Downtown Newsmagazine | Birmingham/Bloomfield by Downtown Publications Inc.

DOWNTOWN

BATTLING AGAINST INVASIVE SPECIES

The state of Michigan literally spends millions of dollars each budget year to fend off invasive species, both plant and animal, to protect our waterways We take a look at the efforts to control these unwanted visitors.

19 CRIME MAP

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.

24 OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

Stevens doesn’t waiver on Biden; Chris Swanson looks at governor race; justice for Tina Barton; the new state Senate districts; DePerno wants Supreme Court spot; the U S Senate money game; Lucido sues county officials.

47 MUNICIPAL

Chester Street parking deck contract; West Maple four-story project; Booth Park trail improvements; owners of Mare restaurant changing; new city welcome signs; senior center panel nears recommendation; Baldwin new entrance open; plus more.

DOROTHEE SCHUMACHER

HENRY BEGUELIN

Photo by Chris Labadie

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David Hohendorf

NEWS EDITOR

Lisa Brody

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Laurie Tennent | TJ Michael | Mackenzie O'Brien | Chris Ward Laurie Tennent Studio

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Chris Grammer

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C R I M E M A P

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w n p u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m . W a n t w e e k l y u p d a t e s o n p u b l i c s a f e t y s t o r i e s ? S i g n u p f o r o u r w e e k l y u p d a t e e m a i l n e w s l e t t e r a t d o w n t o w n p u b l i c a t i o n s c o m S e x u a l a s s a u l t A s s a u l t M u r d e r / H o m i c i d e R o b b e r y B r e a k i n g / e n t e r i n g

L a r c e n y V e h i c l e t h e f t L a r c e n y f r o m v e h i c l e V a n d a l i s m D r u g o f f e n s e s A r s o n M a p k e y N O R T H

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N C O M I N G

Triangle District commitment

The Triangle District should be par t of "Downtown" Bir mingham but will never be par t of downtown without a commitment by the city

A pedestrian bridge across Woodward would be a grand addition to Downtown Bir mingham The fact that eastbound Maple traffic can make a right tur n on red and threaten pedestrian traffic is only a small indication of how little thought is given to the Triangle District by city officials

"Woodward is under control of MDOT, so we can't do that" is what I am told Pedestrian traffic is exactly what makes Europe so char ming in contrast to the endless strip malls that line West Bloomfield Imagine crossing Woodward in safety as opposed to r unning for your life

The Triangle District appears to be the red headed stepchild of the city with little thought given to integration of the district to the urban core It is time to reverse that direction Michael Heilmann Bir mingham

The hidden cost of AI

For better or for worse, AI is here to stay But as with so many other innovations, it has been adopted

without thinking of unintended consequences, one of which is the impact on our climate

AI consumes a lot of energy In fact, it’s estimated that a single ChatGPT quer y creates 2 5 to 5 grams of carbon emissions That’s not a lot on its own, but since it gets about 10 million queries per day the long-ter m impact could be devastating if we don’t transition away from fossil fuels AI also requires a significant amount of data storage, which requires a lot of energy to provide cooling and maintenance Not to mention the stress on our energy grid

While AI could potentially be used to help the environment, if the good is to outweigh the bad, we must prioritize the study and implementation of energy-efficient hardware and algorithms

Luke Daniels

Rochester

PRIMARY VOTER GUIDE

The primar y election Voter Guide produced by Downtown Newsmagazine Can be viewed online at DowntownPublications com

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

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STEADY & STABLE: Politicians are notorious for saying one thing in public and another in private Not Rep Haley Stevens (D - Oakland County) The three-ter m congresswoman, r unning for her four th ter m to represent a majority of Oakland County, is a passionate and consistent voice on the topics she holds near and dear to her – democracy, the impor tance of the U S , notably Michigan, manufacturing, women having power, and especially, her suppor t of President Joe Biden Stevens has been a consistent moderating voice among the cacophony following Biden’s disastrous debate per for mance in late June and concer ns he is too old, defending the president in group chats with other lawmakers, according to The Washington Post Af ter spending a couple of hours recently with Stevens, she made the persuasive argument that, like countries around the globe, we should all look at Biden as “ an elder statesman” with tremendous knowledge and connections, who has assembled a power ful team around him And she knows Biden well, having prepped him for his vice presidential debate in 2008, when he was r unning with Barack Obama, and has complete confidence in him As for concer ns about Vice President Kamala Har ris, Stevens said she has none, having been in meetings with her and watched her growth Following the rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit which Biden attended, Stevens said in a statement, having flown into Detroit with him on Air Force One, “I spent the mor ning with the President on Air Force One, and he demonstrated his leadership and wisdom, yet again President Biden is the only candidate with a proven ability to beat Donald Tr ump And he’s doing it right now, while also leading our nation He’s proving he’s able to do the job, by doing the job Now is the time to stay the course, work hard, ensure we beat Donald Tr ump, and protect our democracy for generations to come ” However, following the debate Sabato’s Cr ystal Ball, a nonpar tisan elections handicapper at University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, announced it was moving Michigan from “leans Democratic” to “toss up ”

2026 DREAMING: We’ve all heard the familiar Democratic names being kicked around as possible contenders for gover nor in 2026 – SOS Jocelyn Benson, state Senator Mallor y McMor row, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Lt Gov Garlin Gilchrist – but that list ignores Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, the star of the President Joe Biden TV and digital commercials that have been in heavy rotation in recent weeks The telegenic sheriff repor tedly has had his eye on a possible guber natorial r un since he star ted getting press in 2020 when he discarded his riot gear and joined a George Floyd protest March in Flint In the Biden commercials, par t of an eight battleground state push, Swanson takes issue with for mer President Donald Tr ump as a divisive leader who he blames for not calling off his suppor ters to prevent the now infamous Januar y 6, 2021 attack on the U S Capitol The third generation of his family to work in law enforcement, Swanson has 27 years – five as the top dog – in the sheriff depar tment, the fif th largest such depar tment in the state Swanson has gotten his share of blowback, based on comments (think disinfor mation) from Facebook, where he has ventured to not only endorse the incumbent president but also a couple of other candidates, like Michigan Supreme Cour t Justice Kyra Har ris Bolden Swanson may want, before too much time passes, to get some inside advice from Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, a for mer member of the state Senate, who tried to parlay – without success – his sterling reputation into a 2006 r un for the U S Senate and for gover nor in 2010

STEVENS

SWANSON

BIDEN

RIGHT TRUMPS WRONG: For mer Rochester Hills Clerk Tina Bar ton is finally getting justice, almost four years later, for upholding the integrity of the 2020 presidential election, in which for mer President Donald Tr ump lost to President Joe Biden Bar ton was ter rorized by a disappointed man from Car mel, Indiana, Andrew Nickels, 38, who threatened to kill her for doing her job On July 9 –approaching the four year mark of the offense – Nickels was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison af ter he finally pleaded guilty five months ago to one count of transmitting threats in interstate commerce, which car ries a maximum five-year prison sentence “ you frauded out America of a real election, where Donald Tr ump blew your a out of the water,” Nickels said in one voicemail message, according to prosecutors “ we’ll f kill you ” Bar ton and her family lived in fear following the attacks, and she eventually lef t her elected position, first ser ving as a senior advisor for U S Election Assurance Commission, and cur rently, as a senior elections exper t with The Elections Group Secretar y of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, called Bar ton, a Republican, “ an American hero,” with the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law noting that 40 percent of local clerks – the ones who r un elections – repor ted being harassed, threatened and abused in recent years “ While it has been more than 1,300 days since Andrew Nickels threatened my life and the lives of my family members, his words are forever seared into my memor y and continue to repeatedly play in my mind The cold, calculated tone of his voice, and the vile, despicable, and sexualized language he used to degrade and debase me are something that I hear in my head almost daily His threat to end my life when I least expected it, robbed me of my sense of security, my peace of mind,” Bar ton wrote in her victim impact statement “ Those who intimidate or har m individuals responsible for upholding the integrity of elections should face maximum accountability under the law to preser ve the sanctity of the electoral process Any threat against an election official is an assault on the democratic principles that for m the backbone of our society and should be condemned and punished to the fullest extent possible ” She noted that despite the fear and anxiety the perpetrator created for her doing her job, “ There is a resilience within me that refuses to be extinguished ”

CHANGING PLACES: If approved by a federal cour t, come 2026, many local residents will have new state senators The Michigan Independent Redistricting Commission was sent back to the drawing board months ago af ter a cour t str uck down several legislative districts, af ter a lawsuit was filed by voters in the districts, contending that the districts involving Detroit, one of the countr y ’ s largest Black-majority cities, were placed too heavily with suburban, or White, voters The cour t ordered six state Senate districts redrawn, including Senate District 8, cur rently represented by state Sen Mallor y McMor row (D -Royal Oak, Bir mingham, Clawson, Berkley, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Fer ndale, Oak Park and par t of Detroit) The commission redrew McMor row ’ s district, which would be District 10, to include Royal Oak, Oak Park, Berkley, Huntington Woods, Fer ndale, Madison Heights, Clawson and War ren and Centerline in Macomb County State Sen Jeremy Moss’s (D -Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, Pontiac, Aubur n Hills, Lake Angelus, par t of Water ford, Franklin, Lathr up Village, Beverly Hills, Southfield, par t of Detroit) cur rent district was also redrawn, with District 7 changing to include Southfield, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, Bir mingham, Beverly Hills, Bingham Far ms, Franklin, Pontiac and Aubur n Hills – meaning the seventh district will be the sole one representing the Bir mingham/Bloomfield area The maps will either be adopted or sent back to the commission to begin over again, by July 26

LOOK WHO’S BACK, BACK AGAIN: New election cycle, some same old names Republican Matt DePer no, who unsuccessfully ran for attor ney general in 2022 against incumbent Dana Nessel, and then unsuccessfully

ran to r un the Michigan Republican Par ty in a two -fisted crazy battle against for mer par ty chair Kristina Karamo, is looking for his next act His latest dream incar nation is as a Michigan State Supreme Cour t Justice, hoping to be nominated as one of his par ty ’ s two candidates at the state par ty ’ s August 24 convention He may have a bigger problem though than his past electoral histor y The Michigan Attor ney Grievance Commission has an outstanding complaint against DePer no that was filed in June 2023, alleging multiple allegations involving violations of the Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct for attor neys, including filing a frivolous lawsuit, engaging in deceitful conduct, and knowingly making false statements Someone involved said that he will likely lose his license to practice law He’s also facing criminal charges, along with two allies, for their alleged effor ts to ‘obtain, access and analyze Michigan voting machines that were used in the 2020 presidential election ’ According to cursor y research, a disbar red attor ney is unlikely to be per mitted to be seated as a judge – even if they win their race Word is DePer no is seeking for mer President Donald Tr ump ’ s endorsement Several high honchos in Michigan Republican politics let word slip that “they ’ re tr ying to make sure that doesn’t happen ”

SENATE MONEY GAME:

Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin continues to set records in campaign contributions heading into the August primar y election Her campaign raised $4 4 million in the first quar ter of this year and in the latest repor ting period she brought in an added $6 45 million All told in this election cycle, the Slotkin campaign has raised $22 5 million while still rejecting contributions from corporate PACs Primar y challenger Hill Harper, actor, author and small business owner, brought in $387,000 for the latest repor ting period and has just over $209,000 in the bank Over in the Republican primar y, Mike Rogers raised about $2 million in the latest repor ting period, af ter raising $2 9 million during the first quar ter of the year GOP challenger Justin Amash brought in $184,000 and sits with $400,000 on hand Sandy Pensler, light on individual donations, loaned himself an added $1 9 million in this repor ting period which brings to almost $5 million of personal money he has plowed into the contest Physician Sher r y O’Donell, who loaned her campaign $81,000 in the first quar ter of the year, brought in $143,000 for the latest repor ting period Ignoring what the assumed nominees (Slotkin, Rogers) have been able to raise, prognosticators are betting that the race to fill the seat now held by retiring Senator Debbie Stabenow will be a close one The Cook Political Repor t just changed its ranking on the race from “leans Democrat” to “toss up ”

PROSECUTOR JOE BTFSPIK: Older Oakland Confidential readers will likely remember the Li’l Abner car toon character who had a dark rain cloud over his head in most comic strips Kind of reminds one of Republican Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido who has had his share of challenges dating back to his days in the state legislature where he was accused of sexually harassing a number of females and was recommended for sensitivity training Fast for ward to his time as Macomb Prosecutor, where he was hit with similar complaints and another suggestion that he needed fur ther course work like what was proposed when he was a state lawmaker On the latest for mal complaint, Lucido is accused of violating a county ordinance that forbids an office holder from using county resources and/or facilities as par t of an election campaign, such as the photo of Lucido in his office Now Lucido has filed a lawsuit against the county ’ s corporate counsel and the ethics board, which was planning on a hearing soon on the latest complaints Lucido’s lawsuit asks the cour t to issue a temporar y restraining order and injunction to prevent the ethics panel from proceeding The suit also charges that state law tr umps any county ordinance and calls into question whether it was acceptable for the ethics panel to hold closed door meetings in April, May and June to deter mine whether hearings on the complaint should be held Lucido’s cour t request was scheduled to be decided as we were going to press

BARTON

DEPERNO

SLOTKIN

LUCIDO

ROGERS

BENSON

MCMORROW

MOS S

FA C E S

Maureen Monte

At her core, leadership coach Maureen Monte is a people person, which led to her passion for helping others find their inner road to success Her two books and companion programs, Destination Unstoppable and W in Like a Girl, help develop a competitive advantage necessary to succeed in life from the locker room to the boardroom

Thousands of people have participated in the Destination Unstoppable® and W in Like A Girl® workshops globally, including nearly 2,500 athletes, coaches, and U S Olympic teams, Monte said

“These concepts work because all teams are comprised of people, and the people part is often the hard part, but that’s what we concentrate on,” explained Monte, an engineer and business consultant with a masters in Leadership and Business Ethics, from Duquesne University. “I think there’s a basic misunderstanding that teams shouldn’t struggle, but the reality is all teams struggle, whether in sports or in business I provide confidence training and exercises to assign each teammate a specific role, measure the untapped talent in the room so everyone feels valuable, and align with clear success metrics –both the WHAT we want to achieve and HOW we behave to get there – a process that can cross over from sports to business, parenting and more.”

Monte’s first self-published book, Destination Impossible, chronicles the real life depiction of these success principles in action, involving the 2015 CranbrookKingswood Boy’s varsity hockey team When their coach called and said they were on a losing streak and struggling, she knew she could help

”The team’s ‘trust bank’ was broken and I got them to commit to helping each other make ‘deposits’ rather than ‘withdrawals,’ and transformed them from fractured to unified, implementing important systems of success,” said the 65year-old leadership consultant “There is no prescription ‘confidence pill’ unfortunately Confidence requires training, tracking progress, relentless encouragement and not removing fear, but building bravery.”

After only a few hours working with Monte, and a talent assessment evaluation she uses called Clifton StrengthsFinder, the hockey team became state champions six weeks later – a real-life testament to the benefits of the program

Experiencing the tragic loss of her father as a child became a driving force behind the success coach’s goal to create personal confidence in others

“I had no tools to deal with the crisis situation, and I wanted to create a roadmap for other young girls to feel empowered and confident to handle their own lives ”

Her book, W in Like a Girl, inspired by thousands of athletes and coaches she’s worked with, contains the framework for that navigation system “It’s important to start early, around age eight, to help develop powerful girls that choose conversation and agency to overcome challenges like being ridiculed on social media, saying no to alcohol and drugs, and asking for help if they are struggling in sports, school or life,” Monte said She is also an advocate for teaching selfleadership before anything else “The only way to become a great leader is to first master your own emotions and take full responsibility for yourself,” she noted Monte Consulting programs all translate to the business world as well, as she helps bridge the cultural gap between older partners and new employees, and guides executives through multi-billion-dollar mergers

Free time this summer will find the confidence coach biking or stopping at a favorite spot for breakfast, the Rugby Grille, at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham “I also love taking a road trip Up North to gems like Houghton or Mackinac Island, and this year I’m looking forward to a wonderful staycation – my life is so booked that an empty schedule feels liberating and relaxing ”

Story: Susan Peck

Photo: Laurie Tennent

Michigan prides itself on tourism from its natural beauty but some visitors are unwelcome Invasive species, both plants and animals, have made their way to the mitten state creating millions of dollars of havoc and damage to its lakes and land State and federal agencies in sync with private sector and volunteer groups have been fighting the good fight to keep Michigan from being over taken by these unwanted visitors. Since the beginning of time, there have been invasive plants and animals Moving by themselves or with help from travelers, both knowing and unknowing, hundreds of species of plants and animals have relocated throughout the world. In Michigan, nearly 200 aquatic and ter restrial invasive species have been identified across the Great Lakes Inland lakes have their fair share of those plants along with unwanted animals. The battle to fight invasive species is shared by academia, gover nment agencies and the private sector and caring volunteers Time and money are needed in great supply to keep the battle going. But since 2006, there has been a decrease of 85 percent of new invasives finding their way to Michigan.

The Michigan website Michigan gov/invasives describes “an invasive species is one that is not native and whose introduction causes har m, or is likely to cause har m to Michigan's economy, environment, or human health.”

Michigan has plenty of non-native species including fr uits, vegetables, field crops, livestock and domestic animals that have been impor tant to the Michigan economy and lifestyle Most non-native species are not har mful and may provide economic benefits

But invasive species cause har m when they out-compete native species by reproducing and spreading rapidly in areas where they have no natural predators and change the balance of the ecosystems we rely on

The fight isn’t cheap but monies being spent are producing positive results The tab for mitigating just the invasive sea lamprey tops out at $26 million per year Invasive aquatic species plague the entire world but in the Great Lakes region, it is estimated, according to the Anderson Economic Group, “while comprehensive cost estimates (including all industries, species, and water ways of the Great Lakes region) are not available, there are many individual estimates focusing on par t of the problem

These estimates range from millions of dollars in cost and lost output for individual large industrial and power facilities to hundreds of dollars annually spent by individual households to control AIS (aquatic invasive species) on their proper ty It is likely that the overall aggregate level of cost to the Great Lakes region is significantly over $100 million annually ”

The dollars and cents of deter ring aquatic invasive species continues to grow In 2005, the estimated cur rent cost of aquatic invasives damages in the Great Lakes region was $5 7 billion annually As new invasives ar rive, that number only grows

Monies to fight invasive species has grown exponentially in the past decade and half Michigan only had $24,000 in dedicated funding for these effor ts in 2010 That amount has grown to about $9 million annually, including 2010 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative federal dollars and a $5 million dollar state appropriation legislators created in 2014

State and federal agencies par tner together working from the academic, gover nment agencies and private business viewpoint to help fight invasives Some of those agencies include the state cooperative – the Michigan Invasive Species Program (MISP) that encompasses the Michigan Depar tments of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD,) Natural Resources and Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE ) A por tion of the MISP is dedicated to funding for the 22 cooperative invasive species management areas (CISMA) across Michigan that suppor t locally led invasive species initiatives Most of the 22 are multiple counties and townships but Oakland County has a CISMA dedicated to it alone Federal agencies include the NOAA GLERL – or its full name, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Great Lakes Environmental Research Laborator y The Michigan Invasive Species Program 2022 Annual Repor t lists the goals of the

program as prevent introduction of new invasive species to Michigan; limit the dispersal of established invasive species populations throughout Michigan; develop a statewide, interagency, invasive species Early Detection and Response Program to address new invasions; and manage and control invasive species to minimize har mful environmental, economic and public health effects resulting from established populations

Prevention, the first goal of the MISP , has included the state looking at Michigan boaters as a big par t of the process DNR law enforcement spent more than 6,200 man hours of enforcement in 2022 – double the time spent in 2019 – to educate the public at state-managed boating access sites The “Clean, Drain and Dr y ” message to boaters was broadcast liberally In 2019, the state stepped up requiring Michigan boaters by law to remove drain plugs, drain all water

In 2005, the estimated cost of aquatic invasives damages in the Great Lakes region was $5.7 billion annually. As new invasives arrive, that number only grows.

from bilges, ballast tanks and live well and to remove aquatic organisms and plants from boats and trailers before transpor t In 2022, Gover nor Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed the week of July 3-9 as Aquatic Invasive Species Awareness Week

The second goal of limiting dispersal has included the DNR’s IdentiFriday social media challenge that was deemed successful in putting invasive species education and awareness in front of new audiences The Michigan Clean Marina Foundation came on board with the “Clean, Drain, Dr y ” message through ads placed in popular boating and leisure magazines and industr y newsletters

Its early detection and response were successful in eradicating Par rot feather – a fast spreading aquatic plant The invasive was found in 12 locations, probably due to dumping of aquarium water or water garden escapes EGLE deter mined the plant was eradicated af ter monitoring the sites for three

consecutive years When water lettuce was found in the Nor th Branch and Lower Clinton rivers and the McBride Drain, the Lake St Clair CISMA aler ted the public to look for the plant that looks like a floating open head of lettuce and repor t it Af ter one repor t, more than 3,400 pounds of the invasive plant, along with an invasive water hyacinth, was removed from the drain

Another early detection method, Environmental DNA (eDNA) testing has been successful as well In collecting water samples on the Great Lakes, biologists can detect genetic codes of plants, animals and diseases More than 10,000 water samples are taken each year to look for signs of invasive bighead and silver carp

The goal to minimize har mful effects from established invasive plants has included a DNR volunteer stewardship program With these volunteers in full force, the Upper Peninsula Conser vation and Development Council and the U P CISMA found and removed invasive phragmites beginning in 2013 A decade and $2 7 million dollars in grants later, more than 10,000 acres have been sur veyed – treating 3,800 acres and more than one million people educated about invasive phragmites The invasive is now in maintenance mode and any regrowth is treated annually With this positive work being done, CISMAs across the state have tur ned their attention to the European frogbit invasive Sur veys have led to newly detected infestations along with uncovering more phragmites, Himalayan balsam, flowering r ush and purple loosestrife

Professor Kendra Spence Cher uvelil, dean of the Lyman Briggs College, Depar tment of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University, works on the educational side of invasive species battle

“I like to use the definition that invasives are species that are non-native and nuisance,” Cher uvelil explained

Each invasive species has its own set of problems affecting quite a few pieces of the outdoor puzzle of lakes

“ There can be a range of effects, depending on the invasive species you are talking about and the ecosystem of interest because each lake will respond differently depending on its histor y, its setting, and its cur rent uses and stresses,” she said “For example, shallow lakes that are sur rounded by suburban/urban development will respond differently than deep lakes and those that are sur rounded by undeveloped lands in Oakland County One of the invasives that I have been most involved in is the aquatic plant Eurasian water milfoil, which becomes especially problematic in all-spor ts lakes with lots of boat traffic because that plant, when broken up by boat motors into fragments, those fragments for m new plants ”

Invasive species bring different levels of threats

“ What is the biggest ‘threat’ depending on what you are most interested in? For

example, if you care most about proper ty values, loss of native species or loss of recreational or other uses, for example,” she said

Each group of invasive species opponents work to find ways to either eradicate or mitigate each one Cher uvelil noted, “ The best way to counter invasives is to prevent their introduction in the first point, which means lots of education and communication For example, making sure that folks know what to do with an unwanted plant or pet (rather than release it to the wild) ”

Cher uvelil’s par t in the overall picture is hours and hours of examination and study

“I am a researcher, so I help to infor m understanding of the impacts of invasives on lake ecosystems,” she said “Prevention is key But we can all also help by doing things like planting natives and pulling and cor rectly disposing of invasives like garlic mustard on our own proper ties and in our neighborhoods ”

There are 56 prohibited and restricted species that include plants, animals, fish, mollusks and crayfish by the state of Michigan The list of invasives includes birds, cr ustaceans, diseases, fish, insects, mammals, mollusks, plants and wor ms The state of Michigan either prohibits or restricts many invasives as “unlawful to possess, introduce, impor t, sell or offer that species for sale as a live organism, except under cer tain circumstances ”

The invasive fish categor y includes include bighead carp, black carp, grass carp and silver carp and more Though not found in Michigan or the Great Lakes cur rently, much is being done to negate their advancement nor th These fish were first introduced to the United States in the 1970s to control algae, weed and parasite growth in aquatic far ms, weeds in canal systems, and as one for m of sewage treatment

These captive fish eventually escaped into the Mississippi River basin and established breeding populations These invasive carp are slowly making their way up the Mississippi River and its tributaries and have been found as far nor th as Minnesota, including individual silver and bighead carps within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area The Great Lakes are in danger of becoming infested if the carp make it through the Chicago River Invasive carp cause serious damage to the native fish populations in the lakes and rivers that they infest because they beat out other fish for food and space Carp are also thought to lower water quality, which can kill off sensitive organisms like native freshwater mussels Invasive carp have been known to dominate entire streams and effectively push out the native species

In addition to the har m caused under water, silver carp are known to jump out of the water to escape threats They can injure boaters, skiers and damage boats and onboard equipment Exper ts wor r y that if these fish find their way to the Great Lakes,

they may negatively affect the area's $7 billion a year fishing industr y By outcompeting native fish species for food and habitat, carp may reduce the populations of native fish that are so impor tant to anglers

In 2022, the US Ar my Corps of Engineers announced a project for $226 million dollars to complete a design on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, an $858 million effor t to keep carp downstream of Joliet, Illinois in the Des Plaines River – and out of the Great Lakes Advocates applaud the project but note that other pathways to the Great Lakes need to be closed off as well Electronic bar riers have gaps when they are lowered to allow barges to traverse This could allow small fish the oppor tunity to get through No system seems to be completely infallible to the carp problem

The corps project will take six to eight years to complete and will have several layers of prevention against the invasive

“One is cur rently reproducing in the tributaries of Lake Erie – Grass Carp,” Alsip said “ The Black Carp, Silver and Bighead Carp swim up in the water column and eat algae and zooplankton The processed based models I do, we set up what the lake looks like and based on what we know about how water is transpor ted across the lake and is heated and cooled down, we simulate those hydrodynamics and take what we know about cer tain biological processes and code them into the model to simulate the transfer energy and nutrients ”

This bio -physical model shows where invasive carp could prosper

“ We can lear n how fast they can grow or how well they can grow in cer tain environments The lake model shows data on algae abundance, zooplankton abundance and water temperature We feed that into the fish growth model and see where there is enough food in Lake Michigan to sur vive and grow There is skepticism that Silver and Bighead Carp can grow in as Lake Michigan has primarily become a plankton deser t and these fish rely on plankton ”

An early detection method, Environmental DNA testing has been successful. In collecting water samples on the Great Lakes, biologists can detect genetic codes of plants, animals and diseases.

carp New bar riers with stronger jolts at the Lockpor t bar rier – bubble screens created to prevent carp and their eggs and lar vae from attaching to any barges along with noise broadcast into the water to hopefully prompt fish to swim away from the lock and toward a dam area where fisher man congregate More electronic and bubble screens will be deployed upstream as well The costs to r un the electronic bar rier system is around $13 million dollars annually and Michigan helps foot the bill, providing $8 million dollars This cost is shared by Great Lake states and the federal gover nment The project could possibly be completed in 2030

Ecologist Peter Alsip with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Environmental Research Laborator y has been creating models to predict/protect ecosystems In par ticular, he has modeled habitat suitability in Lake Michigan regarding invasive carp

There are cer tain areas where the fish could do ver y well, such as Green Bay and other near shore areas where nutrients r unning off the land that would spur the growth of algae

“Most of the lake is a poor habitat where these fish could maintain their weight and fish wouldn’t want to hang out there But with minimal suitably habitats, these fish are going to have to cross long distances of the lake if they got in in order to get to those more favorable habitats,” Alsip said “Our model shows that these migration cor ridors may not be as much of a bar rier as we thought The spread of these fish in Lake Michigan – they could get to where they need to go to have a detrimental impact ”

One invasive that has found its way to the Great Lakes is the sea lamprey According to the Great Lakes Fisher y Commission, “Sea lampreys have had an enor mous negative impact on the Great Lakes fisher y, inflicting immense damage Before the sea lamprey invasion, Canada and the United States har vested nearly 15 million pounds of lake trout in the upper Great Lakes annually By the late 1940s, sea lamprey populations had exploded and were feeding on large numbers of lake trout, lake whitefish and ciscoes – fish that were the mainstays of a thriving Great Lakes fisher y By the early 1960s, the catch had dropped dramatically, to approximately 300,000 pounds, about two percent of the previous average During the time of highest sea lamprey abundance, up to 85 percent of fish that were not killed by sea lampreys were marked with sea lamprey attack wounds The once thriving fisheries were devastated, and along with them, the hundreds of thousands of jobs related to the region’s economy ”

Dr Donna Kashian, professor at Wayne State University and Director of Environmental Science, has studied sea lampreys in her research

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“ They're working really hard to tr y and keep the lamprey under control, but they're not going anywhere,” Kashian explained “ They've introduced sterile males into the population, done various things They came when St Lawrence Seaway was opened They came up through the Atlantic Ocean Before, Niagara Falls was the bar rier, and so that would block things coming in Once they opened, it was the Arian Welland Canal (in Ontario, Canada ) And once they opened those two canals, ships star ted coming through to the Great Lakes ”

Kashian has been working on the educational side of invasive species and more for the past two decades One of the worst invasive species she has encountered are the zebra and quagga mussels

“ Those came over in the ballast water ships,” Kashian said “ The zebra mussel was the one first identified in the mid-80s, somewhere around 1986, in the Lake St Clair region Then the zebra mussels went nuts They took over And they're really par ticular about where they attach It has to be a hard sur face Breaker walls, unfor tunately, pipes, like intake pipes for drinking water Fer mi –the nuclear power plant was having problems because they were clogging intake pipes at the nuclear power plant for the cooling towers And so, they've been working to tr y and figure out how to control the zebra mussels ”

She noted, “ There's been a shif t in the last 10 years to quagga mussels They look exactly the same, but they can sur vive colder water and they don't need hard sur faces They can be in the sand So now we have areas that weren t quite as vulnerable to them Now they blanket the bottom of Lake Michigan And they filter water at these really, really high rates That takes all the algae and all the nutrients out of the water that is the base of the food chain Because of this, fisheries are collapsing too ”

Kashian explained that once an invasive species such as zebra and quagga mussels take hold, “there's no going back for these invasive species If they don't get rid of it to begin with, you can't get rid of it once it's established and reproducing and propagating That's what we know with the mussels, we're never going to have a Great Lakes system without the mussels They're par t of the fauna now, so the question is, what do the Great Lakes look like over time with the mussels, and when will the numbers stabilize?”

Research indicates the mussels are star ting to stabilize but other invasives have followed

“ We've got another invasive species coming in that was native to where the mussels were and that's the round goby,” Kashian said “ When the mussels got here, there was nothing eating them, but now we are seeing mussels in the stomachs of walleye, which do belong here, and round goby The problem is round gobies are invasive and are causing their own problems,

but at least they're consuming some of the mussels ”

According to the invasivespeciescentre ca website, “Round goby decrease the levels of native fish by eating eggs and competing for food It is also suggested that round goby pass a strain of botulism to the birds and fish that eat them; this toxin comes from the zebra mussels that the goby eat and causes fish and bird death ”

Kashian’s lab has been looking at control methods for the past decade in regard to the mussel problem “ We discovered a compound produced by algae or cyanobacteria, har mful algae, that stops reproduction in mussels We are tr ying to isolate that chemical to use it in control If we are able to identif y it, if we're able to mass market it, you still can't treat an entire Great Lake You can use it in marinas where they're attached to boats, points of entr y, or around pipes, nuclear power plant pipes, drinking water pipes, places like that ”

We're never going to have a Great Lakes system without the mussels. They're part of the fauna now, so the question is, what do the Great Lakes look like over time and when will the numbers stabilize.

Kashian needs more money and more chemists for the ongoing research “ We still have not been able to find the chemical We ve r un it through mass spec and we re str uggling with it We're looking to switch up the chemists and take a totally different kind of chemical approach to it But yes, we had funding with USGS for that for about four years And in those four years, we got pretty far We were able to document that we found the chemical There's no doubt we found the chemical We're able to document it stops muscles anywhere ”

She did note that the zebra mussels can have a beautif ying yet still har mful effect on lakes

“Because they filter the water so much, they've made the lakes look a lot cleaner Lakes used to look a lot murkier but they filter the water and they're cleaning the water So, in the ‘70s when Lake Erie looked really, really bad, zebra mussels played a

huge role in helping clean up that lake,” Kashian said “It took the contaminants in the water and moved it into the sediment And I don't want to say some good things come out of it but that is something that came out of it that appears to be beneficial ” Erica Clites is an extension educator with Michigan Sea Grant College Program Based in 34 coastal states it includes the Atlantic and Pacific Coast and all of the Great Lakes states

“ We're kind of based on the model of cooperative extension If you're familiar with agricultural extension or extension agents, it's a similar idea, just focused on the water We've been around for 50 years We facilitate science research and a lot of education and outreach about whatever our body of water is In Michigan we focus on the Great Lakes We focus on coastal counties that are along the Great Lakes coast,” she explained Clites for merly worked with the Oakland County CISMA as an Invasive Species Coordinator The most common invasive plants in her career have been the phragmites, Eurasian milfoil and Star r y Stonewor t algae

“ The reason that they're invasive is that they were not here prior to European settlement If it was something that has been here for 500 years or 1,000 years, then we wouldn't really consider it to be invasive But if it's invasive, that means that it is something that has not been here for a long time,” Clites explained “Phragmites is a good example It's over 100 years at least But then the other thing that's tricky about invasives is that their impact changes over time It didn't used to be as common and widespread as it is now And it was only 20 or so years ago when it star ted to expand more That’s not an uncommon stor y with invasives ”

Phragmites take over and change the ecosystem of a pond or lake

“A wetland’s natural ecosystems is ver y diverse in what's present in them When phragmites come in, it might go from 15 or so different species down to just one or maybe two on the edges It just out-competes ever ything else that's there It reduces the diversity of the habitat which also reduces its functionality for shelter for animals or food,” Clites said

Phragmites are usually controlled using biocontrol Experimental ones are in place in Canada where an insect is inser ted into the stem of the plant

“ The reason that biocontrol is tricky is because we ’ re not going to release it if it's something that would impact invasive species as well as our native species You have to find something that is so specific that it will only be released We do have a native her mit, it's a different species in the state, so it has to be something that would impact the invasive one, but not the native one And so that's why it can take a long time sometimes to develop those types of biocontrols,” she explained

Other options in the U S include herbicides that are approved for phragmites

The plant can also be cut below the water line causing them to drown “If it s in enough water or you do it enough times, that will eventually kill the plant because it can't keep regrowing to get out of the water,” Clites said

She works to educate folks on invasives and one creative way is through paddle boarding

"I lead a program called ‘My Paddle Stewards ’ That's where we teach paddlers how to identif y and repor t invasive species that they find,” she said

William “Bill” Keiper is an aquatic biologist for the Depar tment of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and specializes in aquatic invasive species early detection and response With EGLE since 2010 and working primarily aquatic invasive plants since 2015, he covers the entire state “ We work across the depar tment, so it's kind of a unique thing for invasive species I work really closely with folks from DNR, the different divisions, and MDARD Specifically within EGLE, though, for invasive species, there's only four of us DNR is responsible for invasive carp and fishes ”

Keiper is on the move constantly “ Whenever stuff pops up in the state, we respond to it Typically, it's souther n Michigan That's where most of our invasive species come in,” Keiper explained “ We've had several instances in Oakland County, because there's a lot of lakes there, and there's a lot of people Souther n Michigan in par ticular is generally the biggest hotspot for invasive species to show up, both ter restrial and aquatic There's never a nor mal day anymore It's so variable I spend most of my time on the computer writing repor ts and fielding repor ts for new stuff that's popping up, and planning and coordinating, it just depends on the day But I do get to spend a fair amount of time out in the field doing sur veys in the lakes in Oakland County, looking for new species in lakes that we identif y are high priority We're also out on the field doing sur veys ”

Keiper works as the middleman in the invasive species chain He gets a repor t and checks it out and sends it on to the folks who eradicate and mitigate

“If it's something that requires an herbicide treatment, we don't do the treatments ourselves We contract it out If it's a species like water lettuce, for example, but it's really easy to hand remove, there's no need to herbicide, we'll just pull it out ourselves There's no need to get anybody else involved A lot of times it's coordinating in the kind of middle person tasks ”

Keiper has seen plenty of invasives and lists his top species “From an established standpoint, or species that are established and widespread – phragmites, Eurasian milfoil – those are ver y problematic because they're so widespread There are cer tainly control options available, but because this

year the extensiveness of them, that it's It's a big financial burden My work focuses more on the next up and comer I work on our watch list species, which are species that are either not yet here, or if they are here, in a really limited abundance Those are the ones that kind of keep me up at night, and that I wor r y about personally We coordinate across the Great Lakes basins and we have a pretty good network of agencies and folks across the basins Then we also have contacts outside of the basins watching for those next species that are moving nor th or moving from the east We’re really tr ying to prevent them from becoming the next phragmites and the next Eurasian milfoil or Star r y Stor mwor t Prevention is the key Prevention is the best step we can do, and that's why we pour lots of money across the state, across the program into prevention ”

Dick Pinagel of Aqua Weed Control and John DeLisle of Natural Community Ser vices

Other options in the U.S. include herbicides that are approved for phragmites. The plant can also be cut below the water line, causing them to drown. If it's in enough water or you do it enough times, that will kill the plant.

are on the frontlines of fighting aquatic invasive plants Using physical removal and chemicals that have been both state and federally vetted, they continue to fight the good fight

“ We use approved aquatic herbicides,” Pinagel said “Our primar y method of controlling invasive species aquatic plants is through two chemicals, aquatic herbicides and algaecides approved by the EPA then fur ther approved by Michigan Depar tment of Agriculture (MDARD) and then fur ther restricted and allowed by a per mit by EGLE There are three layers that these products have to jump through to be approved here in Michigan ”

An herbicide is used for rooted plants and algicides attack algaes Pinagel notes he doesn’t see much eradication but more mitigation

“ We don't conquer them In fact, we don't use the word eradication anymore EGLE

won't as well There's really no such thing as eradication,” he said

The chemicals have basically stood the test of time but mostly because it takes more than $100 million dollars to fund and test and get a new pesticide approved federally, according to Pinagel

“ There's been a few new approved aquatic pesticides introduced over the years that make their way into Michigan, a handful We're a small market as compared to agriculture As an industr y, we're minuscule We just don't command the research We tend to see products that sor t of are a knockoff from ag that show aquatic applications and then they make it through the EPA approval, which is about $120 million to get an aquatic pesticide through the gauntlet Because it's got to show not only efficacy but it’s also got to show tolerability against not only all the critters in the water but all the critters also that would eat those critters in the water People of course, number one, humans, if they jump in the water af ter the boat goes by ”

Pinagel has seen products get reduced and eliminated because testing abilities become better “Michigan will then eliminate it from its ability to be per mitted here in Michigan We're seeing tolerance We're experimenting in conjunction with EGLE with different mixes We have to sor t of change things up, a mix, for example So that the plant gets a different look But we are definitely seeing resistance with cer tain invasives for sure ”

The insecticides are applied with in injection system on a specialized boat

“Imagine a tractor spraying on a field that's on a boat,” he said “Imagine that those nozzles are in the water so there's not drif ting of the chemical,” Pinagel said

The private sector companies are nor mally brought in by a lake manager who know and understand the problem

“ They re up on all the different weed species, as we are And then they come in and they'll map them out and then they hire us and we work through them But in many cases we work directly with the homeowners' association And we always come out and do a pre-sur vey Identif y the issue Over the winter we make sure they get their per mit, we get all the paper work in order so that we're ready to go with the state and then that way when spring hits, we're ready to go and we come out and see what they've got, come up with the cost, make sure the cost is acceptable, come up with a date, then do the notifications, the shoreline postings and there's a process and then we do the application We do it by the acre If it's a 20acre lake and you've only got five acres of an issue, we just focus on the five acres ”

Pinagel has been president of MAMA –the Michigan Aquatic Managers Association – and works with state gover nment to ensure regulations aren’t too restrictive and invasives get the upper hand

“ We work really well with the state We

have to – they're our regulator And through our association, we do a give-and-take and we tr y to make it where the per mits are usable and the state wants to make sure that the resource is being protected and we have an interest in that as well ”

He noted, “ We have all kinds in our group The Michigan Lakes and Streams, which tends to be more on the academic side And the Watershed Councils, I've met with all of them over the years And then we have regional groups like Midwest Aquatic Plant Management Society, or MAPMS I ve been past president twice of that group We need to maintain a healthy ecosystem with native plants and not wipe ever ything out That's a constant battle with a lot of homeowner's groups They all want the swimming pool mentality, we call it ”

John DeLisle - CERP , principal ecologist at Natural Community Ser vices (NCS), LLC Ecological Ser vices & Design, explained his company ’ s mission “NCS prioritizes invasive species management based on the ecosystem and management feasibility Some species, like phragmites or autumn olive are so widespread that it is no longer feasible to eradicate them That just means that when we do manage them We focus those effor ts on areas of high ecological impor tance – like a shoreline, savanna, prairie or wetland community,” he said “Invasive species that are not yet widespread or recently detected in our area are the highest management priority for us Special consideration is also given to ‘satellite’ populations of more established species, as they are easier to control than large source populations and treatment prevents them from tur ning into source populations themselves ”

Delisle has seen plenty of invasive species and the list continues to grow “Control and mitigation are practical, whereas eradication isn't typically feasible except for new introductions ”

He is a big proponent of prevention “Prevention, then control, is key for helping to stop the spread of invasive species Cer tain invasive species have adapted to be able to be easily spread via seeds or plant fragments, which can attach to clothing and equipment Since new plants can grow from viable seeds and small plant fragments, it is cr ucial to make sure you are not spreading these species to new areas, ” he said

He offered practical tips to help in prevention, such as cleaning clothes and shoes – and pets – of seeds and plant debris, as well as your equipment if you re using them at multiples sites He cautioned to never release non-native plants or animals into the environment And be sure to put invasive species plant fragments into the trash – not in compost

He also explained, “ There are a few communities with control requirements in place besides noxious weed laws, and include invasive species ordinances in Lake Orion and Novi ”

Dr Jo Latimore, senior aquatic specialist

in the Depar tment of Fisheries and Wildlife at MSU and director of the MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams, has been focused on aquatic invasive species and more for the past 16 years

“I work almost entirely on invasive plants in the water Aquatic invasive plants are a main focus, but I also provide suppor t for communities that are dealing with invasive species Invasive animals like zebra mussels or crayfish and things like that,” Latimore said “ We don t have a lot of invasive fish yet in Michigan Thank goodness we don't have Asian carps ”

Working with aquatic plants – the ones that grow under water – it’s the unseen ones that cause big problems

“ They of ten go unnoticed until they become really bad because no one notices them growing under the water until they star t to see big mats of them growing or coming up to the sur face,” she said “One of

From an established standpoint, or species that are established and widespread –phragmites, Eurasian milfoil – those are very problematic because they're so widespread. There are certainly control options available.

them is called Eurasian water milfoil The word milfoil means a thousand leaves, and so it's a plant with feather y leaves It looks ver y leaf y under the water And while we have some native species of water milfoil, it’s the Eurasian species that's not native It's been here a long time, but it continues to spread throughout Michigan, and in those lakes where it becomes established, it can kind of over r un all of the native plant life that should be there and provides good habitat for our fish and other species This Eurasian milfoil just grows so thick and so dense that it crowds ever ything out ”

A newer invader called star r y stonewor t has been moving its way from souther n Michigan into the nor ther n par t of the state over the last several years

“It also grows completely under the water and when it invades a new lake, it of ten goes unnoticed until there's a lot of it there and then people do star t to notice It gets

snagged on their anchors of their boat or on their props, ” Latimore said “And a few years ago, through the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program we had a par tnership with Oakland County to encourage more volunteer monitoring As a result of that, we got a lot of new volunteers out checking their lakes for invasive plants, and over 20 lakes in Oakland County that summer discovered that they had star r y stonewor t invasions they didn't know about that before they joined our program ”

And a third one that is being discovered more of ten in inland waters is the European frogbit

“It's like a little miniature lily pad And it's been in Oakland County for a few years now, but interestingly, historically, it was really kind of isolated to along Lake Huron and lakes that connected to Lake Huron But in the last maybe five years, we've seen it showing up in more and more inland lakes that aren't connected to Lake Huron,” she said “And we think that again, like most of our invasive plants in our lakes, it's probably being spread mostly on boat trailers People put a boat in somewhere that has these invasive plants then they pick it up at the end of the day at the boat launch and then go somewhere else the next day and may inadver tently be spreading these species around ”

Because it doesn’t take much to spread the problem invasives

“People don't mean to cause a problem but you can inadver tently spread a lot of these Just a small fragment of the plant can grow roots and reestablish itself in a new water body So much of it has to do with individual actions through our recreational activities, just making sure that we're cleaning our gear and making sure we're not spreading things around ”

Kathleen Quebedeaux, fisheries biologist for the Michigan Depar tment of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, has been assigned to keep an eye on one cer tain invasive

“My primar y role is coordinating the response to invasive red swamp crawfish,” Quebedeaux explained “Red swamp crayfish were first found in Michigan in 2017 ” The specific crayfish invasion is tied to human activities, according to Quebedeaux

“Red swamp crayfish are the kind that people most commonly eat at a crawfish boil And they're heavily aquacultured, so as you may know, usually you cook them live for a crawfish boil and that of ten gives the oppor tunity for some to get away Or people even intentionally let one or two go, not realizing the har m it could cause, ” she said “Red swamp are actually really popular in the pet trade and they've been bred to be a lot of really strange and interesting colors and patter ns I think this is par t of why they're popular But they really don't make the best pets Crayfish are escape ar tists and they also eat pretty much anything in their tank When people realize this they don't

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want to keep it anymore and let it go They are also popular as a teaching aid There's companies that will sell them to teachers And teachers will sometimes release them af ter they're done because they don't want to euthanize it and, once again, not realizing the har m it can cause ”

Red swamp crayfish have been prohibited in Michigan since 2015 It is illegal to own them live for any reason but unfor tunately that hasn't completely prevented new introductions

“ They're only confir med in nine locations, which are what we call complexes – groups of small water bodies that are geographically close together and the populations are genetically related Even though that may sound like a lot, almost all of them are in metro Detroit,” Quebedeaux said “Because they're still relatively nar rowly spread in the state, we are having a more aggressive response than for a more established species The early par t of our response focused on figuring out what to do And what we found is that even with trapping ever y day at some of these small ponds with the traps being really close together, the population still didn't reach zero We've shif ted approaches Exploring other ways to control them, including stocking fish as biocontrol and doing habitat manipulation They also bur row, which can cause erosion issues, so we ’ re removing some of those bur rows We've had a lot of success at some locations we've been able to apply a pesticide, which is an insecticide made with pyrethrin ”

She notes the use of the insecticide is highly regulated “ so there’s no risk of har ming things outside of that water body, and we also confir m that there's no threatened or dangerous species there, and we always get per mission of all the landowners there There are a lot of restrictions about when and where we can use it We have to monitor, make sure there's going to be no precipitation events that could cause it to wash out of the pond, and we have to post signage so people are aware of what's going on, and the pesticide does break down really quickly, which is a reason we chose it It breaks down within a couple of weeks at undetectable levels It's unfor tunately toxic to fish and inver tebrates There’s no crayfish-specific pesticide ”

And for those wanting to har vest their own, “It's cur rently prohibited and illegal to har vest red swamp crayfish in the state because we're concer ned that it might actually accidentally cause fur ther spread,” Quebedeaux said

The Rusty Crayfish has been in Michigan a lot longer and are allowed to be har vested for personal consumption “ You still can't sell them or keep them as a pet or anything like that, but you can har vest them for personal consumption and you can har vest our native species All you need is a fishing license,” Quebedeaux said

Noah Jansen, restoration manager with the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council based

in Petoskey, spends his days working to keep invasives at bay

“Here in nor ther n Michigan, there are some lakes that don't have zebra or quagga mussels in them yet, so those are a concer n The New Zealand mud snail is more of a stream species, but that's cer tainly one on our minds Round gobies are really common, in some of our lake associations, Bur t Lake in par ticular, are concer ned about the effects that round gobies might be having on the bass fisher y or other game fish because they eat a lot of fish eggs The flip side of that is they also are a forage fish for the bass and other larger fish species just eat them ”

With plant invasive, Jansen explained, “ We're still tr ying to eradicate things like hydrilla, which was just discovered in Michigan for the first time last year But it's only in one or two or maybe three connected ponds downstate ”

Prevention, then control, is key for helping to stop the spread of invasive species. Certain invasive species have adapted to be able to be easily spread via seeds or plant fragments, which can attach to clothing and equipment.

Brad Weiss has been a research inter n for Michigan Tech Research Institute and did a lot of fieldwork for them relating to invasive vegetation in the Great Lakes and specifically phragmites australis “ They were doing a basin-wide vegetation analysis and essentially they were tr ying to see the extent of various invasive plant species But the biggest one they were looking for, since it's one of the most damaging, is phragmites,” Weiss said “In Australia, it was used as a water management crop, so basically if far mers had swampland and areas that had water or were continuously waterlogged, they would plant this to basically suck it dr y and tur n it back into manageable land It's a reed, it can grow ver y, ver y tall, and the issue is that it is now clogging up huge swathes of near shore area among the Great Lakes as well as inland lakes And it grows into a monoculture and what is so damaging

about them is that it will take over an entire area to the point where nothing else grows ” He explained that phragmites disr upt the co -evolution of plants and animals

“An animal evolves over thousands of generations to rely on specific plants and that's why native plants are much more prefer red by animals It’s what they've ‘ grown up ’ relying on for hundreds of thousands of years, if not longer,” he noted

The invasive reeds are also a hinderance to navigation

“Navigable near shore areas are getting over r un by this and so you can't access the docks and transpor tation and damage to boats I ve walked through these reed beds when we've done data collection It's incredible, I mean it is an insanely dense Think about sor t of cat tails on steroids for hundreds and hundreds and thousands of square meters It's not pretty,” Weiss said Katie Grzesiak, the ter restrial invasive species coordinator for the Michigan Depar tment of Natural Resources (DNR) works mainly on dr y land But she gets to the water ’ s edge with her invasive plant work “ Ter restrial just means land-based We have ter restrial and aquatic My focus has usually been on plants I dip my toes in the water so to speak,” she said “Invasive phragmites, of ten on lake edges or even river edges, pond edges can be a big problem When it's near a road it can impact visibility because it's ver y tall and ver y thick It will grow ver y, ver y thickly and can really impede visibility for drivers But more impor tantly, at least from a DNR standpoint and from a habitat standpoint, it can really make it difficult for animals to access the water And it doesn't suppor t a lot of our native insects And insects are a lot of times the base of the food chain ”

Another edge water invasive plant is the purple loosestrife

“It’s a really pretty plant that has a really beautiful purple flower right around midsummer We're coming up to when we would star t seeing it And this is a little bit of a success stor y because even though we still have it, Michigan has a beetle that they've done really extensive tests on, and it only eats purple loosestrife And that beetle is pretty prevalent in Michigan now, and really helping to keep the purple loosestrife down to that dull roar again,” she said Another plant that Grzesiak and her staff are looking for is the Asiatic sand sedge

“It's a species that we don't yet have confir med in Michigan but we would like folks to be on the watch It's caused problems in other areas, kind of similar to phragmites, where it grows really thick and crowds things out It can especially be a problem on inland lakes but dunes as well,” Grzesiak said “In Oakland County, you're landlocked, you don't have any dunes, but not planting it on your lakeshore means that then if you go to visit Lake Michigan or Lake Huron, you're going to be taking those seeds with you ”

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FA C E S

Rafi Jacobs

Bloomfield Hills native and Andover High School graduate, Rafi Jacobs, has always been artistic As a co-founder and producer at Static Films – a full-service production company in Los Angeles that provides creative and logistical support to independent filmmakers – he gets to continue on that path

Jacobs met his current producing partners, Stephen Mastrocola and Liana Montemayor, in 2021 as independent producers on an Easter-themed horror/comedy feature film “The synergy was undeniable; we had to flush out the possibilities,” he said.

During Static’s first official year, they would execute four more feature films “We caught lightning in a bottle,” said Jacobs One, “W ine Club,” a comedy about a former child sitcom star who denounces the industry and accidentally starts a cult, is currently available on Apple, Amazon and Tubi The remainder are on the film festival circuit and working to secure distribution

“Max Dagan,” a crime drama starring Rob Morrow (Northern Exposure), Zachary Gordon (Diary of a W impy Kid), and Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs), follows a son trying to get his dying father out of prison on a compassionate release, recently had its world premiere for a sold-out audience as the coveted Closing Film at Dances W ith Films in Los Angeles

“The energy and reception were electric,” he said. The film has since received two more festival acceptances

Additional Static titles include “Breakup Season,” starring Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead) and Samantha Isler (Molly’s Game); “Crossword,” starring Michael Vlamis (Roswell, NM) and Aurora Perrineau (Westworld); “Guttersnipes,” starring Hamish Linklater (Midnight Mass) and John Carroll Lynch (Fargo); “Floater,” starring Jacob Wysocki (Unfriended) and Jeffrey Nordling (Big Little Lies).

Jacobs attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) to study photography, film and video

“SAIC instilled a methodology to understanding the driving forces behind art making; the research and dialogue tools necessary to exhibit work with clarity, conviction and connection,” said Jacobs, who has exhibited photographs and experimental video works in galleries and museums worldwide, including Art/Video International (Israel), Duplex Gallery (Switzerland), the Detroit Center for Contemporary Photography, and the Spectacle Theater (Brooklyn, NY)

Inspiration also came from his move to Tel Aviv, Israel in 2014, where he worked at Green Productions “Their ethos of creating poignant dramatic narratives made a harmonious pairing with me,” said Jacobs. In the long run, he knew Los Angeles would be a likely landing spot for his pursuits, and he has been there since 2016

In 2017, under his Koss Market Films banner, named for his family’s Hastings Street grocery, established in Detroit in the 1930s, Jacobs wrote and directed his first LA-based short film, “Dissonance,” in which a late-blooming millennial seeks retribution after catching the blowback from his friend’s violent altercation

“I’m incredibly proud of that piece,” he said. “It had a magical world premiere at the Catalina Film Festival in Los Angeles and continued on to have a healthy festival run ”

Jacobs is currently developing his feature directorial debut, which he aims to film in Michigan next year “Increasing the positive representation of Jewish culture, identity, spirituality and religion, while breaking the caricatures and tropes that have shaped historically negative depictions in entertainment, is paramount to my work,” he said

His collaborations along the way have been impactful

“Indie filmmakers are lucky to make a movie every three to five years But, as a producer, executing at a greater frequency and scale offers the accelerated ability to optimize executional practices, nurture relationships with extraordinary creatives, in front of and behind the camera, and build out sales/distribution pipelines, which all become influential for my personal projects,” said Jacobs

“Because, ultimately, getting to make movies with your friends is the dream ”

Story: Jeanine Matlow

Photo: Marcus Henderson

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West Maple building may expand height

By Grace Lovins

Downtown Bir mingham will likely see a new four-stor y makeover on one of the city ’ s historic buildings af ter the city ’ s planning board voted to approve the preliminar y site plan and design of a proposed four-stor y extension on the building located at 139 West Maple Road at their meeting on Wednesday, June 26

City planner Brooks Cowan presented the item to the board explaining that the applicant is looking to expand the rear side of the building’s first two floors and add an additional third and four th floor with a roof top use Cur rently, the existing building is a two -stor y commercial proper ty

The proper ty is located in downtown Bir mingham on the south side of West Maple, between Pierce Street and Henrietta Street where The Bir mingham Tailor and Bear Hug Foundation are cur rently located

Cowan said, according to the plans, the first floor will include three garages and covered parking and the second floor will have additional office space extended to the back of the proper ty of the building The third and four th floors will be a residential unit A roof top ter race is also included in the plans exclusively for the use of the residential unit

According to Cowan, the zoning ordinance says that a building in the D4 – Downtown Overlay Zone –may have two floors of office use only if the planning board allows a fif th stor y The plans show that no fif th stor y is proposed so the applicant must adjust the second or third floor use to make sure the ordinance requirements are met

He said the application was also reviewed by the Historic District Commission and recommended for approval with cer tain conditions

Some planning board members, while thinking the design was nice, had a hard time grappling with the applicant’s proposal of the roof top being considered a fif th floor Board member Br yan Williams stated that they would need the building official to comment that the proposed roof top is considered a fif th stor y or what changes would need to be made for that consideration

Chris Longe, the architect for the project, said that they would be willing to enclose the roof top space if it’s necessar y to be considered a fif th floor, but the purpose of the roof top

Baldwin Library reopens with new entrance

By Lisa Brody

Following a $4 1 million project that has transfor med its space and functionality, Bir mingham's Baldwin Public Librar y announced the opening of its new street-level entrance and collaborative space af ter the completion of its third and final phase of improvements

The librar y s $4 1 million project was funded through the librar y's voter-approved millage and donations to the librar y's tr ust It consisted of a three-phase improvement plan which reimagined and enlarged all of the librar y s spaces and many of its uses

The first phase of renovations included the librar y ’ s adult ser vices wing and was completed in 2017 Then the youth room was expanded and renovated during the second phase of improvements in 2020

The final phase of improvements broke ground in July 2023 and was designed to enrich the librar y experience for patrons of all ages and seamlessly connect the first two renovations together

Among the key highlights of the project are a accessible street level entrance which is equipped with an interior ramp and passenger elevator; a 2,000 square foot addition to the librar y housing a new vending cafe and collaboration space; a centrally located infor mation and checkout desk with integrated holds shelving and self-checkout machines; and 3,000 square feet of renovated interior space with new fur niture, flooring and energy efficient lighting

Energy efficient, glare reducing glass windows and an underground water detention system were also added to the librar y

There is also a new outdoor plaza and gardens with native plantings

For those looking for privacy and quiet space, there is an addition of four private study rooms for one or two people And the Friends of the Baldwin Public Librar y now have a Used Bookshop

“I am so excited about offering all this new light-filled space for people to use and work together Libraries have become third spaces in the past decade and we have been welcoming more and more visitors who are looking to studytogether or work collaboratively I am happy we can now offer more space for our users to meet and work,” said Jaclyn Miller, Baldwin s associate director

The librar y board is working with local ar tist and muralist Wendy Popko to install a custom 30-foot mural above the new interior ramp that will be installed later this summer

“Over the past nine years, we have worked diligently to update nearly all par ts of this librar y to make it more accessible and inviting to our users It is so exciting to reach the finish line and to be able to finally deliver a front entrance space that ever yone can use The challenging stairs and steep ramp of our previous entrance was an obstacle to many and that has been remedied with this addition,” said librar y director

Rebekah Craf t

MCD Architects in Far mington designed the project and integrated the new glass pavilion into the building’s 1980 addition, originally designed by Gunnar Birker ts PCI Dailey of Oak Park handled the constr uction management

ter race was to offer an open space specifically for the resident in the unit to access

“I think it’s a beautiful design and a ver y clever way to get some outdoor space in an urban setting I’m completely on board with that,” said chair Scott Clein

“My concer n is that if we assume or we justif y this par ticular design as five stories that we ’ re now going to get a lot of four-stor y buildings with two floors of office and only one floor

tr uctural element added to the oof top for it to be classified as a tor y

Ultimately, the board voted unanimously 7-0 to approve the preliminar y site plan subject to er tain conditions They will have to etur n to the planning board for final ite plan and design approval at a ater date

Board member Daniel Share ecused himself from discussions as he represents the adjacent proper ty owners Jason Emerine voted in his place Board member Robin Boyle was absent from the meeting, and alter nate Nasseem Ramin voted in his place

First look at proposed park improvements

By Grace Lovins

During the Wednesday, June 26, Bir mingham Planning Board meeting, board members were given a first look nto proposed improvements for the Booth Park entr y plaza and trail, ffering positive feedback about the ur rent direction of the design work Trail improvements and the entr y plaza of Booth Park were included in he priority list of the city ’ s parks and ecreation bond approved by voters back in 2020, according to parks and ecreation manager Car rie Laird Since 023, a concept plan consisting of hree sections was developed and accepted by the city commission in September of last year for trail mprovements

The overarching ideas which came ut of the concept plan were accessibility, wayfinding and onnectivity, Laird said Earlier this ear, the city commission selected design fir m Grissim Metz Andriese Associates to design constr uction drawings for the entr y plaza and trail mprovements project based on the oncept plan

of residential when that’s not the intention of the ordinance – in fact, not even the letter of the ordinance,” he continued Clein also said he would argue that the drawings show that there are four stories with a roof top being utilized for outdoor space since the only thing up there is an elevator shaf t and a barbeque Longe and the owner of the building were amenable to the fact that the planning board wants there to be some sor t of

Sue Grissim, the principal architect and project manager, ran the board hrough their cur rent progress, highlighting the improvements to the trail identifiers, accessibility enhancements and the ideas around creating a restroom for the park

Around the playground that cur rently sits in the park, Grissim said they wanted to adjust the grading to ensure the playground was accessible when approaching the str ucture since the cur rent grading is rather steep Among other details, she explained two concept plans, one showing the elimination of four parking spaces to increase a concrete bumpout to

Senior center panel suggests new building

By David Hohendorf

The Ad Hoc Senior/Recreation Center Committee (SCC) advising the Birmingham City Commission on development of a senior and recreation center for the city voted on Wednesday, July 17, to recommend to city leaders a complete new building rather than rehab the building purchased from the YMCA at 400 E. Lincoln one year ago

The building purchase was designed to provide a home for Next, which provides services for those 50 years of age and older in both Birmingham and a few neighboring communities, along with keeping the YMCA as a tenant for a short period of time.

This week’s meeting took place at press time for Downtown Newsmagazine but some details from the meeting were available.

The SCC board voted to suggest to the city commission at its meeting on Monday, July 22, that the city demolish the current building and instead construct a new facility with a $28 million budget that would cover both construction and soft costs associated with the project.

YMCA space is included in the $28 million project but the issue of the community group as part of the new center is still unresolved. Initially the YMCA had requested to remain at the facility for only a few years but recently announced it wanted a permanent home for its activities which include a pool. Discussions are reportedly underway to address issues that include what the YMCA would pay as a tenant, the costs of a pool, along with the question of how much space the group needs for its activities.

The meeting on July 17 followed a July 10 meeting of the SCC to receive updated building information from the NORR development and planning firm, including a number of options to consider for the senior and community center. An earlier feasibility report from the NORR firm had been presented to the city commission on May 20 of this year but commissioners declined to formally accept the report which was lacking in cost figures for different approaches for the building.

The information presented to the ad hoc committee on July 10 showed detailed drawings and costs associated with three main options, along with some variations.

The least expensive option involved using the current 40,000 square foot building with renovations to bring the building up to date in terms of codes and current activity needs. Variations of this option included a building with and without the current YMCA pool. General construction costs were pegged at about $14.4 million, although NORR representatives, when questioned by committee members, estimated that overall costs could be 25 percent higher when all costs beyond actual construction expenses are factored in.

It was estimated that this project would take 14 months to complete, and would involve using most of the existing mechanicals for the building.

The second option presented would involve using the existing building and expanding it with an addition on the north half of the structure. The expanded building would be about 64,640 square feet and the construction would take18 months, during which time the building would not be useable by the YMCA. NORR officials said this option would be minimally code compliant and would involve replacing most of the current mechanical equipment of the building. The cost for this option was pegged at $23.6846 million.

The third optioned presented to the committee was for complete removal of the current building and construction of a completely new facility. This option would create 73,000 square feet at a cost of $28.641 million to $31.341 million, depending on whether a pool was part of the new building.

SCC members asked NORR officials to return July 17 with an even more refined proposal in hopes that a recommendation could be made to the city commission on July 22 because the current Next lease with the Birmingham School District for use of the former Midvale elementary school, which the group has been using for its programs, expires in 2026.

Birmingham voters in November of 2023 approved a .33-mill levy for three years for interim improvements and creation of a sinking fund to help underwrite improvements. A game plan for funding the new community center has yet to be developed.

minimize the impact on the park. The other design did not include the bumpout.

Grissim also walked the board through different trail improvements the firm was looking at with the parks and recreation board. They are looking to include seat walls around the entry plaza with a concrete foundation and natural elements on top. She said they’re also studying a crushed stone path for the trail and permeable paving and colored concrete for the plaza in order to differentiate portions of the park.

She also noted that they are in discussions with a donor that wants to create a special seating within a quiet pocket of the park to listen to the river. The design showed the seating is modeled in the shape of a butterfly.

While the firm and parks and recreation team were gathering public input about the improvements, one of the top suggestions was the inclusion of a restroom. Grissim explained that the team has been looking into both prefabricated facilities and custom facilities but hasn’t settled on a design just yet.

Planning board members offered positive feedback about the firm’s current progress with the design of the trails and plaza, saying they appreciated how they incorporated the public feedback into the designs. Most board members talked about the restroom facilities considering it is foremost in the public’s minds.

“Don’t put in a prefabricated restroom, please. It’s a beautiful park. It is such an improvement over what was there 25 years ago that let’s not cheapen it,” said board member Bryan Williams.

Chair Scott Clein and board members Bert Koseck and Janelle Whipple-Boyce all agreed about the restrooms. Overall, the board stated they think it is a wonderful project and are supportive of the progress so far.

Mare owner changes; now named Sprazzo

By Mark H. Stowers

Mare Mediterranean will be changing hands and will reopen with more eating options as Sprazzo after the Birmingham City Commission unanimously approved the ownership change and Class C liquor license transfer at their Monday, July 8, meeting from The Hospitality Birmingham LLC, owners of Mare Mediterranean at 115 S. Willits, to Birmingham Omni Hospitality LLC to create Sprazzo.

Cousins Yousif Kakos and Paulina Faranso will be equal partners of Birmingham Omni Hospitality, LLC. Sprazzo's proposed hours of operation will be from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Sunday. The business and assets will be purchased for $1.3 million and there are plans to spend another $100,000 in renovations.

The purchase of the liquor license will be funded solely by Yousif Kakos through his consulting business, Pure Consulting, and personal accounts. A background check was conducted by the city on Yousif Kakos and Paulina Faranso using the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN), the Court’s Law Enforcement Management Information System (CLEMIS), and no negative information was uncovered. Verification of available funds was confirmed with monies in two accounts with Huntington Bank. One was Pure Consulting and the remainder was in Yousif Kakos's account he shares with his wife Leah. The city has not received any financial statements from partner Paulina Faranso, therefore she is not contributing any financial funding toward the $1.3 million.

Yousif Kakos also has ownership in Bree Enterprises Inc. doing business as Bachelor 1 Tavern. The application for the liquor license with the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) is pending at the time of this report.

“We are keeping the same menu but are adding breakfast and lunch. We are staying open later,” Kakos explained. “We’re not going to have dancing. That is part of the liquor license application. We just want the restaurant to be visible. People can’t see inside.”

Sprazzo’s lawyer Joseph A. Shallal explained the dance dilemma to the commissioners. “When we apply for a conditional license from the liquor control commission, we have to apply for the exactly the licenses they have. Once we get approved and get the license, we can drop that. It’s an additional $200 a year cost that we don’t need. It says dance and entertainment, that’s just for liquor control. We’re not proposing either. No DJ; no dancing.”

The city’s SLUP (strategic land use permit) does not allow dancing and entertainment. A wine rack will be removed to allow more visibility both in and out of the restaurant.

Faranso will handle the business’ social media, marketing and advertising.

“We’ve always talked about opening a restaurant together,” Faranso said. “With our connections combined, we thought we could run a successful restaurant.”

Questions from commission members included enter tainment and hours of operation

There will be no live music and no dance floor There will be pre-recorded music broadcast via radio The restaurant will first open for lunch at 11 a m with breakfast being added later star ting at 7 a m The restaurant will close nor mally at midnight with Friday and Saturday night hours extended until 2 a m Accordion doors will be added to open the restaurant for more lighting

“At first we’ll open up lunch around 11 a m and breakfast will be a little fur ther down the road and we’ll open up at 7 a m There are lot of people on that side of town that don’t really have a breakfast place to go to As long as you have good food and good pricing and get customers in and out, I think we can do it,” Faranso said

The resolution to approve was unanimous The resolution includes the approval to authorize the city clerk to complete the local approval notice at the request of Bir mingham Omni Hospitality, LLC and to approve the request for a transfer of ownership of the Class C liquor license, with Sunday

sales, outdoor ser vice area, dance and enter tainment per mit from The Hospitality Bir mingham, LLC located at 115 Willits to Bir mingham Omni Hospitality, LLC that will be located at the same address

The par ties will set a closing date for the sale once all of the city depar tments have signed off on the agreement

New signs coming to city entrances

By Grace Lovins

Residents and visitors to Bir mingham are going to see a change of scener y when entering the city af ter the Bir mingham City Commission approved the installation of two new “Bir mingham Welcomes You” signs and pedestrian kiosks during the Monday, June 24, meeting

The replacement of existing signs and the addition of the kiosks is par t of the city ’ s ongoing implementation of the wayfinding and signage master plan According to planning director Nick Dupuis, commissioners adopted the design concepts within the plan

back in December of 2023

During the meeting city staff proposed a par tial phase one implementation of some of the design concepts They are looking to install two 12-foot tall, ground mounted identification signs, one on Woodward Avenue near 14 Mile and the other on Quar ton Road, as well as two pedestrian kiosks Dupuis noted that the city is pursuing a par tial phase one implementation due to their budget of $100,000 for the 2023-2024 fiscal year Dupuis stated the city issued a request for proposals back in early May for the installation of the signs and received seven bids The wayfinding and branding committee, as well as city staff, conducted a review of all proposals and decided to recommend

ASI Signage Innovations for work not to exceed $108,400

Since ASI’s proposal was $8,400 over the budgeted amount for the project, Dupuis also requested the commission approve the additional amount to come from the city ’ s general fund

ASI Signage Innovations is a national architectural signage fir m specializing in interior, exterior and

digital solutions Established in 1965, they have provided consulting ser vices for wayfinding and identity solutions for numerous industries including education, gover nment and corporate Dupuis also stated that the signs will not have lighting for the time being given the additional cost, but they will begin preparing to have lighting installed while the signs are being put in, so they are prepared for a later change

Commissioners voted unanimously, 6-0, to approve the installation of the two welcome signs and two kiosks Katie Schafer was absent from the meeting

Sephora opening in Bloomfield Township

By Lisa Brody

A vacant storefront which was previously occupied by a pet store at Telegraph and Maple roads in Bloomfield Township will be filled by the cosmetic giant Sephora Sephora will join Trader Joe's, Nino Salvaggio s and Steve's Deli at the Bloomfield Plaza shopping center,

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filling the space at 6520 Telegraph Road, where Hollywood Feed was previously, according to Bloomfield Township records

Sephora is a French multinational retailer of personal care and beauty products They boast car r ying over 340 brands, including Chanel, Estee Lauder, Lancome, Nars, Murad, Smashbox, Versace, Henr y Rose, Josie Maran, Kiehl's, and hundreds of others, along with its own private label, Sephora Collection Their items include beauty products such as cosmetics, skincare, hair care, fragrance, nail color, beauty tools and body lotion

Other locations of Sephora are at Somerset Collection, Twelve Oaks Mall, on Orchard Lake in West Bloomfield, and small locations in some Kohl's stores

Cable annual report showcases launches

By Dana Casadei

This year ’ s annual repor t for the Bloomfield Township Cable Depar tment, presented to the board of tr ustees at their meeting on Monday, June 24, showcased work overhauling the township s website increasing their presence online and the launch of new projects

Ever y member of the depar tment was celebrated at the presentation by Car rie LeZotte, director of cable & community relations, who led the presentation – full-time, par t-time and even those who have lef t to work at other places – and there was quite a lot for the depar tment to celebrate this year, ranging from launches of new projects to the successful retur n of others, like their open house and community food tr ucks

For star ters, there was their online presence, which continued on the upward trajector y they began last year with their social media channels, seeing increases across the board

Just a few examples include their YouTube channel that went up by almost 400 more subscribers, with 90,310 views and 925 videos published for the year Facebook followers were up by 36 8 percent and their content interactions were up over 200 percent

The depar tment led the charge on a massive overhaul that was completed of the Bloomfield Township website, where it took input from ever y depar tment head in the township to figure out what was missing and what was no longer

needed This overhaul led to a much more mobile-friendly website, something that’s becoming more and more impor tant considering their data shows that 60 percent of their website traffic comes from people using their mobile devices

Speaking of mobile, LeZotte announced that the township app that she discussed during her annual repor t in 2023 was officially launched as of that night’s board of tr ustees meeting for people to use

One of the apps most interesting features is the click and repor t, which will allow for residents to take a photo of something and then send it directly to the desired depar tment through the app

“ There’s nothing you guys can’t do,” said super visor Dani Walsh

Going away from their online presence, LeZotte spoke about how this year the depar tment was able to really utilize their space, launching new podcasts and filming live productions; they star ted a new youth workshop in par tnership with the police academy; and they were able to conduct more orientations in the space, bringing people physically together

They also added a new staff member Jose Guzman grants and engagement coordinator, who helped the township be awarded $96,000 in grant funding that went to multiple depar tments There is also cur rently $390,000 in pending grants right now that LeZotte thinks they have a good shot at getting

Some of the other additions to the depar tment this year included a monthly newsletter, and printable and digital program guide With the digital program guide, if someone clicks on a show it will then take them to that episode on the township’s YouTube channel

Focusing on the cable par t in the title of their depar tment, in total, the depar tment managed over 700 productions between public programs and gover nment meetings

“ The data tells one stor y, but it’s those personal testimonies that we really tend to listen to and remember because they resonate with us that hear tfelt authenticity,” LeZotte said

And there were many personal testimonies told at the board of tr ustees meeting

Multiple people during the public comments section of the meeting spoke highly of the work they do, including a for mer Bloomfield Township cable depar tment employee, who was grateful for all he was able to lear n from the

Chester Street garage repair contract set

By Grace Lovins

Acontractor has officially been selected to begin repair work for the Chester Street parking garage af ter the Bir mingham City Commission voted to award the contract during the Monday, June 24, meeting

The city will also begin draf ting a request for proposals (RFP) to hire an interior architect to help with the design of the garage

Repairs to the Chester Street str ucture were planned for this year af ter str uctural assessment repor ts were completed on all five of the city ’ s parking decks by engineering fir m Wiss, Janney and Elstner Associates, Inc (WJE) A five-year plan was included in the assessment to address the repairs for all five garages

During the previous city commission meeting on Monday, June 3, parking systems manager Aaron Ford presented RAM Constr uction as the fir m selected by city staff to execute the str uctural repairs, waterproofing, façade repairs and bringing the garage to ADA compliance The contract award was put on hold over the commission’s concer ns about lack of attention to design elements during the under taking

While kicking off discussions during Monday night’s meeting, Ford and city manager Jana Ecker explained that the lighting had been removed from the contract to be addressed later so that str uctural repairs may move for ward Both companies that bid on the project, RAM Constr uction and Pullman SST, Inc , were given the oppor tunity to adjust their proposals with the lighting removed, and the city again selected RAM Constr uction’s proposal

Commissioners had also requested at the last meeting that the city look for an interior designer to help with aesthetic decisions for the garage to make it more inviting to motorists Ford said the city tried to solicit bids by reaching out to four fir ms Three of the four fir ms declined to submit a proposal, but Heid Architects submitted a proposal for $74,000

Their proposal included lighting recommendations, color and finish recommendations for the walls, floors and ceilings, incorporation of branding and wayfinding in accordance with the city's approved wayfinding plan and any other creative or innovative features that create a unique sense of place

As an alter native option to hiring Heid Architects, the city also installed four light fixtures and painted four paint swatches at the Chester garage for commissioners to take a look The lighting was chosen by Illuminar t – highly regarded lighting consultants who are already working with WJE on the project – proposed an entire replacement of the all the garage lights to LED lighting

Commissioner Clinton Baller, who was adamant during the last meeting that the city looks for a designer to help with the project, repeated his points from June 3, saying that he is in favor of issuing a request for proposals (RFP) to hire a designer to look at all of the city ’ s decks

Offering a different view, commissioner Therese Longe suggested the city use the resources already available to them

“I’m not in favor of hiring Heid [Architects] at this point, and I’m perhaps not in favor of an RFP for designers,” she said “I’d like to know how far we can get with the lighting consultant we have already and implementation of the wayfinding signage and colors ”

While the commissioners each had a differing view of how to approach the design elements of the garage, they all agreed that the str uctural repairs were needed to move for ward In one motion, the commission voted unanimously, 6-0, to award the contract for the garage work to RAM Constr uction Mayor pro tem Katie Schafer was absent from the meeting

Deliberations about the design elements continued af ter the first vote, and the commission ultimately made the decision to direct staff to create an RFP for interior architectural ser vices for the Chester garage that may possibly include landscaping

“My concer n is that we have just kicked off the constr uction par t of it and the clock is ticking with regard to lighting and painting We need a way for ward with regard to that and if this is our way for ward then I’m fine with that,” commissioner Anthony Long said

The commission voted 4-2 to direct city staff to begin working on the RFP Both commissioners Andrew Haig and Brad Host voted ‘ no ’

depar tment during his tenure; to Tera Moon, librar y director for the Bloomfield Township Public Librar y, speaking on behalf of the work the cable depar tment does for the librar y and the large role they have played in the continuation, and kick- off, of their librar y ’ s podcast, The Distracted Librarians Podcast

The most touching stor y about the work the cable depar tment has done came from a man who wrote a play, which they aired live productions of on the public channel multiple times This play has now been per for med Off-Broadway, where it will retur n later this year

“ These stories are the hear tbeat of our community,” LeZotte said

Much like during last year ’ s presentation, LeZotte discussed the depar tment’s future plans for the year Next steps include more new programming, such as a documentar y workshop; a media aspect being added to the youth academy; showcasing more local per for mance groups; and the series, Back to School with BCTV, that will launch in September

An update to the township hall, where there will be new chairs and paint in the near future, is also on its way

“ While small in number, this depar tment is mighty,” said clerk Mar tin Brook “I look for ward to next year ’ s presentation ”

Bonds sale approved; township AAA rating

By Dana Casadei

The Bloomfield Township Board of Tr ustees unanimously approved a resolution to ratif y the ter ms of the sale of special assessment bonds to UBS Financial Ser vices Inc for $15,790,000 at their meeting on Monday July 8

In June, the board went to market to sell just over $18 7 million in special assessment bonds to cover par t of the road paving improvements and replacements needed for Special Assessment District No 426 and Special Assessment District No 427, which were combined into one bond offering

Af ter approval was given, the township went before S&P Global, which provided a repor t singing the praises of Bloomfield Township’s strong financial management, giving them their AAA bond rating once again

The AAA rating is rare for a municipality to receive, making

Bloomfield Township one of only a few with this recognition in Michigan

“ We are ver y gratified to have our AAA bond rating reaffir med,” said treasurer Michael Schostak

He said he believes that the AAA rating – the highest a municipality can receive – and the amount for the bonds both played large roles in why they received 13 bids for the purchase of the bonds, many more than they originally thought they would receive

In the end it was the New Yorkbased company UBS Financial Ser vices Inc , which came in with the lowest bid, and a net interest cost of 3 618 percent

As is the township policy, SAD residents will be charged at one percentage rate above the bond, totaling 4 618 percent

Schostak noted that this rate was less than last year ’ s

Each bid had a premium on the bonds, which was taken into account when the bonds were resized, resulting in a final principal amount of $15,790,000

The principal amount is lower than the original amount for a few reasons, including pre-payments from residents in the SAD who paid their assessments in full at $1,157,453 04, and because there are some residents who are appealing the resolution to the Michigan Tax Tribunal, their cost of the assessment – $90,431 91 – had to be taken out The rest came in a premium from UBS Financial Ser vices Inc to lower the face value of the bonds

With this approval at the meeting, which passed 7-0, Schostak was able to close this deal with USB Financial Ser vices Inc on Wednesday, July 10, awarding the sale of the bonds in the principal amount of $15,790,000

North Adams Road project timing set

By Mark H Stowers

A public hearing to explain the water and sewer laterals being replaced as par t of the Nor th Adams Road resur facing project was unanimously approved by Bir mingham City Commissioners at their meeting on Monday, July 8

The nor th end of Adams Road, from south of Madison Street to the nor ther n city limits, will be resur faced In March The city commission approved a design of Nor th Adams Road, reducing the four lanes to three with the possibility of

installing a sidewalk The existing 12 inch water main was installed in 1924 and will be removed and replaced due to water main breaks

The sewer por tion of the project will separate a por tion of the combined sewer at the nor th end of the project A new stor m sewer will connect to an existing stor m sewer

A por tion of the existing sewer needs open excavation near Putney Road The city is proposing the replacement of all sewer laterals near the open excavation of sewer repairs that are 50 years of age or older, are less than six inches in diameter or are constr ucted of an unsuitable material All unsuitable sewer laterals will be replaced with six inch schedule 40 PVC or match existing size if larger than six inches

There will also be replacement of water ser vices that are 60 years of age or older, are less than one inch in diameter, or are constr ucted of an unsuitable material All unsuitable water ser vices will be replaced with a new one inch diameter ser vice or be replaced to match the existing diameter if greater than one inch

The city explained that special assessments will be made to proper ty owners of the area The water and sewer laterals will be 100 percent paid by the proper ty owners These can be made done in a lump sum or spread out over five years with interest

The water lateral costs are $115 per lineal foot for one-inch diameter water ser vice and $125 for two -inch Sewer laterals are $250 per lineal foot for eight-inch pipe City engineer

Melissa A Coatta recommended at the meeting for residents to declare necessity and approve the special assessment district (SAD) A public hearing for confir mation of the roll was to be held at the city commission meeting on July 22 The proper ties range from apar tments to senior living facilities and condominium complexes

By replacing laterals that do not meet the city's requirements during a constr uction project, this will protect the new road from disturbance of either sewer or water lateral replacement This project will also install a por tion of a separate stor m that will drain to an existing stor m sewer along the west side of Nor th Adams Road

Several proper ty owners affected by the project voiced their concer ns with the cost per owner and the disr uption of schools in the area Coatta explained the costs and that the project will not be finished by the

Township okays industrial waste charges

By Dana Casadei

The annual industrial waste control (IWC) charges for 2024 were approved at the Monday, June 24, Bloomfield Township Board of Tr ustees meeting

Adam Roose, public works manager for the township, said that these charges will go into effective on Monday, July 1, and will reflect a two percent increase from last year for only commercial accounts, not residents

IWC charges are based on the size of the water meter used, ranging from quar terly pricesof $11 16 for meters set at five-eighth inches to $1,562 40 for 18-inch meters

Set to offset the costs incur red in administering regulator y activities under the Sewer Use Ordinance/Industrial Waste Control Ordinance, the IWC charges are required in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Per mit Program and the Clean Water Act (CWA)

These charges are assessed to all commercial and industrial customers who send wastewater to the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) treatment plant from Bloomfield Township

Out of the 13,000 total sewer customers in Bloomfield Township, these charges are only levied on approximately 400 commercial accounts There are zero administrative fees applied

Commercial and industrial customers are sometimes asked to pay pollutant surcharges too but only if they discharge high-strength wastewater into the system that has compatible pollutant levels higher than what is allowed for domestic sources Those charges are used to offset treatment costs for the excess pollutants in the wastewater

At this time, Bloomfield Township does not have any customers who are required to pay the pollutant surcharge

Both of these charges are set as straight pass through costs paid to the GLWA through the Oakland County Water Resources Commission

The board of tr ustees voted 7-0 in approval of the charges

time school star ts and the city will coordinate with each affected school Coatta noted that proper ty owners and residents affected by the road constr uction will be notified prior to the constr uction to offer details and help with coordinating traversing their proper ty

ARPA funds set for Puro Clean services

By Dana Casadei

The Bloomfield Township Board of Tr ustees voted unanimously to approve $28,247 of their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to be allocated for disaster cleanup to PuroClean at their meeting on Monday, June 24

With this project, PuroClean –which is a disaster relief company –will photograph and catalog each building and asset that is owned and maintained by Bloomfield Township, providing continuity and asset management planning

game, ” said Noah Mehalski, director of public works

PuroClean also has a relationship with the same insurer Bloomfield Township uses which will come in handy in case they need any asset nfor mation, something they ’ll be able to take right from the 3D scan and pay out based on that “ This one-time cost will get our asset management where it needs to be,” Mehalski said

Mehalski mentioned that each ear there is a facility upgrade and PuroClean will monitor those, then will come in and rescan if there’s a major renovation They can also come out to scan if there’s new mechanical equipment

The township has worked with PuroClean the last few years on clean up for local disasters, such as the looding in the senior center that led o mold; this will be the first time hey work with them on this type of pre-disaster asset management and preparation

Bloomfield Township received $4,407,946 33 from ARPA in total, and has to have it all obligated by the end of December 2024

Birmingham Italian Dish closing sale

By Lisa Brody

They will take a 3D scan of township facilities that will pick up all mechanical equipment, serial numbers and other helpful infor mation that will allow them to better manage the assets in those buildings

These scans will be in a place for the team members of the Bloomfield Township Depar tment of Public Works to have access to, where they ’ll be able to look at the pictures provided by PuroClean, get the serial number, know the tonnage on the unit, get the par t and bring it where it needs to be These scans will streamline the process cur rently being done

This work will be vital too, especially if there is any kind of largescale disaster If that were to happen, thanks to the digital librar y collected and cataloged by PuroClean, the township would be able to use the digital librar y as a reference for each asset lost, and then restore any damaged or destroyed assets back to their original state af ter the event

“ This will get us ahead of the

Bir mingham store The Italian Dish s holding a retirement sale as owner/operator Holly Anselmi has decided it is time to move on af ter 20 years of owning the shop

The Italian Dish, 288 E Maple Road, between S Old Woodward and Woodward avenues, features specialty dinner ware, kitchenware, home décor, linens and gif ts from Italy and other par ts of Europe

Anselmi noted it s “ a little bittersweet to close Twenty years of retail have been good to me, but it's time to do something new ”

Ever ything in the store, from Vietri, Juliska, Simon Pierce, Casafina, Costa Nova, Busatti, Ar te Italica, Zafferano, Mar y Jurek

Designs and others, are on sale until ever ything is gone, Anselmi said, at the ver y latest the end of September, when the lease for the store expires “but more likely by the end of August,” Anselmi said

“Come quickly It's going fast We'd love ever yone to have something to remember us by,” she said

What's next for Anselmi? “ We recently moved to Grosse Pointe and I'm going to be settling and nest in Then I don't know I'm open ”

DOLLARS– LET US HELP YOU SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT.

FA C E S

L eslie Benser L uciani

Leslie Benser Luciani was born and raised on the west side of Michigan but spent summers on Mackinac Island selling fudge and ice cream in her family’s business.

The Benser family owns Original Murdick’s Fudge, which has eight locations in Michigan and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and are coowners of the Chippewa Hotel, Pink Pony and Lilac Tree Suites on Mackinac Island

“Growing up, our family worked summers instead of going on vacations, but I had a great childhood with great people in a beautiful tight knit community,” she said fondly

She and her siblings had the uncommon challenge of spending the first and last months of the school year going to Mackinac Island schools and the remainder of the school year going to their hometown school until her sophomore year of high school.

“I remember it being difficult when I started French class in the fall since the rest of the class had already been studying it for a month,” she reminisced Later, the Benser family moved their home base closer to Mackinac Island which allowed the siblings to stay in one school all year

After high school, Benser Luciani attended Albion College where she majored in political science with a minor in French and was in the Gerald R Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Policy and Service In 1986, she earned a law degree from Wake Forest University before returning to Michigan She explained, “During law school, I interned for different law firms in different cities and realized I missed Michigan and that it had more to offer than I had thought ”

She married her husband, Don Luciani, and practiced law for three years before deciding to open a retail store, La Belle Provence, in Northville with a friend who also had a French background “I realized I was more creative driven than being a lawyer allowed.”

Of her business, she said, “La Belle Provence was Country French with artistic-driven fabrics and colors We imported French antiques and

accessories and offered brands like MacKenzie-Childs ”

During summer months, the Birmingham resident often spends up to two weeks each month on Mackinac Island working for the family business and enjoying life on this idyllic island This summer has been especially busy and challenging with the recent passing of her beloved father, Robert Benser Sr, who started the family business on Mackinac Island decades ago

When she’s not working, Benser Luciani loves to travel with her husband and sons to “offbeat, remote places ”

Around the new millennium, the business and Luciani family moved to Birmingham which Benser Luciani said allowed her to better balance motherhood with the demands of the store Later she and her partner sold the business which freed up her time to help Original Murdick’s Fudge develop an online presence

Her work with the business’s website, newsletters and social media evolved into a successful collaboration developing retail products for Pink Pony as well as launching a new store called Pink Pony Club with longtime friend, Cheryl Nephew Jaquiss, whose family co-owns businesses with the Benser family.

Her adult sons have continued their family’s special legacy by becoming business owners on Mackinac Island While Michael and Joey live and work out of state, their brother, John, recently moved back to Michigan to run Mackinac Outfitter, the outdoor clothing and gear retailer owned by the three brothers Their business logo is the iconic Round Island Lighthouse that their grandparents helped preserve fifty years ago

Story: Tracy Donohue

“We moved to Birmingham in 2000 when our kids were younger and in school,” she says, adding, “I appreciate small businesses and love a walkable community with great people. In that way, Birmingham is not unlike Mackinac Island ”

The city of Bir mingham’s goal of providing a new home for Next, addressing the needs of a growing and diverse older population, is well under way Most municipalities have senior suppor t as par t of their core ser vices, so this is new for Bir mingham and we are elated

For the past several years, Next has worked towards the objective of having an adequate facility that meets the needs of today ’ s older residents Bir mingham Public Schools have generously allowed Next to be housed at Midvale since 1997 with an inkind ar rangement where Next has paid minimal building costs At this point however, with the growing senior population and the increased need for ser vices, Next has exceeded the schools capacity With that in mind, we have had to shif t away from Bir mingham Schools, but are ver y grateful for our par tnership over the past many years

As the city steps up its commitment to area seniors, Next will now be able to implement key programming changes increase lifelong lear ning and enrichment oppor tunities, developing more synergies with local par tners, and expanded outreach to care for more residents who need extra assistance to remain healthy and independent

The role of “senior centers” hasn’t changed They deliver vital programs and ser vices, and connect older adults to essential community resources to help them stay healthy, socially engaged, and independent

What has changed is the user

Today ’ s seniors are different than any others before them They are the healthiest, both mentally and physically, of any previous generation They are more educated and more active

Also impor tant to note, people 50 and older nationally contribute $745 billion in unpaid activities that benefit the entire community They are caregivers for loved ones, provide childcare, and volunteer on civic boards and non-profits They are business mentors, r un youth programs, drive community projects and over whelming, financially suppor t local charities They are also innovative, spur ring 25 percent of all new entrepreneurships, and hold significant political clout

Boomers, and now aging in, Gen X’ers, want a space that offers more, and rightly so

The oppor tunity for the city of Bir mingham to design a new facility that reflects the profile of today ’ s active adults is ver y exciting By moder nizing the idea of how a “senior center ” functions, mar ried with thoughtful design decisions Next will have the capacity tools and resources necessar y to develop and implement programs and ser vices that meet the cur rent and future needs of a diverse older population

Utilizing age-friendly universal design, exceeding ADA-compliance, identif ying flexible program space and offering spaces that fosters social connection, will finally give the city the ability to properly suppor t our older residents

There are so many community benefits to a vibrant Next A dynamic center will foster community well-being and inclusivity In a space shared by residents of all ages, community cohesion is amplified by bridging generational divides Providing space for infor mal interactions between generations leads to mutual understanding and respect

This new facility will ser ve as a pivotal hub, contributing significantly to the overall quality of life and enriching the fabric of the community as a whole By creating a more har monious community, people of all ages feel valued and connected

Cris Braun is Executive Director of Birmingham Next

Cris Braun

P L A C E S T O E AT

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 Birmingham/Bloomfield

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 & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 3147 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, 48205 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, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 555 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248.885.8108. 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, Wednesday-Sunday 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 & W ine 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

Lincoln Yard and Little Yard: American Little Yard take-out hours: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily Lincoln Yard hours: Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2159 E Lincoln Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 653 5353 eatlincolnyard 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 W illits 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 Brunch, weekends, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1727 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48302 248.858.7270. roadsidebandg.com

Salvatore Scallopini: Italian Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Beer & W ine 505 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 644 8977 salsbirmingham com

Shift Kitchen & Cocktails: Small plates. Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 117 W illits Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 2380 shiftbirmingham com

Sidecar : American Lunch and Dinner, daily Liquor 117 W illits Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.2380. sidecarsliderbar.com

Slice Pizza Kitchen: Pizza Lunch and Dinner, daily Liquor 117 W illits 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. Dinner, daily. Reservations Liquor 1819 Inverness Street, Sylvan Lake, 48320 248 369 3360 sylvantable com

Tallulah W ine 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 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: Lunch, Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday & Sunday 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

Royal Oak/Fer ndale

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, Tuesday-Sunday 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

Café de Olla: Mexican Breakfast, Tuesday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Liquor 418 S Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 248 633 5311 cafedeollami 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

Gus’ Snug: Irish Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 38 S Main Street, Clawson, 48017 248 607 3631 gussnug com

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 Dinner, TuesdaySunday 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 Café: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 116 W 14 Mile Road, Clawson threecatscafe com

Tigerlily: Japanese Lunch, Saturday & Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday 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 and 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

Troy/Rochester

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. Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4845 Rochester Road, Troy, 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

E R

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

A touch of England

Drawing its inspiration from the great public houses of London, the Lone Goat is downtown Detroit’s first authentic English pub The Lone Goat is the latest addition to the growing collection of establishments by the Detroitbased Roxbur y Group, through its Treefor t Hospitality ar m, and occupies a ground-floor and mezzanine space in the historic Metropolitan Building The pub ser ves a wide selection of British and domestic draught beers, cocktails and spirits, and an extensive offering of classic English pub food “ We really wanted to develop an experience that drew from the historic attributes of the space and complimented the physical character of the Metropolitan Building,” said Roxbur y President James Van Dyke, who led the development effor t at the Lone Goat A genuine English pub was a great fit in a building that already looks like a medieval castle, and in our view was an offering that was lacking in the marketplace ” The main floor features a central main floor copper bar, while the second floor space offers dar ts as well as room for private events The pub is open seven days a week and offers lunch and dinner options including such English favorites as bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie, fish and chips and Welsh rarebit The pub has also developed an extensive beer menu with ten draught selections of Britain’s finest ales and stouts in addition to a broad list of bottles and cans Ever y aspect of the Lone Goat’s planning was based on thorough research of English pub design and operation, including the fur niture selections, ar twork, signage and its playlist of hand-picked music tracks spanning the last six decades Asked about where the name “the Lone Goat” derives Van Dyke added –“ The name comes from an old joke that is a favorite around the Roxbur y Group If you catch us at the bar, we’d be happy to tell it ” 33 John R St, Detroit thelonegoat com

Black Ginger opens

Black Ginger is a new Korean-American restaurant focused on new age Korean cuisine, collaborating with local Detroit produce to showcase rich and traditional flavors The eater y is located in the Tr umbull and Por ter Hotel, in Detroit’s Corktown and fills the space for merly occupied by Red-Dunn Kitchen Black Ginger ’ s owner, Harold Kim, is a Korean American who grew up in the metro Detroit area He is also the owner of Izakaya Sanpei’s in Canton Kim, who is knowledgeable in many Asian flavors like Japanese, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, has worked with many different types of seafood and has also traveled extensively around South Korea to understand both traditional and moder n flavors Popular menu items include crispy rice salad with cucumber, mango, fish sauce and cilantro dressing; tempura broccolini with gochujang aioli, lemon zest and crispy garlic; Korean fried chicken featuring sweet & tangy Korean sauce citr us brine sesame vinaigrette and cabbage slaw; and glazed pork belly with honey soy glaze, orange segments, scallions, crispy garlic The restaurant has seating for up to 250 guests which includes an indoor bar area, the main restaurant and an outdoor bar The outdoor bar is named “ The Pump Room,” in honor of the pump room that used to occupy the same space when the hotel had an outdoor swimming pool Black Ginger is open Wednesdays-Saturdays from 410 p m and a Happy Hour from 4-6 p m with $1 off draf t beers, $2 off wine, a beer and shot for $6, and select menu items at 50% off 1331 Tr umbull STE 100, Detroit blackgingerdetroit com

Kissed by fire

Br ush Park’s newest bar and restaurant Lena bills itself as “ a Spanishinspired neighborhood restaurant featuring fresh ingredients kissed by fire ” The restaurant is the latest project for par tners Matt Tulpa and Tar un Kajeepeta who also own the Shelby, a subter ranean speakeasy-style bar and restaurant in Detroit’s Financial District Lena’s team members include executive chef Mike Conrad, pastr y chef Lena Sareini and sommelier Kody Stafej The interior of Lena is crisp and contemporar y with light wood tones, exposed ceilings and large windows The dinner menu features a range of Catalan and Basque inspired dishes, including a variety of pintxos, tapas and shared plates Some of the signature dishes include: Iberico secreto: Iberico pork steak, zucchini, with jamon vinaigrette; chorizo de pollo: chicken

NM Café: American Lunch, Monday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 2705 W Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48084 248 816 3424 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

Saltwater Eatery: Seafood Brunch, Sunday, Lunch, daily, Dinner, Monday-Saturday Reservations. 3672 Rochester Road, Troy, 48083 248 422 6151 saltwatereatery info

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, daily Reservations Liquor 6199 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Twp., 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 & W ine 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

Adelina: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 1040 Woodward Ave, Detroit,48226 313 246 8811 adelinadetroit com

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

Black Ginger : Asian Fusion Dinner, WednesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 1331 Trumbull Suite 100, Detroit, 48216 313 887 9477 blackgingerdetroit.com

Bucharest Grill: Middle Eastern Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2684 E Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, 48207 313 965 3111 bucharestgrill com

Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails: Seasonal American Lunch, Thursday & Friday Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 5 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 & Dinner, Thursday-Monday Reservations Liquor 14601 Riverside Boulevard, Detroit, 48215 313 338 9466 corianderkitchenandfarm com

Cuisine: French Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 670 Lothrop Road, Detroit, 48202 313 872 5110 cuisinerestaurantdetroit com

The Eagle: The Eagle: American Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 3461 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 334 4530 eaglerestaurant com

El Barzon: Mexican Lunch, Tuesday-Friday 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

HIROKI-SAN: Japanese. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 1265 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, 48226 313 597 8344 hirokisandetroit 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, daily Reservations Liquor 1245 Griswold Street, Detroit, 48226 313 816 8100 leiladetroit com

Lena: Spanish Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations. Liquor. 2720 Brush Street, Detroit, 48201 313 262 6082 lenadetroit com

Le Supreme: French Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1265 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, 48226. 313.597.7734. lesupremedetroit.com

Lone Goat: British Pub Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 33 John R Street, Detroit, 48226 thelonegoat 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 & W ine 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, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 114 W Adams Avenue, Suite 200, 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

Sexy Steak: Steakhouse. Dinner, WednesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 1942 Grand River Ave, Detroit, 48226 313 403 1000 sexysteakdetroit 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

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. 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

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, Thursday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 420 Peterboro Street, Detroit, 48201 313 462 8106 thepeterboro com

The Statler : French Brunch, Dinner, TuesdaySunday 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

Vecino: Mexican Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4100 3rd Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.500.1615. vecinodetroit.com

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, Wednesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 644 Seldon Street, 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

sausage, creamed leeks, sauce diab, chickpea, pine nuts and salsa verde; gambas: boat prawns, txakoli, pickled ramps, and piquillo; calamares rellenos: calaspar r rice stuffed squid, squid ink sauce, mojo rojo and potatoes

The wine list is exclusively Spanish, offering the best representations of Spain’s various regions and varietals The wines pair with Lena’s menu and focus primarily on organic, sustainable, and biodynamic wines Lena celebrates the Aperitivo hour with a selection of sher ries and ver mouths, and a signature Sangria In addition, the bar offers a wide selection of specialty cocktails, low ABV and alcohol-free drinks 2720 Br ush Street, Detroit lenadetroit com

Local restaurants honored

Wine Spectator, the world’s leading authority on wine, has unveiled the winners of the 2024 Restaurant Awards, which honor the world’s best restaurants for wine Launched in 1981, the Restaurant Awards are judged on three levels: the Award of Excellence, the Best of Award of Excellence and the Grand Award Of local interest, 21 area restaurants were honored in two different levels Wine Spectator’s criterion for the “Award of Excellence” goes to restaurants that generally have a wine list of at least 100 vintages The “Best of Award of Excellence” is given to restaurants that take their love of wine a step fur ther, through staff training to ensure guests have knowledgeable assistance, hosting events such as wine dinners, or carefully designed presentation and more in-depth sourcing These lists offer approximately 350 or more carefully curated selections The Best of Award of Excellence award was given to Prime + Proper, Detroit; The Capital Grille, Troy; and Ver tical Detroit, Detroit The Award of Excellence was presented to Alchemi, Royal Oak; Brentwood Grille, Novi; Coeur, Fer ndale; Eddie Merlot’s, Bloomfield Hills; Eddie V ’s Prime Seafood, Troy; Five Steakhouse, Plymouth; Fogo de Chão, Troy; Gaucho Brazilian SteakHouse, Nor thville; Highlands, Detroit; Joe Muer Seafood, Bloomfield Hills, Madam, Bir mingham; Mor ton’s, The Steakhouse, Troy; Seasons 52, Troy; Streetside Seafood, Bir mingham; Sullivan’s Steakhouse, Detroit; Tallulah Wine Bar & Bistro, Bir mingham; The Apparatus Room, Detroit; and The Wine Grotto, Plymouth

New beer hall in the Financial District

The Social Brews, a new beer hall, coffee shop and social hub with rotating local chefs, is set to open soon The new establishment is situated in Deroit’s financial district across from Huntington Place During the day, the cafe will offer cer tified coffee, teas, fresh juices along with baked goods to gour met breakfast and lunch sandwiches The evening offerings include bar bites along with featuring rotating chefs who will create a diverse and everchanging menu that reflects the city ’ s rich culinar y heritage For ty-five selfpour taps of local and craf t beers will be available in a beer hall setting that extends into an elevated 2,200 square foot outdoor patio In addition, a fullser vice bar with rotating mixologists will be on hand creating signature cocktails The Social Brews will also be a hub for local music and an event space for corporate events, private meetings, and par ties, including indoor and outdoor patio space and a welcoming ambiance for the community to utilize Owners Nishar th and Sanjay Patel say their goal for their new venture is to create a space where people can come together to enjoy great food, drinks, and music, and socialize, all while suppor ting local talent and businesses 211 W For t Street, Detroit thesocialbrews com

Iconic Detroit restaurant shutters

The Rattlesnake Club in Detroit has abr uptly closed its doors The restaurant, located at 300 River Place Drive, has been a fixture in the Detroit restaurant scene for 36 years and was famous for its classic-inspired meals, skyline views and seasonal Garden Ter race “ We are grateful for the suppor t of our loyal customers over these many years Most of all, we are grateful for the loyal ser vice of our dedicated employees,” said Mark Tuttle, the club’s vice president and chief financial officer, in a press release “ These seasoned professionals’ focus on producing the finest food and outstanding customer ser vice have been responsible for maintaining the restaurant’s reputation these many years since it opened in 1988 Changing patter ns in dining habits, office occupancy and traffic have negatively impacted revenues since the COVID pandemic Private events, which had always been a pillar of the business, have not recovered ” The eater y ’ s final day of ser vice was June 28

E N D N O T E

Our endorsements for August primary

Voters in Bir mingham Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills will be deter mining the fate of primar y candidates in the Tuesday, August 6, election, either at the polls or through absentee ballots There are decisions to be made by voters for Congress state House for Oakland County and Bloomfield Township elected officials

A new public safety millage will face Bloomfield Township voters, and voters in the Bloomfield Hills School district will cast ballots to renew the schools’ operating millage for 20 years

This is a primar y election in which you will be deciding who best can represent your par ty in the November general election, so you must vote on candidates in just one political par ty Downtown Newsmagazine sent questionnaires to candidates in all contested primar y races, the answers to which can be found in our Voter Guide online at downtownpublications com Candidate answers and other factors deter mined our endorsements We did not endorse in races where candidates failed to respond

11th Congressional District Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills

Democrat

Congresswoman HALEY STEVENS, completing her third ter m in office, is a moderate Democrat who understands the constituency she represents Stevens’ opponent’s answers mir rors many of hers, and we do not see a reason to make a change, opting for the hard-ear ned experience and perspective she has gained We are impressed at how frequently Stevens retur ns to Oakland County and works to make herself an active and visible par ticipant in each of her communities Her ‘Manufacturing Mondays,’ where she has regularly visited manufacturers and businesses in the district, and her auto knowledge is especially critical now as the auto industr y begins its own metamorphosis Take note of Stevens’ work with women in business and effor ts to engage younger women in technology and engineering, outreach to minority communities, and an appreciation that voters want improvements in Medicare and the Affordable Health Care, but do not want to be forced to lose their private insurance You can count on Stevens to do and represent the right thing We do not believe Stevens’ work is done

Republican

Only one of the two Republican candidates retur ned our candidate questionnaire, leaving us with an inability to compare the two However, if you as a voter are looking for a Republican who adheres to all of the cur rent Republican talking points, from an opposition to many aspects of climate change to unfounded criticism of Democrats weaponizing the cour ts against Republicans, then CHARLES FRANGLE is the choice in August’s primar y

6th State House District

Majority of Birmingham, part of Bloomfield Township

Democrat

One of the two candidates r unning to be the Democrat candidate in November is either illinfor med for the position, or simply doing it as a lark

That is not the case with NATALIE PRICE, who is the incumbent in this position Price is extremely hard-working, well-infor med on issues confronting the state legislature and constantly looking out for her constituents, as evidenced by her cur rent proposed legislation to control noise on Woodward She is not afraid to ask questions or challenge leadership if she senses a wrong, whether of the status quo or of Gover nor Whitmer ’ s proposal to tap teacher retirement funds for her new education program Price war rants an endorsement in this primar y

Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner

Democrat

The guy who is r unning in the Democratic race to challenge incumbent Water Resources Commissioner JIM NASH last ran for this post as a Republican four years ago Despite changing par ties, he has gained no more wisdom or knowledge to increase his qualifications for this position – especially when we have Nash who has ear ned a reputation for Oakland County environmental accomplishments and ongoing effor ts to improve water, sewer, septics, drain, lake, aquifer and riparian needs and the impact of climate change throughout the community He has done an excellent job, and should be Democrat’s choice

Republican

While two candidates are r unning for the Republican nod, only one retur ned our questionnaire However, we are ver y comfor table with the answers STEVE JOHNS ON provided, and believe voters will be as well He has a good knowledge of the issues and a solid approach to how to handle them in the future Johnson should get the par ty ’ s nod to compete in November

Oakland County Commission – District 1 Part of Birmingham

Democrat

The incumbent in this race, DAVE WOODWARD, has spent a lot of years in the trenches, first representing his constituents as their state representative in the state House, and since 2005, as a county commissioner When the county board switched to Democratic leadership, his fellow board members made him the board chair, and for good reason Woodward understands the issues of Oakland County like few others – both what needs to be done, and how to get those issues accomplished His answers are not only thorough and in-depth, but explain the “why ” and “how ” of key actions, from septic testing to public transit Woodward represents the best of elected officials – institutional wisdom

Bloomfield Township Trustee

Vote for no more than four

Republican

There are five candidates r unning for four Bloomfield Township tr ustee spots on the Republican ticket Two, NEAL BARNET T and CHRISTOPHER KOLINKSI, are incumbents who have a record of ser ving the residents of Bloomfield Township with integrity, passion and sound judgement Bar nett, an

attor ney with a background as a psychologist, has been a tr ustee on the township board for the last 20 years To say he is knowledgeable is an understatement – he is the definition of institutional wisdom for Bloomfield Township, and it is imperative he remains on the board Bar nett is also a member of the township’s planning and election commissions and the financial sustainability committee, an alter nate for the design review board and has ser ved on the township’s zoning board No matter who he deals with, he treats ever yone with respect and the knowledge he has ear ned Kolinski may have less histor y on the board of tr ustees, having been appointed in the last year to fill treasurer Michael Schostak’s vacant seat on the board, but he has been chair of the township’s board of review and member of the financial sustainability committee A fireman/paramedic with Nor thville Township, he provides a unique perspective to public safety needs and union needs, resources and bargaining for the board Newer resident MARGO CARGILL makes a strong case for bringing a fresh perspective to the board of tr ustees without any baggage or biases – but with the experience in other communities, including as a president of a chamber of commerce We applaude her willingness to jump into a race af ter moving to a new community, where the requirement to r un is to be a resident for 30 days We are familiar with the other two candiates in the race who do not thoroughly understand the questions, and in one instance, is a know -it-all and if elected could perpetuate false and damaging infor mation We are concer ned that if either is elected, the board could retur n to a toxic, par tisan environment, which it has been blessedly free from for the last four years

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP

Public

Safety Millage Renewal

Bloomfield Township has three millages for public safety, and this one is the smallest, representing 10 percent of the total tax revenue captured for public safety – but is still critical to maintain the standards of the community for police, fire and public safety protection The cur rent millage does not expire until 2025, but planning ahead, township officials did not want to spend tens of thousands of dollars for a special election next year This millage renewal is for 6474 mills for 10 years, and it would collect $4 million in its first year, with the first collection December 2026 Vote YES

BLOOMFIELD HILLS SCHOOLS

Operating

Millage Renewal

Bloomfield Hills Schools is requesting a renewal of their operating millage, which is comprised of twopar ts: a renewal of the 18 mill non-homestead operating millage and a renewal of the hold har mless millage, which is cur rently 5 1338 mills for a period of 20 years The cur rent millage expires with the 2025 levy The first year of the new operating levy would be 2026, where it is expected to raise $18 3 million Vote YES as combined, the millage rates provide $34 3 million of operating revenue to the school district, representing 31 percent of the school district’s total operating budget