing others around them. “We have worked very diligently on our uttering effort, and we will enforce it regardless of age.”

He said it is announced at the beginning of the show to turn off all devices; ushers patrol theaters throughout movies, and if they see anyone texting or talking loudly, they are asked to stop, and if they don't, are asked to leave. As a last resort, police are called to remove the offender, he said.

“I'm trying to compete with the at-home experience,” he said. “We've applied a virulent ushering standard, so we have a zero tolerance policy.

Our ushers aren't perfect, but they are working very hard. We are asking parents to accept responsibility for their children.”

Emagine Palladium initially prohibited anyone under 18 from attending a movie unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, or if their family had purchased a membership, following an incident opening weekend in the beginning of October, when Glantz said some teens disrupted a movie screening by talking.

Dan Korobkin, attorney for ACLU, said the teen prohibition “sends a message of inclusion versus exclusion. It's one of divisiveness. It's teaching them stereotyping, painting all teenagers with a broad paintbrush. I don't think we want to teach them that lesson.”

The ACLU's letter on Tuesday, October 27, to Glantz stated, “Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act prohibits age discrimination in a place of public accommodation. MCL 37.2302. A place of public accommodation is broadly defined by law to mean any “business, or an . . . entertainment . . . facility, . . . whose goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations are extended, offered, sold, or otherwise made available to the public.” Therefore, as a theater in Birmingham that sells movie tickets to the public, the

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Emagine Palladium is a place of public accommodation and is legally prohibited from “deny[ing] an individual the full and equal enjoyment of [its]…services [and] facilities…because of…age.”

Glantz said both the membership and conduct code at the Emagine Palladium is a test for other Emagine venues. “We're committed to tough ushering, regardless of color, creed or age. It's all about behavior.”

Firm chosen to review benefit plan

By Lisa Brody

After a heated discussion during which Bloomfield Township Treasurer Dan Devine first urged postponement of the selection of a vendor to conduct an employee defined benefit pension plan review, and then abstained on the vote, the board of trustees Monday, November 9, accepted a recommendation from the township's financial sustainability committee and approved Graystone Consulting, part of Morgan Stanley, to perform the study.

The township's financial sustainability committee is an appointed panel designed to provide advisement to the board of trustees on the township’s defined benefit pension plan as well as other financial issues.

It is comprised of the township supervisor Leo Savoie, Devine, financial director Jason Theis, trustee Brian Kepes, and three members of the community with financial knowledge.

It was established in February 2015 after concerns were raised about how the township's investments were being managed.

The committee had received three proposals, David Petoskey, chairperson of the committee, said, from Graystone Consulting, located in Birmingham; Asset Strategies of Auburn Hills; and Nu Paradigm Investment Partners of Boston.

Petoskey said the committee interviewed members of Graystone and Asset Strategies in person, and Nu Paradigm by Skype on October 28.

Members determined it would be more beneficial for the township to have a company which was local.

After the interviews, “We met and discussed the three firms and ranked them, and we felt as a committee, 6-1 (with Devine dissenting), that Graystone Consulting Morgan Stanley should get the contract, and that it would take them six weeks to do it,” Petoskey said. “They're independent. They're a local firm here. They do act as fiduciaries for 62 downtownpublications.com

Saroki firm chosen for parking projects recommendation on a consultant for downtown Birmingham parking system expansion projects from the Ad Hoc Parking Development Committee was dismissed by commissioners in favor of a local consultant, Saroki Architecture, after three commissioners explained they had had previous poor experience with the recommended consultant, Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. At the Birmingham City Commission meeting on Monday, October 26, engineer Paul O'Meara explained that a request for proposal (RFP) had gone out in August, with a deadline of September 30. Three RFPs came back and Albert Kahn and Saroki were the top two. A point system was applied to the RFPs by the committee, and “Albert Kahn came out a little more on top.”

A memo to commissioners revealed that the committee scored Kahn at 89.3 points, and Saroki at 87.8 points. “Those favoring Kahn felt that their large portfolio and history of designing parking structures in multiple cities and surroundings made them the better choice. Those favoring Saroki felt that he and his team’s strong knowledge of Birmingham made them the preferred choice,” O'Meara wrote in his memo.

However, at the commission meeting, commissioner Tom McDaniel said, “From my standpoint, my experience working on the Shain Park Ad Hoc Committee, which Albert Kahn was hired to do the design for, and it did not go well, and you learn from experience. Also, weren't they the higher bidder, by $12,500, Joe?” City manager Joe Valentine said they were, and “considering Saroki's knowledge of the community, I think we should go with them.”

“I agree with it,” said commissioner Gordon Rinschler, who also sat on the Shain Park committee. “When you have a big firm, a small job becomes not important to them. Albert Kahn is a great firm, but I'm with commissioner McDaniel. I'm not going to support the motion.”

“I think it's an indictment of the committee. It was a very difficult decision. They both could do it,” said commissioner Rackeline Hoff, who sat on the committee, along with commissioner Mark Nickita, who said the choice was like “splitting hairs. There was not a clear winner.”

Commissioner George Dilgard noted he was the third commissioner on the Shain Park committee. “I questioned the lighting plan for Shain Park, and specifically asked about details, and finally they brought in one of the specialists. We had to wait, and was assured it was the right lighting, and when it was installed, it looked like a runway. We had to retrofit it. Saroki understands the community and how things should look.”

“I'm not going to support this motion because of the vast experience of this commission,” mayor Stuart Sherman said. The motion supporting Albert Kahn on the expansion of Pierce Street parking structure and the N. Old Woodward structure and surface lot for $67,500 failed, 2-5, with only Hoff and Nickita supporting it.

A motion to award the consultant contract to Saroki, for $55,000 plus incidental costs, passed 6-1, with Hoff voting against.

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municipalities they've worked with.

They have a deep, deep bench, and can handle it in-house.

Devine said he felt the committee should come up with a list of five questions that would be sent to references of Graystone and Asset Management, and that financial director Theis, who had been tasked with calling the references, had not asked specific enough questions for him.

“I sit on the committee, and the

committee is only acting in an advisory function,” said Kepes. “This board should know the director of finance (Theis) did make calls for references. The treasurer may not like the outcome, but they were conducted professionally. The treasurer has been in place for 15 years. If there are concerns, he has not been precluded from making calls. The committee has made its recommendation.”

“As far as Graystone and Asset

DOWNTOWN

Management, I felt very strongly we needed references on them because I didn't feel Graystone was giving us the answers we needed,” Devine said.

“I am not prepared to vote tonight and I will abstain. Jason dropped the ball either on his own volition or at the direction of someone else.”

Committee member Don Katz objected, “There was no agreement Dan. It's a complete fabrication.

You're saying there was some agreement. I object to that characterization by you.”

Township clerk Jan Roncelli, who was leading the meeting in the absence of Savoie, said, “I think the committee felt they had three good candidates, and they felt Graystone, by a vote of 6-1, was the best recommendation, followed

by Asset Strategies. The board will then make the decision. There was nothing specific in how the references were to be contacted.”

Kepes noted that the committee had discussed references, and Theis did it as the committee requested.

“Dan has submitted all of these companies to (Gregory) Schwartz & Co. (managers of the township's equity portfolio). No one asked him to. As fiduciaries of the township, anyone can take it upon themselves to do research and seek references.

For the last year or more (Dan and I) have been having e-mail communications about the actuarial studies...The treasurer said he reviews it and views it as satisfactory.

To have an outside third party review it to me seems prudent. I'm pleased where we're going. This has been going on a long time – since 1961.

Clearly, these investment types are going away. We have obligations to pensioners, unions, residents, and Graystone is completely competent to do that. The community should feel comfortable knowing that references were conducted.”

“Dan Devine just threw our financial director Jason Theis under the bus,” said trustee Neal Barnett.

Trustees voted 3-1 to select Graystone Consulting Morgan Stanley, with Dave Buckley voting against and Devine abstaining, and Savoie and Corinee Khederian not in attendance.

Township attorney Bill Hampton noted, “Normally a board member must vote on every motion, but he gave a reason. If the board would like to make an issue, they can.”

State law governing charter township's like Bloomfield Township contains language saying that board members “shall” cast votes on all motions.

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One Birmingham bistro sent to board

By Lisa Brody

Two potential 2016 bistro applicants presented their concepts to Birmingham city commissioners on Monday, October 26, with one, The Fun Wine Company, proposed for 588 N. Old Woodward, narrowly voted to be sent on to the city's planning board for full site plan and design review.

Executive Chef Justin Varciunias introduced his concept Toshi, an urban Asian Japan/Chinese/Korean restaurant for 135 N. Old Woodward in the central business district, next to Cosi. He said he had opened several restaurants in the past, including Detroit Free Press Restaurant of the Year Top of the Pontch in Detroit.

“There is nothing like it around here or in the surrounding areas,” Varciunias said of the fusion cuisine Toshi would highlight for lunch and dinner. “The pricing would be moderate, the presentation of the food will be as beautiful as art.”

He said the space, currently occupied by the advertising agency Centigrade, which is leaving in

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February, is 3,500 square feet and can accommodate 60 to 65 seats. A patio would not take any parking spaces he said, as he would propose outdoor dining on a platform between the crosswalk and parking spaces, like the adjacent Mad Hatter.

His partner, real estate professional Brian Najor, said he owns the building.

Commissioner Mark Nickita said, “It sounds like a very interesting concept.

The question I have is about the location. There are a number of other locations we are interested in activating. This is an area where we are sensitive to retail.”

Ed Bosse, owner of Birmingham Wine Shop and the former Simply Wine store, said his The Fun Wine Company, would be “different. It would be colorful, energetic. Our background has always been colorful. We've been at the farmer's market asking people what they'd like. It's not really for people outside the community. Ten dollar food; a $5 glass of wine.”

Commissioner Gordon Rinschler asked Bosse if he would still sell wine if he had a bistro, and Bosse said, “It would be nice for them to try flights and then buy them.”

Commissioner Tom McDaniel asked

how many square feet the location has.

Bosse said 1,100 square feet. “So this is like putting 10 pounds in a 5 pound sack,” McDaniel said.

Bosse explained he would add a linear bar, a community table and about 60 seats. He said he would only have a wine bar, and not other alcohol.

“Who will be your chef?” commissioner Rackeline Hoff asked. “It will be simple food that doesn't take a chef. It intends to be of the community,” Bosse said. Hoff asked him if he would have a kitchen, and he said he would.

Nickita asked him how he would deal with the city's exterior seating requirement.

“We'll have to work with the city on it,” Bosse said. “It's a complicated situation.”

“I think Fun Wine Company is a novel approach and something we don't have, and I'm excited about it,” said Rinschler. “Toshi, we've been not encouraging that location. I'm kinda in favor of moving one forward.”

Commissioner George Dilgard agreed. “This is currently office space, so if it weren't this, it would probably continue to be office, not retail. For Fun Wine, I don't see how the outdoor can

DOWNTOWN

work. And for a bistro license, the focus should be on food, and this is on wine.”

Nickita stated concerns about putting another restaurant in the central business district. “I'd love to have Julie Fielder (PSD leasing consultant) find something for that space,” he said.

“It's a troubling location,” agreed commissioner Scott Moore. “As for this wine shop, this is a proprietor who's been here for 15 years. It's a natural evolution. It's a festive thing to have around the farmer's market.”

“With Toshi, I think it's an excellent concept, and there's no guarantee what will go in that space, and here we have the opportunity to have a great chef and great concept,” said Hoff. “The other, the outdoor dining is only one concern. The other, people have no place to park. It's very crowded there. I don't think it's the right place for it.”

Commissioners voted 4-3, with commissioners Moore, Nickita, Rinschler and McDaniel voting to move The Fun Wine Company on to the city's planning board. With a vote of 3-4, Toshi failed to move on to the planning board, with only Hoff, Dilgard, and mayor Stuart Sherman supporting it.

85

FACES

Edd Benda orn in Germany and raised in Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills before heading off to California to study film, filmmaker Edd Benda returned to Bloomfield Township on November 9 to show his debut feature film, "Superior," at the Maple Theater.

"Because of my dad's job, we bounced around a lot," said Benda, who graduated from the International Academy in Bloomfield Township before moving to Los Angeles and earning a degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. "Both of my parents are from southeast Michigan. My mom went to Seaholm. I have big family ties to Michigan, so I spent a lot of summers as a kid in the Upper Peninsula."

Benda, who returned to northern Michigan in the summer of 2014 with a team of 11 filmmakers, traveling more than 7,000 miles from Los Angeles to most remote regions of the Keweenaw Peninsula to film "Superior." Based on a journey that his uncle Karl Benda and Dan Junttila made more than 40 years ago on their bicycles, the film is a what Edd Benda calls a "snapshot of America in 1969, when futures were uncertain, and yet the most outlandish adventures remained possible."

"My uncle was 18 and had just graduated from high school, and waking up one day and said, 'let's go on a 1,300-mile bike ride.' That was the extent of their planning, and how ill-prepared they were," said Benda, who directed, wrote and produced the film. "I grew up in a big family, and we sat around the table and had, what I would call, competitive storytelling. Growing up in that, where embellishment comes standard. So, while it is inspired by this journey, it's not a true retelling of their journey. It's a fictionalization. It's a patchwork quilt of a lot of different stories."

The film debuted in June of 2015 at the famous Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, as part of the Dances With Films festival. Following the festival, Benda took the film to nine cities in Michigan this fall. The film also played in October at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis.

"They say I put this whole tour together to spend fall in Michigan, which is partly true," Benda said of his fellow cast at Beyond the Porch Production, the film company he started in 2012 with friend and director of photography, Alex Bell. "I have family in Holland, Michigan, so we had a screening in Grand Rapids for my parents in Holland."

Superior, which runs 84-minutes long, is the first feature-length film written by Benda, who made several shorts and worked in other aspects of the entertainment industry. Starting as a lighting designer for concerts during his college years, Benda then worked as a production manager for many live events, overseeing lights, sounds and video productions, or the "spectacle" part of the shows.

"I worked for brands like Playboy and Universal, and was traveling all over the country, but there was a moment at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014 when I was there producing events," he said. "It was like being the kid on the other side of the street. I was there working, but the whole time I was there, I was thinking I wanted to be there because I wanted to make film.

"That was a good, swift kick in the pants."

B

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Jean Lannen

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FACES

John C. Ford irmingham-raised author John C. Ford has been drawn to mystery stories since he was a child, so it wasn't exactly a conundrum as to why he went from writing legal briefs to writing fiction books for young adults.

"My mom would take my brother and I to the Baldwin Library for story hour, then we would go to Kresge's, and get milk shakes and grilled cheese sandwiches. Reading has been a big part of my life," Ford, 44, said. "My mom read a lot of mysteries. I started to read more mysteries – really any kind of mystery, I would eat those up. Stephen King was the first author that I got excited about in an intense kind of way."

Now in the midst of working on his third book, Ford's most recently published mystery, "The Cipher," is a techno-thriller that explores where our electronic lives and personal histories collide when an odd-ball math prodigy finds the key to unlocking all of the Internet's secrets. “The Cipher" follows Ford's debut young adult murder-mystery, "The Morgue and Me," which was published in 2009.

His works have earned his books a nomination for the distinguished Edgar Allen Poe Award for Young Adult Mystery; an Agatha Award nomination for Best Adult Mystery; an YALSA nomination; acceptance into the Junior Library Guild; and other recognitions and honors. In October, Ford was asked to present a writing workshop for teens at the Baldwin Public Library.

"I was thrilled with the reception the books have gotten," Ford said.

"It's been an unexpected and pleasant surprise. I've gotten some nice reviews. The big thing is that (The Morgue and Me) was nominated for the Edgar Award. In the mystery book world, that's like the Oscars. It didn't win, but it was a great experience."

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Still, Ford takes the recognition, such as his debut book's tag on Amazon as the "Number 1 New Release" in Teen and Young Adult United States Colonial and Revolutionary Periods History – it's actually set in present day. "I'm just notable enough for them to get everything wrong," he said.

"I get really nice e-mails from kids. Those are great to get and make you feel good about what you're doing," he said. "Once in a while, you get some kids who ask what the theme of the book is, and ask about the characters and plot. You know they are asking you to write their book report."

Growing up in Birmingham, Ford wrote his own book reports before graduating from Groves High School and attending Stanford University, where he discovered his passion for writing while reporting for the university's paper. He then returned to Michigan and earned a law degree from the University of Michigan before moving to Washington D.C., where he worked as a litigator at a large law firm. After some time doing "mostly grunt work," Ford took some time off from the law firm to beginning writing his first book, completing "The Morgue and Me," in 2009.

In 2011, Ford began working for a communications firm that allowed him to work from home and move back to Birmingham. His second book, "The Cipher," was released in the fall of 2015.

"I knew I had a strong desire to write a book," he said, "and I knew I wasn't going to get it done working long hours at the law firm, and I took a leap of faith."

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: John C. Ford

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BUSINESS MATTERS Bloomfield pharmacy Pharmacist Gabe Zawaideh and the Zawaideh family have opened Village Pharmacy and Compounding, 3592 W. Maple Road, in Bloomfield Township, located inside the former Breadsmith location, at the Village Knoll shopping center on W. Maple near Lahser. “We live here in the community, and my two brothers and my sister are all pharmacists and partners,” Zawaideh said. The Village Knoll location will mark the fifth location for the pharmacy network. Zawaideh said Village Pharmacy and Compounding offers a traditional, retail pharmacy with a twist of organic health. “We compound, so we also custom make prescriptions for people and pets,” he said. The pharmacy also offers candles and other personal care products. As a member of the community, Zawaideh said the new location will be starting a “Scripts for Schools” program, where patients will determine each quarter where a percentage of revenues will be given back to schools in the community. It also will be working to support Angel’s Place, which helps provide homes and professional support for adults with developmental disabilities.

The family pharmacies offers expertise in hospital-based medicine and retail follow-up care, speciality pharmacy drug regimens, compounding therapies and more to customers. The Zawaideh pharmacy network includes the CustomCare Pharmacy in the Beaumont medical office building.

10 years of dance Dance studio owners Evan and Lada Mountain are celebrating their 10th year of owning and operating the Fred Astaire Dance Studio, 2172 Franklin Road, just north of Square Lake Road, in Bloomfield Township. The couple opened the first Fred Astaire studio in Michigan a decade ago. The anniversary comes about three years after the couple moved from its former location at 2510 S. Telegraph Road, also in Bloomfield Township, which essentially tripled the size of the studio’s dance floor and allowed for two full ballrooms.

Ten years after opening, the Mountains continue to offer dance lessons, classes, parties and competitions. Still, the couple recently said they have plans to downtownpublications.com

expand again. In the next two years, they intend to open additional studios serving southeast Michigan, growing the business by partnering with teachers who want even more ownership as they teach. “You never know where the path will lead you,” Evan Mountain said.

“People don’t walk into the studio saying they want to compete or perform, but they see the happiness it brings them, they make friends, find community, and suddenly they are bursting with desire to take dance in uncharted directions.” Mountain, who said he always secretly loved dance but didn’t want to be judged by his peers when he was younger, stepped onto the dance floor and acquainted himself with the passion that dance can create.

When he married Lada, a professional dance instructor, the pair intertwined personally and professionally. Today, the studio averages about 150 private dance lessons every week, plus eight group lessons along with several parties and events.

B.May Bags moves B. May Bags, a collection of deluxe and unique handmade handbags and accessories made of exotic skins in northern Michigan, is relocating its Birmingham store from 929 Eton Street in the Rail District to 576 N. Old Woodward, in the former Fifi & Coco Galerie and Design location. Barbara May, a native of the Birmingham/Bloomfield area who now lives in Charlevoix, has a “bag lab” in her Petoskey studio where all of the skins come in and she creates her iconic handbags.

Michael Sherman, director of B. May Bags, said the majority of the skins, including python, ostrich, lizard, goat, rumpled sheep, embossed and printed cowhide skins, as well as various natural skins, are sourced in Italy, and May travels to Italy two to three times a year to pick out the hand-tanned skins from Italian artisans. Her popular totes, hobos, cross body bags, clutches, and accessories are highly sought after around the country, and B. May bags can be found in more than 100 boutiques nationwide.

Potbelly shop options A new option for lunch and dinner has arrived to the Bloomfield Town

Square Shopping Center with the opening on Tuesday, November 17, of a Potbelly Sandwich Shop, 2108 S. Telegraph Road, in Bloomfield Township. The shop will feature warm sandwiches, hand-dipped milkshakes, made-to-order salads, and live, local music. Potbelly has built its business with food, fun decor and local musician performances. Michael Watson, the store’s general manager, moved back to Michigan to head up the store after spending eight years in New York City. “The community couldn’t be more excited about the opening of the new shop in Bloomfield,” he said.

35 years of pampering Margot’s European Day Spa, 101 Townsend, in Birmingham, marked its 35th anniversary in Birmingham, including a decade at its current location. Now offering an extensive collection of treatments and services, as well as a full-line of health and beauty products, owner Margot Koehler began her professional career in her hometown of Heidelberg, Germany.

She also has certifications in France, Great Britain, Japan and the United States. The spa offers complete services for men and women, as well as educational events for individuals, groups and businesses.

Five years of mattresses Former corporate attorney Greg Yatooma left the business of practicing law in 2009 and shortly after purchased five dozen discount mattresses to sell on Craigslist.

Now, Yatooma is celebrating the fifth anniversary of his Mattress Closeout Center, 1605 S. Telegraph Road, in Bloomfield Township. Yatooma, who handled mergers and acquisitions for Foley & Lardner LLP, said he really didn’t like practicing law, so he bought some liquidation mattresses and turned it into a full company, with locations in Bloomfield Township and Wixom. The Bloomfield Township location serves as both an office and a showroom. Yatooma said the mattresses come at a discount because they are overstock, closeout and last year’s models. After finding some help to unload the mattresses, Yatooma began a cash-and-carry business promoting the mattresses on Craigslist. When someone requested her mattress be

DOWNTOWN

delivered, he found another friend to do it. “Five years later, he’s my general manager,” Yatooma said.

New urgent care MedPost Urgent Care, 2274 S. Telegraph Road, in Bloomfield Township, is scheduled to open this December to provide immediate medical attention and treatment.

Located in the former AT&T store at the same address, MedPost Urgent Care provides care intended to fit into patient schedules, while providing an alternative to the emergency room. From aches and pains to X-rays, and almost everything in between, MedPost serves adult and pediatric urgent care needs. The Bloomfield Township location will mark the third location for MedPost in Michigan, with other Michigan locations in Grosse Pointe and Livonia.

Unique treatment option Cryotherapy, which utilizes extremely low temperatures to treat a variety of physical ailments, is now available locally with the opening of Cyrobalance, 211 Hamilton Row, in Birmingham.

Cyrobalance, which opened on November 18, established itself as Michigan’s first whole-body cryotherapy chamber, which uses advanced dry cold therapy to aid in muscle recovery, weight-loss and anti-aging. The cryotherapy technique involves a 3-minute treatment in a chamber that reaches between -100 degrees Celsius to -150 degrees Celsius by utilizing a cold, dry nitrogen vapor.

During the session, the person’s head remains outside of the chamber, and a cold treatment is sent over the entire body, with the last 30 seconds feeling the coldest.

Among Cyrotherapy’s applications are post-surgical recovery; rheumatoid arthritis; increased metabolism; better sleep and mood; increased energy; autoimmune disorder treatment; skin condition treatment; improved skin; and athletic performance, according owners Yvette Tabangay-Nafso and her husband, A.J. Business Matters for the Birmingham - Bloomfield area are reported by Kevin Elliott. Send items for consideration to KevinElliott@downtownpublications.com. Items should be received three weeks prior to publication.

97

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The Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center cordially invites you to the kickoff event of the holiday season

Shop & Champagne This party is a special preview of the BBAC’s annual Holiday Shop - 3500 square feet of unique creations by more than 100 artists from across the region & U.S. Enjoy 10% off on your shopping that night plus seductive sweets & savories from some of the area’s finest restaurants. Sparkling champagne & wine enhance an evening of equally sparkling conversations with favorite friends & colleagues.

Wednesday, December 2 6:30-9pm ADVANCE TICKETS START AT $75 proceeds benefit ArtAccess & educational programs at the BBAC

ON SALE NOVEMBER 1 BBArtCenter.org or 248.644.0866 complimentary valet parking

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The Rattlesnake Club ▪ O’Brien’s Crabhouse ▪ The Stand Brooklyn Pizza ▪ Canapé Cart ▪ Cafe ML ▪ 220 Merrill The Root Restaurant & Bar ▪ Schakolad of Birmingham

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DOWNTOWN

12.15

PLACES TO EAT The Places To Eat for Downtown is a quick reference source to establishments offering a place for dining, either breakfast, lunch or dinner. The listings include nearly all dining establishments with seating in the Birmingham/Bloomfield area, and then some select restaurants outside the immediate area served by Downtown. The complete Places To Eat is available at downtownpublications.com and in an optimized format for your smart phone (downtownpublications.com/mobile), where you can actually map out locations and automatically dial a restaurant from our Places To Eat.

Birmingham/Bloomfield 220: American. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 220 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.646.2220.

5th Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 2262 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9607.

Andiamo: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 6676 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301.

248.865.9300.

Au Cochon: French. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 260 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009.

248.792.7795.

Bagger Dave's Legendary Burger Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301.

248.792.3579.

Bangkok Thai Bistro: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 42805 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Township, 48304.

248.499.6867.

Beau's: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 4108 W. Maple, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.626.2630.

Bella Piatti: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

167 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.494.7110.

Beverly Hills Grill: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor. No reservations. 31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, 48025. 248.642.2355.

Beyond Juice: Contemporary. Breakfast & Lunch daily; Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

No reservations. 270 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.7078.

Big Rock Chophouse: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 245 South Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.7774.

Bill's: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Daily. Reservations, lunch only.

Liquor. 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.646.9000.

Birmingham Sushi Cafe: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.8880.

Bistro Joe’s Kitchen: Global. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Sunday brunch. Liquor.

Reservations. 34244 Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.0984.

Bloomfield Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 71 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.645.6879.

Brooklyn Pizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. 111 Henrietta Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6690.

Café ML: New American. Dinner, daily.

Liquor. Call ahead. 3607 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township.

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248.642.4000.

Cafe Via: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 310 East Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.644.8800.

Cameron’s Steakhouse: American.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 115 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.723.1700.

China Village: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 1655 Opdyke, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.758.1221.

Churchill's Bistro & Cigar Bar: Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 116 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.4555.

Cityscape Deli: Deli. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Beer.

877 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.540.7220.

Commonwealth: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 300 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009.

248.792.9766.

Cosi: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & wine. 101 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.203.9200.

Dick O’Dow’s: Irish. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 160 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.642.1135.

Eddie Merlot's: Steak & seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.712.4095.

Einstein Bros. Bagels: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 176 South Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.9888. Also 4089 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

248.258.9939.

Elie’s Mediterranean Cuisine: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 263 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.647.2420.

Embers Deli & Restaurant: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 3598 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.645.1033.

Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 323 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.723.0134.

Forest: European. Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham 48009. 248.258.9400 Greek Island Coney Restaurant: Greek.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 221 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.1222.

Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American.

Dinner, Tuesday-Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday and Sunday. No Reservations.

Liquor. 575 S. Eton Street, Birmingham.

248.712.4050.

Hogan’s Restaurant: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6450 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

248.626.1800.

Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, daily. No reservations. 3633 W. Maple Rd, Bloomfield, MI 48301. 248.203.9111.

Hunter House Hamburgers: American.

Breakfast, Monday-Saturday; Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 35075 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.646.7121.

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 201 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009.

248.594.4369.

$28 PRICE FIXED HOLIDAY LUNCH MENU November 30, 2015 through December 30, 2015

Starter (Choice of One) Spilt Pea Soup Garnished with Almond Cream ~or~ Caesar Salad Main Course (Choice of One) Short Ribs Port Braised, Asparagus, Baby Carrots, White Cheddar & Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato ~or~ Blackened Tuna Fingerling Potatoes, Kale, Fennel, Romesco Sauce ~or~ Natural Chicken Breast Pan Seared, Gnocchi, Roasted Garlic & Sage Sauce Dessert (Choice of One) Yule Log With Dark Chocolate Mousse & Devil's Food Cake ~or~ Brioche Bread Pudding With Vanilla Sauce

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IHOP: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2187 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301. 248.333.7522.

Kerby’s Koney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

2160 N. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.333.1166.

La Marsa: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner daily. Reservations. 43259 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.5800.

Leo’s Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

154 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.9707.

Also 6527 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.646.8568.

Little Daddy’s Parthenon: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 39500 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.647.3400.

Luxe Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily; Late Night, 9 p.m.-closing. No reservations. Liquor. 525 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009.

248.792.6051.

Mad Hatter Cafe: Tea Room. Brunch, Lunch & Dinner. No reservations. Liquor.

185 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.540.0000 Mandaloun Bistro: Lebanese. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, Daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 30100 Telegraph Rd., Suite 130, Bingham Farms, 48025.

248.723.7960.

Market North End: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations.

Liquor. 474 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.712.4953.

MEX Mexican Bistro & Tequila Bar: Mexican. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Liquor. 6675 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301.

248.723.0800.

Mitchell’s Fish Market: Seafood. Lunch &

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 117 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.646.3663.

Mountain King: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 469 South Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.644.2913.

New Bangkok Thai Bistro: Thai. Breakfast, Monday-Thursday; Lunch, Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily. No reservations. 183 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.2181.

Nippon Sushi Bar: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2079 S. Telegraph, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9581.

Nosh & Rye: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily.

No reservations. 39495 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.646.7923.

Olga’s Kitchen: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2075 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302.

248.451.0500.

Original Pancake House: American.

Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 33703 South Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.642.5775.

Panera Bread: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 100 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.203.7966.

Also 2125 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.253.9877.

Peabody’s: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 34965 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.5222.

Phoenicia: Middle Eastern. Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

588 South Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.3122.

Pita Cafe: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 239 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.645.6999.

Qdoba: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 795 East Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.988.8941.

Also 42967 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48304.

248.874.1876 Roadside B & G: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

1727 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7270.

Rojo Mexican Bistro: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 250 Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.792.6200.

Salvatore Scallopini: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 505 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.8977.

Sanders: American. Lunch, daily. No reservations. 167 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.3215.

Social Kitchen & Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, parties of 5 or more. Liquor. 225 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.4200.

Stacked Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Delivery available. No reservations. 233 North Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.5300.

Steve’s Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6646 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48301.

248.932.0800.

Streetside Seafood: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily.

Reservations, Lunch only. Liquor. 273 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.645.9123.

Sushi Hana: Japanese. Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. 42656 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.333.3887.

Sy Thai Cafe: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. 315 Hamilton Row,

Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.9830.

Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro: American.

Dinner. Monday-Saturday. Sunday brunch.

Reservations. Liquor. 55 S. Bates Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.731.7066.

The Corner Bar: American. Dinner.

Wednesday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 100 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.2958.

The Bird & The Bread: Brasserie. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 210 S. Old Woodard, Birmingham, 48009.

248.203.6600.

The Franklin Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 32760 Franklin Rd, Franklin, 48025. 248.865.6600.

The Gallery Restaurant: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & wine. 6683 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

248.851.0313.

The Moose Preserve Bar & Grill: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 2395 S. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7688.

The Rugby Grille: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 100 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.5999.

The Stand: Euro-American. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 34977 Woodward, Birmingham, 48009.

248.220.4237.

Toast: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 203 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6278.

Touch of India: Indian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 297 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009.

248.593.7881.

Townhouse: American. Brunch, Saturday, Sunday. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 180 Pierce Street,

BBSO offers musical ensembles for all special occasions and events.

Call 248-352-BBSO (2276) for pricing and availability.

Photo: Jean Luc Fievet

BI R MIN G H AM BLOOMFI ELD SYMPHONY OR C HE S T R A

Music Director John Thomas Dodson

Upcoming Concerts Mozart in Glass: An All Mozart Evening Wednesday, April 6, 2016 – 8:00 pm Planterra, West Bloomfield Twp. Friday, April 8, 2016 – 8:00 pm Grosse Pointe War Memorial John Thomas Dodson, conductor Nancy Ambrose King, oboe Winds of Spring Friday, May 20, 2016 – 8:00 pm Christ Church Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills John Thomas Dodson, conductor

FOR TICKETS: 248.352.BBSO

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FRONT/BACK Front/Back is a monthly column devoted to news stories, tidbits and gossip items about what's happening in both the front of the house and back of the house in the restaurants in the metro Detroit area.

Bigalora expands Known for their quick-cook pizza, Bigalora Cucina will open in the first quarter of 2016 in Rochester Hills, in the shopping center at the northwest corner of Tienken Road and Main Street. Patrons “can expect to see more chef-driven pizzas,” said chef/owner Luciano DelSignore. “The biga was born in 2009,” DelSignore said, of the natural dough-starter, made of water and flour, that he said never dies.

“There’s no yeast in our dough, so because of that we ferment the dough for 72 hours, and cook it at 900 degrees for 90 seconds. In that process, the dough becomes lighter, so it becomes a light and airy, lowgluten product.” The upcoming Rochester Hills Bigalora is one of a handful of new ventures by DelSignore and his partners. This December, the restaurant will open in the McNamara terminal at Detroit Metro Airport – one of 25 new additions to the terminal. Bigalora will also have a space at the food court venue that’s coming to the Detroit Medical Center, on John R. Road in Detroit, and Midtown’s Shinola recently began offering Bigalora’s grab-n-go paninis.

Launched in 2010, Bigalora has locations in Southfield, Royal Oak, and Ann Arbor. DelSignore is a recipient of multiple nominations for a James Beard Foundation award and owns Bacco Ristorante, serving Italian dishes at 29410 Northwestern Highway in Southfield.

and his staff, who can be seen cooking in their glass-enclosed kitchen, also are preparing homemade pastas, some hearty, such as traditional bolognese, here made with boar, and chestnut tagliolini with lobster and sweet potato, or light, such as linguini vongale with fresh manila clams and garlic. Diners can choose from starters that include carrot soup, onion soup, spiced beets with an eggplant puree, delightful gnudi, and the specialty, the farm egg.

Reservations here will be a must.

Casual Ferndale eateries Ferndale will soon have two new eateries sharing one kitchen. A 24hour diner and a fast-casual Italian restaurant are moving into 276 and 280 W. Nine Mile Road, formerly Buffalo Wild Wings. Set to open by the end of this year, the Daily Dinette will specialize in fresh-fromthe-fryer donuts, as well as breakfast sandwiches, burgers, and dogs. Pop’s for Italian, opening in early 2016, will dish up Neapolitan pizza and homemade pasta whilst pouring wine and paying homage to co-owner Brian Kramer’s grandparents. “His grandfather was ‘Pop,’ and his grandmother was Nona,” said director of operations Beth Hussey. “When it came time to start talking about a meal, they started three days early.” Partnering with Kramer is Kevin Downey, former owner of the now-shuttered Fox & Hounds. The two men have been working together since 2005 and are partners in Royal Oak’s Cantina Diablo’s. Kramer also owns Ferndale’s Rosie O’Grady’s and One-Eyed Betty’s, the latter of which Hussey co-owns and helped to open in 2012.

Forest opens

Midtown meat menu

The new incarnation of Forest, formerly Forest Grill, at 735 Forest Avenue in Birmingham, owned by Phoenicia’s Samy Eid, opened November 16 after a gentle remodeling. Dark mahogany woods offset glass windows, with chic white light fixtures adding a special ambiance. Executive Chef Nick Janutol, a holdover from the previous incarnation, has been allowed to fly with a menu that is European/Continental, with sturgeon, duck breast, lamb shoulder, as well as a ribeye steak and other fish highlighted. Janutol

Twins John and Dave Vermiglio, together with Joe Giacomino, and beverage aficionado Will Lee of Selden Standard, are working hard as they prepare Grey Ghost Detroit, a meat-centric restaurant slated to open this spring. The partners haven’t divulged a location yet, but mentioned Midtown and Brush Park.

“Meat is a common factor in all we do, though we’ll definitely accommodate vegetarians and have lot of options,” said John Vermiglio.

“We’ll focus on what’s at the heart of Midwestern cuisine. When people say, ‘define the cuisine of the

Midwest,’ you hear a lot of ‘casseroles’ and ‘meat and potatoes.’ We grew up on it, but we’ll refine it from the green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup, and experiment with aging and drying meat.” An idea born five years ago between the Vermiglio brothers, the restaurant intends to be approachable from all aspects.

“Someone can come in a suit and tie after work, get a 60-day dry-aged ribeye, or come in and get something more affordable,” said Giacomino. “Roll in in your Tigers shirt.” The crew will work with local farmers, but said that aspect is not a selling point. “You’ll never hear us say ‘farm-to-table,’ because it’s our belief that it’s the bottom-line standard. We don’t hang our hats on that, with all due respect,” Vermiglio and Giacomino expressed together.

“Somewhere along the line, the term lost its luster.” The two moved from Chicago to Ferndale in September.

“The city is moving faster that we are, so we got to keep up,” said Vermiglio, a metro Detroit native.

Best Chef award Nominated for the 2016 James Beard Foundation award, Executive Chef Jody Brunori of The Laundry, 125 W. Shiawassee in Fenton, is honored to be a contender for ‘Best Chef in the Great Lakes Region.’

“It’s like the Oscar’s of the culinary world,” said Brunori, who’s worked at the restaurant for a decade. “It’s not the end-all-be-all, but in an industry full of hard work, long hours and dedication, it makes you feel like what you’re doing is worthwhile. I’ve always been a goal setter and, starting later in life, I wanted to be a chef by the time I was 40, and I made that happen,” Brunori recalled, who recently set out to earn a James Beard nomination. “It was a crazy coincidence.” The Laundry opened 17 years ago serving breakfast, and then added a bar and began offering full-service dinner six years later.

Brunori went to culinary school after she divorced. “I fell in love with the whole aspect of the industrial kitchen,” she said. “I loved going to school. I decided I would go fullsteam ahead.” Brunori shares the kitchen with her 23-year-old son, who’s a sous chef at The Laundry.

“He’s following in my footsteps and he does a great job here.” The gala for the James Beard Foundation

awards will take place May 2, 2016, in Chicago.

Katoi coming “We’re hoping the brick and mortar will open in January,” said Katoi partner Courtney Henriette, of the restaurant that’s moving into 2520 Michigan Avenue in Detroit. “It used to be Willy’s Garage, years ago. We took the whole roof off, it’s been an amazing construction.” Dishing up a rotating menu of Thai-inspired food, Katoi started as a Detroit-based food truck, and expanded to Ann Arbor this summer. As the team travels between cities in preparation for the Corktown opening, chefs du cuisine Cameron Rolka, previously of Dime Store, and Michael Conrad, previously of Bacco Ristorante, are working closely with Henriette and Executive Chef Brad Greenhill.

“Our menu is usually really meaty or really veggie-based. If we have a lot of vegetables, it tends to be vegan.

The cool thing is that the guys will have better equipment like woks, and can maybe have more large animals like lamb and cow,” said Henriette, noting that the menu currently leans towards pork dishes.

Once the new restaurant swings open, the Ann Arbor location will be on hiatus.

Vietnamese food expands The family that launched Pho Lucky in 2012 opened a fourth location in Midtown Detroit, at 3111 Woodward Avenue this November.

Owners Cong, Amy and Andy Nguyen, along with their cousin Tommy Hoang, present a Vietnamese menu of pho, spring rolls, rice plates and vermicelli bowls. The most popular dish in Vietnam, the team describes pho as “Vietnamese comfort food.” Made with beef broth, noodles, meatballs, and steak, it’s topped off with crunchy bean spouts and flavored by basil, cilantro, lime, hoisin sauce and Sriracha sauce. For a delicious pick-me-up, Pho Lucky serves Vietnamese iced coffee – fresh brewed and sweetened with condensed milk. Additional locations include Southfield, Novi and Redford.

Destination cooking Black Rock Bar and Grill, where patrons can sizzle their steak on a blistering hot volcanic stone,

expanded in November to Canton, at 41601 Ford Road, the former home of Roman Forum. Employing 150 staff and seating up to 450, the restaurant has a dining room with 43 TVs, an outdoor patio with a fireplace to keep warm, and the TVfree Wine Room, a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle. Father and son Jack and Jake Schifko opened the Canton location with partners Karl Albriecht, Janine Morse, and Steve Mellows. A 755-degree stone doubles as a plate for steak. “The volcanic stone sears the meat, holding in the juices and making it much more tender than what you get on a grill.” said Jake Schifko.

“You cook it slice by slice, as you go, so nothing gets cold, nothing gets chewy.” The menu also includes burgers, soups, salads and Mountain Dew slushies for the kids.

“We’re seeing lines out the door during the weekend,” said Schifko.

This is the fourth location, with others being in Novi, Hartland and Woodhaven. “We’re acquiring (locations in) Troy and Grand Rapids within the next year-and-a-half or two years,” said Schifko. Black Rock is leasing the Canton building from the Gatto family, who built the building 40 years ago to house Roman Forum, an Italian restaurant that shuttered in January, 2015.

POP UP INTEL Yemans Street, 2995 Yemans Street in Hamtramck: Joe Giacomino and John Vermiglio, of Grey Ghost Detroit, opening in spring, will serve The Cow Menu, a multicourse dinner, on Friday, December 4. Yemans is now booking for holiday events, said co-owner Corrie Tinker. “We have recently added private parties, we have a chef readily available for all needs.” yemansstreet.com The Menagerie, 31 N. Saginaw Street in Pontiac: Mike Little, owner of Crème Fresh Catering, farm-totable dinner, Sunday, December 6.

BYOB. menageriekitchen.com Front/Back is reported each month by Katie Deska. KatieDeska@DowntownPublications.com. We welcome news items or tips, on or off the record, about what's happening in the front or back of the house at metro area restaurants.

Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.5241.

Triple Nickel Restaurant and Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor.

Reservations. 555 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009. 248.480.4951.

Village Coney Island: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 653 S. Adams.

Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.7964.

Whistle Stop Diner: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; No reservations. 501 S. Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.566.3566.

Royal Oak/Ferndale Ale Mary's: American. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 316 South Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.268.1917 Anita’s Kitchen: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 22651 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.548.0680.

Andiamo Restaurants: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 129 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.582.0999.

Assaggi Bistro: Italian. Lunch, TuesdayFriday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 330 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.584.3499.

Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 711 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067.

Bistro 82: French. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 401 S. Lafayette Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.542.0082.

The Blue Nile: Ethiopian. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 545 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220.

248.547.6699.

Bspot Burgers: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 310 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.268.1621.

Cafe Muse: French. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 418 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.544.4749.

Cork Wine Pub: American. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 23810 Woodward Ave., Pleasant Ridge, 48069.

248.544.2675.

D’Amato’s: Italian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

222 Sherman Dr., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.584.7400.

Due Venti: Italian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

220 S. Main St., Clawson, 48017.

248.288.0220.

The Fly Trap: Diner. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 22950 Woodward Ave., 48220. 248.399.5150.

Howe’s Bayou: Cajun. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 22949 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.691.7145.

Inn Season Cafe: Vegetarian. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. No reservations. 500 E. Fourth St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.547.7916.

Inyo Restaurant Lounge: Asian Fusion.

Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 22871 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220.

248.543.9500.

KouZina: Greek. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 121 N. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.629.6500.

Lily’s Seafood: Seafood. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 410 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.591.5459.

Local Kitchen and Bar: American.

Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 344 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220.

248.291.5650.

Lockhart’s BBQ: Barbeque. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 202 E. Third St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.584.4227.

Oak City Grille: American. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 212 W. 6th St, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.556.0947.

One-Eyed Betty: American. Weekend Breakfast. Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 175 W. Troy St., Ferndale, 48220. 248.808.6633.

Pronto!: American. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 608 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.7900.

Public House: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 241 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220.

248.850.7420.

Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

31542 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, 48073. 248.549.0300.

Ronin: Japanese. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 326 W. 4th St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.546.0888.

Royal Oak Brewery: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

215 E. 4th St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.544.1141.

Toast, A Breakfast and Lunch Joint: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 23144 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.398.0444.

Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 318 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.541.1186.

Town Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 116 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.544.7300/ Trattoria Da Luigi: Italian. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 415 S, Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.542.4444.

Vinsetta Garage: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

27799 Woodward Ave., Berkley, 48072.

248.548.7711.

Troy/Rochester Bspot Burgers: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 176 N. Adams Rd, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.218.6001.

Capital Grille: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2800 West Big Beaver Rd., Somerset Collection, Troy, 48084. 248.649.5300.

Cafe Sushi: Pan-Asian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1933 W. Maple Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.280.1831.

Ganbei Chinese Restaurant and Bar: Chinese. Lunch, Monday-Saturday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 227 S. Main St, Rochester, 48307.

248.266.6687.

O’Connor’s Irish Public House: Irish.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 324 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.608.2537.

Kona Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 30 E. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48083.

248.619.9060.

Kruse & Muer on Main: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 327 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.652.9400.

Lakes: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 5500 Crooks Rd., Troy, 48098.

248.646.7900.

McCormick & Schmick’s: Steak & Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. Somerset Collection, 2850 Coolidge Hwy, Troy, 48084. 248.637.6400.

The Meeting House: American. Weekend

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P U B L I C A T I O N S 124 WeST MAPLe ROAD BIRMINghAM 48009

Not to b bee explained. exp explained . To b bee exp experienced.

B

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Chef Stand Harvest Series Chef Paul will source local Ingredients and present 4 courses with two wine paired courses for $50.00. Chef Paul will take this welcomed opportunity to display local ingredients with his classic methods for a wonderful experience. Each week will feature a new menu.

6:00pm & 8:00pm seatings Friday & Saturday evenings.

Please call 248-220-4237 for your reservation.

34977 Woodward Ave, Birmingham

248.220.4237

Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 301 S. Main St, Rochester, 48307. 248.759.4825.

Miguel’s Cantina: Mexican. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 870 S. Rochester Rd, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.453.5371.

Mon Jin Lau: Asian. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1515 E. Maple Rd, Troy, 48083.

248.689.2332.

Morton’s, The Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 888 W. Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.404.9845.

NM Café: American. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 2705 W. Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48084.

248.816.3424.

Oceania Inn: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Village of Rochester Hills, 3176 Walton Blvd, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.375.9200.

Ocean Prime: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2915 Coolidge Hwy., Troy, 48084. 248.458.0500.

Orchid Café: Thai. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. 3303 Rochester Rd., Troy, 48085.

248.524.1944.

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

Somerset Collection, 2801 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084. 248.816.8000.

Rochester Chop House: Steak & Seafood.

Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 306 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.651.2266.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 755 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084. 248.269.8424.

Silver Spoon: Italian. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 6830 N. Rochester Rd., Rochester, 48306.

248.652.4500.

Steelhouse Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1129 E. Long Lake Rd., Troy, 48085.

248.817.2980.

Tre Monti Ristorante: Italian. Lunch, Thursdays. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 1695 E. Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48083. 248.680.1100.

West Bloomfield/Southfield Bacco: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 29410 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.356.6600.

Beans and Cornbread: Southern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 29508 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.208.1680.

Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 29110 Franklin Road, Southfield, 48034.

Maria’s Restaurant: Italian. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2080 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323.

248.851.2500.

The Bombay Grille: Indian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 29200 Orchard Lake Rd, Farmington Hills, 48334.

248.626.2982.

The Fiddler: Russian. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Thursday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 6676 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322.

248.851.8782.

The Lark: American. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 6430 Farmington Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.661.4466.

Mene Sushi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 6239 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.538.7081.

Meriwether’s: Seafood. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 25485 Telegraph Rd, Southfield, 48034. 248.358.1310.

Pickles & Rye: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6724 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.737.3890.

Prime29 Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6545 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.7463.

Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor.

6745 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.865.0500.

Shangri-La: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. Orchard Mall Shopping Center, 6407 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322.

248.626.8585.

Sposita’s Ristorante: Italian. Friday Lunch.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 33210 W. Fourteen Mile Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248. 538.8954.

Stage Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

6873 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.855.6622.

Sweet Lorraine’s Café & Bar: American.

Weekend Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 29101 Greenfield Rd., Southfield, 48076.

248.559.5985.

Yotsuba: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 7365 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield, 48322.

248.737.8282.

West Oakland Gravity Bar & Grill: Mediterranean. Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday, Dinner.

Reservations. Liquor. 340 N. Main Street, Milford, 48381. 248.684.4223.

It's A Matter of Taste: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2323 Union Lake Road, Commerce, 48390.

248.360.4150.

The Root Restaurant & Bar: American.

Lunch & Dinner, Monday - Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 340 Town Center Blvd., White Lake, 48390.

248.698.2400.

Volare Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 48992 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.960.7771.

North Oakland Clarkston Union: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 54 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346.

248.620.6100.

Holly Hotel: American. Afternoon Tea, Monday – Saturday, Brunch, Sunday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 110 Battle Alley, Holly, 48442.

248.634.5208.

Kruse's Deer Lake Inn: Seafood. Lunch & dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7504 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346.

248.795.2077.

Via Bologna: Italian. Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 7071 Dixie Highway, Clarkston. 48346. 248.620.8500.

Union Woodshop: BBQ. Dinner, Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday – Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 18 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346.

248.625.5660

Detroit Angelina Italian Bistro: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor.

1565 Broadway St., Detroit, 48226.

313.962.1355.

Antietam: French. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

1428 Gratiot Ave., Detroit, 48207.

313.782.4378.

Bucharest Grill: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2040 Park Ave., Detroit, 48226.

thestandbistro.com th hestandbistro.com m 104

DOWNTOWN

12.15

Happy Holidays from our family to yours.

Shop at Hills. Family owned and operated. “It tastes better here.”

There is no need to go anywhere else to stock up for the holiday season or for any other occasion during the year. You will find the right wine, liquor or beer at fair prices. Friendly service and attention to detail is what you will find at our boutique wine and liquor store.

We offer: Case discounts on select wines and champagnes (mix or match); premium cigars & lighters; an extensive liquor selection; over 300 fine single malt scotches and cognacs; and 600+ craft, micro & imported beers. Delivery services are available. Keg beer available.

The lowest liquor prices in Michigan.

Same as warehouse club prices. Gift cards available.

FINE WINE • CHAMPAGNES • BOURBONS COGNACS • SINGLE MALT SCOTCHES • VODKAS CRAFT • MICRO • IMPORTED BEERS • KEGS PREMIUM CIGARS & LIGHTERS SEE OUR EXTENSIVE SELECTION

41 W. Long Lake Road • Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 Located on the south side of Long Lake Road and west of Woodward, next to PNC Bank.

248-540-8200 Website: HillsFineWine.com Email: info@HillsFineWineandSpirits.com Open Monday through Friday 9 am - 9 pm; Saturday 10 am - 9 pm; Sunday 12 noon - 6 pm

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Your purchase of $50.00 or more*

Any Craft, Micro & Imported Beers, Many Wines & Champagnes

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Excludes liquor, cigarettes and sale wines.

Limit 1 per Customer per visit.

Expires 1-5-16

Excludes sale wines and sale beers.

Limit 1 per Customer per visit. $14.99+tax $149.99+tax $44.99+tax

Expires 1-5-16

come as you are

weekend brunch Join us on

Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Omelets • S pecialty Egg and Benedict Dishes • F rench Toast Waffles • Pancakes • Biscuits and Gravy • House Smoked Salmon Steel Cut Oats • Granola Parfait • Salads • Burgers and Sandwiches House Smoked Specialties and much more!

Now accepting reservations for holiday parties!

248.438.6741 • www.cayagrill.com 1403 S. Commerce Rd., Wolverine Lake

The Birmingham/Bloomfield area is filled with discriminating diners and an array of dining establishments. Make sure the message for your restaurant reaches the right market in the right publication—Downtown.

Contact David Hohendorf for advertising rate information.

O: 248.792.6464 Ext. 800 DavidHohendorf@downtownpublications.com

106

313.965.3111.

Cliff Bell’s: American. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 2030 Park Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.961.2543.

Coach Insignia: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

100 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243.

313.567.2622.

Craft Work: American. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 8047 Agnes St., Detroit, 48214.

313.469.0976.

Cuisine: French. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 670 Lothrop Rd., Detroit, 48202. 313.872.5110.

The Detroit Seafood Market: Seafood.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 1435 Randolph St., Detroit, 48226. 313.962.4180.

El Barzon: Mexican. Lunch, Tuesday-Friday.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 3710 Junction St., Detroit, 48210. 313.894.2070.

Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café: Cajun.

Breakfast, daily. Sunday Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 400 Monroe Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.965.4600.

Giovanni’s Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 330 S. Oakwood Blvd., Detroit, 48217. 313.841.0122.

Green Dot Stables: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2200 W. Lafayette, Detroit, 48216.

313.962.5588.

Jefferson House: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 2 Washington Blvd., Detroit, 48226. 313.782.4318.

Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Lunch, Monday- Friday, Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243. 313.567.6837.

Johnny Noodle King: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2601 W. Fort St., Detroit, 48216.

313.309.7946.

Maccabees at Midtown: American.

Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

5057 Woodward Ave., Detroit, 48202.

313.831.9311.

Mario’s: Italian. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 4222 2nd Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.832.1616.

Midtown Shangri-la: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 4710 Cass Ave., Detroit, 48201.

313.974.7669.

Motor City Brewing Works: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Beer & Wine. 470 W. Canfield St., Detroit, 48201. 313.832.2700.

1917 American Bistro: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 19416 Livernois Ave., Detroit, 48221.

313.863.1917.

Prism: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 555 E. Lafayette St, Detroit, 48226.

313.309.2499.

Red Smoke Barbeque: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

Trappers Alley Shopping Center, 573 Monroe Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.962.2100.

Roma Café: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

3401 Riopelle St., Detroit, 48207.

313.831.5940.

Russell Street Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. 2465 Russell St, Detroit, 48207. 313.567.2900.

DOWNTOWN

Santorini Estiatorio: Greek. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 501 Monroe Ave, Detroit, 48226. 313.962.9366.

Selden Standard: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 3921 Second Ave., Detroit, 48201.

313.438.5055.

Sinbad’s: Seafood. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

100 St Clair St., Detroit, 48214.

313.822.8000.

Slows Bar BQ: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2138 Michigan Ave, Detroit, 48216.

313.962.9828.

Small Plates Detroit: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 1521 Broadway St., Detroit, 48226. 313.963.0702.

St. CeCe’s Pub: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 1426 Bagley Ave., Detroit, 48216.

313.962.2121.

Tap at MGM Grand: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 1777 Third Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.465.1234.

Taqueria Nuestra Familia: Mexican.

Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 7620 Vernor Hwy., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.5668.

The Block: American. Sunday Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 3919 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.0892.

Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 519 East Jefferson Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.964.4010.

Top of the Pontch: American. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservation. Liquor. 2 Washington Blvd, Detroit, 48226.

313.782.4313.

Traffic Jam & Snug: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

511 W. Canfield, Detroit, 48201.

313.831.9470.

24grille: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, 1114 Washington Blvd, Detroit, 48226.

313.964.3821.

Union Street: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 4145 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201.

313.831.3965.

Vince’s: Italian. Lunch, Tuesday-Friday.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 1341 Springwells St., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.4857.

Vivio’s Food & Spirits: American.

Saturday Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2460 Market St., Detroit, 48207.

313.393.1711.

The Whitney: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & High Tea, Monday-Friday. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, daily. Liquor.

Reservations. 4421 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.5700.

Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina: Italian. Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 1777 Third St, Detroit, 48226. 313.465.1646.

Wolfgang Puck Steak: Steak & Seafood.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1777 Third St, Detroit, 48226.

313.465.1411.

Wright & Co.: American. Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 1500 Woodward Ave Second Floor, Detroit, 48226. 313.962.7711.

12.15

AT THE TABLE With Sklar's talent, the new Au Cochon has real promise

By J. March

very once in a while something comes along that you just can’t put into words. As a writer, this is what I like to call “not so bueno.” It's not writer’s block. There are just no words. So for as much as I hate the idea of shopping others words, I go to the Internet in hopes of being inspired. After a two-hour long search that included “What is French food?” and “Classic French cuisine” and “Thomas Keller on French cookery,” I finally realized why there were no words. You cannot describe something that has yet to be defined.

French food has no definition. Truly. I am afraid to say it for fear of looking like a total fraud but there is no other conclusion to be had. I could not find one concise explanation of what French food is. There are some that will say that Escoffier and the 5 mother sauces are the core of all modern cookery today. No Bechamel, no Mac and Cheese. No espagnole, no gravy. No bearnaise, no Eggs Benedict. There are some that will say that French food is simply the classics, Coq au vin, escargot, Creme Brulee, quiche.

One article (written by a Parisian) entitled, “10 French Foods to Eat Before You Die” listed wine as number two. Hashtag Soulmate. Some will say that true French food is heavy and born from butter and cream and more butter. However, in Provence and Normandy, olive oil, fresh seafood, fish, herbs and produce make up most of their cuisine. Even though I just used a whole bunch of words to describe what I couldn't put into words, I think you get it.

When you make a reservation at a Birmingham place named Au Cochon, you make some basic assumptions. You may max out your credit card after apps and drinks. You may not get apps or drinks because “Ze waiter may zink you are not sophisticated enough to take up zee table.” You may not speak the entire meal as you can only point at what you want to order. Fancy French words are scary.

Period. And I am not too proud to admit I was prepared to peek in the window then run at the first sight of escargot tongs or tall men with pencil mustaches. None to be seen, I bravely entered and am happy to say how completely wrong I was.

Au Cochon has an amazing vibe. Again, it’s hard to describe. I felt like I was sitting in a well-established, casual village restaurant somewhere anywhere other then Birmingham. It wasn't all polished and shiny like a new restaurant usually is. It just felt warm. Like your favorite, stained hoodie or hole-laden sweatshirt you just can’t bring yourself to throw away. Admittedly, it was a Monday night and there wasn't much of a crowd, but in that moment, all I could think about was how I may just possibly sit there till Le Roosters started crowing.

The menu is small. Pleasantly so. I had looked at the menu online and was so excited to start with the Gougeres with ham, gruyere mousse and mustard, but soon realized they were not on the menu in front of me. It was explained to me that they pulled them off the menu because execution was too hard. After looking at the size of this kitchen, this made perfect sense and I can appreciate having to make apologies for not trying it rather than apologizing after the fact.

E

Skate Meuniere: duchess potato, charred cauliflower, caper. Downtown photo: Jean Lannen

My two second choices of Fromage Blanc and Steak Tartare made me forget about the gougeres from earlier. Sheep's milk cheese whipped and touched with truffle honey and lemon (pretty sure I tasted a hint of basil, too) served with what is listed as toast points but definitely not your average toast points. Think garlic bread put on a panini press.

Buttery crispy exterior with soft, warm insides and the perfect vehicle for the whipped, sweet and savory cheese. The tartare was classically prepared with capers, egg yolk and mustard, but served with chips rather then crostini. Though I loved the flavors of the chips and the casual spin that fit the entire place, they were sliced a little too thin and didn't hold the tartare. Mussels, frog legs, oysters and shrimp cocktail are appropriately on the menu. What was a bit out of place was bacon. Listed as such and served with a bourbon glaze and cracked pepper. With all the options available for small plates in a French cafe, bacon is a sell out. Period.

Seven entrees are offered. Once again, you can tell that the owners and Chef at Au Cochon aren't completely convinced they can pull off the entire theme of casual French food so the Fromage burger rears its ugly head. Cheeseburgers on a menu with Chickpea Crepe and Skate Meuniere? That's more like Peas & Popsicles than Peas & Carrots.

I took the manager's suggestion and went with the Steak Frites and Skate Meuniere.Though the presentation was ideal, the Steak Frites were utterly disappointing. The frites were more like shoestring potatoes and the steak was clearly a sirloin cut. Once I was informed that the steak was sous vide, I sighed a heavy sigh and lost a little bit of love for Au Cochon.

Though this will come with much controversy, it is my opinion that sous vide food is the modern version of microwaving – user friendly and perfect for kicking

out a bunch of food with little to no skill or execution.

The Skate was the opposite. Although it came out looking like a hot mess on the plate, the fish itself was perfectly cooked, with a mildly sweet, firm texture and a meunier sauce that was exactly as it should be. The potatoes were overcooked, bland and the charred cauliflower was not only remiss of any char but cold and tasted like it had been pickled.

I ordered the side of carrots and onions with herbs and guessed that my Monday evening appearance made me the victim of weekend leftovers. Much like a couch from Big Lots, the carrots had an exterior of leather and an interior of straw. Although I cannot say what the herbs and spices were, I can say that what I tasted was an abundance of rosemary and mustard seed that were awful together.

Co-owner Zack Sklar has proven that he is capable and talented. Beau’s in Bloomfield is exceptional (at least it was when I reviewed it months ago) and Social Kitchen and Bar keeps packing them in. He has professed to open 70 restaurants and at this pace, it's easily obtainable. There is no doubt about his talent and Au Cochon definitely has promise. Go for the Fromage. Go for the Tartare. Go for the Skate. And if for no other reason, go because anyplace that translates to “The Pig” can't be all that bad.

Au Cochon, 260 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham 48009. Reservations recommended by calling 248.792.7795. Hours are Monday through Sunday from 5 p.m.-midnight, with bar hours extended till 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Street parking is available. Handicap accessible.

J. March has 25 years experience in the restaurant industry in southeast Michigan, including certification as a sommelier.

THE COMMUNITY HOUSE THE ART OF 'THANK YOU'

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“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” – W.T. Purkiser

As our “community” heads into the sacred season of counting our blessings and giving back to others, so too are all of us at The Community House; our leadership, staff and TCH beneficiaries – counting our blessings. For it is without all of our cherished supporters: our donors, corporate sponsors, class takers, child-care families, event guests, community partners, dancers, travelers, and our dedicated corp of volunteers – that our work would not be made possible. Saying “thank you” never seems to be enough, but, it’s a place to start.

It’s been said that “one of the key ways of expressing gratitude is the thank you note. Unfortunately, many folks today completely overlook this aspect of etiquette and consequently break the hearts of sweet little grandmas everywhere.” Every lady and every gentleman should be knowledgeable of the whens and hows of writing thank you notes.

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Recently I read that “life is moving at a breakneck pace, and each of us is forced by our e-mails, our iPads and our need to stay even in a perilous world to maintain or exceed this pace.”

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It is during this time of thanksgiving and important reflection that The Community House pauses to humbly acknowledge and remember the many kindnesses and extraordinary generosity from those that have been entrusted with much. Support that has made our work possible.

Did we promptly and properly thank those that have been good to The Community House? Did we always remember to express our gratitude to those that have supported this most treasured and historic institution, to those that have graced our hallways, our classrooms and our gathering space? I hope so. We must. It is what we are called upon to do.

Lincoln

.

As a 93-year old non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization, The Community House relies solely on the kindness and generosity of others – to deliver on our mission – and to provide the community critical programs and services, programs and services which benefit and enrich the lives of others in our great community – some, without the ability to pay.

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In today’s fast-paced world, “many of us have forgotten to say thank you for even the simplest courtesies that we receive, from a bagger in our grocery store, to a server in a restaurant, to an operator giving us a phone number – even for an invitation or an event we are privileged to attend.”

The only publication of its kind in Birmingham/Bloomfield.

Quality editorial environment. Produced by local residents from offices in downtown Birmingham.

Join the local business leaders, almost 400 of whom use Downtown on a regular basis, in our January issue.

Ad deadline Friday, December 11.

“Any of us who receives a sincere ‘thank you’ knows and appreciates what it means.”

As we head into this sacred season of counting our blessings and giving thanks, I will remind the team at The Community House how important the “art of thank you” is – It takes so little effort, yet it means so much. Season’s Greetings and many thanks!

NEW 2016 Opportunities for Corporate Sponsorship or Individual Support The Bates Street Society was created to help recognize donors who make significant charitable contributions to support the work and mission of The Community House.

Members will be acknowledged annually at The Bates Street Society Dinner, an extraordinary evening hosted by TCH’s Board of Directors. The Bates Street Society Dinner will also recognize TCH’s annual Pillars of Vibrancy; Education, Culture, Wellness and Philanthropy. Save-the-Date: Saturday, January 30, 2016. Tickets on sale now.

SIP; Craft Cocktails, Contemporary Cuisine, Community Conscious.

The goal and vision of SIP is to create a world-class signature fundraising event that would bring together aficionados of fine cuisine and extraordinary craft cocktails who wanted to share their interests and good fortune with others in a first-class setting for the benefit of children and adults served by TCH. Save-the-Date: Saturday, March 12, 2016. Tickets on sale now.

William D. Seklar is President & CEO of The Community House in Birmingham. downtownpublications.com

MICHIGAN’S FLASHLIGHT HEADQUARTERS

Come & See Our Unique Stocking Stuffers

I read recently that “Gratitude is a virtue every man should cultivate. Yet gratitude means nothing if you haven’t mastered the art of expressing it. A man should use every opportunity to express to those around him how much he appreciates their love, support, and generosity.”

DOWNTOWN

Contact David Hohendorf.

(O) 248.792.6464 ext. 800 DavidHohendorf@downtownpublications.com

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Happy Holidays Wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season and a prosperous New Year!

Sandra Treboldi c 248.672.9669 | streboldi@signaturesothebys.com

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Dana Labes c 248.514.0781 | dlabes@signaturesothebys.com

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Here is the update on the recent social scene. Many more photos from each event appear online each week at downtownpublications.com where readers can sign up for an e-mail notice when the latest social scene column is posted. Past columns and photos are also archived at the website for Downtown.

Palladium/Ironwood Grill Charity Opening

Palladium/Ironwood Grill Charity Opening Things change. A few people still around remember when Crowley’s department store was at the corner of Old Woodward and Hamilton. And now, Sally Gerak thanks to A.F. Jonna Company which is redeveloping the Palladium building that replaced Crowley’s, Paul and Mary Glantz and Jon Goldstein have carved out the most comfortable imaginable movie-going experience on the fourth floor. Think five auditoriums with digital surround sound furnished with large scale, leather, recliner seats that can be reserved in advance with an Emagine Platinum Membership offering many other perks. And for those who want to do dinner and a movie, the Ironwood Grill adjoins the theatre lobby and offers upscale, casual dining with large TV screens for sports fans and a retractable window on the Woodward side for semi-al fresco dining when weather permits. Speedy, new elevators whisk guests up to this film aficionado’s nirvana.

Nearly 1,000 people previewed all of this during the three-part charity opening benefiting four non-profits: Beaumont Children’s Hospital, The Community House, Kids Kicking Cancer and Variety, The Children’s Charity. Nearly 400 of them did dinner and a movie two nights before the grand opening on October 1. It attracted a sold out crowd of 550 for cocktails and a scrumptious, strolling dinner before a movie. The opening events raised $100,000 for the four charities. Change is good.

SAID Campaign Benefit Becky Sorensen and Kathy Ross hosted a cocktail reception that proved how supportive to each other women are. Even when the “other” is a total stranger. As in the case of the 11,000 rape victims whose unopened rape kits were found in a storage unit. Nearly 200 women and a few guys donated at least $100 to the Enough SAID (Sexual Assaults in Detroit) campaign to attend the gathering at the Sorensens’ Bloomfield Hills home. They socialized and savored the yummy hors d’oeuvres and wines many of the 24 committee ladies brought for sharing. All paused to hear Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and campaign leader Michigan Women’s Foundation’s Peg Tallett. They learned that enough money has already been raised to test 10,000 kits, that the tests identified 127 serial rapists and that more money is required to test the remaining kits and to investigate and prosecute the cases. “Every victim deserves justice,” Worthy declared, before Sorensen profusely thanked everybody for supporting the event. It raised $26,000.

To get more information or donate, go to crowdrise.com/EnoughSaid.

Women of Tomorrow Make Your Mark Event The Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program, which was founded by TV journalist Jennifer Valoppi, a Detroit area native now based in south Florida, serves 1,100 girls in 55 metro Detroit public high schools. One of those is Cass Tech, whose principal spoke briefly at the WoT Make Your Mark event. It was hosted by the family of the late Irma Elder and attracted 150 people ($125 & up donation) to the Elders’ Aston Martin Showroom in Troy. “Women of Tomorrow have been at Cass for five years now…Every Women of Tomorrow kid at my school has got a college scholarship...They are a big deal,” declared Lisa Phillips. She was followed at the microphone by Valoppi, who introduced a video about Irma Elder thusly, “Irma was so passionate about Women of Tomorrow.” The video was a beautiful homage to the late Ford dealer. It featured family and career photos and loving recollections by admirers like Edsel Ford and many in the crowd. All guests received a copy of the Tribute to Irma Elder DVD . And, thanks to Irma’s family who underwrote the event, Women of Tomorrow received $107,000 to provide scholarships, drop-out prevention, increased access to higher education and pathways out of poverty to at risk kids. Women of achievement who are interested in becoming a mentor may call 248.430.4095 for information.

Spirit of Manresa Gala Sally Janecek coordinated Manresa Jesuit Retreat House’s 12th annual fundraiser. It attracted 230 (tickets $100, $250, and up) to the St. Nicholas Center in Troy. Many arrived early for Mass before the cocktail hour. It featured lots of socializing, silent auction bidding, a basket of spirits raffle and music by pianist downtownpublications.com

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1. Emagine Palladium co-owners Jon Goldstein (left) of Bloomfield and Paul & Mary Glantz of Lake Angelus. 2. Bryan Becker & Colleen Burcar of Bloomfield. 3. David (back left), Alyson and Jeffrey King, Charley King (left front) and Sadie Green of Birmingham. 4. Carol & Tom Beeler of Birmingham. 5. Pat Rosen (left) of Troy, Karla Sherry of Bloomfield. 6. Doug Ashley (left) of Bloomfield, Linda Hartfield of Farmington Hills, Bob Kupfer of Bloomfield. 7. Pamela & Len Dillon of Bloomfield. 8. Lois Shaevsky (center) with Paul W. & Kim Smith of Bloomfield. 9. Jeff & Shelley Roberts of Birmingham. 10. Debbie & Richard Astrein of Huntington Woods.

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SAID Campaign Benefit

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1. Event hosts Becky Sorensen (left) and Kathy Ross of Bloomfield. 2. Wilma Abney (left) of Southfield, Sharman Davenport of Rochester Hills, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy of Detroit, Tia Cobb of Rochester Hills. 3. Gigi Debbrecht (left) and Cheryl Cooper of Birmingham. 4. Roberta Granadier (left) of Bloomfield, Meg Coughlin of Rochester Hills. 5. Dana Sorensen (left) of Bloomfield, Ali Restaino of Birmingham.

6. Ellen Cale (left) and Kay White Meyer of Bloomfield.

7. Denise Kulak and Charles Wickins of Birmingham.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Women of Tomorrow Make Your Mark Event

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Herbert Meyer before the fine dinner, catered by Opus One. Emcee Marie Osborne opened the program by prompting applause for Pope Francis, whose visit was fresh in the minds of all, by noting, “It’s cool to be Catholic.” Judge Daniel Patrick O’Brien spoke convincingly about the 34 retreats he has made at the 37-acre, wooded Bloomfield Hills campus.

“There is no more profitable use of that valuable land than its current use,” he declared. The cacophony of a live auction was then eschewed in place of written pledges before a ribbon-cutting to open Manresa’s 90th anniversary year-long celebration. Event proceeds were not released.

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American Cancer Society’s Cattle Baron’s Ball Detroit’s 13th annual Cattle Baron’s Ball attracted 900 cowpokes to Cobo Center to sip, shop in auctions, relish great donated cuisine and ride a mechanical bull. They also applauded the Cowger Leadership Awardees Kathy and John Brennan, honorary chair sponsor Ford’s Hau Thai-Tang, the Swon Brothers, Annabelle Road and the Parade of Chefs.

It featured culinary winners: Best Sweet- Annabel Cohen Cooks Detroit; Best Savory - Firebird Tavern; Best in Presentation: Coach Insignia. But the biggest applause was for the total raised by the live auction. It featured a 2106 Shelby GT 350 Ford Mustang and generated more than $400,000 of the $1.4 million the event raised. Since the ball’s debut, more than $14 million has been raised to help people stay well, get well and find cures.

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1. Jennifer Valoppi (left) of Miami, FL, board member Florine Mark of Farmington Hills, Sam Valenti of Bloomfield. 2. Laurie Cunnington (left) of Birmingham, Lisa Phillips of Farmington Hills, Dina Cunnington of Bloomfield. 3. Judy Runco (left) of Birmingham, Katie Valenti of Bloomfield. 4. Ronnie Phillips (left) of Farmington Hills, Tom Cunnington of Birmingham, Patrick Cunnington of Bloomfield.

5. Pamela Alexander (left) of Ann Arbor, Mary Jo Dawson of Bloomfield, Stephanie Elder Batterswall of Ada, Rosemary Bannon of Beverly Hills.

6. Pamela Swift (left) and Sandy Morrison of Bloomfield, Katana Abbott of Commerce. 7. Mary Ann Audette (left) of Commerce, Deborah & John Schrot of Birmingham, Chip Dawson of Bloomfield.

Karmanos Cancer Institute Annual Partners Night More than 700 young professionals glammed out in Detroit chic gathered for the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute’s 22nd Annual Partners Night at Detroit’s Russell Industrial Center. It had a nightclub atmosphere for the strolling cocktail reception and entertainment by Jibs Brown.

Graffiti artist Antonio “Shades” Agee created a colorful mural suggesting Detroit’s resilience, grit and passion. Following cocktails, guests adjourned to club-style seating flanking a fashion runway for the program. It featured remarks by emcee Nathan Forbes, Karmanos CEO Dr. Gerold Bepler, honorary chairs Jennifer and Brian Hermelin and Quicken Loans’ president Jay Farner, who was an energetic auctioneer for the brief live auction. One lucky guest with the winning raffle ticket won a $5,000 Somerset Collection gift card. The Somerset Collection fashion show of designer fall and winter trends concluded with a lively performance by dancers from Next Level Dance Company. They wore special Nothing Stops Detroit™ t-shirts created especially for Karmanos. Thanks also to generous sponsors the evening’s proceeds brought the total raised from this year’s Partners Events to more than $800,000.

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Spirit of Manresa Gala

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1. Steve Raymond (left) and Peter Kreher of Birmingham, Jim Berlucchi of Dexter.

2. Patti (left) & Bob Kowal of Troy, Susan Wellman of Birmingham. 3. Bob Babinski (left) of Lake Orion, Fr. Fran Daly of Bloomfield. 4. Katie Mielock (left) and Pat Simon of Birmingham. 5. Mary Cafferty (left) & Allen Wall of Bloomfield, Don Huldin of Beverly Hills. 6. Barbara Brazier (left) of Clarkston, Janet Morelli and Diane Grembi of Rochester.

7. Frank Morelli (left) and Derick Grembi of Rochester.

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Karmanos Cancer Institute Annual Partners Night

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1. Cheryl Daskas (left), Michelle Mio and Andi Rehm of Birmingham, Jennifer Lasco of Fenton. 2. Nick (left) & Julie Karmanos of Bloomfield, John and Sophie Balardo of Birmingham. 3. Norman (left) and Chris Yatooma of Bloomfield.

4. Jay Farner of Bloomfield.

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Hospice of Michigan Crystal Rose Ball Since its inception 30 years ago, Hospice of Michigan’s annual benefit has been held in interesting venues. Last year’s was at the historic Ford Piquette Avenue Plant. The 30th anniversary event – Chandeliers in the City - was hosted by the Campbell Ewald advertising agency in their splendid digs retrofitted out of the century-old Hudson’s Warehouse at Ford Field. Some 110 sponsors ($500 & up) arrived early for the champagne-splashed VIP Pre-Glow where they snacked on passed savories and chatted with Mayor and Mrs. Mike Duggan, Campbell Ewald CEO Jim Palmer, and honorees Dottie Deremo and Rachel and John Hoffmann. All trekked to the fourth floor and joined 240 more hospice advocates ($100 ticket) for small plates accompanied by Ben Sharkey’s music. All could see the program because it played live on Campbell Ewald’s huge LED display. It featured plaudits and presentations (a crystal rose) to the honorees, their acceptances and the announcement of an extremely 12.15

generous donation from philanthropist/pediatric psychotherapist Jo Elyn Nyman. It will allow Hospice of Michigan to offer free care to terminally ill children and support programs for their families across Michigan. Her gift was made possible by her parents’ foundation – the Samuel and Jean Frankel Foundation. Raffle drawings and the afterglow concluded the evening of urban elegance that raised about $80,000 for HOM. It provides care during “the journey no one wants to take” regardless of patients’ ability to pay.

Pink Fund Dancing With The Survivors® Nearly 400 supporters of Molly MacDonald’s Pink Fund flocked to the Shriners Silver Garden Event Center in Southfield for the Michigan Dancing with the Survivors®.

It was one of seven events in six states held on the same date presented by the Celgene company whose Tia Dowdell was in the Southfield crowd. After perusing the raffle auction and savoring a small plates supper, guests settled in for the program emceed by WXYZ-TV health reporter Dr. Partha Nandi. The Michigan dancers all trained for the exhibition at Evan and Lada Mountain’s Bloomfield Hills Fred Astaire Studio. They included Lori Baran, Kathleen Galligan, Gretchen Geist, Brenda Kambakhsh, Kristy Lynch, Kathy Martin, sisters Laura Segal and Carol Ziecik and Ty Weaver. MacDonald, breast cancer survivor and founder of The Pink Fund, introduced the eight performances, all preceded by a video of the survivors’ inspiring accounts of their breast cancer journeys. Following the show, MacDonald presented each survivor with a pink crystal heart. Ticket sales, donor contributions, sponsor support and raffle tickets combined to raise approximately $100,000. It will be used to provide 90 days of non-medical financial support to Michigan breast cancer patients in active treatment.

Detroit International Wine Auction GM President Daniel and Pernilla Ammann chaired The Art of Wine - the 34th annual Detroit International Wine auction. It attracted 550 College for Creative Studies boosters ($1,000 & up ticket) to City Airport Hangar One where 1950s-style airline stewardesses directed them into the festivities. Some 300 benefactors ($2,500 & up ticket) arrived early for the Jackson Family Wines exclusive Vintner’s Private Reception sponsored by Strategic Staffing Solutions before joining the hoi polloi to peruse the auction of juried alumni art. The five-course dinner, catered by Forte Belanger and sponsored by Suburban Collection / Jennifer & David Fischer, and spirited live auction (two auction bidders each paid $100,000 for a dinner party with the Ammanns at the historic Fisher Family Mansion they recently purchased) were topped by two announcements. Daniel Ammann announced GM Foundation’s gift of $1.25 million to support CCS’s MFA programs. CCS CEO Rick Rogers announced that GM gave CCS the $500,000 from the sale of the number one Production 2016 Corvette CZR C06 which sold in September at a Barrett Jackson auction. But nothing could top the energy level Grammy Award-winning hip hop artists Macklemore & Ryan Lewis generated with their special performance. The $796,000 raised by the centerpiece sales and the auctions brought the event total to a record setting $3 million.

MOT Opera Ball Gala People who know Joanne Danto and Maggie Allesee know how passionate both are about dance as an art form. Therefore, since Danto was chairing the 2015 Opera downtownpublications.com

Hospice of Michigan Crystal Rose Ball

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1. Dottie Deremo (center) of Farmington Hills, Judy & Lee Gardner of Birmingham. 2. Anne LaBrecque (left) of Rochester and Kim Palmer of Rochester Hills with Maggie Palmer Janisse of Berkley. 3. Jim Palmer (left) of Rochester Hills and Peter Remington of Birmingham. 4. Maggie Allesee of Bloomfield, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. 5. Larry (left) & Linda Juracek-Lipa of Birmingham with Bob Allesee of Bloomfield. 6. Detroit First Lady Lori Maher Duggan (left) with Christine Provost of Birmingham and Janet Kavanaugh and Judy Anderson of Bloomfield. 7. Justin Hiller (center) of Bloomfield with Fabienne Potestivo (left) of Addison Twp. and Theresa Yoder of Plymouth. 8. Jari and Steve Auger of Lake Orion, Peggy Daitch of Birmingham. 9. Ed & Sylvia Hagenlocker of Bloomfield.

10. Mike (left) & Diane Vick and Terri & Steve Eick of Birmingham.

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Pink Fund Dancing With The Survivors®

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1. Sabrina Mayhew (left) of Birmingham, Molly MacDonald of Beverly Hills, Sheri Mark of Bloomfield. 2. Lynn Gillow (left) of Birmingham, Patrice Ladd of W. Bloomfield, Julie Martin of Royal Oak and Cheryl Perkins of Bloomfield. 3. Susanne Forbes Dicker of Troy, Katana Abbot (left) of Commerce and Stephanie Caponigro of Bloomfield Hills. 4. Kristin Howard of Farmington and Lisa Swiftney of Auburn Hills. 5. Laura Segal (left) of Franklin and Carol Segal Ziecik of Bloomfield.

6. Dr. Samson Kpadenou (left) of Troy and Kathy Martin of Rochester. 7. Manouchehr & Brenda Kambakhsh of Oakland (Photos: Laurie Tennent).

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DSO Red Carpet Dinner It has been many years since the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Volunteer Council has staged an event to open the season. But reviving the Opening Weekend Red Carpet Dinner was an idea whose time had come.

Approximately 100 DSO loyalists attended ($175 - $500 ticket) the dinner chaired by Debra Patrich and Deborah Savoie. Spotted in the crowd were symphony board members like Phillip Fisher, Bernard Robertson, Ric DeVore and Jim Nicholson with their wives. They paused on the red carpet for a souvenir photo taken by photographer John Stewart before they sampled hors d’oeuvres and sparkling wine. A splendid three-course plated dinner catered by Forte Belanger followed. During dinner served in the Music Box at the “MAX,” DSO music director/conductor Leonard Slatkin made the rounds of each table for friendly schmoozing.

Guests picked up their souvenir photo en route into Orchestra Hall for the concert featuring Slatkin and French piano sensation Jean-Yves Thibaudet. The VC plans to repeat the event next year.

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5 1. Arnie Weingarden (left) & Joanne Danto of Birmingham, Maggie & Bob Allesee of Bloomfield. 2. Jeff (left) & Amy Messano of Birmingham, Rick & Karen Williams of Bloomfield. 3. Frank Ritchie of Troy, Maryann Cromwell of Bloomfield. 4. Barbara (left) & Larry Spence and Ted & Diana Golden of Bloomfield. 5. Cynthia Johnson (left), Charli Podowski, Maureen & Jerry D’Avanzo of Bloomfield. 6. Lori (left) & Larry Papp and Fair Radom of Bloomfield. 7. Diane Schoenith (left) of Grosse Pointe, Patty Finnegan Sharf of Bloomfield. 8. Barbara Frankel & Ron Michalak of W. Bloomfield, MOT’s Margarite Fourcroy of Bloomfield and her daughter Isabella Howes of Washington, D.C.. 9. Til Klem and Patrick Jakeway of Bloomfield.

10. Katie (left) & Gordy Coleman and Angelo & Lauren Buttazzoni of Bloomfield.

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1. Deborah Savoie (left) of Bloomfield, Mary Beattie of Beverly Hills. 2. Maestro Leonard Slatkin of Bloomfield with Ann Nicholson (left) and Lauri Hogle of Grosse Pointe. 3. Ellie Tholen of Birmingham, Phillip Fisher of Bloomfield. 4. Ellie and Bernard Robertson of Bloomfield.

MOCAD 2015 Gala + Art

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1. Elysia Borowy-Reeder (left) of Detroit, Maggie Allesee and board president Marsha Miro of Bloomfield. 2. Steve (left) & Jill Miller of Birmingham, Jessie Beld-Elliott & Ed Welburn of Bloomfield. 3. Scott Jacobson (left) and David Foltyn of Birmingham.

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Ball which would recognize Allesee’s legendary Michigan Opera Theatre support, the dinner program just must include dance as well as opera. Kudos to whomever secured American Ballet Theatre stars Misty Copeland and Gabe Stone to dance a pas de deux during the dinner program. The 360 guests ($750 & up) at dinner tables and the 250 Young Patrons ($100) up in the boxes, gave them a rousing standing ovation.

Likewise, Allesee, when MOT founder Dr. David DiChiera, his successor CEO Wayne Brown, and Danto presented her the Lifetime Achievement Award. The grandly opulent event, which celebrated the Detroit Opera House’s 20th year and MOT’s 45th year, also featured a superb dinner by Forte Belanger, a silent auction (mobile device bidding) of 15 splendid items ($50,570), and dancing until midnight to music by Bluewater Kings Band. The ball enjoyed generous support and raised nearly $700,000.

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MOCAD 2015 Gala + Art More than 100 art aficionadas ($1,000 – ticket) convened at the museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) for the annual Gala + Art Auction. They cocktailed, surrounded by the donated art that was selected by Jens Hoffman and director Elysia BorowyReeder. Board president Marsha Miro, co-chair Elyse Foltyn and Borowy-Reeder welcomed all and paid tribute to the honorary chairs, Maggie and Bob Allesee who announced their support for MOCAD’s new special education project. The 143 art lots, which were also available for online bidding, all sold. When the auction closed at 9:30 p.m. it had raised nearly $250,000 of the event total (nearly $350,000). This represents more than 25 per cent of the museum’s annual operating budget. Colorful table décor and the Cutting Edge Cuisine dinner menu suggested the museum’s current (until Jan. 3, 2016) major exhibition “United States of Latin America,” as did the tropical after party that attracted nearly 300 ($15, $60, $100 – tickets) to dance to music by Coconut Babylon until 2 a.m. The next MOCAD Gala + Art Auction is Friday, Oct. 7, 2016.

CARE Night Gala The 13th annual CARE Night Charity Ball was chaired by Dr. Susan Ivanovic, Lisa MacDonald and Amber Stack, with Pam Mannion in charge of 12.15

entertainment. It attracted 300 people ($250, $500, $1,000 – tickets) to the Townsend Hotel. Following cocktails, all dined at tables centered with glass-blown sculpture art by April Wagner (Epiphany Studios). The program was emceed by Fox 2’s Monica Gayle and honored retired CPA Bill Matthews for his devoted support of children’s causes. Guests, including a contingent from the one of the CARE House founders – the Junior League of Birmingham - also applauded songs by the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and a set from stand-up comic Pete Holmes, who has recently signed to do an HBO comedy pilot. Thanks also to generous sponsors like GM, Taubman and the Trott Foundation, the evening raised $370,000 for the free services CARE House provides to victims of child abuse. These include forensic interviews, individual and group therapy; advocacy for children in foster care; in-home educational visits for at-risk families; and a variety of trainings focused on child abuse prevention.

DSO Volunteer Council Musical Feast “(DSO musicians) are the kindest, friendliest most generous musicians on the planet,” declared Marjorie Saulson. And she should know. As a past president of the DSO Volunteer Council, she frequently compared notes with other symphonies’ supporters at national meetings. She was speaking to the 40 guests ($125 ticket) gathered in the party tent at Karla Sherry’s home for Oktoberfest, one of 18 popular Musical Feasts on the council’s 28th annual schedule of intimate fundraisers chaired by Magda Moss. They had just spontaneously clapped to polkas, Sousa marches and sang “Roll Out the Barrel” as the five DSO brass players performed. Sherry co-hosted the very informal soiree with Matt Anstett and Brad Stanwick. It was complete with a variety of grilled German sausages, sauerkraut, warm pretzels and German wines and beers, of course.

St. Regis Catholic School Cowabunga St. Regis mom Janae Condit had heard her in-laws, who live in Montana, describe their school’s family fun day event and “…thought it would be hilarious to bring it to Bloomfield Hills,” she said. More than 500 school boosters of all ages attended the country western theme festivities on a sunny October Saturday. From 1–7 p.m. they relished live music by the Tucky Taylor country band, Motor City Franks, The Smoker BBQ, tacos, beer and wine (cash bar), Treat Dreams, tug-owar, a caricaturist, relay races and other outdoor games. But the game of chance that gives the event its name was “Dollars for Dung.” The game featured a live cow (Kit Kat from Oakland County 4H) and numbers spray painted in squares on the playground. Guests paid $25 to buy a numbered square. They were betting on which number Kit Kat would drop her first cow pie.

Kit Kat’s owner walked her around the squares. Every time she mooed, kids cheered, chanted her name and told her to do her business. After about an hour of the hilarity, she dropped a cow pie. It was on the number held by Penny Kennedy, who won the $2,500 prize.

Cowabunga netted a whole lot of family fun and $11,000 the school.

Wright Gala 50th Anniversary Celebration A sold-out throng of 1,100 attended the 50th anniversary of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. The reception featured a silent auction of art by Chevrolet designers, bountiful hors d’oeuvres and beautiful gowns. Many of the downtownpublications.com

CARE Night Gala

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1. Congressman Dave Trott (left) and Mike Dietz of Birmingham. 2. Garry (left) & Brier Neel of Birmingham, Monica Gayle & Dean Greve of W. Bloomfield. 3. Lisa Payne of Bloomfield. 4. Judy (left), Ken; Peggy & Bill Matthews of W. Bloomfield; judge Cheryl Matthews & Brad Conkey. 5. Dennis Mannion of Birmingham. 6. Sandy & Lexy Stone of Birmingham; Lori & Marty Knollenberg of Troy.

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DSO Volunteer Council Musical Feast

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1. Karla Sherry (center) of Bloomfield, Matt Anstett (left) and Brad Stanwick of Pleasant Ridge. 2. Denise Abrash (left), Francie Oehrlein and Jim Hayes of Bloomfield. 3. Sandra Moers (left) and Marlynn Barnes of Bloomfield, Marjorie Saulson of Franklin, Barbara Frankel of W. Bloomfield. 4. Walt Oehrlein (left) of Bloomfield, Cynthia & Dom Schiano of Franklin. 5. Matt Desmond (left) of Ferndale, Michelle Anstett of Bloomfield.

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1. Melissa (back) & William Stewart of Bloomfield with their children Patrick and Emily. 2. Msgr. Chuck Kosanke of Bloomfield and event chair Janae Condit of Beverly Hills. 3. Joni Kase of Troy and Margie Adams of Bloomfield Hills. 4. Grace Callaghan (right) of Beverly Hills, Kim and Kate Frye of Bloomfield.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK women’s dress selections had been influenced by the Wright’s current exhibition – “Inspiring Beauty: 50 years of Ebony Fashion Fair.” It’s a splendiferous retrospective of the charity fashion spectacular that redefined the concepts of beauty and empowerment for African Americans. The fair began in 1958. Over the next 50 years the traveling fashion show of iconic designs from such talents as Christian Dior, Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint-Laurent and Emanuel Ungaro raised millions for charity and helped Ebony’s Johnson Publishing Company reach its audience. The must-see exhibit will be at the Wright through January 3, 2016. Johnson Publishing executives from Chicago were in the gala crowd, along with Rev. Jesse Jackson (for the invocation gig).

Actor/director Blair Underwood chatted up museum members in a lounge hosted by Ford Motor Company before everybody retreated to the ballroom for dinner. Of all the speakers, 93-year-old Judge Damon Keith spoke most knowingly of the museum’s journey. Its founder was his good friend and its precarious funding history has been his personal challenge. Event chair GM’s Vivian Pickard, wearing a stunning Oscar de la Renta gown, was the speaker most reflective of the Fashion Fair exhibit. Both said it was important “…to keep Dr. Wright’s vision alive for the next fifty years.” The gala committee surely did its part. The silent and live auctions raised $155,000 and the elegant event grossed $1.8 million.

Wright Gala 50th Anniversary Celebration

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5 Belle Isle Conservancy’s Legacy Luncheon More than 450 civic and business leaders and Belle Isle supporters gathered for the 11th annual Polish the Jewel Belle Isle Legacy Luncheon at the island’s casino. Presented by DTE Energy Foundation, the luncheon featured countless fabulous hats, lots of schmoozing, a silent auction ($15,000) and a recognition program emceed by WDIV’s Rhonda Walker. It honored Ruth Roby Glancy, DTE Energy and The Kresge Foundation for their substantial support of the Belle Isle Conservancy and its island improvement initiatives. Michele Hodges, president of the Belle Isle Conservancy, noted that Polish the Jewel has raised more than $2.5 million supporting such renovation projects as a comfort station and other enhancements at Sunset Point, a historical reconstruction of the horse stable roof and restoration of several picnic shelters around the island. The 2015 event added more than $150,000 to that total. It is earmarked for a children’s discovery playground.

Sponsors for the 2015 Polish the Jewel Belle Isle Legacy Luncheon included DTE Energy Foundation, MASCO Corporation Foundation, Sarah and Tony Earley, Ford Motor Company Fund, KPMG, Lear Corporation, Ruth Roby Glancy, Detroit Yacht Club, Edsel & Eleanor Ford House and the Henry Ford Estate, Federal-Mogul, Health Alliance Plan and Henry Ford Health System, MassMutual, Miller Canfield and PNC Bank. The Belle Isle Conservancy‘s mission is to protect, preserve, restore and enhance the natural environment, historic structures and unique character of Belle Isle as a public park for the enjoyment of all – now and forever.

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1. Vivian Pickard of Bloomfield. 2. Roy (left) & Maureen Roberts of Bloomfield, Ed Dwight of Denver, CO and Jan Cosby Bridges of Farmington Hills. 3. Yousif Ghafari (right) of Bloomfield, his son Peter of Detroit. 4. Linda Gillum (left), Devin Burks and her mother Suzanne Werdlow of Bloomfield.

5. Myra Moreland (left), Josh & Laynie Moreland Bryant of Birmingham. 6. Jim & Patti Prowse of Bloomfield. 7. Peter Remington & Peggy Daitch of Birmingham, Mary Ann & Gene Gargaro of Grosse Pointe. 8. Don Manvel of Birmingham, Gale Hill of Columbus, OH. 9. Lori (left) & Greg Wingerter of Rochester, Tom & Karen Nicklin of Clarkston.

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Belle Isle Conservancy’s Legacy Luncheon

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1. Sarah Earley (left) of Bloomfield and San Francisco, CA, Dr. Shauna Ryder Diggs of Grosse Pointe and Heather Paquette of Bloomfield. 2. Judie Sherman (left) of Bloomfield, Ruth Roby Glancy, Marlene Boll, and Darrene Baer of Grosse Pointe. 3. Marilyn Way (left), Charli Podowski and Dawn Rassel of Bloomfield.

4. Jillian Nathan (left) of Birmingham, Lidija Grahovic of Bloomfield. 5. Sandi Pape (left) of Bloomfield, Heather Pape of Rochester Hills and Susan Ryan of Clarkston. 6. Noreen Keating (left) of Auburn Hills, Betty Desmond of Bloomfield, Pat Rosen of Troy.

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Women of Tomorrow Kick Off Beth Ann Bayus, Kristina Djokic, Mary Martin and Karen Sanford coordinated the Women of Tomorrow annual Kick Off event that attracted 75 to Birmingham’s The Bird & Bread. Guests included Detroit directors Laurie Cunnington, Dianne Wells, Judith Trepeck and vice chair Ellen Hill Zeringue. Noting that the mentoring and scholarship program, which has been in Detroit since 2011 and has 150 mentors serving approximately 1,110 at-risk girls in 54 Metro Detroit public high schools, graduated its first class in 2014 and has since been key to more than $630,000 in college scholarships, Zeringue assured the assembled that “…we are truly making a difference.” Women of Tomorrow graduate/scholarship recipient Elisabeth Andrews confirmed Zeringue’s declaration when she spoke about the program’s impact on her life. Women of achievement who are interested in becoming a mentor may call 248.430.4095 for information. To learn more about the program Detroit-area native Jennifer Valoppi founded in 1997 in Miami, go to womenoftomorrow.org.

Send ideas for this column to Sally Gerak, 28 Barbour Lane, Bloomfield Hills, 48304; email samgerak@aol.com or call 248.646.6390.

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ENDNOTE

The crumb rubber artificial turf fiasco majority of local public and private schools we spoke with while writing a story for this issue on the safety of crumb rubber artificial turf athletic fields acknowledged they had installed the fields after only looking at improved maintenance costs, not considering whether there could be health costs to the student athletes.

Crumb rubber turf is a form of synthetic turf field which utilizes about 40,000 tires which are crumbled up to fill in between artificial strands of grass.

The fact is that no one seems to know whether these athletic fields are actually a “good buy” – because no one knows if they are safe over the long run for students to be playing on.

A New York state environmental conservation study found a lot of artificial turf fields contain carcinogens at levels that exceed health-based soil standards. “If it was on publicly held land, the state would remove the contaminated soil and replace it with non-contaminated soil,” said Nick Leonard of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center (GLELC), affiliated with Wayne State University.

Artificial turf “is made up, at least in part, of a lot of toxic substances,” including lead, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium, all of which are commonly found in crumb rubber. Leonard said they “have been described as systemic toxicants that are known to induce severe adverse health effects, even at lower levels of exposure.”

A soccer coach for the University of Washington women’s team compiled a list of athletes who have developed cancer, with evidence of 38 cases of

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cancer among soccer players, 34 of which played the position of goalkeeper.

Various levels of authority assume the safety of crumb rubber used in the fields is a non-issue, or place the responsibility of investigation on different governing bodies. “We, in Michigan, have not researched it. We basically rely on the EPA and the industry to put together standards for those materials,” acknowledged Rhonda Oyer, acting chief of solid waste for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).

That's frightening. When contacted, federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assumed states were monitoring this. State agencies, including the MDEQ and the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA), said they thought locals should be viewing studies on crumb rubber fields. Local schools don't have the ability nor the resources to conduct research, and have relied upon state experts. The fact is, no one knows who's on first.

This cycle of passing the buck of responsibility must stop.

The MHSAA stated this turf is preferable for tournaments, because it holds up better in rain and snow. Instead of worrying about tournaments, the MHSAA should take a leadership role, working with other states as they did on concussions, helmet rules and goggles for women's lacrosse players, and develop rules and standards on how best to protect student athletes as they compete in their sport and represent their school.

Frankly, we found the position of the MHSAA deplorable – basically suggesting that it is up to local schools to do the research and make the determination. Who are local school districts to turn to but the Michigan High School Athletic Association, which should be concerned about more than just scheduling tournaments?

Shame too, on the EPA and MDEQ. While recycling is commendable, recycling tires into a potential public health hazard is no more desirable than recycling asbestos. It is illegal to dump a whole tire in a landfill; they are extremely toxic to air quality when burning.

One of the questions posed this October by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to the EPA stated, “What does the Agency know about the incidence (percentage of population by sex and age level) of cancers in the general population? To the best of your knowledge, is the incidence for persons who play on fields treated with crumb rubber higher than in the general population?”

In response, the EPA acknowledged, “The existing studies do not comprehensively address the recently raised concerns about children’s health risks from exposure to tire crumb.”

The time is long overdue for definitive research and in-depth studies on crumb rubber turf fields at the state and national levels to see if this artificial turf is really worth it for local school athletic fields when weighed against potential threats to the health of student athletes.

Update state sex offender registry law t's not often that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and conservative Republican members of the state legislature agree on the same issue, but they, as do we, believe it is time for the state's Sex Offender Registry Act to be amended.

The act, created in 1994 by then-state Sen. (now Oakland County Sheriff) Michael Bouchard, requires nearly 31,000 individuals, including about 1,800 in Oakland County, convicted of certain sex crimes to register identifying information with the state's online public sex offender registry. That includes offender names, addresses, photos, vehicle information and other information, which must be reported to law enforcement agencies up to four times a year. The law also restricts all offenders from residing, working or loitering in certain areas dubbed "student safety zones," or within 1,000 feet of a school. Since its enactment, there has been greater public awareness of those in our midst who have offended, why, and where they live. But more now needs to be done to develop consistency for law enforcement.

Critics of the online registry claim the list unfairly punishes registrants, those who have completed

I

criminal sentences, because of restrictions and the fact their information is available to the public, which can cause some to have difficulty finding employment, adequate housing and successfully reintegrating into society. We don't doubt that. But we believe the availability of factual reporting on the registry serves the public good.

Beyond the information listed on the state's public sex offender registry, there are areas where the state's law needs improvement, both relating to the reporting requirements of identifying information, as well as some restrictions on offenders.

A March 31 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Cleland found that portions of the state's sex offender law were so confusing that it made it difficult for well-intentioned registrants to understand and meet all of their obligations under the law. Further, the court found that some portions of the state's law are unconstitutional because registrants have no way to know where the "student safety zones" are actually located.

While we typically feel ignorance isn't a valid defense for breaking the law, evidence exists that

law enforcement agencies, defense attorneys, prosecutors, and even the courts are unable to determine exactly where such student safety zones begin or end. Such a system can create a trap for registrants making a concerted effort to abide by the law.

Legislation introduced in the state Senate addresses this issue by clarifying the requirements.

The proposed amendment, SB 581, would also better define "loitering," under the law, and allow for offenders with children to participate in parental activities at schools. The bill will also eliminate immediate reporting of certain information, which the court finds to be problematic.

The ACLU and others say the changes are a good start to addressing the federal issues, and would add some clarification to the law. We agree.

We also feel it's worth noting that no matter how comprehensive or carefully crafted a sex offender registry law, it's important to remember that many sex offenses are committed by people known to the victim. While checking the registry may provide a sense of security, it shouldn't be a replacement for recognizing red flags or safe practices.

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