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Academic, medical, public health and scientific officials who have spent their careers observing and studying the boom of the telecommunications industry warn that radiofrequency (RF) radiation waves emitted from cell towers, antennas and our wireless devices are the new tobacco in terms of a threat to public health.
A recap of select categories of crime occurring in the past month in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills, presented in map format, plus a reminder about an online interactive map with story details on public safety incidents.
The “uncommitteds” vote; a dishonor roll to avoid; ‘Mad Dog’ Maddock heads to court; rising star John James; illegal purge of voter rolls; the U.S. Senate endorsement battle; McDaniel’s parting shot; plus more.
Changes for Big Rock; interviewing for BSD Director hire; Work starts on new Next home; changes at the parking meters in downtown; Bloomfield Township ‘Alerts’ launched; Booth Park changes planned; plus more.
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Next Executive Director Cris Braun discusses the second annual Birmingham’s Big Night Out event which was a huge success last year.
71 COMMUNITY HOUSE
William Seklar, President & CEO of The Community House, writes about the recent community survey and a new quarterly, electronic newsletter –380 Bates.
76 METRO INTELLIGENCER
Gigi Nichols provides readers with quick takes on what is happening in the world of food and drink in the
Our thoughts on a couple of issues that need to be addressed by the Ad Hoc Community Center Committee in Birmingham and the concerns about the possible health threats from cell phone tower placement.
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The Downtown Publications group is bringing to market in mid-May a new publication – LAKE magazine –which will be direct-mailed at no charge to over 17,000 lakefront homeowners (40,000+ readers) in Oakland County.
Editorial content for the glossy stock magazine will focus on issues important to those living on the hundreds of waterways in the county.
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These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills through March 21, 2024. Placement of codes is approximate.
Sexual assault Assault
Murder/Homicide Robbery Breaking/entering Larceny Vehicle theft Larceny from vehicle Vandalism Drug offenses Arson Map
Please accept my sincere gratitude for all the important work the Downtown Newsmagazine team does to serve our community. Your role in presenting important and wellresearched issues to the public is a crucial asset to Michigan’s 11th District. Access to quality reporting is a crucial part of what makes our community so active and involved in making our country a better place.
Moreover, I would like to congratulate you for moving the publication’s social media off of X (formerly Twitter). Since the social media platform has been under new ownership, antisemitism and hate speech posts have gone largely unchecked and is unacceptable.
It is critical for our social engagement technologies to foster important and thoughtful discussions without being platforms for violent speech, and thank you for your part in supporting these ideals.
Please reach out to me if there is anything I can do for you and keep up all the great work.
Haley Stevens
U.S. House of Representatives 11th District, Michigan
Change may be in store for the Community House. The once venerable institution recently marked its 100th anniversary. But for many, including those who gave their time, hearts and money to the organization, there wasn't much to celebrate.
After shelving plans for a major expansion of its building and mission, the organization recently asked the community for its thoughts. Here are mine:
Late last year, while your CEO was telling potential donors and city officials that your organization struggles financially and might fail, he had taken more than $266,000 in compensation in fiscal 2021, which ended in mid-2022, the last year for which information is public.
There’s not much community left in the historic house on Bates St. You wanted to expand the building and focus on health and wellness? Why not fully utilize the building you've got and turn your focus back on “community?”
The house you occupy – arguably the community's house – used to teem with activity: thousands of residents taking part in hundreds of programs day and night. It was the center of
culture and society in Birmingham, touching many of our lives.
As recently as 2016, it had a dance academy with 400 students; a youth theatre group with 100 children in three separate productions playing to more than 1,400 fans; more than 700 classes involving more than 6,000 residents; a 21st Century leaders program for 7th graders; a storytellers guild that read to thousands of kids; it hosted the Race Relations & Diversity Task Force; a travel program with everything from day trips to the DIA to full-blown European tours. Many community groups would meet there –the Senior Mens and Womens clubs, the Rotary, the Optimist Club and on and on.
You eliminated most of that, claiming you couldn’t survive otherwise, and now, most days one can walk into the house and hear a pin drop. Ask for one of the program books that used go to every home in town, and you are told to go online. Go online, and you'll find nothing more than a few Kindermusik classes. There’s no comparison with the programs of Next or Birmingham Community Education.
You do still offer a smattering of events: The Our Town art show, home tour, annual gala, dinners for Easter and Mother's Day, holiday brunches and so forth. You even came up with Storytime with Santa the year you ejected Birmingham Youth Assistance (BYA) and its Breakfast with Santa. You even held it the same day and time as the BYA breakfast, which had to scramble for a new venue.
The Senior Men's Club – and members individually – had given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the institution. You scorned those contributions and priced it out, along with the Rotary and others. You did it amid unfathomable acrimony – the prevarications of your CEO in these pages notwithstanding.
Many wonder how you continue to lay claim to tax-exempt status when a huge portion of your current operation is in direct competition with taxpaying businesses. We know you are comprised of two independent 501c3 organizations – that you are neither owned, nor supported, by the city of Birmingham. You are supported only by revenue from operations, donations and grants. You receive no tax dollars. By the same token, you pay no property taxes, and no income taxes.
What you do pay is extraordinary compensation to your president and CEO, William Seklar. In November, in
one of his frequent pleas, he said the Community House "will continue to struggle financially" without our donations. Around the same time, seeking approval of ambitious expansion plans, he said the Community House might cease to exist without it. Yet in fiscal 2021, he took compensation of $266,824.
By comparison, Birmingham’s city manager, who oversees more than 200 full-time employees and a budget of more than $100 million, earns $175,000. Senators and members of Congress, $174,000. Gov. Whitmer, $159,300. The majority of nonprofit directors in the U.S. make no more than $100,000.
Executive compensation is just one matter that warrants scrutiny from the public and your boards of directors, who could be personally liable in cases of inurement. I'd be interested in hearing more about the employment of close relatives of Mr. Seklar, who are listed on your website as staff members of the Community House Foundation, which reported compensation to four employees of more than $300,000 in fiscal 2021. And I'd sure like to know who was going to pay for that major expansion, and if anything was promised in return.
I regularly read Mr. Seklar's monthly column here. I wonder why he is granted this valuable soapbox. When he’s not using the space to promote your events business, he claims the Community House provides "critical support,” serves "those in need," and fills "critical gaps and voids in the community." I'd like to hear facts and figures about those seemingly hyperbolic claims. Previous directors, who took home far less than Mr. Seklar, were far more transparent. Why doesn't Mr. Seklar make his column here an open book?
He could talk, for instance, about his efficiency of fundraising, often judged by Cost Per Dollar Raised. In fiscal 2021, it was 53 cents. That means it cost 53 cents to raise every dollar in donations. He could explain why it was so high. Charity Navigator, which rates nonprofits, gives the Foundation two out of four stars based on its evaluation of accountability and finance. "Needs improvement," it says.
"Needs improvement" may have been on the minds of board members who resigned in frustration in recent years.
Frankly, I wouldn't care about all this if you didn't occupy a special
We welcome your opinion on issues facing the Birmingham/Bloomfield communities.
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place — both physically in our civic center and emotionally in our hearts. I remember when you deserved that place, and hope that when your temporary occupation of the Community House ends, we'll get it back. That will happen only when your boards truly reflect the community and bring in someone who will, in your CEO’s own words, carry on the “mission, vision and tradition of its founding leaders.”
Clinton BallerBirmingham
(Clinton Baller is a Birmingham City Commissioner. The views expressed here are his own. Tell The Community House what you think. The survey is closed, but you can email your thoughts to the survey administrator at abenedict@ankresearch.com.)
I am not one to typically post cause or position-related content in the public sphere, but the concerns about The Community House (TCH) raised recently, and throughout the last year, via the Planning Board, Commission Board, and in Downtown Newsmagazine, are all valid, and of concern. The decisions TCH have made over the last several years have impacted not only myself, but the entire community, and has only gotten worse.
For about seven years, my co-leader and I led a very successful, and I would say coveted, 7th grade leadership program, called 21st Century Leaders, for kids residing in/around Oakland County out of TCH. The only way to be nominated was via the school principal, and with the support/encouragement of the kid’s parents, since this was after-school programming. Some of my friends were lucky enough to have kids
nominated and graduate from the program, while other parents lobbied for their kids to be a part of it, unsuccessfully. The curriculum was top-notch, drawing on a world of experience from two seasoned business professionals, challenging for the kids, and it also meant juggling regular and 21st Century Leader homework. The program was supported by grants which we helped solicit from local companies and organizations.
Unfortunately, the 21st Century Leaders program began to unravel in 2015-2016 with the appointment of the new TCH President and CEO, William Seklar, and unusual termination of my co-leader, followed shortly thereafter by my resignation, and all due to a number of issues that continue to appear under his leadership. In 2016, the program was cancelled last minute due to our departures. Matter of fact, the cancellation took place right before the start of the program (Parent Orientation), which, due to poor TCH communication, caused parents to still show up at TCH only to be turned away. I believe 2017 was its final program year, with new leaders, before it was cancelled for good.
Last week, Clinton Baller, the Birmingham City Commissioner, did a really nice job summarizing TCH issues with facts based on data. I’m hopeful that the data from the annual reports, and from the survey, that it will highlight the opportunities for improvement which should include a review of TCH’s purpose and intentions in serving the community through meaningful programming and outreach, and review of the leadership. As a non-profit, TCH did better and can do better.
Donald E. SmithBloomfield Hills
Two serious industrial spills in our region – at McLouth Steel in Trenton and Bear Creek in Warren –rang alarm bells last month to warn us that Michigan remains inadequately protected from industrial pollution.
On February 9, a corrosive, milky liquid leaked out of the ground from the closed McLouth Steel facility. At Bear Creek on February 7, 850,000 gallons of water spilled from a burst pipe at a closed metal finishing shop to turn the water turquoise. It contained electroplate chemicals including PFAs (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances which get
in the human blood stream and cause health problems). Then, in the week of February 19, air quality monitors based in Dearborn registered dangerously high levels of PM 2.5 for the entire Detroit region It is the same particulate matter created by the Canadian wildfires that blanketed our region last summer; in winter it probably derives from local industrial areas, trucking routes, or heavily used highways.
Here in Birmingham, I have to stay inside when the particulate level measures over 70 (it was 101 recently) because my lungs were effected last summer and I had to use an inhaler. (Tip: keep AirNow.gov handy on your iPhone to protect your lungs from high PM counts.)
The good news is that we Michiganders are not passive when our health and wellbeing are threatened. We know who is responsible for these spills and we expect them to be held accountable. On February 15, advocates held a press conference to insist that the Michigan Legislature adopt “Polluter Pay” bills to clean up after themselves.
“It’s a concept that most folks should have learned in preschool: if you make a mess, you should be responsible for cleaning it up,” said Christy McGillivray, political and legislative director for Michigan Sierra Club. “Corporate polluters and their allies in Lansing have their eye on shareholder profits and their campaign coffers instead of the health of Michiganders. Polluter Pay is a slam-dunk win for lawmakers that prioritizes voters over campaign contributions, and we hope passing these bills will be a priority in Lansing this year.”
Two bills in our state legislature, House Bills 5241-5247 and Senate Bills 605-611, have been introduced by Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) and Rep. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor) to be sure that corporations rather than taxpayers are held responsible for paying pollution costs.
To find out who your state legislators are, go to www.michigan.gov. Contact them by phone, text, email or snail mail –everyone has a voice, and every voice counts, especially when we join our neighbors to fight pollution in our Michigan homes and neighborhoods. Dr. Annis Pratt
Birmingham (Dr. Pratt is a member of the Greater Detroit Citizen’s Climate Lobby)
Oakland Confidential is a periodic column of political gossip/news, gathered both on and off-the-record by staff members at Downtown Newsmagazine. We welcome possible items for this column which can be emailed to: OaklandConfidential@DowntownPublications.com. All sources are kept strictly confidential. The gossip column can be viewed at OaklandConfidential.com where you can sign up to receive updates via email.
THE ‘UNCOMMITTEDS’: Much has been – and will continue to be –written about the number of uncommitted votes cast in the recent presidential primary in Michigan. With the exception of the 2008 presidential primary in the Mitten State when Barack Obama and three other candidates removed their names from the primary ballot when the state moved the vote to an earlier January date against national DNC rules, leaving Hillary Clinton the only name facing voters and over 238,000 uncommitted votes were cast, usually about 20,000 votes are normally logged by those choosing the uncommitted category. Voting as uncommitted allows voters to cast a party ballot without having to pledge to a specific candidate that they support. This year, just over 100,000 uncommitted votes were cast in Michigan, about 13.3 percent of those participating in the Democratic primary. In large part, you can thank the campaign by Palestinian-Americans residing in the Dearborn area, often referred to as the Arab capital of North America where over half the population is of Middle Eastern or North African descent. Arab and Muslim residents there responded to a concerted effort by the Listen to Michigan group intent on sending a message to President Joe Biden, who until just recently refused to publicly call for a cease-fire, temporary or permanent, in the Israel-Gaza war. Closer to home, in Oakland County, 15,645 (12.48 percent) uncommitted votes were cast by Democrats and in the Republican primary, 4,094 (2.76 percent) voters checked the uncommitted box, no doubt a protest about Trump in 2024. Drilling further down, Democrats in Birmingham cast 220 votes as uncommitted; Bloomfield Township, 807 were uncommitted; and in Bloomfield Hills’ two precincts, 75 were uncommitted. In the Republican primary, 46 uncommitted votes were cast in Birmingham; 200 in Bloomfield Township; and 28 in Bloomfield Hills. We will hold our guesstimate of what all this means until we get closer to the November general election.
BEHIND THE NUMBERS: Here’s some political trivia you can toss around at the office cooler or in your next Zoom meeting, Nikki Haley actually beat Donald Trump in the city of Birmingham during the February Republican presidential primary, despite the latter taking 61.38 percent of the county-wide vote. Seven of Birmingham’s nine precincts went with Haley, who garnered 1,725 votes versus 1,299 votes for the former prez.
DISHONOR ROLL: There is at least one list that state lawmakers and members of Congress would just as soon not be on. The States United Action, a non-partisan, non-profit organization focused on protecting elections, assisted by the McCarthy Institute for Democracy at Penn State University, has compiled a list of election deniers holding office across the country. The list was compiled using social media and website postings of the officeholders, along with media reports about the elected officials. Michigan and six other states have a total of 202 election deniers now holding office. Thirty-one Michigan lawmakers, all Republicans, made the list. Milford-based Rep. Matt (Mad Dog) Maddock is on the list, along with Oakland County Sen. JimRunestad (RWhite Lake). No surprises here. On the national scene, States United Action found that one third of Congress (171) were election deniers, representing 36 states. Making the list from Michigan are House members Jack Bergman, Bill Huizenga, Lisa McClain, John Modenaar and Tim Walberg.
SUITABLY WRONG: Speaking of Rep. Matt (Mad Dog) Maddock (RMilford), he just
avoid the headlines. His latest is filing a federal lawsuit against Democratic State House Speaker Joe Tate of Detroit, his
press secretary, Amber McCann, and the state House Business Office employees, all because they put the kibosh on allowing him to use state money to pay for printing and mailing a constituent newsletter criticizing Tate and Governor Gretchen Whitmer. He calls it a violation of his First Amendment right to free speech; a little research reveals a general prohibition in the House Ethics manual against using official resources for campaign or political purposes. Letters, news releases, other printed materials and emails are all on the list. According to Maddock’s lawsuit, the House Business Office acted as a “state censor,” which the lawsuit alleges is unconstitutional. Maddock’s newsletter describes Whitmer as a “horrible governor” who’s done an “awful job,” criticized her COVID policies, unemployment aid, allegations of restrictions to gun ownership rights and failing to fix the roads, and said the legislature “is similarly doing horrible things to your freedoms and to the state of Michigan.” Maddock was informed in mid-February his newsletter violated guidelines and ethics rules, but was undeterred. According to the Committee on Ethics, misuse may result not only in disciplinary action but “also criminal prosecution.” Maddock argued in his filing his constituents have been denied “the ability to receive information from their duly-elected representative.” Stay tuned.
RISING STAR JAMES: Michigan Congressman John James (R-Shelby Township, Rochester, Warren, Macomb County) is being billed as a rising star in the U.S. House, so it comes as no surprise that Republicans from both that chamber and the Senate have been working hard to raise money from the Washington D.C. crowd in recent months to help out freshman James. First there was a Valentine’s Day lunch hosted by House Majority Leader Steven Scalise to raise funds for James’ campaign for an open seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee (which he got in mid March) at Charlie Palmer Steak, a familiar haunt when it comes to those attending fundraisers. A minimum $1,000 donation was the suggested lunch tab. James put out some slick promotion to House members, including literature noting his business and military experience along with some personal notes – a Christian and connoisseur of cigars, cabernet and college football. Then on March 6, Donald Trump, Jr. hosted a D.C. campaign event that cost anywhere from $1,000 to attend up to $10,000 to be a host. The event invite had a who’s who list of U.S. Representatives as sponsors, plus a list of about 10 Senators that included Tim Scott and Katie Britt – she of the recent GOP response to the State of the Union speech that has drawn a fair amount of criticism.No official word as of yet about how much campaign money was raised at either event.
FOUL ODOR: The one-person, one-vote maxim enshrined in the U.S. Constitution appears to have been getting challenged by a network of right wing activists and allies of former President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, according to The New York Times, which noted the activists call themselves “investigators” and have been challenging thousands of voter registrations in battleground states, urging clerks to drop registered voters from the rolls en masse – notably in Michigan. Highlighted in the article is a purge which illegally occurred in Waterford, where the clerk, Kim Markee, removed over 1,000 people from the Waterford rolls, before Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office became aware of the fraud and told her to reinstate the voters, warning the state’s 1,600 local clerks this form of request for removal does not follow state and federal law. Locally, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills clerks affirmed they have not been targeted with similar requests. “If we were told to do it, it would be a labor-intensive, very expensive process,” said Birmingham City Clerk Alexandria Bingham. “We cannot just deactivate people without good information.” Bloomfield Township Clerk Martin Brook concurred, although he said he has been approached by someone from a similar organization, and he sat down with him, “but he nor anyone else has
requested a mass purge,” noting he would refuse to comply. “As a lawyer, the challenger has to provide an affidavit based on personal knowledge,” that someone had moved or died or was not complying, Brook said, and not because of political motive.
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ENDORSEMENT BATTLES: Running for higher office isn’t only a money game – although that counts for a lot – it’s also a fight for endorsements, the seal of approval from a variety of groups which represent you, validating and guiding your decision of who to vote for. As primary season ramps up, endorsements for candidates running for the open Michigan Senate seat are flowing in, with Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-Lansing) feelin’ the love from such diverse groups as several of her fellow congressmen and women – including Haley Stevens (DOakland County), Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) Dan Kildee (D-Flint) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), along with state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Birmingham, Royal Oak), former Gov. James Blanchard and state Rep. Jasper Martus (D-Flushing), amongst many local lawmakers and 19 union leaders, from Michigan Education Association, Michigan Building Trades Council, the Michigan Pipe Trades Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Her campaign noted, “The 19 unions collectively represent more than 350,000 workers in the state.” She has also picked up the backing of the Detroit Faith Leaders group, which holds significant sway with Detroiters. Watch for her first campaign commercials to drop sometime in May.
TRAIN IN DIFFERENT DIRECTION: Not all Democrats are riding the Slotkin train. Former Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (D-Detroit, Southfield), in a notable departure, announced in early March she was endorsing Elissa Slotkin’s Democratic opponent, actor and author Hill Harper of Detroit. “His commitment to public service and compassionate leadership will provide the inclusive representation the citizens of Michigan need. He will be a dedicated public servant for ALL the people of Michigan,” Lawrence said in a statement Slotkin said she wasn’t surprised, and isn’t taking it personally, noting Lawrence hadn’t endorsed a successor for her open seat when she retired in 2022, which caused a massive scramble ending with Rep. Shri Thanedar prevailing – and ending Black congressional representation for the first time in over fifty years. Harper has also received endorsements from Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, who has been speaking out about the disconnect between Detroit’s large Black population and its lack of representation, Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton and civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Notably, the UAW is choosing not to take sides in this fight, noting Slotkin and Harper have both been friends of labor.
TAKE THAT, RNC: Well, it’s now official – Ronna (Romney) McDaniel, Northville resident, former Michigan GOP state co-chair and graduate of the former Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School, has left her position with the Republican National Committee, replaced by North Carolina GOP Chairman Michael Whatley, who had been general counsel at the RNC, as well as an election denier, and Trump daughter-in-law Lara Trump as co-chair. The 168 member RNC membership must still formally vote to make it official, but with the former prez’s endorsement it is considered a mere formality. On her way out the door, McDaniel basically gave the proverbial finger to RNC members with a letter, obtained by Politico, about her 2024 fundraising achievements, one of a few issues that helped Trump and acolytes sour of late on her seven-year tenure in the national party’s top job. McDaniel’s letter noted that the national party had raised $22.5 million in the months of January and February, $8 million more than what was projected by the RNC. The outgoing chair also noted that the early 2024 donation haul was a record for the first two months of any year when the party was not in control of the White House. Now the question will be how much of the RNC donations will go to electing Republicans in 2024 as opposed to being siphoned off to pay legal bills of the party’s nominee.
Jason Berke followed an unconventional career path to becoming an entrepreneur and CEO of his Madison Heights based company, Hit Notion. The company offers a variety of items, including sleep and support products for the millions of people with sleep issues or those who simply seek comfort and support while relaxing.
Growing up in Bloomfield Hills, Berke fondly remembers his childhood. “I was born in the '70s and grew up in the '80s, which meant I rode my bike all day and made my way home for dinner. It was a time when kids were not tethered. It was wonderful.”
He attended Andover High School for a year, and then transferred to The Darrow School, a boarding school in upstate New York near the borders of Massachusetts and Vermont. “At Andover I was hanging out with older kids – the wrong crowd. At Darrow, there was a real sense of community, small class sizes of five rather than 30 kids. It was a good move for me in many ways...We had trimesters, and I was often able to snowboard on early days.”
Berke returned to his home state to attend Michigan State University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and computer science. During his college years, he was able to experience a half-year in England at London School of Economics and Political Science and had an internship with Reuters, an international news agency.
According to Berke, following graduation, he moved to Chicago, where he worked in system engineering and web development before landing a job in the mid-1990s as a multimedia specialist for Playboy Enterprises.
“My job involved programming and keeping visitors to the website engaged. I produced videos and did a lot of traveling in the U.S. and internationally.”
After leaving Playboy over two decades ago, Berke began his distinctive journey as an entrepreneur by becoming a spammer for several years. “At that time, there were no laws. Today it is illegal. I’d send hundreds of thousands of emails a day...and eventually had my life threatened, so it was time for something different.”
That “something different” turned out to be developing consumer products with his father, a retired neurosurgeon, and a move back to Michigan where warehousing costs were more affordable.
"One of the first products we created was the Boyfriend Pillow – a one armed man and chest in a dress shirt. It started out as a gag gift, like something you would see at Spencer’s and ended up on the TV show ‘Glee,’ and became really popular. We followed it up with the Husband Pillow, which is a comfortable backrest pillow that has been very successful,” he explained. “Over the past 15 years, we learned from customers what they like...In our evolution of pillows, we most recently launched the Wife Pillow, which keeps selling out – it has five zipper pockets and is completely adjustable.”
The company plans to increase their innovative product offering with mattresses and mattress toppers which are “in the works,” according to Berke.
The Bloomfield Hills resident enjoys life with his wife, Stephanie, eight-year-old son, and two stepchildren. “I like being active and happy. I’m a foodie and enjoy all the great restaurants in Michigan. We love the lakes in Michigan and traveling in early spring and winter.”
When it comes to advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, Berke offers up some wellearned wisdom: “Make sacrifices. Focus. Utilize the 80/20 rule in business [80 percent of outcomes come from 20 percent of causes] and focus on the products that consumers want and that make most of your profit. Don’t try to chase shiny objects – you can’t do everything.
“Focus in and solve a problem.”
Story: Tracy Donohue
Laurie Tennent
Photo:
UR DIGITAL WORLDis ubiquitous and the telecommunications industry wants it that way. But academic, medical, public health and scientific officials who have spent their careers observing and studying the boom of the telecommunications industry warn that radiofrequency (RF) radiation waves emitted from cell towers, antennas and our wireless devices are the new tobacco in terms of a threat to public health. This is because RF is unremitting – we are constantly on our screens and government regulators have been reluctant to look at any scientific findings since they set safety levels in the mid-1990s.
The limits for allowed exposure to RF, or microwave exposure, are set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation (ICNIRP), an organization based in Germany, and by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the USA. They are recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission and are still based only on heating (thermal) effects that appear within a very short time of exposure. However, the set limits do not take into account the long-term exposure or any other harmful biological effects.
Critics of both the FCC and the ICNIRP say both entities have rejected mountains of data from a growing body of evidence that a combination of RF waves coming from cell towers and antennas and devices in our homes, offices and schools are causing a range of harmful non-thermal effects that are happening well below their recommended maximum levels. In fact, set safety levels and limits of RF in Europe and the Middle East are tens of times lower than in the United States.
Cell phone towers (also called base stations) have electronic equipment and antennas that send and receive signals to and from cell phones. Antennas may be attached to free-standing towers or structures or may be mounted on non-tower structures such as building rooftops, billboards or church steeples.
According to antennasearch.com, as of this
February, there are 226 towers and 306 antennas within a three-mile radius of Birmingham. The presence of these towers is causing concern in Detroit and downriver communities like Wyandotte, where cell companies since the mid-2010s have contracted with school districts, which allow them to install cell towers on their properties in exchange for several thousands of dollars per month per building to bolster school budgets. There is one cell tower on the property of Bloomfield Hills High School, but 251 towers and 1,221 antennas within a three-mile radius within Detroit with several dozen of those located on the grounds of schools.
That number will continue to grow. The FCC in February 2024 stated that the 5G network will require the expansion of 800,000 new wireless cells to enable seamless service as we continue to travel with our mobile devices.
5G – which is now widely used – relies on frequencies from 6 GHz up to and beyond 86 GHz within the millimeter frequency bandwidth. These higher energetic frequencies are composed of shorter wavelengths allowing for much more information to be delivered over a shorter time frame. But higher frequencies with shorter wavelengths don’t penetrate structures as easily as longer wavelengths, so without any further modification, these high-frequency signals would be blocked by trees, building materials, and even precipitation. As a remedy, engineers have figured out how to focus the millimeter waves into a narrow beam directed at its target device. The increased intensity of the beam enables penetration through houses and offices.
According to the FCC, because the distance traveled by these waves is significantly shorter than low-frequency waves, antennae need to be located much closer to each other and to their target devices than the older 3G and 4G transponders. It is for this reason that these smart cells are being installed every two to 19 homes in urban environments. In this way, a pedestrian or car utilizing data moving down a street will be transferred from cell to cell, allowing for uninterrupted service. It is how this technology will become mainly an urban phenomenon.
According to the FCC, RF energy from cell phones can interact with some electronic devices, producing what is known as electromagnetic interference. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established a testing standard for the manufacture of cardiac pacemakers to ensure they are safe from RF. The FDA advises that anyone looking for an extra precautionary step can hold their cell phone to the ear opposite the side of the body where the pacemaker is implanted and avoid carrying a turned-on mobile phone in a pocket directly over the pacemaker.
The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) issues recommendations for human exposure to RF electromagnetic fields. On August 1, 1996, the commission adopted the NCRP’s recommended Maximum Permissible Exposure limits for field strength and power density for the transmitters operating at frequencies of 300 kHz to 100 GHz. Microwaves are frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz within the RF spectrum and it is within that frequency range that 5G operates.
According to the Environmental Health Trust (EHT) – an
environmental and public health think tank which many of the sources for this article have drawn their data or have some affiliation with, numerous countries have cell tower network radio frequency radiation maximum permissible limits 10 to 100 times below ICNIRP and FCC limits orthey have policies to reduce exposure near schools and/or homes designated as sensitive areas.
Another organization working in tandem with EHT, Physicians for Safe Technology, stated on its website that cell towers now transmit low (600-850 MHz-up to 25 miles), mid (2.53.45 GHz between 1-12 miles), and high band (24-47 GHz or small millimeter waves 50-2,000 feet) frequencies. Although people have reported health symptoms with cell towers a mile or more away, studies show that a 500-meter buffer from cell towers is recommended due to reported health effects and limiting liability to cities. Additionally, 5G wave technology has not been studied for health and safety.
Other countries such as India, China, Russia and the European Union have lower limits considered “science-based” as they recognize biological effects. India dropped its RF limits by one-tenth of what they were previously after a report documented that the majority of research studies found damage to birds and bees.
Joel M. Moskowitz is director of the Center for Family and Community Health at the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. For decades, Moskowitz has researched and long expressed concern about the potential health hazards of RF waves from wireless devices and cell towers.
Perhaps one of the last of his kind, Moskowitz, who also sits on the advisory board for the nonprofit research arm, Physicians for Safe Technology, spoke to Downtown Newsmagazine over a landline.
To minimize his exposure to RF, he uses hard-wired computers as much as possible, only turns on his cell phone when he needs it, and keeps it off and out of his bedroom at night. Moskowitz reviewed the history of the wireless boom and with it the U.S. government’s halt on funding studies that examine the health effects of RF waves. The passing of the 1996 Telecommunications Act prohibits federal funding, criticizing and discussion of the potentially harmful effects of RF radiation for new policy.
“Wireless technology got its origins in the military and there was research being conducted due to concerns of military personnel exposure to radar waves,” Moskowitz explained. “But when the telecommunications industry realized there was money to be made bringing wireless technology to the private sector, it took the ball and ran with it. It ensured that the public could not have a forum to discuss health risks when it comes to wireless technology or cellular towers.”
Moskowitz continued: “For almost 50 years, the FCC has uttered the mantra that there is no direct link between electromagnetic waves and cancer, though more research is needed. However, the government is not funding any new research, so the FCC limits have not been updated for decades. Yet we have reviewed much research from around the world that strongly suggests that radiofrequency radiation levels well under the limit set by the FCC are indeed harmful. RF waves cause not only damage to DNA and increase the risk of cancer but also reproductive and neurological disorders, electromagnetic hypersensitivity and cognitive effects in children. The list goes on and on.”
Moskowitz said he landed in this field of research in 2009,
when his department at Berkeley hosted a South Korean cancer researcher who studied the risk of tumor growth from cell phone radiation exposure. Since then, he has maintained a website where he compiles links to volumes of scientific studies across the globe on the dangers of RF radiation coming from 5G on human and animal health.
“Until that time, I was completely ignorant of the research on that issue,” Moskowitz said. “Before then, if someone asked me, I would have said there was no risk to human health based on my knowledge of physics, which focused on the effects of energy and photons.”
He continued: “There may have been indirect effects involving oxidative damage to the cell membrane and the cell’s energyproducing mitochondria. Some of the early research found that very low-intensity, radiofrequency radiation can open the bloodbrain barrier which evolved to keep noxious chemicals out of the brain. Opening the blood-brain barrier periodically can be harmful, especially if you have toxin agents in the circulatory system. Some of these effects take a long time to emerge; some are more acute. Certainly, the tumor risk often takes decades to present itself.”
Moskowitz’s 2019 peer-reviewed literature review, Research on Cell Tower Radiation and Children’s and Adolescent’s Health, includes findings on radiofrequency radiation’s harmful effects, including DNA damage, cancer, reproductive health risks, neurological effects and cognitive effects in children. This literature review included seven academic studies of the impacts of mobile phone base stations on children and adolescents from Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Spain and France, among other countries.
One study from the University of Madrid examined the exposure of the general population to electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phone base stations. Researchers surveyed 268 residents of a Madrid neighborhood surrounded by nine telephone antennas, and 105 measurements of electromagnetic radiation were taken with a spectrum analyzer and an isotropic antenna, in and outside the homes.
It was revealed that significant numbers of these residents suffered from headaches, nightmares, dizziness, instability in their balance, fatigue, and poor sleep quality. Concerning cancer, there were 5.6 percent of cancer cases in the study population –a percentage 10 times higher than that of the total Spanish population.
In conclusion, the data obtained showed that there is a relationship between the power density of radiation that a person receives at home every day and the presence of headaches, as well as the presence of sleep disorders. People who receive higher doses of radiation sleep fewer hours and have nightmares at night. In addition, these people suffer from headaches with greater intensity and are more prone to dizziness.
Moskowitz pointed to another notable 2023 Swedish study which examined the onset of Microwave Syndrome sickness. A previously healthy couple in their 60s developed symptoms of Microwave Syndrome after a 5G base station was installed on the roof above their apartment. A base station for previous telecommunication generation technology (3G/4G) had been present at the same spot for several years.
The couple soon developed neurological symptoms such as tinnitus, fatigue, insomnia, emotional distress, skin disorders and blood pressure variability. The couple moved to another apartment with substantially lower RF level readings, and within a couple of days, most of their symptoms alleviated or disappeared completely.
But because these studies were not funded or structured to the FCC’s or the FDA’s liking, Moskowitz said the U.S. government rejected the findings.
“They dismissed the studies that found the (damaging effects) but accepted the poorly conducted studies that failed to find damaging effects to maintain their position that there is no conclusive evidence,” Moskowitz asserted.
Moskowitz said what is standing in the way of updating regulations is the telecommunications industry itself, which funds the most powerful lobby in the country. Moskowitz said the telecommunications lobby pumps $100 million each year into Congress for favorable legislation toward their ever-growing industry. Moskowitz said investigative reporters over the years have uncovered that lobbyists for the industry meet with FCC officials hundreds of times per year.
“FCC has always been a captured agency by a lobby that spends four times as much money to influence congressional, state and local governments than even the tobacco lobby,” according to Moskowitz, parroting the descriptor of the FCC as a “captured agency,” first coined in 2015 by Norm Alster of Harvard University’s Center for Ethics.
Moskowitz said that in 2019, the National Toxicology program released the results of a two-year study that found the effects of 2G and 3G cell phones caused the growth of brain tumors in rats and mice. However, it has yet to do any studies on the effects of 5G.
Moskowitz said that what is even more harmful than the perceived radiation emanating from cell towers is the wireless technology each of us have in our homes, from phones to laptops and other devices.
“We are bombarded with radiation from these devices, which to me is more problematic than waves coming from cell phone towers,” Moskowitz insisted. “You should not keep the phone near your head or body when you’re using the phone because that will reduce your exposure substantially. Also, you should never use the phone when the signal strength is weak because the phone is programmed to put up 1000 times more radiation when the signal strength is weak than when it’s poor. And the public is pretty much ignorant of these facts.”
Ronald Melnick was a senior toxicologist for over 28 years in the National Toxicology Program (NTP) at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences before retiring in 2009. There, he led the design and interpretation of numerous toxicity/carcinogenicity studies, including the RF studies sponsored by the FDA in the mid-2010s as an independent consultant.
Additionally, Melnick served on numerous scientific review boards and advisory panels, including the U.S. EPA and the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, which classified RF radiation as a possible human carcinogen. Melnick spent one year at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during the Clinton administration.
Melnick and Moskowitz agree that combined exposure from cell towers plus interior wireless devices are contributing to potential detrimental health effects.
In 2018, Melnick and other toxicologists released the results of a two-year study contracted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about long-term exposure to RF radiation, and according to Melnick, the FDA was aware of the potential data findings as early as 2016.
“The concern then was, because there was so much widespread use and anticipated even greater use, this could be a health hazard to the general population,” he said.
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Melnick explained the work was conducted in partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Colorado to perform tests on mice and rats within a reverberation chamber. The chamber acts like a large microwave oven where electromagnetic waves can be controlled and distributed in a homogeneous environment.
In these lab rats, the NTP studies found that high exposure to RF radiation (900 MHz) used by cell phones was associated with tumors in the heart, brain, and adrenal glands, with some of these being malignant tumors.
It was unclear if tumors observed in the studies were caused by exposure to RF radiation in female rats (900 MHz) and male and female mice (1900MHz).
The NTP in 2019 published follow-up evidence that evaluated DNA damage in three regions of the brain, liver and blood cells in rats and mice that were removed at an earlier time from the ongoing two-year toxicology study. DNA damage, if not repaired, can potentially lead to tumors, the study stated.
What troubles Melnick, especially for children, is that we are in uncharted waters with 4G and 5G and are unsure how this will affect young people as they grow and develop while we are constantly using and being exposed to the technology.
According to Melnick, while the high frequencies of 5G do not penetrate the skin, it is absorbed largely on the skin’s surface. “Right now, we have no studies or data to know if this is harmful or not over an extended period,” he said. “The problem with 5G is it also uses lower frequencies of 3.5 gigahertz which penetrate deeper into the brain of a child than they do of an adult. Exposing children is different because it’s a new technology and children are going to be exposed to it a lot longer than those of older generations. That to me is my biggest concern.” Melnick said that even with the NTP findings from its study, the FCC in December 2019 decided to retain its 1996 safety limits for human exposure to wireless radiation and the FDA went along with this decision. That’s when a group of concerned scientists and medical professional organizations, spearheaded by the Environmental Health Trust, filed a lawsuit against the FCC.
Theodora Scarato is executive director of the Environmental Health Trust (EHT), which has been the nation’s leading watchdog against the government’s failings to update health and safety protocols around the booming telecommunications industry.
The EHT promotes a healthier environment through research, education and policy and works directly with communities, health and education professionals and policymakers to understand and mitigate these hazards.
“The federal government has dropped the ball on this issue,” Scarato said. “The FCC’s 1996 human exposure limits are not based on an up-to-date review of the science. Children deserve proper safety standards that have been transparently reviewed and are based on (recent) science. There was no premarket safety testing for long-term exposure.”
In a landmark case against the FCC filed by the EHT in 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled the FCC ignored scientific evidence and failed to provide a reasoned explanation for its determination that its 1996 regulations adequately protect the public against all the harmful effects of wireless radiation.
According to Scarato, the FCC’s RF radiation limits are based on the outdated belief that heating is the only proven harm from RF. The EHT submitted over 11,000 pages of evidence to the courts documenting biological effects and illness from wireless radiation exposure at non-heating levels. Research has found
brain damage, headaches, memory problems, reproduction damage, synergistic effects, nervous system impacts, brain cancer, genetic damage, as well as harm to trees, birds, bees and wildlife.
“The telecommunications industry has done a stellar job of impacting public perception creating the illusion of cellular safety, which in turn impacts policymaker priorities which in turn impacts funding for such important research projects,” Scarato stressed. “After all, why study something that they deem is safe?”
As an example of other agencies “willfully dragging their feet” and sticking within 1996 parameters, Scarato pointed to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Scarato said in decades, the American Cancer Society has not studied the issue of wireless radiation or issued any report to offer an opinion on health effects or the adequacy of FCC limits and doubles down on this by proclaiming on its website that the agency does “not have any official position or statement on whether or not radiofrequency radiation from cell phones, cell phones towers, or other sources is a cause of cancer.”
That’s not to say that the ACS is not funding further research. Scarato pointed to a notable 2020 Yale research study funded by the American Cancer Society that found elevated thyroid cancer risk in heavy cell phone users with specific genetic susceptibilities.
“The ACS funded this research that found health effects. This study should be posted on the American Cancer Society’s website pages but it is not. We do not understand why.” According to the study, published in the March 2020 issue of Environmental Research, when some genetic variants were present, cell phone use was significantly associated with thyroid cancer. The association increased when cell phone use duration and frequency increased. Genetic susceptibility may modify the association between cell phone use and thyroid cancer.
Bolstering this data, Scarato said when the National Toxicology Program found “clear evidence” of cancer from wireless RF radiation in another study, the ACS referred to the study as paradigm-shifting “good science.”
“Referring to the NTP study, the ACS remarked that the NTP report linking radiofrequency radiation to two types of cancer marks a paradigm shift in our understanding of radiation and cancer risk,” explained Scarato. “The ACS stated that the findings are unexpected and that it wouldn’t reasonably expect non-ionizing radiation to cause these tumors.”
Scarato continued: “In terms of U.S. government research, the National Institutes of Health has ceased research into this issue despite having found clear evidence of cancer and DNA damage in their long-term study on rodents. We do not fully understand why they made this decision. The NIEHS National Toxicology Program study was in fact the only bioeffects research that the non-military U.S. government research programs have done in decades.”
Rob Brown has been a radiologist for 30 years using diagnostic technologies, from X-rays to MRI’s. He is the author of a research study which measured RF radiation along 25 main streets in cities and towns in Pennsylvania, published in 2022 in the American Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Review (AJMRR).
The goal of this project was to survey outdoor exposure intensity levels shoppers and pedestrians may have been exposed to while walking down a “Main Street” in 35 towns and cities within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to see if radiation intensity correlates more closely to population density
and urbanization, or to the presence of 5G/4G LTE small cell antennas.
The study concluded that “wireless communication radiation intensity levels more closely correlate to the presence of the 5G/4G LTE network than to population density or city urbanization. The placement of small cells on utility poles is generally associated with the highest exposure levels, with antenna placement on building tops being less intense. Some antennas expose pedestrians to power densities between 30,000 and 50,000 microwatts per square meter, a level which may affect the autonomic nervous system and heart rate variability in some individuals. Power densities over 200,000 microwatts per square meter, a level which has been shown to have neuropsychiatric and behavioral consequences in rodents, were also encountered at several street corners.”
Brown first became attuned and aware of RF exposure at a medical conference he attended around 2019 about the health hazards of RF waves and their potential to cause oxidative stress on our cells.
“This was stuff we never learned in medical school in the 1990s,” said Brown. “For a very long time, traditionally-trained physicists, engineers and medical professionals carried this belief that radiofrequency radiation was safe, that it was not strong enough to ionize, meaning – break an electron from its atom, within the body. But what I learned in this conference was that what it does do is it causes cell biological systems to disrupt the ways cells can absorb and manufacture the energy.”
Brown pointed to a 2013 study published in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine where researchers were trying to get to the bottom of why and how cells that were exposed to RF waves were absorbing calcium. But applying treatment like a calcium channel blocker – the way doctors prescribe medicines to someone suffering from hypertension – could block the calcifying effects. The study showed that RF radiation was activating the calcium channels on the cell membrane, thus allowing an influx of calcium into the cell. From there, the stressed-out cell, in an attempt to rid itself of the excess calcium, will try to gain electrons from other parts of the cell, from either the cell membrane or the cell’s powerhouse, its mitochondria. When this happens, the cell malfunctions, which is the basis of many diseases.
Brown said that symptoms that occur at the cellular level can go undetected. They can range from vertigo to tinnitus and headaches.
“With radiology, you can detect something like a tumor,” Brown explained. “But if people are complaining of radiosensitivity, which occurs at the cellular level, you cannot see it. So they are easily dismissed that it is all in their head or it is psychosomatic. Nobody could prove it.”
Brown said that although the presence of cell towers is increasing, researchers are just as concerned with the number of wireless laptops, tablets, smartphones and smartwatches that have saturated the interiors of our homes – all contributing to “electromagnetic pollution.”
And as hard as it may be to limit our interaction with these devices, Brown said that is something we can control, which is not the case with the placement of cell towers. Brown said this with full knowledge that our wireless culture is not going to revert to being hard-wired or bound by ethernet cables or landline phones any time soon.
“The cell towers are only part of the puzzle,” Brown said. “The thing about cell towers, of course, is you don’t have any control over your exposure. If you are a concerned parent, you can at
least limit their time on cell phones or tablets. But when they go to school and there is a cell tower on school premises, and are exposed to this against the parent’s will, that is also an imposition on their child’s health and should not be endorsed by the government.”
While this exposure may seem out of our control, Brown said the fact that younger generations are texting and not holding cell phones up to their ears to talk as older generations of cell phone users have is a start. And there may be a push for schools to hardwire their school’s computer rooms again or to cancel cell tower contracts, although this is not slowing down in Michigan.
And though Brown agreed with many watchdogs of the telecom industry saying that the FCC is a “captured agency,” just like shakeups to big tobacco and the lawsuits against agriculture giant Monsanto, Brown said he believes the telecommunications industry will be the next target of widespread litigation.
“It may take a while but the litigation will begin to surface,” maintained Brown. “There’s going to be major liability (cases against telecommunications companies), and they don’t have insurance. They can’t get insurance because the insurance companies recognize that this is a toxin with very, with a great deal of potential for doing damage.”
Backing up Brown’s claim is a 2019 EHT report which stated that in recent years, telecom companies have warned shareholders about future financial risks because electromagnetic radiation is increasingly regarded as a toxin. EHT pointed to articles beginning in 2019 that cover the insurance industry that state that one of the world’s largest reinsurance firms, Swiss Re, said “From data privacy regulations to 5G technology implementation, a combination of notable slow-burning risks are likely to impact the re/insurance industry.”
In its 2019 report, Swiss Re said 5G presented added risks ranging from new health concerns to cyber exposure worries and political risks.
The EHT also found that insurance companies offer special coverage called an environmental insurance product for EMFs, defined as a “pollutant” by many insurance companies requiring special risk coverage.
Another theory Brown holds that may be controversial: at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the nation was in lockdown inside, the telecom industry was ramping up outside building the 5G network, when the presence of 5G towers in our communities increased exponentially.
So when people began to have long-term symptoms from what they thought was the residual effects of COVID – fatigue, brain fog, headache or ringing in one’s ears – were these symptoms brought on by COVID or the cell tower that was constructed and newly placed in the neighborhood? Brown teamed up with biophysicist Beverly Rubik and put their hypothesis to the test in their peer-reviewed study, which was published in October 2021 in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Research.
“While we were hunkering down inside, the telecommunications industry was ramping up its 5G cell towers outside,” said Brown. “Our paper was peer-reviewed by 12 other researchers because we knew it was such a controversial topic. Of course, there were a lot of people speculating that 5G caused COVID and crazy things like this. So even just approaching the idea of linking the two was taboo, you couldn’t even mention it.”
The paper’s abstract stated: “In considering the
epidemiological triad (agent-host-environment) applicable to all disease, we investigated a possible environmental factor in the COVID-19 pandemic: ambient radiofrequency radiation from wireless communication systems, including microwaves and millimeter waves.“
The researchers noted that the SARS-CoV-2 virus surfaced in tandem with the building of the 5G network across the globe.
The paper’s abstract continued: “In this study, we examined the peer-reviewed scientific literature on the detrimental bioeffects of wireless cellular radiation and identified several mechanisms by which wireless cellular radiation may have contributed to the COVID-19 pandemic as a toxic environmental cofactor. Therefore, we recommend that all people, particularly those suffering from SARS-CoV-2 infection, reduce their exposure to wireless cellular radiation as much as reasonably achievable until further research better clarifies the systemic health effects associated with chronic wireless cellular radiation exposure.”
Brown hypothesized that what 4G and 5G were doing to the body at a cellular level were exacerbating COVID symptoms and there may be an interplay between the two factors.
“There have been studies on 5G for many years that RF radiation can damage the function of our white blood cells which supports the body’s immune function,” said Brown. “Because of the volumes of data that the Environmental Health Trust has submitted to the FCC in its lawsuit, which the EHT won, the FCC will eventually have to do something. But that’s the FCC. They play the waiting game as long as possible.”
But the EHT is not waiting for the FCC to try to make changes. At the local level, Scarato said that The EHT is working with the public across the country to inform them about the dangers of EMF exposure, including with providing support, testimony and information to the families in school districts in southeast Michigan who are contracting with 5G cellular providers to install cell towers on school property.
“The needle is moving forward due to an informed public working tirelessly to get accountability on this issue,” Scarato said. “This is evident in state and local politics right now.”
Scarato pointed to proposed legislation in Massachusetts that would require that state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to establish best technology practices that protect the health and safety of students and staff and require an investigation by a special commission to research the impact of wireless radiation. Other proposed legislation would allow the public to opt out of the installation of wireless meters on homes, recognize and report incidents of electromagnetic sensitivity prohibit cell tower antennas on/near school properties, and codify disability civil rights to prohibit human rights violations.
“Cell tower radiation is an environmental justice issue, and as is the case with other environmental pollutants; its impacts will disproportionately impact people of color and with low income,” Scarato said. “Cell towers increase RF radiation in the areas close to the antennas and are often disproportionately placed on schools that have higher numbers of minorities and students needing free and reduced meals.”
In a case example, Scarato pointed to Montgomery County, Md., where cell towers are overwhelmingly placed in schools where a high percentage of the student body are people of color who receive free and reduced lunch.
Moving in the opposite direction, Michigan has legislated in favor of the telecommunications industry to build out its 4G and 5G networks. In 2018, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the Small Wireless Communications Facilities Deployment Act. Effective as of March 12, 2019, the act increased investment in wireless networks intended to provide its residents with better access to emergency services, advanced technology and intended to lay the groundwork to make Michigan competitive in the global economy.
It also gave carte blanche to wireless services providers in the right-of-way so long as it, among other things, “protects public health, safety, and welfare,” and “prioritized, the use of existing utility poles and wireless support structures for collocation over the installation of new utility poles or wireless support structures.”
In Wyandotte, there has been a battle between the school district and concerned parents about the presence of a 5G cell tower that was placed on school grounds of an elementary school in March of 2023. After a lengthy legal battle, a Wayne County judge sided with T-Mobile. The tower became operational in October 2023, and in exchange, the school district receives $1,000 per month.
Detroit Public Schools Community District Superintendent Nikolai Vitti at an April 2023 board of education meeting stated that the district had 29 contracts with cell phone companies. These contracts were authorized in 2017 under an emergency management board before the current school board was elected. According to Vitti, 15 towers were installed in 2014-2015 under emergency management, with the contract running through 2067, for a one-time payment to the district for approximately $6.8 million. Under the “no termination clause” of the contract, the district would have to pay back the money if the contract was terminated.
Under the emergency management school board, four shorter additional tower contracts were created and are up for renewal consideration between 2024-2025. There are 10 other short-term leases that began in 2016-2017, and the renewal process for those is between now and 2027. For the towers added after the original 15, each generates about $2,000 per month for each tower. These towers generate roughly $192,000 to the district annually.
According to testimony from Vitti, the cell towers, while providing more connectivity for the surrounding community, do not provide stronger cell phone reception to residents in the area. He added that no risk assessments were conducted, as per the guidelines set by the WHO, FCC, and ACS, and there are no federal, state, county, or city laws prohibiting the placement of cell towers in schools.
None of this sits well with Aliya Moore. The mother of a daughter who attends Paul Robeson Malcolm X Academy in Detroit, Moore has been a vocal opponent of the presence of these cell towers, along with a group of families who have closely watched the developments in Wyandotte. An active school volunteer, Moore and other parents have sent Freedom of Information Act requests to the state for additional information on the health risks of cell towers for children, have given multiple comments at school board meetings on the issue, and have leaned into EHT as a resource to bolster the concerns of parents.
Moore said in 2018, Detroit school district parents were informed that the district would soon be installing cell towers on top of its building as part of a 30-year contract with T-Mobile. The bulk of the towers were installed in the depths of the pandemic shutdown when students attended via remote classes for months. Now that kids are back full time in class and Moore volunteers at school several times per week, she wonders what the presence of the cell towers is doing to the health of her daughter, her classmates, and anyone who works and learns in the building.
“Our board of education is taking this money from the telecom companies and so why can the board of education not find the funding for an independent study to see how these cell towers are affecting our health?” wondered Moore. “We don’t have any direct proof that the cell towers are bothering us, but why is the city allowing to choose to place these cell towers where the most vulnerable people – our kids, who are still growing and developing – spend so much time every day? When I go in to volunteer, I see the behavioral issues. Kids are acting aggressively and some kids cannot focus. Is it due to social readjusting because of COVID-19, or is it because of the cell towers? It makes you wonder.”
According to Scarato, the executive director of EHT, EHT has outlined its recommendations to reduce exposure in schools. In addition to integrating education on why and how our society must reduce student exposure to RF radiation, the EHT recommends that schools minimize exposure by installing wired local area networks and using them as much as possible instead of Wi-Fi. Schools should consider rewiring classes with ethernet cables whenever there is a remodeling project. Students can also reduce exposure by using wireless devices on desks, even laptops and tablets. Other suggestions include powering off cell phones during the school day, turning wireless wearables to the airplane setting during the school day, and, as old-fashioned as it may sound, installing corded landline phones in every classroom.
Scarato said there is movement in states like Maryland, Arizona, Massachusetts and California where schools have individual policies and initiatives such as building shielding walls around cell towers near schools, encouraging students to turn off the Wi-Fi on their devices during school hours, and even setting their safety threshold levels of RF radiation lower than FCC levels. Such is the case in Los Angeles, as the city has banned school cell towers. Other cities have passed setback ordinances for how far a cell tower must be located from schools or residential structures.
In Santa Clara County, California, the county’s medical association’s best practices recommendations on RF radiation also include blue light reduction practices to reduce eye strain, establishing and promoting cell-phone-free policies, and consulting with RF professionals who can measure RF wave levels.
Cindy Russell, M.D., executive director of Physicians for Safe Technology, is a plastic surgeon practicing in Mountain View, California, and chair of the Santa Clara County Medical Association’s environmental health committee since 1995.
Her 2018 research paper on the potential hazards of 5G, published in Environmental Research, reviewed relevant electromagnetic frequencies, exposure standards, and current
scientific literature on the health implications of 2G, 3G, and 4G exposure, including some of the available literature on 5G frequencies. Russell questioned what elements of this technology constitute a public health issue. She concluded that: “Although 5G technology may have many unimagined uses and benefits, it is also increasingly clear that significant negative consequences to human health and ecosystems could occur if it is widely adopted. Current radiofrequency radiation wavelengths we are exposed to appear to act as a toxin to biological systems.
“Our biology is far more complex than technology,” Russell said. “Wireless technology is interfering with our biology without us even knowing it. We cannot see or hear wireless radiation from our devices, however, some electrosensitive people can feel it. They develop a fairly rapid onset of mild, moderate, or even severe symptoms including headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, impairment of concentration and heart palpitations. These resolve when the wireless device is turned off, removed or they leave the area to a lower EMF environment.”
Russell said wireless radiation has been called the tobacco of this generation, in the way that it is ubiquitous, how we are all addicted to our screens, and how the government is minimizing claims that it is harmful to one’s health.
Among the studies Russell referenced was from Spanish researcher Alfonso Balmori. Evidence For A Health Risk By RF On Humans Living Around Mobile Phone Base Stations was published in the November 2022 Journal of Environmental Research. The study reviewed existing scientific literature to update the knowledge on the effects of base station antennas on humans and examined urban conditions, where mobile phone base stations were placed close to apartments.
According to Balmori, 5G cell towers caused three main health effects: radiofrequency sickness, (which can be defined as functional disturbances of the central nervous system and manifests as headaches, sleep disturbances, discomfort, irritability, depression, memory loss, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, appetite loss), cancer and changes in biochemical parameters. The study reviewed 38 separate pieces of literature and found that 73.6 percent (28/38) showed effects: 73.9 percent (17/23) for radiofrequency sickness; 76.9 percent (10/13) for cancer; and 75.0 percent (6/8) for changes in biochemical parameters.
Russell maintains that Physicians for Safe Technology, in their scientific research and observations, are learning that there are significant adverse health effects associated with modern technology such as 5G and wireless communications. The ramifications of our digital age have not been adequately addressed in the U.S. from a public health, individual health or environmental perspective.
“Medical professionals are warning us that RF radiation is the tobacco of this upcoming generation,” Russell said. “Industries have had a long history of denying the health hazards of substances from tobacco to asbestos to pesticides. In terms of actions on what we need to do, and maybe others have said it more eloquently than I have, I believe that we need to put a moratorium on the further building out of the 5G cell tower network, especially placing 5G towers near schools. To do this, the 1996 Telecommunications Act needs to be amended to allow for environmental effects to be further studied.”
Birmingham-based author and mom, Renee Bolla, has written three children’s books which honor her daughters’ personalities and feature themes that resonate with young readers.
Bolla, who grew up in Indiana and lived in many states before landing in Michigan, studied business and fashion merchandising in college with a photography minor that introduced her to other creative subjects, like art and writing. After spending almost 20 years as a fashion retail executive, she was ready for a change.
“At the end of 2020, I was faced with a pivotal moment and decided to resign,” said Bolla. “It was a very hard decision, but I wanted to take a break and spend more time with my kids.”
Bolla began to explore writing. “I had this open time and I have a lot of energy, so I had to channel it and educate myself on what it would take to write a book,” she said. “I was on a mission to write a book for each of my daughters to share these stories and for them to have as keepsakes.”
She hopes to inspire others on a similar path, as well as for young readers.
Bolla’s first title, “Finding Bunny,” dedicated to her youngest, Elle, now five, tells the story of a special friendship between a young girl and her stuffed animal bunny who goes missing.
“Imagine That” is for her daughter Emma, now 10. Her second picture book features a girl who is very brave during the day, but scared of the dark in this children’s story that highlights courage and fear.
Set to launch on Mother’s Day, her third book, “The Truth About Stepmoms,” is dedicated to Nina, her 13-year-old stepdaughter. With this title, Bolla, who also has a stepmom, celebrates the relationship between a stepmother and stepdaughter.
To stay true to her creative vision, Bolla self-published her books and collaborated with different illustrators.
In addition to local sources, such as Found Objects, Fascination Factory (where she has a launch event in May) and Petite Cabane in Birmingham, and the events Bolla does at schools and other venues, her books can be purchased online through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart. Adorable products to go with the titles are also available, like a stuffed bunny and monster spray.
Bolla pursues another passion with the initiative, A Pop of Indie, which connects local independent authors with kids to foster a love for reading and writing among elementary school children.
The author was driven at an early age. “As a child, I wanted to be in business,” she recalled. “I remember going to my grandma’s pretend office in my grandparents’ basement where I would be working and have people working for me.”
A professional connection would later emerge. “My grandmother worked for Walmart and my mother did as well,” said Bolla. “In college, I interned for their corporate office.”
Her books create the feeling, empathy and connection people often crave. “Growing up in the industry, I was able to connect with people on a deeper level. So much of it is rooted in understanding consumer behavior and what entices them to buy something,” she said. “I love hearing other people’s stories and I’m a really good listener with my children.”
Bolla, who is currently working on an expanded picture book for ages 7-10 about embarrassing parents, appreciates the creative journey.
“I love that there isn’t a roadmap,” said the author, who enjoys the creative process. “I am so grateful for the path I chose. It’s not just the books, it’s the whole experience.”
Story: Jeanine Matlow
Photo: Laurie Tennent
DOLLARS– LET US HELP YOU SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT.
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Improvements to a proposed plaza and trail for Booth Park are closer to reality after the Birmingham City Commission approved the selection of a firm for design services during the Monday, March 18, regular meeting.
Three bidders responded to the request for proposals (RFP) that was sent out by the city towards the beginning of this year. Scott Zielinski, director of public services, said that the scoring of the written proposals submitted and reviewed by internal staff were very close. The city’s parks and recreation board also reviewed and discussed the three proposals before they were brought to the commission.
The goal of the project is improvement of the city's trail system with an entry plaza at Booth Park. The base bid included preparing architectural and engineering plans, construction specifications for an accessible seating and entry plaza designed for intensive use at the corner of Harmon and Old Woodward; restroom facilities; trail entry identifier and columns, and improvements to the existing trail; new landscaping, including a rain garden or pollinator garden; seating and gathering spaces; and lighting.
During the meeting, the three candidate firms – MKSK, PEA Group and Grissim, Metz, Andriese Associates – each gave a presentation on their proposals. MKSK is a national planning, urban design and landscape architecture firm, with experience working on park projects such as Centennial Commons in Royal Oak. PEA Group describes themselves as a team of civil engineers, landscape architects and consultants, per their website, licensed in over 20 states. Their experience included several projects along the Rouge River in Detroit. Grissim, Metz, Andriese Associates is a firm based in Plymouth with experience in landscape design, sustainable design and environmental graphics among other things, per the firm’s website. During their presentation, Susan Grissim, principal architect, explained that the firm has worked with municipalities such as Northville to enhance existing spaces.
Grissim stated that they would be working with HRC, an engineering and architectural firm with experience working in Birmingham, and Peterhans, Rea and Roman, LLC, architectural designers.
Commissioner Clinton Baller started
During the public hearing for annual liquor license renewals in Birmingham on Monday, March 18, city commissioners voted to have Papa Joes’ Bistro Joe’s, located at 34244 Woodward Avenue, return to the board after commissioners expressed concerns over the bistro’s violations of its special land use permit.
Commissioners initially reviewed the annual liquor license applications at a previous meeting on Monday, February 12, when nine of the city’s bistros were found during inspections to be in violation of various rules by the city’s planning division. A public hearing was set for the commission to determine if they would file an objection to the bistros’ state liquor license applications.
According to planning director Nick Dupuis, all of the bistros worked to resolve or come close to resolving all or most of the issues brought up during the city’s inspection. Bistro Joe’s was found to have issues with excessive indoor seating, the dumpster areas and parking lot.
The dumpster area and parking lot issues are being addressed, said Dupuis, but he noted that he found “a little too much evidence” that patrons of Bistro Joe’s were using additional seating in the mezzanine intended for Papa Joe’s customers. According to the meeting packet, Bistro Joe’s has been using almost 50 seats more than what was permitted under their special land use permit. Dupuis was told that the seating was used for employees to sit during breaks.
Tony Curtis, owner of Papa Joe’s, commented on the issue saying this is the first time the bistro has been cited for this issue, and the manager had been fired for breaking the rules. Commissioner Therese Longe said she remained concerned over the discrepancy between what the additional seats were said to be used for and what they were actually used for.
Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the renewal of the liquor licenses for all establishments except for Bistro Joe’s in a 6-0 vote, with commissioner Anthony Long absent from the meeting. In another unanimous vote, the commission set another public hearing for Bistro Joe’s on Monday, April 15, for the commission to approve the liquor license and to consider whether the special land use permit has been violated.
off the discussion by stating the presentation by MKSK was an “utter failure,” and he believed Grissom, Metz and Andriese Associates was the best choice of the three candidates.
“[MKSK] didn’t tell me one word about where you’re going to go with [the concept plan],” Baller said.
The commission collectively agreed that Grissim, Metz and Andriese gave the best presentation of the three, hitting the points that they were looking for. Some noted that, while PEA Group gave some good ideas, their presentation seemed to be beyond the scope of what the intention was with the project.
Some commissioners also took the opportunity after the presentations to address issues with the city’s process for public improvements. “You didn’t interview them,” said Baller to city manager Jana Ecker. Commissioner Andrew Haig supported Baller’s points, saying that the RFPs need to clearly
Birmingham. Ford explained that the first pilot program would extend onehour parking meters to two-hour parking meters with an exception in specific locations, and the second program would expand the current short-term parking pilot program.
The Birmingham Shopping District (BSD) informed Ford that the average length of a patron’s stay is about two hours, said Ford. After meeting with the BSD's maintenance and capital improvement committee, the BSD board and the city's advisory parking committee, Ford said that the groups preferred support for extending current one-hour parking spots to two-hours except for parking spots along Maple Road east of Old Woodward Avenue and Woodward Avenue between Willits Street and Brown Street.
Currently, the city has a pilot program for short-term parking of 15minutes on Brown Street in front of Birmingham Roast. Ford stated that this program has been successful in terms of people using it the way it was intended. He said that by providing these types of spots in other areas that are frequently abused, it would hopefully cut down on illegal parking.
Commissioner Andrew Haig argued that extending the 15-minute parking to replace current metered parking is not a good idea given that the city would lose about $50,000 in revenue. Since the spaces where the short-term parking is proposed already have meters, commissioner Therese Longe suggested keeping the spaces metered but also making them short-term for the pilot program.
outline the budget for the project.
The commission voted 6-0 to select Grissom, Metz, and Andriese Associates as the consultant for the Booth Park Plaza and trail improvements design services. Commissioner Anthony Long was absent from the meeting.
Two parking meter pilot programs expanding short-term and long-term metered parking are set to hit downtown Birmingham this year after Birmingham city commissioners approved the move during their Monday, March 4, meeting.
According to city parking manager Aaron Ford, the proposal comes from a customer service focus on improving safety and the parking experience in
Haig, along with commissioner Clinton Baller took issue with extending the length of time for the spaces from one-hour to two-hours, stating that they don’t think there is an objective way to measure the success of the program.
Baller argued that parking for individuals staying beyond two hours is available in the parking decks and the city should do more to encourage people to park in the decks for long-term parking. The point of metered one-hour parking is to have turnover, he noted.
Commissioners voted first to approve the expansion of a metered short-term parking pilot program for six months after implementation, approving the decision in a 6-0 vote.
Extending the one-hour metered parking to two-hour metered parking for a six-month pilot program was a less popular decision but was approved nonetheless in a 4-2 vote, with commissioners Baller and Haig voting against the motion. Mayor pro tem Katie Schafer was absent from the meeting.
A new 420 square foot addition to Birmingham’s historic Grand Trunk Western Railroad Depot located at 245 S. Eton was proposed by Big Rock Italian Chophouse, garnering support from the city’s planning board during the Wednesday, February 28, meeting for recommended approval to the city commission.
Original plans for the new Cameron Mitchell restaurant were approved by the city commission last August. The new establishment will be one of 46 other restaurants across the country owned by Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, LLC. Ocean Prime in Troy is part of CMR’s line of restaurants. The site previously was Big Rock Chophouse in Birmingham before closing its doors in 2019.
Last year, plans for the restaurant site showed minor cosmetic changes with the exception of two proposed outdoor dining facilities on both the north and south sides of the building.
During Wednesday night’s meeting, Big Rock officials came back to the planning board for a revised special land use permit and final site plan and design review. Big Rock officials are now proposing a 420 square foot interior addition on the south side of the building for an exclusive Club Room, according to planning director Nick Dupuis.
Noted in the meeting packet, the addition for the new club with be made of brick to match the existing elevator shaft, northern addition and dumpster enclosure along with metal mechanical screening that matches an existing part of the building.
Dupuis explained that there are also some changes to the proposed landscaping stemming from the shrinking of the outdoor dining patio on the south side of the building. The original design was shrunk down to now only have 11 seats and it will no longer have a pergola.
Mark Knauer, from Knauer Incorporated architecture, interior design and engineering firm, said they would “completely disrupt and probably kill” the ivy coming from the planting beds if they stuck with the original plan and number of seats.
While the restaurant presented plans to the city’s historic district commission (HDC) in 2023, Dupuis said they will still have to return to
Birmingham Planning Board members continued their review of key actions to tackle from the recently adopted 2040 Master Plan during their Wednesday, March 13, meeting, finishing the list of key actions and preparing for a joint meeting with the city commission in June.
The Birmingham Plan 2040 was officially adopted by the city commission on May 22, 2023. With the plan adopted, the city is now moving forward with prioritizing the 130 recommendations and 33 key actions included in the plan for implementation.
Planning board members began discussing how to begin implementation in December of last year. Since December, the city’s planning staff and board members have reformatted the key actions table from the master plan, separating the table by which group would serve as the primary “agent” for that action, per the meeting packet.
Planning director Nick Dupuis briefed the board on the most recent iteration of the table during Wednesday night's meeting. Dupuis said he made the recommended changes based on the board’s feedback from the previous study session and transposed parts of the table into an action list for the board.
Dupuis also noted that letters had been sent to the city’s various boards that will ultimately be assigned the actions by the city commission. He said each board was given a deadline of May 1, 2024, so the planning board will have their responses to review before their joint meeting with the city commission in June.
In response to the discussion, Dupuis said he feels the planning board has tackled what the city commission has expected of them, but will prepare a memo on the matter after reviewing the commission and board’s last joint meeting from 2023.
The planning board had little feedback on city staff’s updated action list, and members will continue to focus on preparing for the joint meeting with the city commission over the next few meetings. Since the item was a study session, no formal action needed to be taken.
“Good job, and let’s keep moving forward,” said chair Scott Clein.
formally present the proposed changes. The applicants went to the HDC before coming to the planning board, but the new plans were not properly included in the agenda, said Dupuis. He explained that he doesn’t anticipate the commission making significant changes to the design.
The planning board voted 6-0 to recommend approval of both the special land use permit and final site plan and design to the city commission with certain conditions. Big Rock will have to go back to the HDC to get their recommended approval of the new design. Bert Koseck was absent from the meeting.
Bloomfield Township, as of March 11, now has an emergency notification system – Bloomfield Alerts – that will notify residents of
At the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday, February 28, the board unanimously approved the purchase of a bidirectional amplifier antenna (BDA) and cell phone signal enhancement system (CPSES) for the township’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and department of public works.
Fire Chief John LeRoy emphasized how much both are currently needed, and said the cell phone signal in the police training center and EOC isn’t great, and the WiFi is spotty at best.
These purchases should greatly change that for the better.
After a grid study was performed by WZC Networking LLC, it was determined that the existing radio coverage in the EOC was insufficient with the accepted standards of the new Oakland County Emergency Radio System.
This wasn’t brand new information to the township, which had anticipated this would be the outcome and had already factored it into the EOC grant project.
The purchase of the CPSES is a long time coming and will cost $14,933. The current system was a part of the original building and failed, and it’s been a three-year process to obtain a new one.
emergencies happening in their area.
Messages will be sent out by Bloomfield Township public safety personnel through this free service via telephone, text message and email.
Bloomfield Alerts is powered by OnSolve and can reach thousands of individuals in mere minutes.
Messages sent out via Bloomfield Alerts will be time-sensitive information during emergencies, such as boil water notices, gas leaks, evacuation notices, police activity, fire emergencies, and missing persons, among others.
Those registering will need to input their residential or commercial address due to the system’s precise targeting to specific parts of the township with an exact area of impact, that way only those in the area being affected by the emergency will be notified.
To register, text “BTALERTS” to 24639 or go to accountportal.onsolve.net/ bloomfieldtwp.
While the bi-directional amplifier antenna will cost more – totaling $22,901 – it was something that the township was expecting to have to pay for, and will use the FEMA EOC grant already obtained. Through that grant, the 25 percent Bloomfield Township cost share of the BDA will be $5,725.25.
In total for both projects, the township will spend $37,834 and they will be purchased through WZC Networking LLC, the only quote for the BDA system. This cost is not only for the purchase but the installation of both the BDA and CPSES as well.
LeRoy said that both will be installed at the same time and use the same wiring. The CPSES will actually plug into the BDA.
Due to both being installed at the same time, the township’s information technology department was able to negotiate a $1,832 savings without having to have quotes for two completely separate projects.
Trustee Neal Barnett was not in attendance at the night’s meeting.
At a special meeting of the Bloomfield Hills Schools (BHS) Board of Education, the board met with and will utilize the expertise of Michigan Leadership Institute (MLI) to once again begin searching for a superintendent to lead the district.
Tim Stein is the lead contact with the institute, which will facilitate the superintendent search process with direction from the board.
MLI is a Michigan-based leadership consulting organization committed to serving K-12 school districts and public institutions throughout Michigan. Owned by the Genesee Intermediate School District, MLI works to help with the success of public education by developing, deploying and supporting outstanding executive leadership, according to its website. Key among their services are executive searches and strategic planning support.
MLI will use the candidate profile they created in spring 2023, which
was developed by incorporating significant student, staff and community feedback. The superintendent position has been posted, and is open to receive candidate applications through March 18 on the MLI website.
The MLI, after weeding out the applications, and the board will conduct a series of interview of the top candidates April 16-18, with finalists to be chosen at the regular board meeting on April 23. The current plan is to conduct interviews with the finalists on May 1-2, with a new superintendent selected on May 9, to allow for a July 1 start with BHS.
Pat Watson, Bloomfield Hills Schools' previous superintendent, announced last April he would retire from the district effective July 31, 2023. On July 13, the board named Randy Liepa, PhD, interim superintendent of the district effective August 1. He was scheduled to remain interim superintendent until a new superintendent is hired or October 30, 2023, whichever came first, however a previous search for a new superintendent was not successful, with the two finalists
withdrawing their applications for candidacy in August.
With almost 73 percent approval, on Tuesday, February 27, Bloomfield Township voters approved a millage renewal of .5057 mill for 10 years to maintain the existing level of funding for Bloomfield Township Public Library.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, township voters overwhelmingly supported renewing the current millage, with 72.5 percent of the vote, 9,319 voters, approving the millage, to 27.5 percent (3,538 voters) voting against.
The renewal request will not increase current tax payments, and will continue to cost the average township taxpayer approximately $151 per year on a home with a taxable value of $300,000, according to library director Tera Moon.
According to Moon, this funding accounts for approximately 27
percent of the library's current total revenues. With the millage approval, she said, “The library will work to achieve the goals of the 2023-2025 strategic plan and continue its award-winning operations of the last several years.”
If it had failed, there would have been serious cuts to hours, services, staffing, and programming, she noted.
On Wednesday, February 28, assistant library director Katherine Bryant sent out an email thanking the community for its support. “These results are a powerful endorsement of the value Bloomfield Township Public Library brings to the community, and it will help ensure that we can continue to provide vital services and resources to all residents. With your support, we can sustain our current service levels, expand our collections, enhance our programs and digital resources, and continue to improve our facilities, making the Library an even more valuable resource for everyone. Your vote truly makes a difference, and we are incredibly grateful for your support.”
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Birmingham city commissioners, during the Monday, March 4, meeting, reviewed the results of a traffic study conducted on N. Adams Road , ultimately voting to move forward with shrinking the current four lanes to three lanes.
City engineer Melissa Coatta noted the road repavement of N. Adams Road from Madison Street to the northern city limits has been included in the city’s capital improvement plan since the 20192020 budget. Coatta explained that the project aims to resurface the road and make some minor sewer and water main improvements.
While construction was budgeted for next fiscal year in the fall, said Coatta, the city budgeted for design engineering to take place this year. As stated in the meeting packet, the engineering department had a traffic study conducted on the area since the existing Adams Road is only three
lanes south of Madison Street.
The traffic study, which was reviewed by the multi-modal transportation board in May of last year, recommends a road diet, shrinking Adams Road from four lanes down to three lanes with a center turn lane. According to the study, this could reduce rear-end crashes on Adams Road by 13 to 14 percent.
Coatta explained that the city has already completed a road diet in three separate areas since 2003. In 2003, Adams Road north of Woodward was reduced from three to four lanes to north of Maple Road. In 2016, Maple Road was reduced, and Cranbrook Road was reduced in 2020.
Commissioners Therese Longe and Anthony Long both said they were in favor of the road diet, noting that the city’s previous road diets has worked out well.
Commissioners voted unanimously to direct the city’s engineering department to move forward with the final design of the road project reducing the lanes from four lanes to three lanes.
The Birmingham Shopping District (BSD) governing board has issued its planned interview schedule for candidates seeking to fill the nowvacant position of executive director, with the application period closing on Friday, March 29.
BSD Board Chairperson Amy Pohlod told the board at its meeting on Thursday, March 7, that the first round of interviews by members of the various BSD committees would take place the week of April 8, and the second round of interviews the week of April 15. The city’s human resource department would use the week of April 21 for the vetting of candidates. The full governing board of the BSD would be presented with candidate information and interview feedback the week of May 2.
The BSD Executive Committee in past weeks reviewed an updated job description for the position which has been posted on the city’s website and
on LinkedIn, along with a posting of the position on the classified site for the Michigan Municipal League.
The executive director position has been vacant since early February after what is being termed a “separation of employment” for Cristina SheppardDecius, who had held the position since she was approved by the BSD board on September 1 of 2022. City officials and BSD governing board members have not offered reasons for the separation, although unconfirmed reports suggest that there were conflicts with Sheppard-Decius and both city and BSD officials.
Assistant city manager Melissa Fairbairn was named as interim executive director while the search is underway for an executive director replacement.
The BSD is funded through a special assessment on all commercial, nonresidential property in areas of downtown and other business districts of Birmingham. The executive director works with merchants, business owners, retailers, landlords, and commercial real estate brokers.
March 8th - April 18th,
Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center
Gallery Hours:
Monday-Thursday 9am 5pm
Friday-Saturday 9am 4pm
IMAGE: Friends by Heather A. Kelly Powder pigment, acrylic medium, ink, gouache on canvas
The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees on Monday, March 11, approved the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) expenditure to purchase the license and implementation of Office 365, Exchange Online, and Microsoft Entra ID.
In total, this purchase will cost $46,098. This cost will include the licensing for 251 Exchange Online users, 51 Office 365 G1 users, all 302 users receiving an Entra ID license, as well as support and implementation.
This purchase will change a few elements to the email system of those who work for the township.
“Currently, all of our Exchange email is here. With that, we’re bound to equipment, bound to storage requirements, and doing backups locally, then to the cloud,” said Wil Babichak, director of information technology for Bloomfield Township.
That will no longer be the case with this purchase, which will allow for everything to go directly to the Microsoft Azure Government cloud.
Some may be wondering how safe switching to this cloud will be, and the answer is: very.
The Azure Government cloud is operated by screened U.S. personnel, allows the township’s data sovereignty to stay in the U.S., gives instant scalability, as well as being a secure and compliant cloud only for the U.S. government.
With the township’s infinite scalability, they won’t have to worry about storage running out like they do now, officials said. Having it all on the cloud will also make it easier for IT to maintain everything and have an overall greater reliability.
Those working for the township will now be able to go global with their emails through this purchase, Babinchak pointed out.
Right now, authentication only occurs on-premise, and is limited by the kind of device being used, as well as who is using it. Because of that, email isn’t usually supplied outside the U.S. without a special request to IT, who would need one’s geo location when granting that sort of permission.
Entra ID licenses – which there will be one of for every user – can provide access to data and email across the world. It’s considered a signal for where one is, what type of device they’re using, who is using it, and if they’re enrolled in the Bloomfield Township system or not.
Entra ID does provide conditional access too, which means that IT can
With ‘aging in place’ and senior support increasingly a focus in Birmingham, city commissioners discussed the city’s future senior and community center during the Monday, March 4, workshop and regular meeting.
Back in July 2023, the city purchased the former YMCA building, located at 400 E. Lincoln, intending for it to serve as the future senior and community center, including a home for Birmingham NEXT – a nonprofit, multi-community organization serving individuals ages 50 and older. Other ideas about what the 40,000 square foot building could house have circulated, including a possible relocation for the city’s parks and recreation department and police department.
Commissioners also recently accepted a proposal from Norr, LLC architecture and engineering firm to conduct a facility assessment and develop conceptual designs for the building. The purpose of the workshop, according to city manager Jana Ecker, is to discuss what type of oversight management the commission wants to proceed with the project.
Ecker said there are three types of oversight management the commission could pursue: an ad hoc steering committee, an owner’s representative or an executive management team. She said the committee would oversee all the different steps of the project, but the commission would still have the final say in the decisions that are made.
Ecker said that an owner’s representative, which has been utilized for previous city projects, would be best towards the final design process and to oversee the construction. Of the three, she explained that she feels a steering committee would be the best way to move forward.
The commission agreed that an ad hoc steering committee would be something they would want to pursue, with the addition of the owner’s representative for later in the process.
Establishing a committee was rehashed during the regular commission meeting as an agenda item, specifically relating to Ecker’s suggested makeup of the committee. As it was included in the packet, the suggested committee roster included one city commissioner, one planning board member, one parks and recreation board member, one architectural review committee member, one aging in place committee member, one YMCA representative and one NEXT representative.
Commissioner Therese Longe suggested adding an additional NEXT representative and city commissioner for a total of two each. Commissioners agreed with the suggestion, but commissioners Brad Host and Andrew Haig went a step further to suggest that younger people should have a place on the committee as the area will also serve as a community center.
Commissioner Clinton Baller made a motion suggesting a new makeup: two city commissioners, one NEXT representative, one YMCA representative, an architect, an engineer, a construction contractor, one member of the planning board, one member of the parks and recreation board and one non-voting student representative.
The commission did not take any formal action during the workshop session but did approve the formation of an ad hoc steering committee during the regular meeting in a 6-0 vote. Mayor pro tem Katie Schafer was absent from the meeting.
see specific conditions that they have laid out, and if something looks suspicious – say someone trying to access a township employee’s email from a new device in California at 3 a.m. – and they can ask to re-authenticate that person, or may ask for multi-factor authentication.
The Microsoft licensing will be purchased through a pre-bid Omnia contract, which the township is already authorized to purchase from.
Bloomfield Township received $4,407,946 from the ARPA in total last year, and has to have it all obligated by the end of December 2024.
The 2024 cape seal contract was unanimously awarded to Highway Maintenance & Construction Co. on Monday, March 11, at the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees meeting. Highway Maintenance & Construction Co. was the only bid for this project, which is budgeted to not exceed $300,000. The township currently allocates funds in the roads budget through the
pavement preservation program and is meant to be spent on performing maintenance patch overlays, concrete section replacement, and other pavement repair activities.
Over 213 miles of local roads were evaluated by the township's department of public works and then prioritized. Throughout this process, several locations were seen as areas that would greatly benefit from the application of a cape seal process. In total, they plan to use this process over a mile and a half of roadway in various areas within the township.
The cape seal process is designed to extend the life of asphalt roads that are in fair to good condition, and the method involves spraying a material on the pavement that is then covered with fine stone chips or sand before being covered with a slurry seal. This helps to seal the cracks and keep any water out. A cape seal process is often utilized in areas that would not be getting pavement preservation work without it, and slows down the process before the township would need to do a massive road overhaul.
Paul Horen, public works superintendent, mentioned that there are lots of other nearby communities that have used it, such as Birmingham, and it is allowed by the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) as a pavement preservation process on county roads.
He noted this will also help to utilize the township funds for its best value.
Bloomfield Township did a cape seal pilot program back in 2018 with the same company, which had great success, and at least one trustee said they had seen first hand the great things this type of program can do for county roads.
Trustee Valerie Murray lives in one of the subdivisions that was selected in 2018, she said. At the time her subdivision had tried on multiple attempts to get their roads done, so when they were approached about the pilot program, they were happy to take part.
She noted that it has held up very well and joked anyone could come see her subdivision’s roads if they wanted to.
“I’ve really been in favor of it… it’s been great,” she said.
She wasn’t the only trustee in favor of this contract’s approval.
So was trustee Neal Barnett, who said the 2018 program was fantastic in bringing longer life to their roads and that he’s glad to be able to provide this to Bloomfield Township residents once again.
Horen also noted that with this cape seal program, it usually only lasts five to seven years and that the roads that were part of the pilot program are currently exceeding those expectations. Since the 2018 pilot program, they have only been asked for one pothole request to be filled on the roads that were part of that program.
Aself-described “downtown girl,” award-winning architect Kimberly Dowdell splits her time between Chicago and Detroit, and attributes her career aspirations to her upbringing in Detroit. It was there, she said, that the seeds were planted in her “to utilize architecture as a tool to revitalize cities and improve people’s lives by design.”
Deeply affected by the disinvestment of her city as a child, there was one memory that stands out.
“While I never set foot inside the JL Hudson’s department store downtown myself, because it was shuttered at the time, I remember watching it being demolished and feeling crushed because of all of the stories I had heard and its rich history,” recounted Dowdell. “I promised myself at that moment that I would be a force of change in revitalizing buildings like Hudson’s, or more currently, like Michigan Central Station, and to make my purpose healing my great city.”
Receiving a scholarship to attend Cranbrook Schools for grades eight through 12, and coming from a different socio-economic background than many of her peers, it opened her eyes to the opportunities and experiences available to her. “I identified as a freshman that I wanted to be an architect, and had so much support from teachers who encouraged and believed in me,” said Dowdell. “I was also inspired by the architecture and landscaping on the grounds that elevate the life experience. Cranbrook is really the gold standard of beauty and what a built environment should be.”
In what she refers to as her east coast tour,” Dowdell earned her bachelor of architecture at Cornell University and her master of public administration at Harvard University, and in 2022, was elected to the Cornell University Board of Trustees. Over the past two decades her professional experience has spanned architecture, city government, teaching at the University of Michigan and real estate development.
Currently the director of strategic relationships and a principal with HOK, a leading global design firm anchored in Chicago, she collaborates with partners around the globe focusing on sustainability within the cities.
During her 2019-2020 term as national president of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), she worked to increase opportunities for women and people of color to gain more equitable access to the building professions –something she continues to advocate for in the industry.
Making ground-breaking history in her field, Dowdell was inaugurated as the 2024 American Institute of Architects (AIA) first Black woman president last December in Washington, DC.
“I am excited to serve as our 100th president and to be part of AIA’s leadership team that has a diverse range of experience and perspectives that mirrors the communities our profession serves,” she said. “Diversity supports AIA’s vision by ensuring an equitable, inclusive, innovative approach to shaping the future of architecture and design.”
As a leader in her industry, Dowdell sees a future where architects across the globe share a profound sense of responsibility for the stewardship of our natural resources and are celebrated for helping civic leaders solve some of the most challenging issues.
“Members of our profession are invaluable in the capacity to add much needed perspective in terms of re-using and revitalizing existing buildings and environments –the ultimate in sustainability.”
Coming full circle, Dowdell recently was honored to give the commencement speech for Cranbrook Kingswood's 2021 graduates. Reflecting, she said, “Inscribed in the garden wall at Cranbrook is the saying 'A life without beauty is only half lived.' They have invested in that philosophy and I make every effort to do the same, and to help people have a better understanding of what architects do to build a better world.”
Story: Susan Peck
Birmingham and Bloomfield area.
As a midwife and women’s health professional who previously worked at Women’s Excellence in Birmingham, Rhonda Sobh saw firsthand the needs of pregnant women. In response, she opened The Pregnancy Bar in Birmingham’s 555 Building, which she describes as “a spa for pregnant women.” The Pregnancy Bar offers ultrasounds, IV therapies, gender reveals, booster shots, hormone testing for non-pregnant women, blood work for egg counts, prenatal massages and belly facials, among other services.
“Our vision is to create a haven where expectant mothers can indulge in a range of premium services designed to enhance both their physical well-being and emotional connection with their growing baby,” Sobh said. In the beginning of March, she expanded her offerings by opening The Baby Bar, 244 E. Maple Road in downtown Birmingham in the former EGG location, offering high quality luxury maternity and baby clothes. Sobh said she had started a podcast, and through her patients, many who follow her on Instagram, she learned how difficult it was to find clothing and spaces to embody pregnancy. “When presented with this space, I signed. I knew I wanted to offer modern and elevated maternity clothing. I wanted it to be affordable for whoever my followers are, to also be comfortable for postpartum wear,” Sobh said. The Baby Bar also offers a selection of infant clothing, from newborn to 2T. She said a lot of the clothing for mothers and babies are 100 percent organic cotton, to be both comfortable and fashionable. Another factor is her Lebanese heritage, which she wanted to introduce through a few Lebanese designers. “The store is very fashionforward.” A tailor is available in-store for custom pieces for baptisms, baby shoots and clothing for baby showers.
Scenthound, a national wellnessfocused dog care service which keeps dogs happy, clean and healthy, has opened in Birmingham at 745 E. Maple Road, by Kroger. Scenthound makes routine hygiene and preventive care easy and accessible. Local owners Adam and Melissa Neff said they are eager to combine Adam’s experience in dog boarding and daycare with Melissa’s background in business and accounting. The couple grew up in the Birmingham area, and are excited to be the first Scenthound owners in the state of Michigan. Founded in 2015, Scenthound, the nation’s first dog wellness concept, offers membership-
based services for affordable and accessible routine dog care. Scenthound uses a wellness-based approach to improve the quality of life for dogs. Scenthound focuses on five core areas of maintenance: Skin, Coat, Ears, Nails, and Teeth, or S.C.E.N.T. Scenthound’s membership program brings dog parents peace of mind, knowing their dog is getting the care it needs on a regular basis. Owners can select a membership plan most appropriate for their dog. All memberships include the “basic hygiene” package, which includes a bath, ear cleaning, nail clip, teeth brushing and six-point wellness check, and additional services are available as needed.
After 41 years taking care of the wellshod feet in Bloomfield by polishing, resoling and repairing shoes, Matthew Kim of Bloomfield Plaza Shoe Repair in Bloomfield Plaza at Maple and Telegraph quietly closed up his shoe kit on December 31. A notice on the door of the establishment said, “Gone south!” He said he had closed to move permanently to Florida to care for his parents. Those in desperate need of repair services can once again turn to Frank’s Shoe Service, for over 60 years located in downtown Birmingham by Frank Konjarevich, now reopened at 43227 Woodward Avenue just north of Square Lake in the Kingswood Plaza shopping center in Bloomfield Township. Frank’s son, Frank Konjarevich Jr., who worked with his dad for decades, is running the new joint.
Those looking for a casual bite or a local coffee shop are in luck. In the same strip center as Long Lake Market and Palate Pleaser, look for Hudson’s Place, 1087 W. Long Lake Road, just west of Telegraph, Bloomfield Township, to open any day. Calling itself a “cake and coffee shop,” the establishment will be an artisan pizza and coffee shop, with coffee from Sabbath Coffee Roasters. Pizza will include vegan and gluten free options.
Partnr haus, a company which designs and furnishes workplace environments and is the premier dealer for Kimball International in Michigan, has moved from the Rail District in Birmingham, 2139 Cole Street, to 2120 E. Eleven Mile Road in Royal Oak. But co-owners Kelli DeLaRosa, Mike Naert and Becky Peters assure it’s
only because they had outgrown their space in Birmingham, and a terrific opportunity had opened up for them. Partnr haus, which previously had offered co-working space as well as creating office furniture, had outgrown the co-working space business a year or so ago, “as we grew we couldn’t do it justice anymore,” DeLaRosa said, and now, the office furniture sector “had grown so much we needed more of our own space.” One of their clients, Krieger Klatt Architects, had office space in Royal Oak available, “because they were expanding. We designed their new space. So we moved in there.”
Hawthorne Appliance, 33278
Woodward Avenue in Birmingham, just north of Fourteen Mile Road, will soon be packing up its home appliances, washing machines, refrigerators, stoves, ovens, TVs, electronics and other items, and moving to Telegraph Road north of Square Lake, to a much larger space next to Target, across from Costco, in Bloomfield Township. According to an employee contacted at the store, the strip center the appliance store is currently located in has been sold, and the new location will be significantly bigger. Look for their reopening in June or July.
Looking for delicious and healthy food options? Miroh could be the perfect choice. It’s a gourmet plant-based meal prep company located at 2398 Franklin Road, in the Sugarbush Plaza at the corner of Square Lake and Franklin roads in Bloomfield Township, offering in-store pick up options such as breakfast bowls, wraps and salads, cold pressed juices and wellness shots, as well as weekly delivery (or pickup) of meals to your doorstep. Miroh is the brainchild of Monica Notaro, who focuses on crafting gourmet meals using whole food ingredients that nourish both body and soul. “With over 2,000 meals prepared and delivered weekly, Miroh is dedicated to making healthy eating not only accessible but also effortless, saving you time and empowering you to embrace a lifestyle enriched by wholesome, delicious food.”
Business Matters for the BirminghamBloomfield area are reported by Lisa Brody. Send items for consideration to LisaBrody@downtownpublications.com. Items should be received three weeks prior to publication.
The Big Night Out is more than just an event; it’s a celebration that embodies the essence of belonging to a warm and caring community.
The bringing together of Next members, town officials, community leaders, and involved residents all made the first event an incredible success (with an overwhelming wait list). So much has happened since the inaugural event, including the purchase of the YMCA building which will become the new home for Next and its hundreds of programs, classes and events.
As part of this change, Birmingham's Big Night Out will not only continue to be a community celebration but an important fundraiser, helping to usher in a new era in our city. This transition will require significant effort but the impact on our town will be amazing!
The support of several businesses and individuals helped us launch, and now widespread local support will help Next thrive in our mission to provide lifelong engagement for the mind, body and soul of our 50+ residents, now and well into the future.
Beyond lifelong engagement, Next is a dynamic hub for community connections. Regular interactions foster a sense of familiarity; shared experiences and life challenges naturally give rise to friendships. With the upcoming move to the new facility, the aim is to broaden this sense of belonging throughout the community. This endeavor extends beyond social interaction, recognizing that humans are inherently social beings, and a connected community mitigates feelings of isolation and loneliness, contributing to improved mental and physical health.
This year’s event is about building on the very successful inaugural event, but it is also so much more. It is about sowing the seeds of community.
When we think about community, it is organizations supporting residents in need of assistance or helping enrich their lives.
It is business owners joining in with residents to support these organizations because a supported community thrives.
And it is those same residents who support local businesses even though they can probably get a similar item maybe a little less expensive or faster elsewhere, but don’t because we are part of the same community.
Birmingham’s Big Night Out is your chance to join in the excitement of the evening while supporting your community.
Picture the fabulous ballroom at the Daxton transformed into a 40s night club reminiscent of The Copacabana, The Chi Chi Room and the Rainbow Room. Dance the night away to the amazing sounds of Mark Randisi and the Motor City Horns, who are frequently compared to Frank Sinatra, and featured guests, the incredible a cappella group The Unforgettables.
The room will be filled with the nostalgic music you love, bringing back memories of a time when cheerful friends and neighbors shared a night of conviviality, then –add plenty of delicious strolling appetizers and desserts, special surprises and so much community goodwill, all to create an exceptional and truly memorable evening.
A night like this doesn’t come around often.
Together, we can create a more robust, united, and inclusive community that enhances the lives of all residents.
Tickets are available at BirminghamNext.org.
Cris Braun is Executive Director of Birmingham Next
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"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said." - Peter Drucker
I recently read that “information has always been essential to democracy. It’s a societal good, like clean water. But many now find it difficult to put their trust in the media and experts who have spent years researching topics.” In our post-COVID world, people tend to “listen to those who have the loudest voices. Those uninformed views are amplified by social media networks that reward those who spark outrage instead of insight or thoughtful discussion.” Fair and balanced communication is under attack. It’s fast becoming a lost art.
The Art of Communicating is effective communication that promotes understanding and harmony. “It emphasizes active listening, compassionate speech, and the importance of mindfulness in communication. With mindfulness we can produce thoughts, speech and actions that will feed our relationships and help them grow and thrive.”
I learned that “the art of communication involves the transmission of information from one source to another to convey a specific message in order to elicit a desired reaction or result. By delivering messages clearly, there is no room for misunderstanding or alteration of messages, which decreases the potential for conflict. In situations where conflict does arise, effective communication is a key factor to ensure that the situation is resolved in a respectful manner.”
In response, the historic Community House recently commissioned and partnered with A & K Research, an independent outside research firm to create and administer a confidential electronic survey to past and current users of our 100-year-old historic Community House – to over 17,000 households, businesses and civic/governmental employees. Feedback from this once in a decade survey is being kept strictly confidential; all individual responses are being combined with other respondents and not divulged to anyone. The electronic survey ended on March 8th.
The primary purpose of the survey is for The Community House to actively communicate and listen to past and future users of our services and facilities, to hear about our employees, about our brand and the community’s perceptions of our century-old organization, to understand today’s societal needs, to ultimately help us collaboratively chart a modern path forward - as we enter our next hundred years of uninterrupted nonprofit service. The goal of this extensive survey is for The Community House to effectively communicate with others, those we serve or have served, in a positive, thoughtful, and meaningful manner. Stay tuned for the results.
Also, in response to refining the art of communication at The Community House and its Foundation, in a quiet voice, we are delighted to announce the launch of our first-ever Community House Association and Foundation’s joint quarterly electronic newsletter –380 Bates.
One question we never get tired of hearing here at The Community House is “What’s new?” That’s because at any given time, there is always something new and exciting in the works that we can’t wait to share. So you can imagine how ecstatic we are at this time to introduce The Community House’s new quarterly electronic newsletter with you.
This lively, informative, and visually inviting publication is designed to keep you up on all the various departments and activities of The Community House Association and The Community House Foundation. It will feature timely updates on our culinary programs, hospitality offerings, and the overall
management of our facilities. Current information about the Early Childhood Center, partnerships, and fundraising will be included as well. Additionally, it will keep you informed on our upcoming events calendar, giving you plenty of advanced notice so you can arrange your plans to enjoy each and every one.
Each newsletter will also carry a main lead article. This first issue “now online” features an in-depth story about the 2024 Bates Street Society Dinner that showcased and honored many key pillars in our community, and the notable contributions they have made for the betterment of our community.
We’re also very thrilled to mention that The Community House itself has also been the recipient of some prestigious recognition. For instance, we have earned multiple awards and mentions from The Knot, the nation’s premier wedding-themed website. We’re particularly honored to have been selected as a recipient of their highly regarded 2024 Best of Weddings award and inducted into the Best of Weddings Hall of Fame.
Quality people continue to be our most valuable resource. And we proudly wish to express appreciation and recognition on behalf of our TCH employees. As always, they are to be commended for their hard work and dedication, both as individuals and as a team. Their “Whatever it takes” spirit plays a vital role in assuring that the extraordinary events and programming we offer will always exceed expectations and keep The Community House alive and thriving.
So, with that, we invite you to enjoy our first edition - to enhance The Community House experience. We’re already looking forward, as we hope you are, to the next issue in June. As for day-to-day updates, they can still be found on our website at communityhouse.com and on various social media outlets. Meanwhile, be assured that we will continue working hard to keep you informed about the exciting programs and events that await you at The Community House. And if you still want even more details, feel free to contact any one of us and ask, “What’s new?”
Note: If you did not make it to our recent electronic newsletter distribution list, please contact Ms. Julie Smude, Director, Administrative Services, The Community House Foundation at jsmude@communityhousefoundation.org to be included on our next electronic distribution list.
The Community House’s Early Childhood Center is excited to announce we have a rare, limited number of spots available for our preschool program. With the use of the nationally recognized High-Scope curriculum our amazing teachers are ready to set the foundation of your child’s academic success. Our curriculum uses a whole-child approach to learning, where the child is encouraged to create and execute their plan through hands on classroom exploration. Our program encourages independence, decision-making, and conflict resolution and students graduate from The Community House ECC ready for kindergarten with confidence and the ability to creatively problem solve.
With the end of the school year fast approaching, coupled with the graduation of our Pre-K and Junior K+ students, we are now accepting Fall 2024 openings in our award-winning, High-Scope Early Childhood Center. Registration is now open. We are accepting applications for ages 0-4. Please contact our Senior Director/Head of School, Ms. Sarah Schuster, at sschuster@communityhouse.com or call (248) 594-6411 to learn more about our program, to arrange a tour, or to secure your child’s spot.
For reservations, sponsorships or more information about booking gathering and meeting space for 2024 and beyond, please go to communityhouse.org or call 248.644.5832.
The historic Community House is a solely independent nonprofit 501 c 3 charitable organization. TCH is not and never has been supported by tax dollars or millages.
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.
220: American. Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 220 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.2220. 220restaurant.com
5th Tavern: American. Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2262 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9607. 5thtavern.com
Adachi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner daily. Liquor. Reservations. 325 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham 48009. 248.540.5900. adachirestaurant.com
Andiamo: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6676 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248.865.9300. andiamoitalia.com
Beau’s: American. Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 4108 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.626.2630. beausbloomfield.com
Bella Piatti: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 167 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.494.7110. bellapiattirestaurant.com
Beverly Hills Grill: American. Breakfast & Lunch, Wednesday-Sunday, Lunch, Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations Liquor. 31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, 48025. 248.642.2355. beverlyhillsgrill.com
Beyond Juicery + Eatery: Contemporary. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 270 W. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009; 221 Cole Street, Birmingham, 48009; 3645 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301; 4065 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301; 1987 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. beyondjuiceryeatery.com
Bill’s: American. Breakfast, weekends, Lunch, Wednesday-Sunday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.646.9000. billsbloomfieldhills.com
Birmingham Pub: American. Brunch, Sunday, Lunch, Tuesday-Friday, Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 555 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham. thebirminghampub.com
Birmingham Sushi Cafe: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.8880. birminghamsushi.com
Bistro Joe’s Kitchen: Global. Brunch, weekends, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 34244 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.0984. bistrojoeskitchen.com
Bloomfield Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 71 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.645.6879. bloomfielddeli.com
Brooklyn Pizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor. No reservations. 111 Henrietta Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6690. thebrooklynpizza.com
Café Dax: American. Breakfast, daily, Lunch, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 298 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.283.4200. daxtonhotel.com
Café ML: New American. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 3607 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield, 48301. 248.642.4000. cafeml.com
Casa Pernoi: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 310 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.940.0000. casapernoi.com
Churchill’s Bistro & Cigar Bar: Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 116 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.4555. churchillscigarbar.com
Cityscape Deli: Deli. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Beer. 877 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302.
248.540.7220. cityscapedeli.com
Commonwealth: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 300 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.9766. gocommonwealth.com
Dick O’Dow’s: Irish. Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 160 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.1135. dickodowspub.com
Eddie Merlot’s: Steak & seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.
248.712.4095. eddiemerlots.com
Einstein Bros. Bagels: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 4089 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.258.9939. einsteinbros.com
Elie’s Mediterranean Grill/Bar: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 263 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.2420. eliesgrill.com
EM: Mexican. Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 470 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 947.234.0819. embirmingham.com
Embers Deli & Restaurant: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday. Dinner, TuesdayFriday. No reservations. 3598 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.645.1033. embersdeli1.com
Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 323 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.723.0134.
flemingssteakhouse.com
Forest: European. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham 48009. 248.258.9400.
forestbirmingham.com
Greek Islands Coney Restaurant: Greek. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 221 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.1222.
greekislandsconey.com
Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American. Lunch, Thursday-Sunday, Dinner, TuesdaySunday. No Reservations. Liquor. 575 S. Eton Street, Birmingham. 248.712.4050. griffinclawbrewingcompany.com
Hazel’s: Seafood. Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 1 Peabody Street, Birmingham. 248.671.1714. eatathazels.com
Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, daily. No reservations. 3633 W. Maple Rd, Bloomfield, MI 48301. 248.203.9111. honeytreegrille.com
Hunter House Hamburgers: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 35075 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.7121. hunterhousehamburgers.com
Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 201 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.4369. hydeparkrestaurants.com
IHOP: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2187 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301. 248.333.7522. Ihop.com
Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Dinner daily. Reservations. Liquor. 39475 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.792.9609. joemuer.com
Kaku Sushi and Poke’: Asian. Lunch, MondayFriday & Dinner daily. No reservations. 869 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.480.4785, and 126 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.885.8631. kakusushipoke.com
Kerby’s Koney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2160 N. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.333.1166.
kerbyskoneyisland.com
La Marsa: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner daily. Reservations. 43259 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.5800.
lamarsacuisine.com
La Strada Italian Kitchen & Bar: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 243 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.480.0492. lastradaitaliankitchen.com
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. leosconeyisland.com
Little Daddy’s: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 39500 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.647.3400. littledaddys.com
Luxe Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 525 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.6051. luxebarandgrill.com
Madam: American. Brunch, weekends. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner daily. Reservations. Liquor. 298 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.283.4200. daxtonhotel.com
Mare Mediterranean: Seafood. Brunch, weekends. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 115 Willits Street, Birmingham 48009. 248.940.5525. maremediterranean.com
Market North End: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 474 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.712.4953. marketnorthend.com
MEX Mexican Bistro & Tequila Bar: Mexican. Brunch, weekends. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6675 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248.723.0800. mexbloomfield.com
Middle Eats: Mediterranean. Lunch and Dinner, daily. No reservations. 42967 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield, 48093. 248.274.328. middleeats.com
Nippon Sushi Bar: Japanese. Lunch, MondayFriday, Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2079 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9581.
nipponsushibar.com
Olga’s Kitchen: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2075 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.451.0500.
olgas.com
Original Pancake House: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 33703 South Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.5775. oph-mi.com
Phoenicia: Lebanese. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 588 S. Old Woodward Birmingham, 48009.
phoeniciabirmingham.com
Planthropie: Vegan. Dessert and Cheese. Tuesday-Sunday. 135 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.839.5640.
planthropie.com
Roadside B & G: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1727 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48302. 248.858.7270.
roadsidebandg.com
Salvatore Scallopini: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 505 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.8977.
salsbirmingham.com
Shift Kitchen & Cocktails: Small plates. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 117 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.2380.
shiftbirmingham.com
Sidecar: American. Lunch and Dinner, daily. Liquor. 117 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.2380. sidecarsliderbar.com
Slice Pizza Kitchen: Pizza. Lunch and Dinner, daily. Liquor. 117 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.3475.
slicepizzakitchen.com
Social Kitchen & Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Brunch, Saturday & Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 225 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.4200.
socialkitchenandbar.com
Steve’s Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Breakfast and Lunch, Sunday. No reservations. 6646 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48301. 248.932.0800. stevesdeli.com
Streetside Seafood: Seafood. Lunch, Thursday & Friday, Dinner, daily. Liquor. 273 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.645.9123. streetsideseafood.com
Sushi Hana: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 42656 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.333.3887. sushihanabloomfield.com
Sy Thai Cafe: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, Monday and
Wednesday-Sunday. No reservations. 315 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.9830. sythaibirmingham.com
Sylvan Table: American. (remove Brunch) Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1819 Inverness Street, Sylvan Lake, 48320. 248.369.3360. sylvantable.com
Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro: American. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 55 S. Bates Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.731.7066. tallulahwine.com
Thai Street Kitchen: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. 42805 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48304. 248.499.6867
thaistreetkitchen.com
The French Lady: French. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. 768 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.480.0571. zefrenchlady.com
The Gallery Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & wine. 6683 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.851.0313.
galleryrestaurant2.com
The Moose Preserve Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2395 S. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7688. moosepreserve.com
The Morrie: American. Dinner, Friday & Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 260 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham 48009. 248.940.3260. themorrie.com
The Rugby Grille: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 100 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.5999. rugbygrille.com
Toast: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Reservations. Liquor. 203 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6278.
eatattoast.com
Tomatoes Apizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner daily. Carryout. 34200 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham 48009. 248.258.0500.
tomatoesapizza.com
Touch of India: Indian. Lunch, ThursdayWednesday; Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. 297 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.7881. thetouchofindia.com
Townhouse: American. Brunch, weekends. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 180 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.5241. eatattownhouse.com
Whistle Stop Diner: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Liquor. No reservations. 501 S. Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.566.3566. whistlestopdiners.com
ZANA: Modern American. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 210 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.800.6568. zanabham.com
Zao Jun: Asian. Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.949.9999. zaojunnewasian.com
Ale Mary’s: American. Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 316 South Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.268.1917. alemarysbeer.com
Anita’s Kitchen: Middle Eastern. Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 22651 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220. 248.548.0680. anitaskitchen.com
Bandit Tavern & Hideaway: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 419 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.6250. bandittavern.com
Beppé: New American. Lunch, Saturday and Sunday. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.703 N. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.607.7030. eatbeppe.com
Bigalora: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 711 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.2442 bigalora.com
Cafe Muse: French. Breakfast & Lunch, Wednesday-Monday. Reservations. Liquor. 418 S. Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.4749.
cafemuseroyaloak.com
Coeur: New American Small Plates. Brunch,
weekends, Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 330 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, 48220. 248.466.3010. coeurferndale.com
Como’s: Pizza. Brunch, weekends. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 22812 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220. 248.677.4439. comosrestaurant.com
Crispelli’s Bakery and Pizzeria: Italian. Lunch and Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 28939 Woodward Avenue, Berkley, 48072. 248.591.3300. crispellis.com
The Fly Trap: Diner. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Thursday-Sunday. No reservations. 22950 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale 48220. 248.399.5150. theflytrapferndale.com
Grand River Brewery: American. Brunch, Saturday & Sunday. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 1 E. 14 Mile Road, Clawson, 48017. 248.607-3631. grandriverbrewer
HopCat: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 430 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.744.2544.
HopCat.com
Howe’s Bayou: Cajun. Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 22949 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220. 248.691.7145. howesbayouferndale.net
Imperial: Mexican. Lunch and Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 22848 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220. 248.691.7145. imperialferndale.com
Inyo Restaurant Lounge: Asian Fusion. Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 22871 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220. 248.543.9500. inyorestaurant.com
Kacha Thai Market: Thai. Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. 205 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.942-4246.
KouZina: Greek. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 121 N. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.629.6500. gokouzina.com
Kruse & Muer on Woodward: American. Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 28028 Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.965.2101. kruseandmuerrestaurants.com
Lily’s Seafood: Seafood. Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 410 S. Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.591.5459. lilysseafood.com
Lockhart’s BBQ: Barbeque. Brunch, Sunday, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 202 E. Third Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.584.4227. lockhartsbbq.com
Masala: Indian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 106 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.850.8284. food.orders.co/royaloakmasala
Mezcal: Mexican. Bruch, Sunday. Lunch and Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 201 E. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, 248.268.3915. mezcalferndale.com
Pastaio: Italian. Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 208 W. 5th Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.565.8722. eatpastaio.com
Oak City Grille: American. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 212 W. 6th Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.556.0947. oakcitygrille.com
Oak Parker: American. Lunch and Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 13621 W Eleven Mile Road, Oak Park,48327 oakparkerbar.com. One-Eyed Betty’s: American. Breakfast, weekends, Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 175 W. Troy Street, Ferndale, 48220. 248.808.6633. oneeyedbettys.com
Pop’s for Italian: Italian. Brunch and Lunch, weekends, Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. 280 W. 9 Mile Road, Ferndale,48220. 248.268.4806. popsforitalian.com
Public House: American. Lunch & Brunch, weekends, Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 241 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, 48220. 248.850.7420. publichouseferndale.com
Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 31542 Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak, 48073. 248.549.0300. redcoat-tavern.com
Ronin: Japanese. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 326 W. 4th Street, Royal Oak, 48067.
248.546.0888. roninsushi.com
Royal Oak Brewery: American. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 215 E. 4th Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.1141. royaloakbrewery.com
Sozai: Japanese.Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. 449 West 14 Mile Road, Clawson,48017. 248.677-3232. sozairestaurant.com
The Morrie: American. Brunch, weekends, Dinner, Thursday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 511 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.216.1112. themorrie.com
Three Cats Cafe: American. Brunch, weekends, Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday. Dinner, Wednesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 116 W 14 Mile Road, Clawson, 48017. 248.900.2287. threecatscafe.com
Tigerlily: Japanese. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 231 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, 48220. 248.733.4905. tigerlilyferndale.com
Toast, A Breakfast and Lunch Joint: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 23144 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220. 248.398.0444. eatattoast.com
Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 318 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.541.1186. tomsoysterbar.com
Trattoria Da Luigi: Italian. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 415 S, Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.542.4444.
trattoriadaluigi.business.site.com
Vinsetta Garage: American. Lunch, TuesdaySaturday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7799 Woodward Avenue, Berkley, 48072. 248.548.7711. vinsettagarage.com
Voyager: Seafood. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 600 Vester Street, Ferndale, 48220. 248.658.4999. voyagerferndale.com
Cafe Sushi: Pan-Asian. Lunch, Tuesday-Friday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 1933 W. Maple Road, Troy, 48084. 248.280.1831. cafesushimi.com
Capital Grill: Steak & Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2800 W. Big Beaver Road, Somerset Collection, Troy, 48084. 248.649.5300.
CK Diggs: American & Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 2010 W. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.853.6600. ckdiggs.com
Firebird Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 4845 Rochester Road, 48085. 248.289.9650. firebirdtaverntroy.com
Grand Castor: Latin American. Lunch, Thursday-Sunday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2950 Rochester Road, Troy, 48083. 248.278.7777. grancastor.com
Kona Grille: American. Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 30 E. Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48083. 248.619.9060. konagrill.com
Kruse & Muer on Main: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 327 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.652.9400.
kruseandmuerrestaurants.com
Loccino Italian Grill and Bar: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 5600 Crooks Road, Troy, 48098. 248.813.0700. loccino.com
The Meeting House: American. Brunch, weekends, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 301 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.759.4825. themeetinghouserochester.com
Mon Jin Lau: Nu Asian. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1515 E. Maple Road, Troy, 48083. 248.689.2332. monjinlau.com
Morton’s, The Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 888 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48084. 248.404.9845. mortons.com
NM Café: American. Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 2705 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48084. 248.816.3424.
Registration for 2024 camps is OPEN NOW!
With camps available for children ages 5-16, there’s an option for everyone!
Several of the community-favorite camps are returning this year – Mad Science Detroit, Amazing Athletes, Snapology, TumbleBunnies, and Project Runway Fashion Camp just to name a few!
Metro Intelligencer is a monthly column devoted to news stories, tidbits and gossip items about what's happening on the restaurant scene in the metro Detroit area. Metro Intelligencer is reported/created each month by Gigi Nichols who can be reached at GigiNichols@DowntownPublications.com with news items or tips, on or off the record.
It’s been seven years in the making but Lincoln Yard and Little Yard have finally made their debut in Birmingham’s Rail District. Lincoln Yard is the main restaurant, featuring two separate dining counters, a bar, indoor seating for 145 and additional seating under a large covered patio. Little Yard is adjacent to the main restaurant and provides quick serve items such as pastries and coffee starting at 7 a.m. and build-your-own pita, salad and grain bowls throughout the day. The establishment is located in Birmingham Public School’s former bus depot and is owned and operated by Union Joints, a restaurant group that is famous for placing restaurants in repurposed industrial spaces such as the Vinsetta Garage in Berkley and Union Rec in Ann Arbor, which is located in the old Fingerle Lumber Company. Union Joints restaurants are also known for comfort food offerings, but Curt Catallo, co-owner of Union Joints, points out that Lincoln Yard’s menu will be a bit different. “We have stayed in our lane for comfort food, but we have widened it. It’s a greener, cleaner menu with rotisserie meats and far-reaching sauces from Asia, Greece and South America.” The interior space is designed by Catallo’s wife and business partner, Ann Stevenson, owner of Ann Stevenson Studio. Stevenson describes the design aesthetic as one that combines industrial and gritty with elements that are more ‘moderne,’ creating a ‘30s and ‘40s feel. Hours for Lincoln Yard are SundayThursday, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. and Friday/Saturday, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. 2159 E. Lincoln Street, Birmingham eatlincolnyard.com
Oakland County fans of Detroit’s Marrow will soon have a neighborhood butcher shop and eatery at 283 Hamilton Row in downtown Birmingham. Marrow Detroit Provisions will carry a full range of fresh meats, aged steaks, trademark sausages, handcrafted deli offerings and a selection of gourmet sundries. The company’s first location outside of Detroit will also serve an elevated casual menu of sandwiches, savory snacks and coffee throughout the day, available for dine-in or take-out. “Marrow is here to build and support a robust and sustainable food system in partnership with our farmers,” said PingHo, CEO and founder. “We are excited to be in our first location outside of Detroit. Our products were so well-received at the Birmingham Farmer’s Market that we were inspired to open a permanent outlet. Now, Oakland County will have a convenient neighborhood store to enjoy a delicious lunch and shop for the locally-sourced meats that our iconic Detroit establishment is known for.” The 1,400 square foot butcher shop and eatery will feature café seating with hot and cold sandwiches, freshly made sausage rolls, and various salads and soups. The menu will be spearheaded by its culinary team led by Marrow’s Executive Chef and partner Sarah Welch. The team plans for a spring 2024 opening after a brief construction period. 283 Hamilton Row, Birmingham
In Victorian-era Ireland, the pubs were almost exclusively for men and a woman drinking in public, though legal, was quite scandalous. But that doesn’t mean that all Irish women never drank – some enjoyed their drinks in a slightly less conspicuous way which was inside a small, screened-off room attached to the bar, called “the snug.” Over a 100 years later, and paying homage to its Irish roots, Clawson newcomer, Gus’Snug, offers two snugs –but no worries, the snugs are just for posterity and offer a unique private dining space for all. The pub, which opened in the space formerly occupied by Lucky Duck, has been redesigned to include a cozy brick interior, leather upholstered booth seating, high-tops and a long bar which seats 18. The bar menu includes a full array of Irish and domestic beers as well as an extensive whiskey menu boasting over 60 Irish whiskeys featuring rare finds such as Redbreast Sherry Cask, Bushmills 25 Year and Middleton Very Rare. There is also a selection of wines and Irish-inspired cocktails like Classic Irish Coffee, Dublin Old Fashion, Irish Margarita and Kerry Pippin. On the food side of the menu, not only will patrons find typical pub fare such as burgers, sandwiches
neimanmarcus.com/restaurants
Oceania Inn: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Village of Rochester Hills, 3176 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.375.9200. oceaniainnrochesterhills.com
Ocean Prime: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, MondayFriday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2915 Coolidge Highway, Troy, 48084. 248.458.0500. ocean-prime.com
O’Connor’s Irish Public House: Irish. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 324 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.608.2537. oconnorsrochester.com
Orchid Café: Thai. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. 3303 Rochester Road., Troy, 48085. 248.524.1944. orchid-cafe.com
P.F. Chang’s China Bistro: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. Somerset Collection, 2801 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084. 248.816.8000. pfchangs.com
Recipes: American/Brunch. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 134 W. University Drive, Rochester, 48037. 248.659.8267. Also 2919 Crooks Road, Troy, 48084. 248.614.5390. recipesinc.com
RH House: American. Brunch, weekends, Lunch and Dinner, daily. 2630 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. No reservations. Liquor. 2630 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.586.1000. rh.house.com
RH Social: Pizza/Sports Bar. Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6870 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48306.248.759.4858. rochesterhillssocial.com
Rochester Chop House: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 306 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.651.2266. kruseandmuerrestaurants.com
Ruth’s Chris Steak House: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 755 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48084. 248.269.8424. ruthschris.com
Sedona Taphouse: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 198 Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48083. 248.422.6167. sedonataphouse.co
Silver Spoon: Italian. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 6830 N. Rochester Road, Rochester, 48306. 248.652.4500. silverspoonristorante.com
Too Ra Loo: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 139 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.453.5291. tooraloorochester.com
West Bloomfield/Southfield
Aurora Italiana: Italian. Dinner, WednesdayMonday. Reservations. Liquor. 6199 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.782.3000. auroraitaliana.com
Cornbread Restaurant & Bar: Southern. Lunch & Dinner, Thursday-Tuesday. Reservations. Liquor. 29508 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.208.1680. cornbreadsoulfood.com
Bigalora: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 29110 Franklin Road, Southfield, 48034. 248.544.2442. bigalora.com
The Fiddler: Russian. Brunch, Sunday, Dinner, Thursday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 6676 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.851.8782. fiddlerrestaurant.com
Mene Sushi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 6239 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.538.7081. menesususi.com
Nonna Maria’s: Italian. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 2080 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323. 248.851.2500. nonamariasbistro.com
Pickles & Rye: Deli. Lunch, & Dinner, TuesdaySunday. No reservations. 6724 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.737.3890. picklesandryedeli.com
Prime29 Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 6545 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.7463. prime29steakhouse.com
Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 6745 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.865.0500. redcoattavern.com
Shangri-La: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, Wednesday-Monday. Reservations. Liquor. Orchard Mall Shopping Center, 6407 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.626.8585. dineshangrila.com
Stage Deli: Deli. Lunch, & Dinner, TuesdaySunday. No reservations. Liquor. 6873 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.855.6622. stagedeli.com
Yotsuba: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 7365 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.8282. yotsuba-restaurant.com
West Oakland
Volare Ristorante: Italian. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 48992 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.960.7771. ristorantevolare.com
North Oakland
Clarkston Union: American. Breakfast, Sunday, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 54 S. Main Street, Clarkston, 48346 248.620.6100. clarkstonunion.com
Kruse's Deer Lake Inn: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7504 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346. 248.795.2077. kruseandmuerrestaurants.com
The Fed: American. Brunch, Sunday, Lunch, Saturday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 15 S. Main Street, Clarkston, 48346. 248.297.5833. thefedcommunity.com
Via Bologna: Italian. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 7071 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346. 248.620.8500. joebologna.com
Union Woodshop: BBQ. Lunch, Saturday & Sunday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 18 S. Main Street, Clarkston, 48346. 248.625.5660. unionwoodshop.com
Detroit
Alpino: Alpine cuisine. Brunch, Sunday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1426 Bagley Street, Detroit, 48216. 313.524.0888 alpinodetroit.com
Ash-Bar: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1509 Broadway Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.277.4736. ash.world/hotels/the-siren.com
Bar Pigalle: French. Brunch, weekends, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2915 John R Street, Detroit, 48201. 313.497.9200. barpigalle.com
Barda: Argentinian. Dinner, Thursday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 4842 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, 48208. 313.952.5182. bardadetroit.com
Basan: Asian. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2703 Park Avenue, Detroit, 48201. 313.481.2703. basandetroit.com
Bucharest Grill: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2684 E. Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, 48207. 313.965.3111. bucharestgrill.com
Cash Only Supper Club: American. Dinner, Friday & Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 1145 Griswold Street, Detroit, 48226. 248.636.2300. cashonlydetroit.com
Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails: Seasonal American. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 15 E Kirby Street, Detroit, 48202. 313. 818-3915. chartreusekc.com
Cliff Bell’s: American. Dinner, WednesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 2030 Park Avenue, Detroit, 48226. 313.961.2543. cliffbells.com
Coriander Kitchen and Farm: Farm to table. Lunch and Dinner, Wednesday-Monday. Reservations. Liquor. 14601 Riverside Boulevard, Detroit, 48215. 313.338-9466. corianderkitchenandfarm.com
Cuisine: French. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 670 Lothrop Road,
Detroit, 48202. 313.872.5110.
cuisinerestaurantdetroit.com
The Eagle: American. Lunch, Friday-Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 3461 Woodward Avenue Detroit, 48201. 313-334-4530. eaglerestaurant.com
El Barzon: Mexican. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 3710 Junction Street, Detroit, 48210. 313.894.2070. elbarzonrestaurant.com
Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café: Cajun. Lunch and Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 400 Monroe Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.965.4600. fishbonesusa.com
Freya: Price fixed. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations, Liquor. 2929 E. Grand Boulevard, Detroit, 48202. 313.351.5544. freyadetroit.com
Giovanni’s Ristorante: Italian. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 330 S. Oakwood Boulevard, Detroit, 48217. 313.841.0122. giovannisrestaurante.com
Green Dot Stables: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2200 W. Lafayette, Detroit, 48216. 313.962.5588. greendotstables.com
Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Lunch, MondayFriday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243. 313.567.6837. joemuer.com
Johnny Noodle King: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2601 W. Fort Street, Detroit, 48216. 313.309.7946. johnnynoodleking.com
Leila: Lebanese. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 1245 Griswold Street Detroit, MI. 48226. 313.816.8100. leiladetroit.com
Le Supreme: French. Brunch, Weekends, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 1265 Washington Blvd, Detroit, 48226. 313.597.7734. lesupremedetroit.com
Mad Nice: Coastal Italian/American. Lunch, Wednesday-Sunday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 4120 2nd Avenue, Detroit, 48201.313.558.8000.
madnicedetroit.com
Mario’s: Italian. Lunch, Saturday & Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 4222 2nd Avenue, Detroit, 48201.
313.832.1616. mariosdetroit.com
Mezcal: Mexican. Brunch, Weekends, Lunch and Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 51 W Forest Avenue, Detroit, 48202. 313.974.7441. mezcaldetroit.com
Midtown Shangri-la: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 4710 Cass Avenue, Detroit, 48201.
313.974.7669. midtownshangril-la.com
Motor City Brewing Works: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 470 W. Canfield Street, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.2700. motorcitybeer.com
Oak & Reel: Italian Seafood. Dinner, ThursdayMonday. Reservations. Liquor. 2921 E. Grand Boulevard, Detroit, 48202. 313.270.9600. oakandreel.com
PAO Detroit: Asian Fusion/Pan Asian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 114 W. Adams, Detroit, 48226. 313.816.0000. paodetroit.com
Parc: New American. Brunch, Saturday & Sunday. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 800 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48226. 313.922.7272. parcdetroit.com
Prime + Proper: Steak House. Brunch, Weekends. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1145 Griswold St, Detroit, 48226. 313.636.3100. primeandproperdetroit.com
Prism: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, WednesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 555 E. Lafayette Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.309.2499. hollywoodgreektown.com
Red Smoke Barbeque: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. Trappers Alley Shopping Center, 573 Monroe Ave., Detroit, 48226. 313.962.2100.
Selden Standard: American. Dinner, Wednesday-Monday. Reservations. Liquor. 3921 2nd Avenue, Detroit, 48201. 313.438.5055. seldenstandard.com
SheWolf Pastifico & Bar: Italian. Dinner,
Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 438 Selden Street, Detroit 48201. 313.315.3992. shewolfdetroit.com
Sinbad’s: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 100 St. Clair Street, Detroit, 48214. 313.822.8000. sindbads.com
Slows Bar BQ: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2138 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, 48216. 313.962.9828.
slowsbarbq.com/locations/corktown
Supergeil: Berlin Doner. Lunch, Friday-Sunday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 2442 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, 48216. 313.462.4133. supergeildetroit.com
Tap at MGM Grand: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 1777 Third Street, Detroit, 48226.
313.465.1234. mgmgranddetroit.com
The Apparatus Room: New American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 250 W. Larned Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.800.5600 detroitfoundationhotel.com
The Block: American. Brunch, Weekends, Lunch & Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 3919 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.0892. theblockdet.com
The Dime Store: American. Breakfast & Lunch, Thursday-Tuesday. No reservations. Liquor. 719 Griswold Street #180, Detroit, 48226.313. 962.9106. eatdimestore.com
The Peterboro: Chinese American. Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 420 Peterboro Street, Detroit, 48201.
313.462.8106. thepeterboro.com
The Statler: French. Brunch, Sunday. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 313 Park Avenue, Detroit, 48226.
313.463.7111. statlerdetroit.com
Townhouse Detroit: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 500 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201. 48226.
313.723.1000. townhousedetroit.com
Selden Standard: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 3921 Second Avenue, Detroit, 48201. 313.438.5055. seldenstandard.com
Sullivan’s Steakhouse: Steakhouse. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1128 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48226. 313.591.2495. sullivanssteakhouse.com/
Supergeil: Berlin Doner. Lunch, Friday-Sunday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 2442 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, 48216. 313.462.4133. supergeildetroit.com
Symposia: Mediterranean. Dinner, WednesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor.1000 Brush Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.962.9366. atheneumsuites.com/symposia
Vertical Detroit: Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 1538 Center Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.732.WINE. verticaldetroit.com
Vigilante Kitchen + Bar: Asian/French influenced cuisine. Dinner, WednesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 644 Selden St, Detroit, 48201. 313.638.1695. vigilantekitchen.com
Vivio’s Food & Spirits: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2460 Market Street, Detroit, 48207. 313.393.1711. viviosdetroit.net
The Whitney: American. Brunch, Friday-Sunday, Tea Service, Saturday & Sunday, Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor.4421 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.5700. thewhitney.com
Wright & Co.: American. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 1500 Woodward Avenue, Second Floor, Detroit, 48226. 313.962.7711. wrightdetroit.com
Zuzu: Asian Fusion. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 511 Woodward Ave suite 100, Detroit, 48226. 313.464.7777. experiencezuzu.com
and salads, but also a large offering of Irish dishes. Traditional Irish favorites include corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie, Guinness stew, Harp crisped fish & chips and salmon O’Connor. Gus’ Snug hosts live entertainment in the form of traditional Irish music on Sundays from 5-8 p.m. and alt rock and acoustics acts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7-10 p.m. 38 S. Main Street, Clawson gussnug.com
HIROKIE-SAN and Sakazuki have opened at Detroit’s Book Tower. Conceptualized and managed by Philadelphia-based hospitality and development firm Method Co., the new destinations were designed in collaboration with long-standing partner Stokes Architecture + Design. HIROKI-SAN is helmed by Executive Chef Hiroki Fujiyama, who trained under legendary “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto. “My passion lies in crafting a culinary experience that goes beyond borders, bringing people together through the art of food,” said Chef Hiroki. “We’ll be sharing the authentic Japanese food culture that extends from our roots in Philadelphia and Kyoto, Japan and focusing heavily on seasonality and soulfulness.” Crafted from imports flown in fresh weekly from Japan, the expansive menu features a variety of small, shareable plates including: Robatayaki, featuring wood-fired skewers and grilled items; Wagyu with three regional varieties of the specialty Japanese beef; noodles/shumai – broths, steamed and sauteed dishes; and sushi focused on a seasonal assortment of traditional sushi and maki rolls. Accompanying the cuisine, cocktails and mocktails at HIROKISAN take on classic Japanese libations with an emphasis on sake. The 4,100 square-foot HIROKI-SAN seats up to 108 guests, including nine seats at the sushi counter, 12 at the Chef’s counter, 87 in the main dining room, and a 16seat private dining room.
At street level is Sakazuki, a Japanese pub with a vast, sake by the glass menu, sandos (classic Japanese sandwiches) and small plates. Guests can snack on fun yoshoku (Western-style) bites like wagyu hamburgers, wagyu hot dogs and ekiben (bento boxes commonly sold at train stations across Japan). The intimate space features 37 seats, including four at the bar.
Sakazuki’s design and décor is inspired by Japanese pop-culture, nightlife and anime, featuring vibrant, fluorescent colors. “Our team has collaborated to bring together some of the best elements of Japanese culinary and beverage traditions, as well as design, art and music to create unique concepts that complement each other in a special way,” said Randall Cook, CEO and co-founder of Method Co. “The goal of these concepts is to create an immersive experience, taking people away from their everyday lives for a bit and giving them a glimpse into some amazing aspects of Japanese culture and in doing so, enriching Detroit’s diverse dining scene. We are incredibly excited to be opening our doors and to welcome the city of Detroit in to enjoy each of these spaces, all in one night or also one at a time.” Sakazuki sakazukidetroit.com, HIROKI-SAN hirokisandetroit.com, 1265 Washington Boulevard, Detroit
After closing in 2019, the wrecking ball has finally come down on the Italian family restaurant Pasquale’s. The eatery sat on a large parcel of land at 31555 Woodward Avenue north of 13 Mile Road.Pasquale’s was owned and operated by the Del Giudice family since 1954. The site will now be home of a Big Boy restaurant and perhaps additional dining options, although no other names have been confirmed at this time. After opening in 2017, Gus’s Fried Chicken in Royal Oak has shuttered its operation in Royal Oak at 31105 Woodward Avenue just north of 13 Mile Road. It is one of three locations in metro Detroit for the Memphis-based chain. The other two locations in Detroit and Westland remain open. Upscale Albena restaurant, located within the Siren Hotel in Detroit, has announced that they closed on March 16. Owners Tiffany and Garrett Lipar announced the closure on Instagram. “In 2017,” the couple wrote, “we set out to build the most intimate and ambitious tasting menu-only restaurant in the Great Lakes. With the support of Ash USA, we were able to realize our dream in the Siren Hotel. We’ve made so many partnerships, friends and relationships. We have cooked, plated, served and cleaned so many dishes. We are incredibly proud of the service that came from this kitchen.”
The effort by Birmingham officials to deal with the creation of a community center and a permanent home for the non-profit Next organization which provides a meeting place and activities for the over 50-years-of-age set in the city and a few neighboring communities is at a crucial point in the process.
Next was created in 1978 to serve the older set of residents in the city, along with Bingham Farms, Beverly Hills and Franklin. The special segment of the population now accounts for at least half of the residents in these communities.
Today, Next is situated in space at a vacant Birmingham Schools District building, which for a variety of reasons does not meet current and long-term needs of the organization.
To address the needs of Next and a population that increasingly wants to age in place in the city, Birmingham officials in July of 2023 purchased the YMCA building at 400 East Lincoln.
In November of 2023, Birmingham voters were asked to approve a .33-mill levy for three years that would generate just over $1 million annually. Funds from the millage would be used to pay off the purchase agreement and begin the process of developing a community center that will become the permanent home for
Next. After voters gave their blessing, the city issued a request for proposal (RFP) developed by a management team within city hall.
The management team reviewed responses to the RFP and in February of this year, and the city commission chose the Noor architectural and engineering firm from Detroit to begin phase one to conduct community surveys, field investigations and develop a feasibility study of the YMCA building. In phase two, expected to wrap up at the end of this June, Noor will provide a community presentation and concept designs.
The city commission in recent weeks was presented with three options for managing the community center process and chose to go with an ad hoc committee, serving three-year terms, comprising members from the city commission, planning board, parks and recreation board, Next, YMCA and development professionals. Among the ad hoc committee assignments would be at some point to involve an owner’s representative (OR) to help manage the project.
It is this last item – involving an OR at some point – that concerns us most.
Several members of the community – former city commissioners George Dilgard and Gordon Rinschler, along with planning board
member and architect Bert Kosek – have urged the city to retain an OR on the short term rather than waiting closer to the final design and construction phase of the project.
We support the idea of bringing on now an OR. This is a major project that must meet the needs not just of today but future generations and there is mountain of issues that need to be addressed from the start.
Further, a legitimate issue has been raised as to whether city officials should also be assessing the cost of rehabbing an existing building for the community center and home of Next against the cost of removing the current building and erecting a new structure that more exactly meets the needs of the community now and down the road.
We share the concern of what some have termed “mission creep” as it applies to this project but a complete and thorough analysis must include assessing all options on an important community center.
The ad hoc committee, which has a laundry list of important issues to tackle, was scheduled to begin meeting as this edition was going to press. We can only hope that the OR issue and the comparative cost analysis are given consideration early on as the committee begins work.
Every one of us, and most of our children, from pre-teens on up, has a cell phone, which we use for far more than just making telephone calls. They're ubiquitous. Rarely do we think about potential dangers that can occur from the technology of the devices themselves, as our society has become a digital one, and we are reliant on both the machinery, and the knowledge and data from which it gives us access.
Scientists who study the telecommunications industry are increasingly letting us know that the computers in our pockets can pose inherent dangers – notably from the radiofrequency (RF) radiation waves emitted from cell towers, antennas and our wireless devices themselves. In a remarkable twist, scientist after scientist in our cover story this month referred to the radiation waves as “the new tobacco” in terms of a threat to public health.
We all understand that tobacco is a public health threat, whether we choose to light a cigarette or not. In a world where landlines are going the way of eight-track tapes, it's pretty scary to think that not only our cell phones, but the towers where the radiofrequencie radiation
is emitted to them and all other cellular devices, could be inadvertently harming every one of us.
And we are often unaware of their proximity, especially to our children.
According to antennasearch.com, as of this February, there are 226 towers and 306 antennas within a three-mile radius of Birmingham. The presence of these towers is causing concern in Detroit and downriver communities like Wyandotte, where cell companies since the mid2010s have contracted with school districts, which allow them to install cell towers on their properties in exchange for several thousands of dollars per month per building to bolster school budgets. Of notable interest is that there is a cell tower on the property of Bloomfield Hills High School – exposing students on a constant basis in exchange for revenue. While the FCC has not done any health and welfare studies on radiofrequency exposure since the mid-1990s, most other nations have – with most European and Middle Eastern countries setting safety levels and RF limits tens of times lower than in the United States.
And according to the FCC, the number will continue to grow exponentially as the 5G
network will require the expansion of 800,000 new wireless cells to enable seamless service as we continue to travel with our mobile devices. There have been no scientific or health studies on the potential dangers of 5G exposure.
We're not tin foil hat folk. We rely on our cell phones just as much as everyone else. But more research and study must be done on the potential dangers of radiofrequency radiation of not only cell phones, but of cell towers. The placement of cell towers must be studied, and they should not be a financial bargaining tool. Public places, whether on or atop schools, or in and around public spaces, cannot be appropriate locations for the placement of potentially toxic radiation devices. Further, the self-imposed moratorium on study and investigation by a federal agency, the Federal Communications Commission, must be lifted and scientists must be permitted to study the effects of radiofrequency emissions.
Perhaps it'll all go up in smoke. Or maybe it really will be the “new tobacco.” Either way, the public is owed an assessment of the new potential health threat.
