Downtown newsmagazine | Birmingham/Bloomfield

DIG THIS CITY: SHOP BIRMINGHAM / WIN PRIZES / DETAILS PAGE 30

JUNE 2020

THE INVADERS: HUNTING FOR NON-NATIVE SPECIES OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL POLITICAL GOSSIP AND NEWS

STEADY LEADERSHIP IN DIFFICULT TIMES Paid for by Retain Leo Savoie Bloomfield Township Supervisor, 1055 Lake Park Dr., Birmingham, MI 48009

SOLID RECORD PROVEN RESULTS Paid for by Keep Brian Kepes Bloomfield Treasurer 4615 Pickering Rd., Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301

ECRWSS Postal Customer EDDM PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ROYAL OAK, MI 48068 PERMIT #792

Luxurious Lakefront on Lower Long Lake $4,490,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

Custom Lakefront on Lower Long Lake $3,900,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

Build to Suit 7,884 sq. ft. New Construction $3,900,000 | Birmingham

Estate Lakefront Property on Cass Lake $3,150,000 | Orchard Lake

Light-filled Tudor on 2.53 Acres $2,749,000 | Bloomfield Hills

2 Acre Residence in Gated Community $2,490,000 | Rochester Hills

Fully Renovated Bi-level Westin Penthouse $2,390,000 | Detroit

Completely Renovated 2.81 Acre Lakefront $2,249,000 | Bloomfield Hills

Stately Colonial Updated to Perfection $1,790,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

Remodeled Masterpiece on Quarton Lake $1,785,000 | Birmingham

Newer Residence with Custom Finishings $1,725,000 | Birmingham

Upper Straits Build Site on 4+ Acres $1,690,000 | Orchard Lake

Upnorth Retreat on Heather Lake $1,449,000 | Orion Twp.

Premier Estate Sized Lot on Almost 1.7 Acres $1,400,000 | Birmingham

Updated Bloomfield Village Colonial $1,379,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

Coveted 5.83 Acre Parcel $1,299,000 | Bloomfield Hills

Rare Opportunity in Spruce Hill Subdivision $1,179,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

Newer Construction Walk to Town $1,139,000 | Birmingham

Premier Estate Sized Lot on 1.62 Acres $1,099,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

Lakefront Living on Lower Straits Lake $1,089,000 | Commerce Twp.

New Contemporary on FLCC Golf Course $919,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

1.10 Acre Build Site on Orange Lake $699,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

3.56 Acre Upper Straits Lakefront Lot $549,000 | Orchard Lake

Custom All Sports Lakefront on Whisper Lake $529,000 | Oxford Twp.

DOWNTOWN06.20

34

Hunting invaders: the search for non-native species Considerable effort by a number of groups and agencies goes into tracking an invasive species – basically any type of plant, animal, or any other organism that isn’t native to a specific location and has a tendency to cause damage.

LONGFORM

44

Substance abusers are to methamphetamines as another drug in their arsenal, as the nation's attention has been focused on the skyrocketing opioid crisis, and more recently, the coronavirus pandemic and racial turmoil.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

16

These are dark days, indeed. A pandemic swept the world and with it, our country, turning everyone's life upside down. And just as we started to manage the virus and its impact, the nation has been woke to an underlying racial undercurrent.

CRIME LOCATOR

21

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

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

25

Safer run for Stevens, Slotkin; good news for Gary Peters, at James' expense; shake-up in county exec office; Meisner trailing Coulter; Tina Barton takes the primary fight to Lisa Brown; plus more.

MUNICIPAL

59

More senior living units; Birmingham's next budget; school bonds sold; parking structure repairs; Boutros lot consolidation; BSD crowdfunding effort; Next Door sued; dining standards; plus more.

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1871 Indian Trail Road | $3,995,000 4 Bedrooms | 4.2 Baths | 4,601 Sq. Ft.

27200 Ovid Court | $1,225,000 6 Bedrooms | 5.1 Baths | 8,852 Sq. Ft.

1004 Brookwood Street | $1,149,000 4 Bedrooms | 3.3 Baths | 4,026 Sq. Ft. LEASE

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43

Monica Toomey and the FLAG organization

THE COMMUNITY HOUSE

87

William D. Seklar, President and CEO, reaffirms that the virus will not stop the nearly century-old commitment to the community to maintain this extraordinary institution.

METRO INTELLIGENCER

92

Reporter Dana Casadei talks to some notable restaurateurs about their plans for reopening locally now that the state lockdown has been lifted.

FACES

28 43 57 83

Jonathan Holloway Monica Toomey Laurie Goldman Varchasvi Shankar

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FROM THE PUBLISHER hese are dark days, indeed. A pandemic swept the world and with it our country, turning everyone's life upside down. And just as we started to manage the virus and its impact, the nation has been woke to a long-standing racial undercurrent – one to which most would not care to admit – which spawned 14 days, as of this writing, of endless protests here and around the world.

T

exercising their right to air their grievances through mass protests.

It's the same undercurrent that my parents spoke of in the late 1950's when telling us at the dinner table of how, just years earlier, that a black person in Detroit had to cede the sidewalk to a white person because that is the way it always was.

The marches today exploded instantly in cities and towns, large and small.

Young and old. All races. And lasting for days and nights on end. Coronavirus threats be dammed.

It's the same undercurrent that during the 1967 Detroit riots prompted our suburban neighbors to man their porch lawn chairs with rifles and shotguns at their side in case those of color moved the violence over the Eight Mile border.

That was 50 to 60 years ago. Not much has changed.

Now that undercurrent is being exposed, not the first time but with a renewed collective energy that has gripped the nation. A scab ripped from a festering sore. One more death of a non-white citizen in an inexplicable situation involving what has all the appearances of an act of violence by a law enforcement officer that cost George Floyd his life. This time modern tech wonders placed all of us at the scene for a front row seat as the sad drama unfolded outside a deli in Minneapolis.

It's a time when we lack national leadership when we need it most. At any other time we would have turned to Congress for relief when the administration veers from what is considered sacred Constitutional norms or the generally accepted societal rules, but GOP congressional enablers still have a stranglehold on the Senate so not much moves in large part out of fear that they could become targets for Trump's twitter rantings to his base, his prime concern.

We are then left with an ever-weakening national leader already losing support for a less-than-adequate early response to the pandemic. His response to the national turmoil over racial concerns is to lash out and surrender to his autocratic tendencies, ramping up a political agenda of paranoia and division. Worrying more about his dimming reelection chances rather than focusing on addressing the concerns of a nation and reuniting us in troubled times.

So Trump has latched on to the platform issue of being the law and order president, which served Nixon well when he first ran coming off the national protests over the Vietnam War. Hence the threats from the commander in chief that he will use the War Powers Act to place military troops in local communities, unidentifiable black-clad special forces on the streets of Washington D.C., and rhetoric that only inflames those

But the protests today differ from those of the Vietnam era. When we took to the streets then, it was mostly a youth movement that started on college campuses and it took a couple of years, and much family division, before the anti-war sentiment spread to the general population.

One has to hope that the renewed focus on the issues of racial inequalities – be it policing tactics or economic and educational inequities – will prompt us as a society to start addressing necessary change rather than just letting it to fade back into a silent undercurrent that only goes public when the next non-white life is lost.

Meanwhile, this administration continues to give us daily reminders of the importance of casting a vote come the November general election.

Face mask culture war: Thanks to lack of leadership by example from President Trump, the reopening precaution of continuing to wearing a face mask when going out in public and interacting with other members of the population, especially in enclosed spaces, has been weaponized as part of the culture/political war.

So when I recently went to pick up an order at my favorite Birmingham pizzeria, I was the only person wearing a face mask, other than the owner and his workers. Not the father and his teenage son who were also waiting for an order. Not the gaggle of eight teenage girls standing shoulder-to-shoulder in line or others entering the establishment, despite prominent signs posted on the door of the business saying face masks were mandatory. So a word of advice to merchants – masks should be mandatory for the foreseeable future or you will lose customers like me. Advice for customers – don't put the merchants in a position of having to refuse you service for violating the mask requirement, just like the requirement that you wear shoes and a shirt that has been in effect for however many decades. Further, because I am part of the risk group defined by medical professionals, those not wearing a mask potentially threaten my life and the lives of my family members. It's that simple.

Shop local: One last push to support local businesses who have been decimated by the coronavirus lockdown, and in Birmingham by the second major road construction project in a two-year period which will run through August. Get off the internet, get in the car and travel out to support the businesses which are a critical part of the fabric of our local communities.

David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@DowntownPublications.com

We’re Here for You The world has changed, but special moments remain.

We’ve reopened our store and can’t wait to safely welcome you back.

With new hours or by private appointment, we’re here to provide you personal and trustworthy service. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Astrein d r a h c i R & y r a G

PUBLISHER David Hohendorf NEWS EDITOR Lisa Brody NEWS STAFF/CONTRIBUTORS Hillary Brody Anchill | Dana Casadei | Stacy Gittleman Austen Hohendorf | Gigi Nichols | Bill Seklar PHOTOGRAPHY/CONTRIBUTORS Esme McClear | Laurie Tennent | Chris Ward Laurie Tennent Studio ADVERTISING DIRECTOR David Hohendorf ADVERTISING SALES Mark Grablowski GRAPHICS/IT MANAGER Chris Grammer OFFICE 124 W. Maple, Birmingham MI 48009 248.792.6464 DISTRIBUTION/SUBSCRIPTIONS Mailed monthly at no charge to most homes in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills.

Additional free copies distributed at high foot-traffic locations in Birmingham/Bloomfield.

For those not receiving a free mail copy, paid subscriptions are available for a $15 annual charge.

To secure a paid subscription, go to our website (downtownpublications.com) and click on “subscriptions” in the top index and place your order online or scan the QR Code here.

INCOMING/READER FEEDBACK We welcome feedback on both our publication and general issues of concern in the Birmingham/Bloomfield community. The traditional “letters to the editor” in Downtown are published in our Incoming section and can include written letters or electronic communication. Opinions can be sent via e-mail to news@downtownpublications.com or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 W. Maple Road, Birmingham MI 48009. If you are using the mail option, you must include a phone number for verification purposes.

DOWNTOWN GOALS/MISSION The personnel at Downtown newsmagazine bring a special commitment to the publishing effort, reinvesting in the local communities and working to make sure the Birmingham/Bloomfield area reaches its highest potential.

Our mission dictates that we strive each month to provide a solid news and advertising product that local residents look forward to reading. Our goal is to build a community of informed citizens through the efforts of our passionate team. We are innovators producing products that go well beyond what others offer.

Downtown newsmagazine captures life in the local communities through coverage of major municipal and school issues, personality profiles, the latest news from the business community and the all important social non-profit circuit that makes these communities unique. We also devote considerable effort each month to address major issues facing local residents through our longform story-telling efforts, further setting us apart from others competing for readers' attention.

WEBSITE downtownpublications.com

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CRIME LOCATOR

NORTH

Map key

Sexual assault

Assault

Murder

Robbery

Breaking/entering

Larceny

Larceny from vehicle

Vehicle theft

Vandalism

Drug offenses

Arson

These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills through June 11, 2020.

Placement of codes is approximate.

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INCOMING Farming challenges Just a note to say thank you for your well-done cover story on the challenges facing the farming community under the pressures of COVID (May/Downotwn).

We very much appreciate you getting this piece out in front of an audience we usually wouldn’t get in front of.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out in the future, hopefully under better conditions.

Steve Paradiso Media Relations Specialist Michigan Farm Bureau

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

Although we do not have a fixed maximum length for letters sent to us, we recommend a maximum length of 175-200 words. We also reserve the right to edit letters for length if necessary.

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

Voting by mail ballots Voting by mail should replace voting at the polls in its entirety.

The two institutions that can definitely be trusted are county election officials and the United States Postal Service.

The money saved by eliminating the need for poll workers could be used to offer free postage on the envelopes used to vote by mail. The person voting would also have more time to consider what they are voting for and would not be confined to the hours of the polling place.

In addition the voter would not be harassed by someone trying to place unsolicited campaign literature into their hand.

Joe Bialek Cleveland, Ohio

CORRECTION

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124 West Maple Road BiRMinghaM 48009

A story in the May print edition of Downtown relative to a request by Birmingham Mayor Pierre Boutros to combine two city lots on Frank Street in the city contained an error. The story said the lot request was pulled from the consent agenda for discussion. The lot request was not pulled from the consent agenda. downtownpublications.com

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OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

Doctor Loan 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: OaklndConfidential@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.

STRAIGHT FLUSH: As election prognostications continue to ramp up, some political wonks believe the 2020 fight over the House of Representatives is over – and it’s staying in Democratic hands, possibly with a larger majority. That’s actually the headline from a recent Roll Call, a congressional and White House-focused newspaper, as well as Cook Political Report, which stated, “Of the major political handicappers, not even one of them thinks the House is likely to flip in November,” calling President Donald Trump an “albatross.” Roll Call noted that while Trump STEVENS carried Michigan’s 11th and 8th congressional districts, they both flipped blue in 2018 – in the 11th, which covers Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Troy, Commerce Township, western Oakland and Wayne counties, by Democrat Haley Stevens, and in the 8th District, of Rochester, Rochester Hills, northern Oakland County, and parts of Livingston and Ingham counties, by Democrat Elissa Slotkin. “Now, both freshmen look poised to win second terms against less-than-sterling opposition,” Roll Call said. A Michigan SLOTKIN Republican pollster concurred, noting they are both in very positive positions, though he said Slotkin could encounter some voters who are angry that she voted for impeachment. “If you’re a serious candidate, why would you run now against them when the districts will be redrawn in two years?” he asked. “Why would you waste your capital?” Not that Slotkin or Stevens, who recently got engaged to a fellow Seaholm High School grad, won’t have to work for their re-election in November, but with the current political climate, they are currently in the driver’s seat.

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OOPS: And then there were four. Speaking of opposition, Elissa Slotkin (D-Rochester, Rochester Hills) has one less on the Republican side. Nikki Snyder of Dexter was disqualified by the Michigan Bureau of Elections after she failed to submit enough qualified signatures to run for office. Ironically, she only had to submit 500 qualified signatures, half the traditional amount after Republican congressional candidate Eric Esshaki, running in the Republican primary in the 11th District to take on Haley Stevens in November, filed suit contending that Gov. SNYDER Gretchen Whitmer’s state shutdown due to the ESSHAKI coronavirus prevented congressional and judicial candidates from acquiring the required number of signatures – 1,000.

According to reports, Snyder’s campaign turned in 507 petition signatures – but 63 were deemed invalid due to date, jurisdiction and address errors.

FREEFALL: According to a new EPIC-MRA poll, through June 3, Michigan may no longer be in play for President Trump, as presumed Democratic nominee Joe Biden has widened his lead in the state 53 percent to 41 percent. The 12-point lead has implications down ballot, notably impacting the U.S. Senate race between Democratic incumbent Gary Peters and Republican challenger John James. According to the EPICMRA poll, Peters, of Bloomfield Township, PETERS currently leads James, of Farmington Hills, JAMES 51 percent to 36 percent, with 13 percent undecided or choosing not to downtownpublications.com

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say. Peters’ 15 percent lead is his largest so far; as recently as this winter the two were statistically tied. “Peters is in the stronger position,” Republican political consultant Dennis Darnoi said. He noted in 2018, when James ran against Sen. Debbie Stabenow, “he had the luxury of not having straight party ticket voting. But now, with straight party ticket voting and everything so partisan, it’s going to be difficult for him. It’s hard to see who the voter is who would vote for Joe Biden, then John James, and then their Democratic congressperson.” He noted further, that while James has done a formidable job fundraising, there will not be any money coming later on from the national party system. “There are huge challenges in Maine, Arizona, Colorado, and the money will go there.

He’s swimming against the tide. There will not be any national support coming in.”

SHAKE UP: Eagle eyes are wondering what’s going on at the Oakland County executive offices. Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter (D) has been in office now for nearly 10 months, after being appointed to fill the remainder of the late L. Brooks Patterson’s term last August. Could be just routine job re-alignments after figuring out who works best where – or it could be political jockeying, with deputy executives asserting their influence over a bureaucratic novice. An example is the new Community Affairs task force, where three people from other positions were reallocated to the new communications position, including former economic development director Mike McCready, a former Republican state legislator from Bloomfield, which is outsourced and not on the county payroll. McCready said he is happy to still be working at the county on Coulter’s team. “We report to (chief deputy executive) Hilarie Chambers.” He is also now working with lobbyists in both Lansing and Washington D.C., pushing legislation of importance to the county. Added to the CARTER-COOPER team is Robin Carter-Cooper as chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, a position Coulter has said from the start he wanted to create.

While others report to Chambers, Carter-Cooper will report directly to Coulter.

UP, UP & AWAY? While we prefer, and rely upon, independent political polling, we can’t help but note a recent poll undertaken by the Coulter campaign against county treasurer Andy Meisner for the Democratic spot on the ticket for Oakland County Executive, that shows Dave Coulter with a 17-point lead over Meisner, 39 percent to 22 percent. The Coulter campaign utilized The Mellman Group, political consultants out of Washington D.C., to conduct a poll in late May, which showed Coulter enjoying a 21-point lead among white voters, a 16-point lead among African MEISNER Americans, and a 20-point advantage among women. “The poll also shows Dave holds a net lead over his opponent in key areas: 15-point lead on strong leadership; 14-point advantage on representing voters’ views on the issues; and 13 point lead caring about people like you,” The Mellman Group reported in an email from the Coulter campaign. Of course, in May, Coulter had been on TV daily assuring residents about the county’s response to the Covid-19 crisis, which some pointed out was free COULTER advertising for him, and from which he clearly benefited. The question is, as the primary heats up and Meisner and his campaign become more visible, will Coulter’s margins remain the same? As we go to press, there are only eight weeks left to primary election day.

FORWARD FOCUS: Rochester Hills Clerk Tina Barton may be running for the Republican spot for Oakland County Clerk in the August primary, but you wouldn’t know it judging from a recent election letter sent out. In it, she makes it clear where her focus is, and who she is targeting, and it downtownpublications.com

isn’t her Republican primary opponent, Patrick Wilson, but incumbent clerk Lisa Brown (D). “Why am I running?” Barton asked.

“Current Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown has let us down. I’m sure you recall that in 2018, there were precincts all over Oakland County that ran out of ballots on Election Day. People waited in long lines and some left without voting … We cannot afford another four years of Lisa Brown letting BARTON us down.” Barton, an award-winning municipal clerk, ran for the position in 2016, but lost to former county clerk Bill Bullard. While the county is leaning Democratic, by BROWN reminding voters of Brown’s election debacle, along with her wide network of bipartisan local support among clerks, could give her the edge up in the general election. As long as Wilson doesn’t get in her way first.

HOMECOMING: If, as believed, President Trump doesn’t win re-election, what happens to Michigan native Ronna Romney McDaniel? The chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and former chair of the Michigan Republican Party grew up in the Birmingham/Bloomfield area, where her father, Scott Romney, still lives. A former party activist, who said he hadn’t talked to her in a while, said McDaniel, whose home is in Northville when she’s not in Washington, is very savvy. “She always takes my calls or calls me right back. I love her. If he (Trump) doesn’t win, she’s lucky. She can come back home.” And perhaps see what her second act might be.

RIGHT IS RIGHT: State Rep. Mari Manoogian (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, West Bloomfield) has lent her support and her voice to a lawsuit by a LBGT rights group that is alleging Covid-19 social distancing has made it impossible for them to collect the required amount of petition signatures for them to qualify for the November ballot with their proposal to add nondiscrimination protections to Michigan law. “I just thought it was really important during Covid that democracy continue and that people could get signatures during this extraordinary time,” Manoogian said. Attorneys for Fair and Equal Michigan asked MANOOGIAN the Michigan Court of Claims in late May to either reduce the state’s required number of signatures or waive the traditional 180-day collection period. Currently under the law, Fair and Equal Michigan is required to collect 340,042 signatures, of which they said they have 135,402 signatures they believe are valid of 177,865 collected. They are asking the court to lower the required amount to 127,518 signatures, proportional to the length of time they could collect signatures before the state shutdown. “The situation is during collection time, we were in ‘Stay home, stay safe,’” Manoogian explained. “The lawsuit is that the law would apply fairly to these folks.” On June 10, the Court of Claims ruled Manoogian did not have standing as a plaintiff, and Fair and Equal Michigan could have more time to get petition signatures.

PARTY ANIMALS: What if you threw a party and no one came? In the light of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent national shutdown, we know lots of parties became drive-bys. But that’s not how the president likes to throw a party – and he’s let the governor of North Carolina know, pulling the GOP convention from Charlotte after Gov. Roy Cooper (D) couldn’t guarantee the state wouldn’t enforce social distancing. At press time, it wasn’t ascertained where the new location was, but when some local Republicans were asked if they would attend – and thought Republican delegates from around the country would get on a plane to be on a convention floor with 20,000 other people, the answer was “100 percent.” One said, “With how things are today, I personally wouldn’t be afraid to go.”

BEST OF THE REST: Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?

In the latest Hour Magazine Best of Detroit 2020 issue, for best local politicians under the Media Personalities segment readers voted Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan their favorite, followed by U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (DRochester, Rochester Hills), and tied for third place, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D) and Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills).

DOWNTOWN

27

FACES

Jonathan Holloway f you see Jonathan Holloway at a restaurant and think he looks familiar, you wouldn’t be the first to approach him.

Holloway did stints on both The Bachelorette, during the show’s 11th season in 2015, and Bachelor in Paradise’s second season.

“Still to this day, people will be like, ‘Were you on TV?’” he laughed.

So, how did he end up on reality TV in the first place? His mom.

Yes, really, she was the one who encouraged the Groves High School alumnus to go for it.

In 2014, Holloway had recently returned to Michigan after going through a divorce and his mom was battling breast cancer. She saw they were doing a casting call for the upcoming season and not only suggested he do it, but also helped with the video he sent in.

“She was like, you need something positive to happen, you need something to cheer you up,” he said.

A few weeks after sending in his tape, which featured his mom, he got a call and was flown out to California to see if he would be interested in being on the show.

As for being a part of the show itself – he was eliminated in week four – Holloway said it was extremely interesting and a lot of fun. Same for Bachelor in Paradise.

He stuck true to himself, which is the key piece of advice he would give to anyone going on a reality show.

“Don’t sell out essentially and be fake and try to be what they want you to be…they can portray you as whoever they want,” he said.

While Holloway has been working as an actor and model since he was a teenager, he said he never saw himself doing that type of reality show.

“Before the show I was always like, who goes on national television to try to find love?” he said. “That can’t be possible. Then, there I was, doing the same exact thing.”

Now, Holloway works as an in-arena host for the Detroit Pistons, as well as a realtor and helps run a family-owned construction business with his father. Oddly enough, being on TV has really helped with all aspects of his career. Being on-camera has made him more comfortable talking to his clients and making them feel at ease.

With his work as the in-arena host for the Pistons, he’s on screen again – a Jumbotron. He described it as being the on-camera personality.

During the games he can be found center court during pre-game, halftime, and breaks to promote client brands and play games with the fans.

“Being in an arena with 16, 17,000 people, watching a national basketball game, getting a microphone, jumping up there, getting my face out there, having fun with the fans and my co-workers...it’s a lot of fun,” said Holloway, who also did in-arena hosting with the Detroit Shock in the early 2000s.

If Holloway has anything to say about his future there will be more television work. He wouldn’t say no to being on another reality show but his aspirations are more on entertainment journalism. Holloway has done some work with local channels.

“Entertainment host is where I’m headed. That’s what I do now,” he said. “I’d love to get on Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, something like that.”

I

Story: Dana Casadei

Photo: Laurie Tennent

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SHOP BIRMINGHAM. BE ELIGIBLE FOR SPECIAL DRAWING! That’s right. During the April – August portion of the Birmingham downtown paving project, continue to frequent retailers and businesses in downtown Birmingham and look for the Dig This City logo on entranceways to participating merchants.

If you make a purchase at a participating merchant (nearly 30 of them), you will be asked fill out an entry blank to be entered into a drawing at the end of August. Participating merchants appear on the next two pages and throughout this issue of the newsmagazine.

We will be giving away four Delta airlines flight cards, two with a face value of $500 each and two with a face value of $250 each. Four shoppers will win one of four $100 gift cards to local restaurants. Plus there are special items from local merchants that will be in this drawing, like Shades Optical ($500 certificate); Lucido Fine Jewelery (five $100 gift certificates); Ceresnie & Offen Furs ($200 gift certificate); Steele Angel ($100 gift certificate); and Tender (two $200 gift cards).

Downtown newsmagazine has partnered with merchants in downtown Birmingham to demonstrate to shoppers that – excuse the mess – downtown Birmingham is open for business during the road reconstruction project and it is an especially good time to visit the shops in downtown Birmingham.

There are a number of activities planned and special shopping incentives are being offered by the downtown businesses, so watch for further updates as we move through the construction project this spring and into part of the summer.

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Downtown newsmagazine is partnering with merchants in downtown Birmingham during the Maple Road road construction project that is now underway to help make the shopping experience in the city even more memorable than normal.

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Purple Loosestrife

atie Grzesiak currently has one thing on her mind: garlic mustard. The invasive terrestrial plant might look cute with its small white flower petals but it’s wreacking havoc across the state. It grows quickly and returns in the early spring, which is why it’s at the front of the minds of people like Grzesiak, who is the Invasive Species Network Coordinator for the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network (NMISN).

With the thousands of seeds it can produce – up to 3,000 for one plant – it can quickly spread to the point of domination, outcompeting native plants with zero benefit to native wildlife.

“Right now, garlic mustard is all we’re thinking about,” Grzesiak said.

It's only one of the many terrestrial and aquatic invasive species currently having a major effect on the Great Lakes and Michigan.

An invasive species is basically any type of plant, animal, or any other organism that isn’t native to a specific location and has a tendency to cause damage.

Michigan and the Great Lakes are well familiar with them.

Garlic mustard isn’t only an issue in the northwest part of the lower peninsula, it can also be found much closer to home.

“If you drive around Bloomfield Township, you’ll see it,” said Charles Markus, project coordinator, Engineering and Environmental Services, Charter Township of Bloomfield.

The county fights garlic mustard with a Rouge River clean-up every year and officials educate people on how to pull garlic mustard, one of the more common and easy ways to dispose of the invasive plant.

Not surprisingly, there’s a list of other invasive species of concern in Bloomfield Township, like purple loosestrife, a clustered flower that can grow as large as 10 feet tall and persist throughout the summer, as well as an ongoing issue with buckthorn.

But the concerns aren’t only those that have been here for years.

There are two new invasive species for Oakland County to worry about, European frog-bit and red swamp crayfish.

“It (European frog-bit) was discovered in Oakland County in 2018, and we’re not really sure how it got there,” said Erica Clites, Oakland County Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) Director.

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“Another challenge with invasive species Clites said since it’s a relatively common work is finding that silver bullets of sorts to try to aquarium plant that is prohibited in Michigan, eradicate them,” Nathan said. “Now, that silver the most likely reason for the spread is that its bullet doesn’t exist for crayfish.” was released accidentally or on purpose from a Nathan said with what they know about the water garden. red swamp crayfish, the Great Lakes proper The Oakland CISMA recently received a doesn’t seem to be an ideal habitat for them. But $205,200 grant from the Michigan Invasive there is some potential that they could succeed Species Grant Program (MISGP) to do more in coastal habitats, like the Sandusky Bay region standardized surveys of European frog-bit in the of Ohio, where they have been found.

Rouge, Huron, and Clinton River watersheds.

If the red swamp crayfish do find their way to These surveys of both public and private lands the Great Lakes, they won’t be lonely. will help determine how far it has currently Invasive species have been entering the spread so they can create response plans Great Lakes for centuries, according to the U.S. accordingly. Their main goal is to try to prevent it Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from entering boating lakes in the county. including the 25 invasive fish species that have “One of the reasons that it would be a bad one shown up since the 1800s. to get into our boating lakes is that it’s a plant GARLIC MUSTARD There are some that remain an issue, almost that just fills the whole top of the water,” said 200 years later, like the sea lamprey, whose first recorded observation Clites of the rapidly spreading invasive species. “It makes it hard for in the Great Lakes, Lake Ontario, was in 1835. Throughout the 1920s fish and ducks to swim around and also for people to swim.” until the end of the 1930s, the fish went on to spread to the other four “It also causes a big die-off, because if there’s that many plants on Great Lakes. there they all die, which draws a lot of oxygen out of the water and “They’re one of the first ones in, they decimated our large fish that can impact a lot of things that live there,” she said. population,” said Donna Kashian, professor and director, Environmental The Oakland CISMA is working with three regional partners, the Sciences at Oakland University, who has researched aquatic and Friends of the Rouge, Huron River Watershed Council and the Clinton invasion ecology for years.

River Watershed Council, to conduct surveys in southern Oakland Not only does the Great Lakes spend a fortune on control of the County. There’s also work being done at Central Michigan University to invasive fish, as they have for decades now, but Kashian said that there learn more about the plant, especially turions, which are European are entire field stations with the U.S. Geological Survey dedicated to frog-bits overwintering buds, to help identify management methods. them.

Another species the Oakland CISMA, and many others in the state, With their eel-like body and mouth with sharp, curved teeth, they are keeping a close eye on is the red swamp crayfish. look like something out of a horror film.

“There’s always something knocking on the door coming in,” said A more familiar name on that list is Asian carp, which are Mike Bryan, a plant industry specialist for the Pesticide and Plant Pest competition with other fish for food. There are four different types of Management Division at the Michigan Department of Agriculture & the species that are a threat to the Great Lakes: bighead carp, silver Rural Development (MDARD). carp, black carp, and grass carp, the latter which has already been The red swamp crayfish didn’t knock, – they barged into Oakland found in western Lake Erie and occasionally Lake Huron.

County.

Aquatic Invasive Species Biologist Christina Haska Baugher, who Discovered in Michigan in 2017, the crayfish, which are native to works for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), said the Gulf Coast region, have primarily been found in small retention while grass carp can move outside where they’re found, they aren’t ponds in developed areas and golf courses, and are believed to have seeing many leave the Lake Erie area, which the carp prefer. made their way north through releases from classrooms, laboratories “Why venture out of the place where you’re comfortable?” Baugher and food stores. laughed.

Lucas Nathan, an aquatic invasive species coordinator for the Since 2014, the MDNR has made efforts to remove them from Lake Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Fisheries Division, Erie, such as the telemetry work they’ve done, which is where grass said this new invasive species, to put it simply, is really concerning. carp are caught, tagged, and released back into the water, allowing They’ve been found in the thousands among 29 water bodies so far. researchers to more easily track where they’re going and see where Nathan said they tend to cluster, so it’s common they will find two they’re congregating. Work has also been done in testing their fertility. neighboring, artificial ponds across the street from each other infested Baugher said that some carp in Lake Erie are infertile, making those – the crayfish can walk up to a mile on land in-between ponds – or an ones less of a concern. entire golf course.

Researchers aren’t only concerned about grass carp, though.

Not only are they mobile, but the crayfish can be a host for different Bighead carp and silver carp, which would consume large amounts of diseases, a major issue considering how quickly they reproduce. One plankton and other material through filter feeding, has the potential to smaller female can produce around 100 eggs, while the larger ones can make them compete with native species, among other negative produce closer to 500. impacts, and they could be making an appearance in the Great Lakes And they are very aggressive. soon.

“They can eat plants and gunk off the bottom but they like flesh. They Nathan said the MDNR is currently working with partners around prefer it,” said Michigan State University researcher Brian Roth, who is the Great Lakes basin to prevent that from happening. currently working with the MDNR on red swamp crayfish.

How would they get here though? Multiple waters pathways, like They also burrow during their mating season. the Chicago Area Waterway System that connects Lake Michigan with “These burrows can be really extensive – often times you can put your the Mississippi River via the Lower Des Plaines and Illinois rivers – an entire arm down them and not find the back of it,” Nathan said. area which is too close for comfort for many.

Since they are burrowing so close to the shoreline, Nathan said it’s “We don’t have an actual, physical barrier between Asian carp and very possible that could lead to concerns from shoreline erosion to the Great Lakes. We’ve known about this now for at least 10 years as a infrastructure problems if they burrow close enough to sidewalks or dams. major looming threat and we still haven’t had the political will as a Currently, Nathan, along with partners at MSU, are working to test out country to deal with that problem,” said Nicholas Schroeck, associate sound and heat-based attractants, with the goal of increasing the dean of experiential education, associate professor of law and director effectiveness of their removal efforts. They have also been approved to try of the Environmental Law Clinic, University of Detroit Mercy School of a chemical in infested ponds but hasn’t used it yet.

Law. Right now, the bulk of their work has been focused on trappings, and “In my opinion, there’s no doubt they’re going to make it,” said while that can be effective it has limitations to eradicate an entire population.

Kashian, the professor at Oakland University. “The minute they get into

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our tributaries… they are going to wreak havoc of the most noticeable along the shores of the on the rivers and lakes. We’re going to see Great Lakes,” said Clair Ryan, coordinator for the catastrophic changes because of them.”

Midwest Invasive Plant Network.

Since Michigan has no jurisdictional authority Non-native phragmites – which grows from in Illinois, the situation is a tricky one. The six to 13 feet tall – can be found everywhere from MDNR is currently working with partners in the along lakes to highway ditches. The restricted Great Lakes and the federal government, species, at least under Michigan law, forms partnerships that Baugher believes are strong dense strands that are impossible to pass ones. The state of Michigan has pledged money through, making it able to displace native plants, to put towards continued containment of these cut off road drainage when found in a roadside coming up the Mississippi River. Only time will ditch, and can even become a fire hazard due to tell if the electric barriers and dams in place its dry thatch. It’s also costly to get rid of – but if hold. you don’t fully eradicate it all, it’s coming back.

Asian carp may have gotten a lot of attention Some successful proven methods include over the years, but another invasive species that herbicide, cutting, burning, and there’s research has really made people take notice over the last towards a pilot program that would use a 30 years are zebra and quagga mussels, which biocontrol on the invasive plant.

EUROPEAN FROG-BIT showed up in the late 1980s from ballast water The spread of phragmites is a major concern via a transatlantic freighter. Quickly, they spread to all five of the Great for the Great Lakes and across Michigan’s entire lower peninsula. It's Lakes. seeds and aggressive rhizome system, which lives for three to six years “Zebra mussels are a really effective kind of poster child for invasive and is aggressive with both horizontal and vertical rhizome, have species awareness,” said Jo Latimore, an aquatic ecologist and played critical roles in its quick spread. outreach specialist in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at MSU. GLC has even formed a group for this problem as well, the Great “It really raised awareness about the challenges of invasive species.”

Lakes Phragmites Collaborative, and is working with the USGS on the Zebra mussels spread so quickly and rapidly since they can attach Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF). to hard surfaces, like boats and other recreational equipment used in “We established that collaborative in the beginning because the water, even in the early stages of their life, making it easy for them to species was widespread throughout the basin but everybody was move from the Great Lakes to more inland waters. employing different approaches to manage the species, and efforts Intake pipes on the lakes that suck in water for drinking water have weren’t coordinated very well, and lessons learned about what to have them chiseled off, they’ve filtered a lot of natural organism out approaches work better than others, and less so, weren’t being of the lake as well, and most importantly, they dramatically changed effectively communicated,” Jenson said. the Great Lakes in terms of the food web and the way they look.

Oakland County isn’t safe from non-native phragmites either.

Now, 30 years later, it isn’t so much about completely eradicating “Once you learn to recognize it, you start seeing it everywhere,” said them, but managing them.

Scott Tiegs, biology and ecology professor at Oakland University.

“Unlike the sea lamprey, we don’t have an effective, feasible, large Since 2015, the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) has scale method to control zebra and quagga mussels right now,” said worked with the Oakland County CISMA to help eliminate phragmites Erika Jensen, program manager, Great Lakes Commission (GLC). from road rights-of-way. CISMAs are groups that cover every region “There are control methods available that can be effective on a small, across the state and consist of volunteers, businesses, non-profits and localized scale but we don’t have anything right now that would allow government agency partners, all with the goal to better prevent, us to treat say, all of Lake Michigan.” educate, and manage invasive species.

The GLC is currently leading the Invasive Mussel Collaborative, a Markus, who works in the Environment and Engineering Services program established to advance potential control methods for the two Department of Bloomfield Township, said that last year they allocated types of mussels. $70,000 for the program, an increase from previous years.

Sarah LeSage, Aquatic Invasive Species Program Coordinator for the With its ability to really take over a space, phragmites can decrease Water Resources Division at the Michigan Department of Environment, property value if it becomes too invasive and can prevent access to Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) said there is currently research on recreation. zequanox, a bacterial product, as a potential way to manage zebra and “No one wants to go bushwhacking through these 12-foot tall fields quagga mussels with fewer impact on other organisms. They are of phragmites,” Ryan said. currently looking at how to use a product like that in a targeted way.

Other statewide invasive species of concern are of the terrestrial There has been some slow in the spread of zebra mussels though, kind. thanks to preventions and regulations put in place. Now, ships have to Turns out, Grzesiak, from NMISN, isn’t the only one worried about flush their ballast tanks with salt water into the open ocean. Ships are garlic mustard and other invasive plants. required to install treatment technology to treat their ballast water.

“The bigger thing you hear about is the murder hornets, which are There are national campaigns like Clean, Drain, Dry, that encourages all sensationalized, but really, what I think are most risky are plants recreational users to do just that – and dispose of anything they find – that can take over, like the garlic mustard,” Schroeck said. before putting their equipment into another body of water. Its People like Susie Iott, an invasive species program and terrestrial terrestrial counterpart, Play, Clean, Go, wants people to clean their plant specialist with MDARD, is equally concerned about the invasive gear before entering and leaving a reaction site. plants in Michigan.

At the federal level, the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act was Listed immediately as high concern were giant hogweed and recently passed. LeSage said it aims to streamline the regulatory Japanese knotweed. landscape for shipping industry by preempting state authority and Giant hogweed isn’t only an invasive species but also comes with a giving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the mandate to public health concern due to its sap which contains toxic chemicals, develop new standards for living organisms in ballast water discharges photosensitizing furanocoumarins. If a human’s skin comes into and the U.S. Coast Guard will be required to enforce those regulations. contact with them, it can cause a skin reaction that is highly sensitive The EPA is currently developing those standards. to light.

While the Great Lakes themselves are filled with invasive species, It also looks a lot like cow parsnip, a well-established plant in so are the areas surrounding them, on the coastal wetlands nearby.

Michigan.

Aquatic invasive species like Eurasian watermilfoil which costs The latter, from Japan, where it grew in lava beds, has exceptionally Michigan millions of dollars each year in management. Then there’s strong roots that can go right up through people’s concrete and even one that came up again and again – phragmites. through a home's foundation. All of which equals property damage and “Phragmites...that’s probably one of the worst of the worst, and one reduced property values. Like so many other invasive species, it’s

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40

DOWNTOWN

06.20

Peterson said users can set up species alerts so easily spread through vegetation and its seeds. any time an observation is added to the And manual removal doesn’t work, making it database they are notified. difficult to kill.

“It’s a very resilient species and sometimes to Many departments in the state have alerts get a full kill you have to get the chemical to set-up for notifications if something comes in translate all the way down in to the root system from the Michigan Invasive Species watchlist so and their root system is very tough,” Iott said. they can verify and deal with it. Those species “If you break off a piece, like a fragment of a are ones with little to no confirmation of stem and it gets moved to another area, that distribution in the state but have been identified fragment can root and grow and sprout.” as ones with an immediate or potential threat to That type of accidental spread is frequent Michigan, which all goes back to the crucial with both aquatic and terrestrial plants. All it step of early detection and response to slow and takes is one seed or fragment to get attached to stop the spread. something like a boat or hiking boots for it to Currently on the watchlist are European spread. Even wildlife rubbing against each other frog-bit, hydrilla, Japanese stillgrass, kudzu, can land an invasive species somewhere they marbled crayfish, New Zealand Mud Snail, and aren’t meant to be. the Red Swamp Crayfish, among others.

RED SWAMP CRAWFISH There are a few ways invasive species spread As far as on-the-ground treatment goes, happens is a little less accidental, though, such as when people people can remove invasive species themselves, but it’s emphasized dump the entire contents of their aquariums into lakes and ponds that they should be 100 percent sure of what it is before removal after buying them through the aquarium trade. because each species is different.

For those worried about spreading invasive species, check Part 413 Or they could report to their local CISMA, MDNR, or MDARD. of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, which “The real heroes in all this stuff are these local cooperatives, the defines all prohibited and restricted species in the state. That lists CISMAs,” said Ryan Wheeler, invasive species biologist with the limits the possession, import, or sale of those specific species.

Forest Resources and Wildlife Divisions at the MDNR. “Those are the A first offense usually ends in a warning letter, while a second rock stars, the local partners working together across county lines on could result in a fine. the things that are really important to the folks who live in those Some invasive species are legal to sell and buy, though, such as areas.” water lettuce and water hyacinth. Grzesiak listed Japanese barberry, Much like public awareness, information sharing, like what’s done a common shrub that can harbor ticks that spread lyme disease, and with MISIN and across the EGLE, MDNR, and MDARD, is another blue lyme grass as two more to look out for. key element to slowing down invasive species.

Humans may quicken the spread, but they can also be the best “As we all know invasive species don’t respect those state weapon against invasive species. boundaries,” laughed Jensen with the GLC. “So, if we’re all working “The general public is a freely available… now fully invested, together and coordinating our policies and activities we have a much citizen science army,” said Amos Ziegler, coordinator for the Midwest better chance of mitigating the potential negative impact of invasive Invasive Species Information Network. species.”

One of the most vital, and cheapest, ways to fight the spread of Especially because once they are here that spread is often quick, invasive species is early detection and response. and then it becomes less about early prevention and response, and “The most cost-effective way to deal with aquatic invasive species simply about management, as emphasized on the Invasion Curve. is to prevent them in the first place so you don’t have those long-term But when they do find them early, it really can make all the damages in terms of economic losses or direct control costs,” LeSage difference. Take for instance, yellow-floating hearts and parrotfeather, said. two watchlist species that LeSage said they’ve been able to eradicate And with so much land in the state to cover and small invasive from some smaller, private ponds and constructed waters. species departments that surge in public interest over the last 30 And sometimes, after successful treatment and removal of invasive years is essential. species, native plants come back.

“We cover four million acres of land in our service area. We have “We’ve seen plants that are normally rare native plant species for one full-time person on invasive species and some seasonal staff, and wetlands have come back in areas they haven’t been seen for many that’s mostly grant-funded,” said Steve Woods, Conservation years because they were overcrowded by the invasive plants,” said Stewardship Director at Huron Pines, a conservation non-profit that Chris May, director, Protect Land and Water for The Nature serves the northeast part of Michigan’s lower peninsula. “So we really Conservancy, and Detroit River and Western Lake Erie Cooperative need more people to be aware to build the army of addressing Weed Management Area coordinator. invasive species as a part of what every landowner does.”

They’ve been able to remove invasive species from close to 3,000 It’s easy for people to participate in, too. acres since their inception in 2011, and have seen the resurgence of For those looking for more hands-on programs, many CISMAs have lizard’s tail, Virginia spiderwort, common boneset, river bulrush, and trainings and classes to learn how to identify invasive species. The giant arrowhead, a state threatened species.

Exotic Aquatic Plant Watch also does trainings for what to look for The CWMA has covered so much land thanks in part to the Marsh and how to survey a lake for invasive plant species. Grzesiak at Master amphibious vehicle, which can move on the ground and float NMISN said they do an all-day and half-day identification training in land to do surveys to look for invasive species. It’s used to support and conduct workshops about Japanese knotweed and autumn olive. prescribed fire and has a system with an herbicide tank and boom NMISIN produces a top 12 list of prioritized species to be on the sprayers for treatment. lookout for.

As for the future of managing invasive species, there’s hope for Then, there are apps, like EDDMapS, which allows users to report more bio-control treatments and gene silencing techniques that invasive species on a national level. MISIN’s app and website has would get plants to close down and shut certain genes to keep them more of a Midwestern focus, but essentially does the same thing. from reproducing or growing.

People can search and report findings on both the app and website.

In spite of new technology and more awareness, will we ever reach According to Claire Peterson, data manager for MISIN, of their a point where invasive species are no longer an issue in Michigan almost 300,000 records currently in the MISIN database, about 24,000 and the Great Lakes? of them are from the general public. The rest come from CISMAs and “That would be a dream, right?” Baugher said. “This is something other groups and organizations around Michigan and the Midwest. we will continue to have to prepare for, plan for, and manage for, With MISIN, once the data is submitted it goes to their observation forever I would think. As long as people are moving around the globe, table, where the public can see all the data complied on the website. invasive species are going to be a concern.”

FACES

Monica Toomey n a recent day this spring, medical workers at Beaumont Royal Oak got a break from their grueling shift treating COVID’s sickest patients and were treated to a feast of sticky Buffalo wings. Since the pandemic hit in March, this act of gratitude and support to southeast Michigan’s essential healthcare workers has been repeated hundreds of times thanks to a group of women who formed a local chapter of a grassroots organization called Front Line Appreciation Group, (FLAG).

Since the organization’s start in March, FLAG’s Facebook group is reaching nearly 25,000 members. By June, donors and sponsors have given over $350,000 to order 50,000 meals from 106 local restaurants. FLAG also sells T-shirts, plans virtual 5Ks, and hosts online fitness and cooking classes run by other local businesses to raise money for food deliveries.

It all started when Bloomfield Hills resident Monica Toomey reached out to an old friend in New Jersey during the first isolating and uncertain weeks of the pandemic. Her friend had started a local FLAG chapter to support essential workers in the Garden State.

Toomey took her friend’s cue and put together a local “dream team” of women who she knew would take up the task in Metro Detroit. Serving as FLAG spokesperson, Toomey recruited Dani Gilman of Bloomfield Hills to handle marketing and philanthropy, Sarra Brinjikji, also of Bloomfield Hills, to liaison between hospitals and restaurants, Lauren Edgell of Bloomfield Hills as treasurer, Laura O’Brien to reach out for donations from grants and foundations, and Lindsay Pollina of Royal Oak works on cultivating corporate sponsors.

The group started out by pulling 16-hour days while juggling household and homeschooling responsibilities for their elementary school-aged children.

Soon, FLAG of Metro Detroit was up and running and receiving kudos from restaurants and healthcare workers alike.

O

“We were all looking for a way to give back and thank the first responders who were sacrificing their own well-being while we stayed safe at home,” said Toomey.

“Monica was so passionate about this, so you just can’t say no to her,” said Brinjikji. As an infusion pharmacologist, “I have many friends working in the ICU. The cafeterias are not open all the time, and staff just get a quick 30-minute break on their shift. FLAG has been able to provide that quick nourishing meal, and the knowledge that they are cared for and supported by others in the community.”

“The gratitude we are seeing comes in two parts,” said Edgell, who is an aerospace engineer. “The restaurants we have worked with take such pride in the food they prepare and deliver. They tell us we are helping them stay afloat. The hospital workers are thankful to be nourished and know they are appreciated and not forgotten. It’s been a great opportunity as well to teach our children that there is something you can do for others, even from the safety of your home.”

Gilman affiliated FLAG with the Community Foundation of St. Claire County with a donor-advised fund. This makes donations to FLAG tax-deductible.

“Healthcare workers have struggled to keep up with patient loads, and sometimes those working the night shifts feel forgotten and alone, especially when the cafeteria is closed,” said Gilman. “Our partnering restaurants have been able to provide one-handed meals that are meant to be eaten on the go. FLAG has been a great way for people to show their appreciation to these workers as well as a way for restaurants to keep the lights on and their staff paid, all from the safety of our homes.”

Story: Stacy Gittleman

Photo: Laurie Tennent

THE RISE IN USE OF THREAT INCREASING FROM

W

hile to many it is considered a seminal piece of television artistry, in reality Breaking Bad was just a TV series, a mere work of fiction highlighting meek high school science teacher Walter White and his transformation into a ruthless methamphetamine producer and dealer.

Now, in another example of life imitating fiction, substance abusers are increasingly turning to methamphetamines as another drug in their arsenal, as the nation's attention has been focused on the skyrocketing opioid crisis, and more recently, the coronavirus pandemic and racial turmoil and unrest.

Methamphetamines, or meth as it is commonly referred to, is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. It is associated with a wide range of harmful and dangerous consequences, including psychosis and other mental disorders, cardiovascular and renal dysfunction, infectious disease transmission and overdose. After being a popular drug among some users in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, it generally faded from mass view until the last few years, when people who use and

BY LISA BRODY

METHAMPHETAMINES POPULAR 1980-1990 DRUG

treat substance abusers and law enforcement have begun to see it rising up on their radar once again.

Dr. Christopher Jones, lead researcher, associate director of the Office of Strategy and Innovation at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Injury Center, said their latest data for methamphetamine is for 2018, as research data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health is released in September, and it showed a “statistically significant increase in usage, with 1.9 million people reported methamphetamine use compared to 2016, when 1.4 million reported past year use.”

Jones said the epidemiological data is a “general source, asking those age 12 and up.” Statistics are from those who self-report usage.

However, he does feel the data total is flawed and actually underreported because “it does not capture people who are institutionalized – whether incarcerated, homeless or in treatment. I think it largely underrepresented the numbers because those populations are likely to use methamphetamine.”

Locally, Michigan, and Oakland County, have not been immune from methamphetamine's intangible tentacles. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said, “We are seeing meth spiking, coming into the state – sometimes from out West, some from the South.”

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Year-over-year, Bouchard said so far in 2020, there has been a 134 percent increase in methamphetamine from 2019, as of June 2; in 2019 numbers from 2018, there was a 90 percent increase.

“And with Covid, there are less traffic stops going on,” he said, noting there potentially could be much more in the county than has been caught in the last three months. “I've instructed my officers to do less stops for minor issues for their safety. Traffic stops result in a lot of criminality, so arrests are down, and a lot of dealers are moving product because the risks are down.

“There are a lot of residual effects of Covid.”

Bouchard said they have seen another stimulant, cocaine, increase, as well, with a 65 percent increase in cases from 2019, although crack is down 72 percent.

“We had been making tremendous inroads on prescription pills. Last year, we were down 943 percent from 2018 to 2019. We really made a dent,” Bouchard said. “Just in the first few months of 2020, we're up 236 percent – especially Xanax, which is up 4,400 percent.”

Perhaps another residual effect of Covid.

Birmingham Chief of Police Mark Clemence said, “There is a statewide rise in presence of meth. Fortunately, we have seen very little here in the city, and no meth arrests have been made. Officers have not seen meth on the street, but specialized units have seen the uptick in use/users of meth.”

Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills police departments reported they have not made any meth arrests, either.

Bloomfield Township Lieutenant Paul Schwab said the township has an officer assigned to the county Narcotics Enforcement Team (NET), which is run by Bouchard's office.

Nearby Wayne County has not seen the same increase in methamphetamine use for a demographic reason – statistically, African Americans do not use methamphetamines to the same extent.

“In Wayne County, methamphetamine is not big, but cocaine is,” of the stimulant preference, said Cynthia L. Arfken PhD., a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Wayne State University who sits on the board of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network.

She said the areas in Wayne County where methamphetamine usage is seen is primarily among men who use it during sex with men – “it's part of the sex party culture that we've heard of,” she said, and by truck drivers, likely in order to stay awake over long hauls.

She also said they are seeing people who are mixing use of heroin and meth. “We hear people using stimulants to stay awake after they take opioids. It underscores that the market is constantly changing and people are constantly using new drugs. Some people are willing to take anything to not feel what they're feeling, or just to feel different.”

Jones, of the CDC, said they are also seeing heroin usage among people using methamphetamine increasing.

“It seems it is very much intertwined with the opioid crisis – and not separate from the opioid crisis,” he said. “More people are coming in who are reporting using heroin and using meth. We're starting to see this emerging picture, with this amphetamine crisis, with this usage treatment crisis, and with the mortality data.”

Jones said the CDC data points to a significant increase in overdose deaths where psychostimulants have been involved, from 1,632 deaths in 2009 to 12,676 deaths in 2018.

“About 50 percent of those deaths (in 2018) also involved opioids, and a significant amount of those involve synthetic fentanyl,” Jones said. “It underscores the ongoing opioid crisis in combinations with the stimulant crisis. Rather than replacing it, it is clearly a combination.

“We originally thought some of those deaths were from (drug) contaminations or from mixing of drugs, like fentanyl,” he further elaborated. “But the data shows an intentional mixing of substances.

The majority of people say they like the high – or the synergy – because they produce an effect different than they can get from one or

the other. Some use methamphetamine so they don't fall asleep from opioids. Some co-use, but some are clearly moving towards stimulants because they're scared of carfentanil, and they're scared of overdosing.

There is also a clear availability between supply and demand. There is very pure, very available methamphetamine at very, very low prices.

“It's clear there is not a single factor driving these trends,” Jones noted.

“The thing with methamphetamine and cocaine, it's not as deadly, so it's harder to treat,” Arfken said.

Statewide, in 2019, there were 3,150 methamphetamine-related incidents, according to detective sargeant Scott Josephs of Michigan State Police (MSP), which he said is a 21 percent increase from 2018.

Josephs, who heads the MSP meth unit, said what has decreased significantly are homegrown meth labs, primarily due to the influx of Mexican cartels, which are now producing and trafficking a pure and very low-cost meth product, dominating the market.

“According to the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), meth overtook marijuana as the most widely available drug – and it's not the crappy backyard meth of the '90s,” Jones said. “Mexico and the cartels have produced a very high quality stimulant for people who are looking for one.”

While a report by the International Crisis Group stated that Myanmar is the world's largest producer of crystal methamphetamine, with Vietnam a second, for those on this side of the world, Mexico and Mexican cartels dominate the market for crystal methamphetamine. Product from Asia does not make it to this hemisphere due to transportation and other costs. Besides increasing the demand for methamphetamine in the U.S., the Mexican cartels have also driven most home cooks out of business.

“The drug markets are like any other international markets – they're affected by price and affordability,” said Keith Humphreys, psychiatry professor, Esther Ting Memorial Professor, Stanford Health Policy associate, Stanford School of Medicine. “Drugs are like other commodities. When costs go down, you use them more. Mexico has perfected it – they make a meth that is much purer, of higher quality at much lower prices.

They essentially have undercut, in quality and price, and they beat out the guys cooking it in their sink.”

The Michigan State Police report stated, “The continued demand for methamphetamine in Michigan created a market for crystal methamphetamine. Manufactured in Mexico and trafficked into Michigan, crystal methamphetamine has become readily available and inexpensive. Crystal methamphetamine provides users with the same methamphetamine high without the risks associated with purchasing components and manufacturing methamphetamine in a clandestine laboratory.”

Josephs of Michigan State Police concurs with that assessment. In 2018, there were 245 meth labs incidents in the state, primarily in the northern lower peninsula and upper peninsula. In 2019, there were only 45 incidents, “a significant drop,” he noted. So far for the first quarter of 2020, there were 28 lab incidents. Arrests and charges for manufacturing and producing dropped 56 percent from 2017 to 2018, and another 55 percent from 2018 to 2019.

“It's a combination,” Josephs said of the drop in meth labs in the state.

“I think the influx from Mexico convinced a lot of people not to risk making it in the labs as well as the ability of our law enforcement efforts because of our recognition of the dangers to people in the area, and the environmental hazards.

“It provides the same high (of the Mexican drug),” he said. “It's the same drug, in a different form. It's been trafficked into Michigan in such great numbers, and the cost has been so low, it's become easy for it to be readily available. It's being trafficked more into Michigan now than being produced here in Michigan.”

Methamphetamine cooked in home labs is typically produced into a powder form; from Mexico, it comes in crystals, or rock form.

Additionally, home cooks run risks of labs blowing up, of trying to

It seems it is very much intertwined with the opioid crisis – and not separate from the opioid crisis.

More people are coming in who are reporting using heroin and using meth.

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purchase the main ingredient, pseudoephedrine, which since 2012, Michigan pharmacies and drug retailers are required to track the sale of any medication it is included in. Michigan State Police reported “the purchase of medicine containing pseudoephedrine from a participating retailer requires gathering of identifying information at the point of sale and that information is submitted to the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx),” which Josephs said is a real-time logging system providing law enforcement with the information to track individuals.

“People who cook know we have it and it deters them,” he said.

There also is tremendous environmental damage left behind from home labs due to the ingredients used. With directions provided by the Drug Enforcement Agency, when found, Michigan State Police are the only authorized agency to clean and contain lab sites.

“The DEA provides us with safe storage containers. We train law enforcement officers to be careful and to be hazardous waste responders,” Josephs said.

Michigan State Police reported Mexican cartels have discovered innovative methods to smuggle methamphetamine into the country. They stated the most common is it is hidden in a solution that is then dissolved into a solvent for ease of concealment to cross the border. “The most common solvents used for dissolving methamphetamine are acetone, water or methanol,” their report said.

“Once dissolved, a common method of concealment is in fuel tanks of commercial vehicles. The commercial tanks have a large gallon capacity and diesel fuel is lighter than the methamphetamine in solution, meaning the solution will separate and rest below the diesel,” the Michigan State Police report stated. “Other concealment methods include laundry detergent containers, beverage bottles and in large drums. Once inside the United States, the methamphetamine is converted into crystal methamphetamine at locations known as conversion labs. The most common method involves adding acetone to the solution and adding heat until the solution boils. Crystals form as the solvent evaporates… To date, there have been no known conversion labs found in Michigan. Most of the conversion labs seized in the United States have been in California, Arizona and Georgia.”

“It's really super pure. When a drug is more potent, you get a stronger high and you get it faster, from the moment of ingestion,” Humphreys explained. “You quickly get rewarded. Then we're more inclined to do it again. It's more addictive. Even though the long-term costs are horrific.”

The Michigan State Police report noted that “potency … of the methamphetamine seized at the souther border of the United States being 90 percent-plus pure. Due to a high demand, Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations continue to expand to virtually every region of the United States.”

According to the Foundation of a Drug-Free World, amphetamine was first developed in Germany in 1887, and methamphetamine, an offshoot which was more potent and easier to make, was first made in Japan in 1919. It was a crystalline power which was soluble in water, making it a perfect candidate for injection. It then went into wide use during World War II, when both sides utilized it to keep their troops awake.

“High doses were given to Japanese Kamikaze pilots before their suicide missions. And after the war, methamphetamine abuse by injection reached epidemic proportions when supplies stored for military use became available to the Japanese public,” stated Foundation of a DrugFree World.

However, German military command found that by 1941 methamphetamine pills, manufactured in Berlin under the name Pervitin, produced very harmful side effects, and its usage was best controlled by doctors' prescriptions, which the military tightly controlled.

"A soldier going to battle on Pervitin usually found himself unable to perform effectively for the next day or two,” said historian Lukasz Kamienski. “Suffering from a drug hangover and looking more like a zombie than a great warrior, he had to recover from the side effects."

Kamienski said some soldiers turned very violent, committing war

crimes against civilians; it was reported that some others attacked their own officers.

By the 1950s, methamphetamines, as a stimulant, had found a whole new use – they were being prescribed by doctors as a diet aid and and as an antidepressant. They became widely available, and were used as a medical stimulant by college students, truck drivers and athletes.

Abuse began to become widespread in the 1960s as injectable versions became available, and in the early 1970s, the United States government classified methamphetamine as a Schedule II controlled substance under the Controlled Substance Act, meaning it has some medical uses with “severe restrictions,” and “abusing the drug can cause severe physical and mental addiction,” according to the act.

“Under the Public Health Code (1978 PA 386, Part 72) methamphetamine is a Schedule II substance, which means the drug has a high potential for abuse, minimal medical use, and can lead to serious psychological and physical dependence. Methamphetamine is a synthetically produced central nervous system stimulant that produced long-lasting effects including heightened senses of alertness and euphoria as well as increases in heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and body temperature. Side effects from prolonged abuse can include agitation, tremors, hypertension, memory loss, hallucinations, psychotic episodes, paranoid delusions and violent behavior,” according to the Michigan State Police Methamphetamine Reporting Act. “Methamphetamines are highly addictive. It changes the way your brain works, and the chemicals in your brain,” said Stacey Henson, LCSW, ACSW, The Recovery Village. “It changes dopamine, specifically. It's the drug most known for criminal activity.”

“Methamphetamine increases the amount of natural chemical dopamine in the brain.

Dopamine is involved in body movement, motivation, and reinforcement of rewarding behaviors. The drug's ability to rapidly release high levels of dopamine in reward areas of the brain strongly reinforces drug-taking behavior, making the user want to repeat the experience,” explained Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Taking even a small amount of methamphetamine can result in many of the same health effects as other stimulants, she said, such as cocaine and amphetamines, including increased wakefulness and physical activity; decreased appetite; faster breathing; rapid and/or an irregular heartbeat; and increased blood pressure and body temperature.

“Because the 'high' from the drug both starts and fades quickly, people often take repeated doses in a 'binge and crash' pattern,” Volkow said. “In some cases, people take methamphetamine in a form known as a 'run,' giving up food and sleep while continuing to take the drug every few hours for up to several days.”

Long term methamphetamine use has many extremely dangerous and negative consequences, Volkow said, including extreme weight loss; addiction; severe dental problems, which are often called “meth mouth;” intense itching, which can lead to sores around the body from scratching; anxiety; changes in brain structure and function; confusion; memory loss; sleep problems; violent behavior; paranoia; and hallucinations.

“Of persons who used methamphetamine, an estimated 57.7 percent reported some mental illness, and 25 percent reported serious mental illness during the past year,” Jones of the CDC wrote in “Patterns and Characteristics of Methamphetamine Use Among Adults, United States, 2015-2018.”

“In addition, continued methamphetamine use causes changes in the brain's dopamine system that are associated with reduced coordination and impaired verbal learning,” Volkow said. “In studies of people who used methamphetamine over the long term, severe changes also affected areas of the brain involved with emotion and memory. This may explain many of the emotional and cognitive problems seen in those who use methamphetamine.”

She said that although some of the brain changes may reverse after being off the substance for a year or more, other physical and mental

State police report cartels have innovative methods to smuggle methamphetamine, the most common is it is hidden in a solution for ease of concealment to cross the border.

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changes may not recover even after a very long period of time.

On the street, methamphetamine has numerous slang names, and is also commonly known as meth, crank, chalk, ice, blue, crystal, glass, go fast and speed, both for its effects and because it looks like glass fragments or shiny bluish white rocks. Users smoke, swallow, snort and/or inject it. Increasingly, law enforcement and treatment officials are finding users are mixing it with opioids, such as heroin or fentanyl, and injecting it.

According to Henson, “the combination of methamphetamine and fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. A standard dose of Narcan is not going to work by itself on fentanyl, and it's specifically designed for opioids, so it's not going to work on meth.”

“Meth users have typically have tried all the other drugs. Typically, people who use drugs, use many drugs. Some like the effect of multiple drugs. People who use meth have a high degree of using other drugs, as well as a high degree of mental illness,” said Jones of CDC. “Meth is cocaine-plus – and it lasts much longer. It has appeal for those who are experienced in substance use. It is a very potent stimulant, and it can be very toxic over time.”

Demographically, Jones noted that “meth users tend to skew a little older.”

On average, he said, males are more likely to report using methamphetamine than females, with the highest rates among 26 to 34 year olds; the next highest age range is 18 to 25 year olds; and next, 35 to 44 year olds. However, among those in drug rehabilitation, there are more females than males in treatment for methamphetamine, a statistic both Jones and Henson of The Recovery Village cited.

Jones at the CDC said they had different theories as to why the rate of usage for males and females and those getting treatment for methamphetamines flip.

“Women may progress from using methamphetamines to dependence to needing treatment,” while males do not as quickly, he said. “Or, pharmacological effects of methamphetamine may be different between the sexes.”

It is something researchers are continuing to study.

Racially, the highest use is among Native Americans Indians, 43 percent, followed by Hispanics, 30.6 percent, and white/Caucasians, 26.2 percent. Non-Hispanic blacks had the lowest percentage, at 6.5 percent.

“From a stimulant point-of-view, African Americans tend to use cocaine,” Jones reported.

“Hispanics use both. Native American Indians have a substantially higher use rate than whites.”

Rural areas have much higher statistics of use compared to urban areas. “It's similar to the conventional wisdom, but it's interesting to see the data play out,” Jones said.

Henson of The Recovery Village said their data points to a higher prevalence of use in Western and Midwestern states in the U.S., with the national average six percent for methamphetamine use. In Michigan, seven percent of respondents said methamphetamines are their substance of choice.

Henson said there is a wide range across the country, from just four percent in California, to 22 percent in Alabama. Border state of Ohio is at six percent, while Wisconsin reported use at nine percent. Florida had a usage rate of five percent, while Kansas had 20 percent.

Jones said that traditionally, methamphetamine has been smoked, “and smoking is still the most common, but increasingly users are injecting meth in combination with heroin among heroin users. We know people who inject a more severe usage level, and will have more difficulty with treatment, and greater mortality.”

Simultaneously, he said, they are also seeing heroin usage increasing among people using methamphetamine.

“Increasingly, we're seeing fentanyl in connection with methamphetamine. That's often where we get the overdoses,” said Henson. “In 2017, we saw 15 percent of overdoses from methamphetamine, and of those 50 percent were involved with opioids,

and another 50 percent were involved with fentanyl.”

Humphrey of Stanford Medical School said often street level dealers aren't aware that fentanyl is mixed in with methamphetamine.

“They might not even know it's in it,” he said.

“While a dead customer doesn’t buy more, the profit margin is so huge for fentanyl – it's one percent the price of heroin – dealers figure they can afford a few deaths. 'Our profit per sale is so huge we can stand it,'” he explained as to why larger dealers take the chance of lacing fentanyl, which is so toxic it can kill quickly, into other substances, such as methamphetamine.

Henson said between 2014 and 2018, admissions to substance abuse facilities around the country just for methamphetamines went up 39 percent.

“Between 2012 and 2018, methamphetamine deaths increased 430 percent,” she said.

For those individuals who do seek out drug treatment for methamphetamine, it's not as straightforward, or as relatively manageable, as detox or treatment for opioids. So far, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any medicine or drug for detoxification.

“There is detox, but it doesn't meet the criteria for hospitalization. It can be done at an in-patient residential facility,” said Henson, of The Recovery Village, with facilities across the country.

She said there is no specific timeline for detox, or for recovery.

“If there are any physical withdrawal symptoms, they would be managed medically. Then we would look at usage levels, as well as usually there is a mental health reason underlying the usage,” Henson explained.

To treat the substance user, she said they first employ cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). “It deals with the way we think and how we act derives our actions,” she said.

Then they utilize dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which she said is the core treatment. It is a treatment designed for high risk behaviors, such as self-harm and suicidal ideation. “It's looking at how personality characteristics drive our interactions with other people and their struggles,” Henson said.

Twelve-step programming is another structure that is supportive, she noted, as an individual gets back into their own community.

“Treatment is based on the amount of use and the person's own physical health and level of recovery,” she said. ` “Six months after leaving rehab, about half of users have relapsed,” Humphrey indicated. “But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to help. It's much harder to treat meth and cocaine because there is no medication to treat it, while there are several medications that are successful for opioids.”

“You've put in really toxic chemicals into your body,” Henson noted. “It can have a lot of long-term effects, from mood disruptions, insomnia, paranoia, psychosis, hallucinations, dental problems – which is a huge issue, because meth just eats away at the enamel of teeth. It can leave individuals with permanent brain chemistry damage.”

Jones from the CDC noted that some people choose methamphetamines because they suffer from depression, and stimulants may improve their mood.

“But chronic methamphetamine use causes deterioration of mental status,” Jones said. “It causes depression and other mental illness, and it exacerbates mental illness.”

For those who continue to use, are not successful with substance abuse treatment, or have used for a long time, long-term use mortality is different than from opioids, Jones explained.

“People using heroin or fentanyl die because their brain tells them to stop breathing. It's called respiratory depression,” he said. “Methamphetamines cause overstimulation, so users suffer cardiac arrhythmia, stroke. They cause a pretty significant toll on the body, significantly on the arteries. People will often have chronic kidney problems, heart problems, mental health problems, psychosis.

“It is a very potent stimulant and it can be very toxic over time.”

Traditionally, methamphetamine has been smoked and smoking is still most common, but increasingly users are injecting meth in combination with heroin among heroin users.

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FACES Laurie Goldman he last time violinist Laurie Goldman set foot in Detroit's Orchestra Hall was early March. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra's celebratory centennial 2019-2020 season was well underway. Goldman and her colleagues were preparing to perform back-to-back May concerts to herald the return visit of DSO Music Director Laureate Leonard Slatkin.

Goldman had no idea it would be the final, full rehearsal for the foreseeable future and a live concert season that would go unfinished. The reality has hit her gradually.

"I think that was the case with many people," Goldman said. "I didn't think about what or how long this would last. But soon, the realization set in that it is going to be a long time before we musicians sit together as a full orchestra to play the way we used to.

And that is hard. There is no substitute for that connection of being in the presence of fellow musicians and the response you get from a live audience."

Since the pandemic shutdown, the first violinist has kept up with her playing from her Birmingham home on the instrument she says lends to her distinct sound: a 1742 De Vitor violin made in Brescia, Italy. The family den, with the door shut to not disturb the new puppy she and her husband David adopted during quarantine, serves as her practice room. She will run through a Bach piece or record her part of an instrumental that the DSO will piece together for one of their Facebook watch party concerts. She also tries to play with a few musicians over Zoom, but the technology cannot parallel the quality of sound.

"Though I am grateful that we live in a time that allows us to play together in a digital space, it has its limitations," Goldman said. "The timing always feels a bit off."

DSO musicians work to maintain connections with their devoted audiences. The orchestra has staged concert events on Facebook.

On its website, the DSO posts a catalog of recordings from past seasons and provides educational resources as part of its #KeeptheMusicPlaying campaign. Musicians correspond with patrons regularly, which Goldman describes as a "silver lining" of creating these bonds with patrons on such an individual level. Still, she said, there is a feeling of loss of not performing in the presence of her fellow musicians in front of a lively and full audience.

Playing solo in quarantine is a challenge for a musician who prefers the company of musicians or being out in the community. In the recent past, Goldman and other DSO members have brought their artistry to concerts at Birmingham's Community House, Baldwin Public Library, or the lobby of Beaumont Royal Oak. A believer that music is a part of a well-rounded education, Goldman actively participates in the DSO's music education initiatives with K-12 students all around the Detroit metro area.

"Whether or not they will pursue music as a profession, when children have the opportunity to play an instrument, it affects how you listen to music for the rest of your life."

Goldman believes in the importance and timelessness of music.

She said there is a pent-up desire to hear live music, and when the time is right, the DSO â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or some iteration of it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; will play again before a live audience.

"We all need moments of joy and community that come from listening to live music. Music is timeless. We will play in Orchestra Hall again, in some way, someday. After all, the place where we play was constructed a century ago, during the last pandemic."

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MUNICIPAL Supervisor, treasurer sue NextDoor site

By Lisa Brody

Bloomfield Township Supervisor Leo Savoie and Treasurer Brian Kepes, acting as part of a class action suit for local members of NextDoor, have filed suit in Oakland County Circuit Court against the social media platform NextDoor, as well as township residents Val Murray and Kathleen Norton-Schock, the local administrator, alleging the company allowed Murray to monopolize posting boards with demonstrably false postings, to bully, insult and intimidate other members and to spread misinformation to defeat a ballot initiative in August 2019 seeking a $9 million special assessment district, and to continue her actions, and that Norton-Schock did not follow the platform's stated policies in monitoring the postings or banning her from the site.

The lawsuit claims, “As a result of defendants’ malicious and intentionally misleading campaign, Bloomfield Township residents were deprived of economic and public service expectancies.”

The lawsuit, filed by attorneys Norman Yatooma and Christine Constantino Jr. of The Yatooma Law Firm on Wednesday, May 6, will be heard by Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Dan O'Brien. The suit is seeking that the court certify the class; declare that NextDoor and Schock violated NextDoor's policies and procedures; declare Murray tortiously interfered with township residents economic and public service expectancies; to award Savoie, Kepes and all others “similarly situated” monetary damages that are to be held in a trust for Bloomfield Township; award attorneys' fees and costs; and/or grant such other further relief as is just and equitable.

The lawsuit claims, “As a result of defendants’ malicious and intentionally misleading campaign, Bloomfield Township residents were deprived of economic and public service expectancies.

The proposed class is defined under MCR 3.501 as all current or former members of NextDoor’s Bloomfield Township neighborhood board, who reside in or do business in Bloomfield Township who have experienced a loss of public service, in particular public safety services, as the result of NextDoor’s negligent failure to police and enforce its stated policies on its message boards.

According to the complaint, NextDoor, which is a California-based, downtownpublications.com

Fixes at all Birmingham parking structures irmingham is utilizing the quieter time with more people working from home and many stores having been closed to perform critical repairs and rehabilitation at all five of its parking structures, with city commissioners authorizing them at their meeting on Monday, May 18, conducted on Zoom.

Assistant city manager Tiffany Gunter said the advisory parking committee had met and discussed how “we have a 'gift' of low occupancy, and looked at what other work we could do. What is 'low hanging fruit' and most meaningful work for repairs at all five structures.”

She said none of the recommendations are in conflict with the current structure assessment being done, and due in June, for all of the structures.

“These projects are meant to address loose concrete, problems in stair towers, repairing drain and plumbing issues at Pierce (structure), lighting work in the stair towers at Chester, Old Woodward, Peabody, cast panels, trip hazards, other corrosion,” she said.

At the Pierce Street garage, the estimated cost for repairs is $101,265; at Park Street, $115,515; Chester, $52,110; Peabody, $99,950; and at N. Old Woodward, already under construction for numerous emergency repairs, another $138,140, for a total estimated cost of $506,980, plus a 10 percent oversight cost to the contractor.

The repairs are estimated to be completed within two months and many will not interfere with parking spaces, Gunter said.

“The most money is going to N. Old Woodward, which is in the worst shape. We're already closing in on $900,000,” before this new expenditure, said commissioner Mark Nickita. “I know of a number of other issues not being addressed in this packet.”

A number of years ago, city engineers had determined the structure had exceeded its lifespan, and should be replaced. A bond proposal for the city to secure financing for the replacement of the North Old Woodward parking structure was defeated last August.

“I would rather have architects and engineers involved on lighting,” for the N. Old Woodward structure, said commissioner Clinton Baller.

It was explained that to have an architect design lighting would necessitate delays as designs would have to go through the city's process of returning to boards, including the city commission, for approvals.

The contractor, DRV, said they would be installing the same lighting as it had previously installed at the Park Street structure.

“It's the perfect time to move fast,” mayor Pierre Boutros said.

Commissioners approved the resolution, 5-1, with Baller voting no.

The Zoom connection with commissioner Brad Host was temporarily disconnected.

B

privately-held corporation, has 236,000 neighborhoods connected globally through its platform. NextDoor has signed up 11,000 members in Bloomfield Township.

“NextDoor presents itself as a safe place for neighborhood discussions to take place, and while it allows political discussions on a separate board, either a 'local' board or 'national and state' board, NextDoor’s policies specify that postings must be 'helpful, not hurtful,' and prohibit postings that attack, shame, insult, bully or belittle other NextDoor members. Political comments are expected to be neutral in tone,” the complaint stated. “Contrary to NextDoor’s policies, the company allowed Defendants in Bloomfield

Township Michigan to monopolize posting boards with demonstrably false postings designed to fabricate fear and panic in the community during the COVID-19 crisis… Murray is a NextDoor member who monopolized the NextDoor’s local Bloomfield Township message board and posted comments that attacked, belittled and bullied other NextDoor members on the board. Murray also posted misinformation and regularly told other NextDoor members that facts posted on Bloomfield Township’s official website designed to give residents information about the special assessment district were false and residents could not trust them. By engaging in their campaign of misinformation and voter

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intimidation, Murray tortiously interfered with Bloomfield Township residents public service expectancies.

“On information and belief, Murray has freely admitted that she has used NextDoor as a political tool and will continue to do so in the future.

NextDoor has freely allowed Murray unfettered access, even after receiving letters of complaint from other Bloomfield Township residents…

Murray has been allowed to repeatedly post uncivil and intimidating postings on NextDoor’s site, often specifically targeting and attacking other members who expressed an opposing viewpoint.”

The lawsuit cites numerous incidents, from NextDoor's own COVID19 violations to those fostering fear among township residents, including repeatedly and falsely stating township offices and services were “closed” to the public, which the lawsuit said, “may lead to potentially fatal results for Bloomfield Township residents who rely on Murray’s false and self-serving statements.” While Township Hall is closed due to the coronovirus crisis, all employees are continuing to work, and the public may make appointments to come in and meet with officials, a point that has been communicated to residents and Murray disputed.

As for Schock, the lawsuit states, “Schock identifies on NextDoor’s platform as the regional director for NextDoor with the authority to remove people from NextDoor’s platform. On information and belief, Schock is enforcing NextDoor’s policies in a discriminatory fashion to remove users from NextDoor’s platform who disseminate positive viewpoints while endorsing users who promote negative viewpoints regarding Bloomfield Township and its elected officials.”

She has also promoted incendiary political conversations, according to the complaint, attacking and denigrating elected officials and ballot initiatives and election issues. Among the items cited are former township treasurer Dan Devine, now running for supervisor, who has repeatedly posted false and spurious statements against Savoie and Kepes, and has argued with other residents about those postings. In one instance, township trustee Michael Schostak responded, “Dan, it's clear that you are going to use NextDoor as a soapbox to mount your political campaign against the incumbents, but please try to stick to the real issues.”

Murray is running in the August township primary for a trustee position on the Democratic ballot.

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06.20

Village Fair, Dream Cruise cancelled

By Lisa Brody

The summer of 2020 will be far less exciting as Birmingham City Commissioners unanimously cancelled the Village Fair and Dream Cruise events at their meeting on Monday, May 18.

The Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce has put on the Village Fair for over 65 years, and it is the organizations biggest annual fundraiser. In debating a new date of July 9-12 for the fair, from its traditional date of the weekend after Memorial Day, commissioners found the only reason to consider possibly approving it was because of its longevity. But in the end, commissioners could not rationalize holding the event without a full operational plan from the fair operator, as well as the potential to expose residents and non-residents alike to the coronavirus.

They also noted the fair would be the only event to move forward as all other events this spring and summer had been cancelled.

“We would need a detailed operational plan before we proceed. This will be rather unique because all our other events have been cancelled this summer. There hasn't been a vaccine developed yet, and that has to be considered,” said city manager Joe Valentine to information from chamber president Joe Bauman, who noted that “by July there could be a whole different set of rules – either more relaxed, or more stringent. Within a few weeks of July 9, we'll sit down with the fair operator, head of DPS, city manager, police chief and make a decision one way or another.”

“Our concern is just safety,” pointed out mayor Pierre Boutros. “It's not just Birmingham residents coming to the fair.”

“Even the most robust mitigation plan that takes temperatures is not always a good indicator. A variety of people will be coming into our community from other states and communities, including carnival workers,” said mayor pro tem Therese Longe.

Commissioners voted 6-0 to cancel the fair for 2020, with Clinton Baller recused as a company he owns does work for the chamber.

Commissioners voted 7-0 to cancel the annual Woodward Dream Cruise event and all promotional activities due to public health and safety concerns attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Valentine noted that it does not prevent people from driving on the public roads, such as Woodward, but they are encouraging people to stay at home and not to congregate.

Valentine said the Woodward Dream Cruise event is managed through a nonprofit corporation, Woodward Dream Cruise, Inc., comprised of community representatives along the Woodward corridor and representatives from Oakland downtownpublications.com

County and private sector media partners.

This body has handled the promotion and organization of this multi-community event over the years. He noted other local communities, including Royal Oak, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Berkley and Pleasant Ridge, are in the process of also cancelling the event.

“What we're trying to do is avoid the crowds of people from other areas of the world, other areas of the state, other areas of the community, to reduce the exposure opportunity to the greatest extent possible. We'll not stop people driving on the roads during the weekends,” Valentine said.

“There's not a police chief I've spoken to who's in support of holding the event this year,” said Birmingham Police Chief Mark Clemence. “From a city perspective, we'll be increasing our paroles.”

Outdoor dining can expand in Birmingham Birmingham City Commissioners unanimously approved expanding outdoor dining standards at their meeting on Monday, June 8, to equal the number removed from the interior of the restaurant in order to assist restaurants affected by Covid-19 restrictions.

Under the governor’s executive order, restaurants may open at 50 percent capacity to alleviate health concerns by allowing for social distancing.

Birmingham's new expanded outdoor dining program allows restaurants to request additional outdoor dining space through October 31, 2020. Birmingham Planning Director Jana Ecker explained it would replace a previous resolution approved by the commission on May 11.

The new dining standards would allow restaurants to add the number of seats removed from the interior of a restaurant and place that number of seats outdoors, on the sidewalk, in on-street parking, in a via and/or on private property, all with prior approval from the city.

Ecker said the new dining standards would apply to all restaurants, both Class C and bistro, which serve alcohol. The Michigan Liquor Licensing Commission has also allowed for limited outdoor service area program for establishments serving alcoholic beverages through October 31, 2020.

“It lets restaurants operate and keeps in place the governor's orders for social distancing,” Ecker said. She said the resolution would also permit the use of tents.

With the commissioners' approval, the resolution took immediate effect.

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Former Mountain King site to be rezoned

By Lisa Brody

n a split decision, voting 4-3, the Birmingham Planning Board voted to recommend approval to the city commission to rezone the former Mountain King and Talmer Bank sites to D5 at their meeting on Wednesday, May 27, which would allow for a new building of up to nine stories.

The 0.423 acre site spans Hazel Street from S. Old Woodward to Woodward. The site currently contains two vacant single-story commercial buildings, which were formerly Mountain King Chinese Restaurant and Talmer Bank. The applicant is proposing to demolish the present buildings for the construction of a nine-story mixed use building with three levels of underground parking.

Previously, the city commission approved the category of D5 to encompass the previously built non-conforming buildings, along with the Merrillwood Building, and grandfather them, in order to allow renovations and updates to the 555 Building. However, as commissioners noted at that time, that has opened a can of worms, as a developer has applied to build a nine-story building on the site of the former Mountain King restaurant next to Birmingham Place. It is zoned for D4, which permits a five-story, mixed use building of no more than 80-feet in height.

City planning director Jana Ecker noted that the planning board had seen the item and the applicant, Doraid Markus, several times in the last two years. She said Markus had submitted a request last year to clarify rezoning in the D5 zone, and the planning board requested a review by DPZ, the firm handling the city's master plan, to look at the block and determine if any of the properties were applicable to rezoning. DPZ produced a report that determine that all of the properties in the block should be eligible for rezoning to D5 from D4, except for the property which the Peabody Mansion sits on.

The ordinance was further clarified in January to determine that only properties that abut, but are not adjacent, are applicable for rezoning, and properties cannot be separated by roads, driveways, alleys or sidewalks. For the requested properties, a new building could be as high as the Birmingham Place building, which it abuts, but not the 555 Building, to which it is adjacent.

“Bottom line, rezoning has been patiently and thoroughly studied,” said Rick Rattner, Markus' attorney. “It is contested because there are people next door, in Birmingham Place, who object to it. However, when you look at D5 rezoning, we have fulfilled all of the requirements. It would be an asset to the city.”

Markus explained a preliminary drawing of a new building shows higher, nine-story massing along the Old Woodward side of the building, where there are no windows on the side of Birmingham Place, and stepped back floors going down to the Woodward side, to allow for more light and views to those in Birmingham Place and in his proposed building.

Planning board members voted 4-3 to recommend approval to the city commission, with board members Stuart Jeffares, Bert Kosceck, Robyn Boyle and Janelle Whipple-Boyce voting for approval, and Daniel Share, Bryan Williams and chair Scott Clein opposing.

The consideration of a community impact study and preliminary site plan review were postponed until June 24, Clein stated at the beginning of the meeting, as city attorney Tim Currier had ruled earlier that day that signage noticing the study and preliminary site plan review were improperly noticed on the property. By city ordinance, each part of the meeting must have a sign up for 15 days prior to a meeting.

“I disagree with the city attorney,” Rattner said in his objection.

“We are talking about another attempt to delay when someone is attempting to develop this property. It was on your agenda, on your website. This is a hotly contested item. Second, there are postcards that were sent out that did identify the items. It's not fair to the applicant.”

Clein said he did not like having to postpone, either, “considering how long we've been through this process together,” but said he had no choice since the city attorney had given his verbal opinion.

I

Birmingham approves $86 million budget

By Lisa Brody

By a vote of 6-1, with commissioner Brad Host opposing, Birmingham City Commissioners approved a $86 million balanced budget for 2020-2021, with a 14.187 mills property tax millage.

The city's fiscal year begins July 1 and runs through June 30 each year.

In his presentation, city manager Joe Valentine said the total recommended budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 for all funds, including component units, is $86,132,740. “Overall this represents a decrease of $10,221,319, or 11 percent from the prior year's amended budget,” Valentine wrote.

Commissioners had reviewed the budget at a workshop on Saturday, June 6, where department heads presented recommendations in order to address current and future community needs while balancing service demands and long term capital requirements.

The city has budgeted $38.2 million in the city's general fund; $28 million in the enterprise fund; $5.6 million to component units; $8.5 million in special revenue funds; $2.7 million in capital projects fund; and $1.5 million toward debt service.

Key anticipated expenditures are $14.8 million to public safety; $8.4 million in transfers out; $6.7 million for general government; $5.3 million in engineering and public services; $3.9 million in local streets fund; and $3.7 million in major streets fund.

Key anticipated revenues are $27 million in property taxes; $3.9 million in local streets fund; $3.7 million in major streets fund; $3.3 million in charges for services; $2.8 million in licenses and permits; $2.1 million from solid waste disposal fund; $2.1 million in intergovernmental revenue; and $1.8 million in fines and forfeiture.

The millage was approved at 14.187 mills, inclusive of city of Birmingham property taxes, Birmingham Public School taxes, state education taxes and Oakland County program taxes.

“To clarify, with Covid, this will impact our budget process for the upcoming year,” Valentine said. “I would suggest coming back and revisiting it for expenditures and revenues in December, after our audit, midway through the year. Right now, there are still too many variables.”

“I have misgivings,” stated Host.

“This budget kicks the can down the road. There is no mention of declining revenues since March 1 or so. You would have thought that pandemic and the lockdown would have affected the

budget. I would much prefer we do a quarterly revenue and not wait until December as the volatility of the economy is ever changing.

“Secondly, there is no mention of seniors in this,” Host continued. “We're not socking away money for a senior center. I would have insisted we start a fund for our seniors to start a senior center.”

“Clearly, the commission does get quarterly reports from this administration, and that will continue,” Valentine noted. “The budget we do is based a five-year plan, with long-range planning. That guides this process. This budget does include funding for senior services. As for a senior center, that has not been presented to this commission, so it is not included in this budget. For a balanced budget, if you're reallocating money, you have to be specific and have to offset it.”

Host made motion for an amendment to the motion to approve the budget to discuss the budget quarterly and include seed money for a senior center, but the motion failed, 1-6.

The budget passed, 6-1, with Host opposing.

Crowdfunding site set up to help BSD The Birmingham Shopping District (BSD) announced they have created a crowdfunding website for citizens to help raise funds to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) for Birmingham small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The BSD, along with Oakland County, has provided numerous Birmingham businesses with an initial supply of PPE starter kits. However, as businesses begin to fully reopen to the public, there is an increasing need for additional supplies. The PPE supplies purchased through the crowdfunding site will be provided to service-related businesses in Birmingham, such as retailers, restaurants, salons and spas.

Oakland County Main Street has announced it will match up to $4,000 of funds raised on the site. The Community House has generously donated $5,000 to kick off the crowdfunding campaign.

“With the stay home order lifted and businesses reopening, we know there is great need for large supplies of PPE,” said Ingrid Tighe, executive eirector of the BSD. “We appreciate the community’s support as we work to provide businesses with materials they need to keep their businesses clean and safe.”

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Clarification sought for Frank lot merger

By Lisa Brody

A decision by the Birmingham City Commission on a request for a lot combination for 211 and 227 W. Frank Street at their meeting on Monday, June 8, was postponed until their next meeting in order for commissioners to receive clarification on the ordinance.

The proposed lot combination, of two small 40-foot lots at the southeast corner of Frank and Henrietta, was submitted by mayor Pierre Boutros, who recused himself from the discussions. In his application, he said he and his family have outgrown their home on Hawthorne Street in Birmingham and are looking to build a home that better fits their needs with three children.

City planning director Jana Ecker presented the lot combination request, stating one of the current lots has a house and shed on it, which would be brought down, while the other lot is vacant. She said a

new house would be built facing Frank Street, and is consistent with zoning and other lots and parcels in the area, as well as the city's master plan.

Of the ordinance, the lot combination request clearly met five of the six necessary criteria. The one requirement three of the six commissioners had questions regarding was “The combination will not adversely affect the interest of the public or the abutting property owners,” which they wanted clarification from the city's planning board.

The issue is on the agenda for a joint workshop between the commission and the planning board for Monday, June 15. Commissioners Mark Nickita, Stuart Sherman and Rackeline Hoff all stated they preferred seeking the clarification, not a change, of the ordinance at that time, and returning at the commission's June 22 meeting to make the decision.

Nickita noted that in two prior lot combinations the commission had seen since the ordinance had been created, he had voted against both,

specifically seeking the ordinance clarification.

“I'm not saying I'm against it. I'm saying it needs discussion,” Hoff noted.

“If the ordinance does not allow the commission to vary based on circumstances, then it's 'fill out the form,'” Nickita said. “That's why there are clarification issues.”

Commissioners voted 5-1 to continue the public hearing until June 22, with Boutros recused and Clinton Baller voting against.

Rates rise for water, sewer, stormwater Residents in Birmingham will have to pay more for their water, sewer and stormwater utilities beginning July 1, with rates approved unanimously by the Birmingham City Commission at their meeting Monday, June 8.

City finance director Mark Gerber presented the water and sewer rates for the new fiscal year based on the approved water and sewage disposal fund budgets.

Gerber said water rates for 2020-2021

will increase $.08 from $4.87 to $4.95 per 1,000 gallons of water used, or 1.6 percent. The increase would raise the annual cost to the average homeowner using 90 units of water by $7.20.

Sewer rates will increase $.39 from $7.82 to $8.21 per 1,000 gallons of water used, or five percent. The increase would raise the annual cost to the average homeowner using 90 units of water by $35.10.

Storm water rates will increase $18 from $201 to $219 per estimated stormwater usage for EvergreenFarmington Sewage Disposal District and $6 from $251 to $257, per estimated stormwater usage for Southeast Oakland Sewage Disposal District.

In addition, the charges for industrial surcharge and industrial waste control charge are determined by Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA). The charges are collected by Birmingham and remitted to GLWA as a pass through.

Gerber explained the city does not keep any of the money it collects for these fees. The industrial waste control charge is scheduled to increase approximately 2.1 percent. Currently, there is one Birmingham customer charged an industrial surcharge.

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Investment revenues up, state cuts coming

By Lisa Brody

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Investment returns are up 200 percent, Bloomfield Township Treasurer Brian Kepes reported at the board of trustees meeting on Monday, April 27, and the township is working to reduce billing costs to residents, while Supervisor Leo Savoie warned that the amount of money the state provides to the township in state revenue sharing would be down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kepes noted that in “context of the financial crisis that has resulted from the COVID-19 virus… Bloomfield Township remains one of the few AAA-rated communities in Michigan.

In spite of historic low interest rate returns, fiscal year 2020 earnings on the township reserves has achieved almost $1.3 million – that's 200 percent above budget projections. To put that performance in perspective, over the last four years, Bloomfield Township has earned almost $2.9 million compared to approximately $475,000 from the previous treasurer, Dan Devine, in his previous four years in office. It's a six-fold increase in returns on investments on the township's returns.”

Kepes said the treasurer's office is continuing to respond to all concerns, working virtually on inquiries from residents and businesses. The township is also working to introduce new innovations, including touchless/paperless billing for water and sewer bills, which they introduced in limited use for May, and will roll out for voluntary sign up for June billings.

The treasurer's office has introduced the ability to pay by credit card in the planning, building and ordinance and police departments, increasing efficiencies for everyone involved, Kepes said.

“Now you or your contractors can pay when you want and not when your contractors can get to the township or the mail arrives here,” Kepes said. “All of these changes have been made first and foremost with our residents in mind.”

Savoie said that he had been on the phone with Lansing that day, and “it looks like our state revenue sharing might be down about $600,000 to $750,000.”

That is an approximate 16 to 20 percent decline in the township's anticipated state revenue sharing.

State revenue sharing is a portion of DOWNTOWN

the income tax returned to local municipalities.

“Another area of concern we're going to have is the senior center, as well as the building fund,” Savoie said. He explained that about 25 percent of the senior center's revenue comes from outside programming, which is unavailable due to state lockdown executive orders.

The building fund will be down, he explained, as building inspections produce income when inspections are done. “They will be 15 to 20 percent off expected revenues,” Savoie said.

“Fortunately, they do have a reserve there they can rely on.”

Savoie said he does not expect the township having to dip into reserve funds to maintain the budget.

Township simplifies hardship services In an effort to provide greater services to its residents, especially those experiencing financial hardship in light of the Covid-related economic crisis, Bloomfield Township Treasurer Brian Kepes and assessor Darrin Kraatz presented an updated and streamlined process of applying for hardship/poverty exemptions and waivers at the board of trustees meeting on Monday, June 8.

“For our residents, asking for help isn't easy,” Kepes noted. “We put together a process to make it easier to navigate, and easier to apply in a dignified way.”

The three key areas Bloomfield Township can provide financial assistance is through a property tax hardship/poverty exemption; waiver of solid waste (refuse) application; and minor home repair community development block grants (CDBG).

Kraatz said they came up with a new application for all three programs, which are now simplified and run through the assessor's office.

An application of deferral of summer taxes is available, but must go through the state of Michigan, as is the state Tax Commission Affidavit for Disabled Veterans exemption.

All information received by the township is confidential.

Trustees unanimously approved the updated and simplified process.

“I think it's a great thing you put together for the residents,” said supervisor Leo Savoie.

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Pop art crayon box art receives no takers

By Lisa Brody

A proposal from Birmingham's Public Arts Board to cover the green electrical box in the planter on the west sidewalk of N. Old Woodward at the intersection of Hamilton Row with a handpainted Crayola crayon box was shot down by Birmingham City Commissioners at their meeting on Monday, May 18, as they sought a comprehensive plan from the arts board on future projects.

City planner Brooks Cowan explained to commissioners that after last year's project, a popcorn box covering an electrical box outside the Birmingham Theatre as an effort to enhance terminating vistas received a lot of enthusiasm, they looked to see where they could do the next project. One idea they had was using a pop art theme.

He noted ways the city could enhance terminating vistas was identified in the 2016 Plan.

“At this time, the board seeks approval for the painting of one electrical box and nearby charging stations to provide inspiration at this difficult time,” Cowan said. “The board determined not all electrical boxes would be painted with themes that were contextual with the surrounding buildings. The PAB selected a crayon box for the next design, based on the pop art theme. The Public Arts Board feels that the crayon box design stands out and adds a touch of whimsy and color to downtown.”

He said they decided to paint the USB charging stations at the benches because a lot of people weren't aware they were there, and the board recommended painting them as thumb drives.

Local artists John and Anne Ritchie, who is also on the Public Arts Board, were recommended as the artists to do the work. Costs for supplies were budgeted to cost no more than $500.

“It's a short-term solution and we need to keep moving towards a longterm solution,” commissioner Mark Nickita said.

“I don't support this for a variety of reasons. While I like pop art, I like it in small doses. It's a historic district, and all those buildings are historic and if any of those owners wanted to do anything with those buildings, they'd have to go before two boards,” said commissioner Clinton Baller.

“I was on the parks and rec board when the popcorn box was approved, downtownpublications.com

District cancels summer programs loomfield Hills Schools has announced it has cancelled all district camps for the month of June, including ones from outsourced athletic providers and Bloomin' preschool summer programs, as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

In an email, the district wrote, “After careful consideration, we have decided to make some difficult decisions regarding a number of our summer experiences that provide incredible hands-on care for our campers.”

Among the cancellations are all camps that are offered districtwide for at least the month of June, including third-party athletic providers or any using field or outdoor athletic rentals.

“If we are able to offer camp experiences in July and/or August, we will only accept students who are enrolled in a kindergarten program (in Bloomfield Hills Schools or another district) in the fall. Students younger than kindergarten-ready will not be permitted to attend camp in the summer of 2020,” the email stated.

Also cancelled are the Barnyard Buddies program at Bowers School Farm, which will not be offered this summer; SCAMP, a five-week summer program for individuals 3-26 with disabilities; and Bloomin' Preschool Summer programs, a program typically offered at Fox Hills and Lone Pine, which the district hopes to restart for the 2020-2021 school year.

“As new information becomes available, our team will continue to explore what opportunities may be available in July and August,” the district said. “In addition, families expressed an interest in participating in virtual camp opportunities and we are working on what experiences we will provide this summer in that regard. Our commitment to our community is to make the most informed decision possible, utilizing the latest information from the governor’s office and guidelines from the CDC. “We recognize that this is another tremendous loss in our 'normal' routine and that loss can have a profound impact on your child. Our summer experiences are a place for students to enjoy a sense of freedom and form long-lasting relationships. It is for that reason that we have held off on decisions regarding Huck Finn, Summer Fun, and many other experiences we hope to still provide safely and within the guidelines in the months of July and August. We sincerely hope to be able to continue providing extraordinary summer experiences later this summer and will connect with families as soon as we have arrived at a decision.”

B

and it was delightful,” mayor pro tem Therese Longe said. “But it had context with the movie theater. The crayon box is just out of place. I also have a concern about painting the charging stations as thumb drives because those are storage devices.”

“We should let it come back to us as a full comprehensive plan,” commissioner Stuart Sherman said.

Birmingham Museum offers virtual tours Second graders studying Birmingham's history typically take a school tour of the city's Birmingham Museum but with the state shutdown, the museum has created a six-part video series that parents, teachers and students can view and virtually tour the museum.

The Birmingham Museum has produced a six-part series on the history of the 1822 Hunter House and pioneer families of the area. Each video explores a different room of the oldest house in Oakland County and a different aspect of life in the early settlement. Youngsters will be joined in their discovery of the house by Bella the therapy dog of the Birmingham Police Department.

Museum assistant Caitlin Donnelly said the idea to produce the virtual tour videos came about when the stay-at-home order was extended through the end of the school year, prohibiting the annual second grade visits to the museum. Donnelly did most of the writing, shooting and editing of the six videos.

According to museum director Leslie Pielack, the annual school tours of the Hunter House are based

DOWNTOWN

on the required Michigan curriculum guidelines for the second grade.

Museum staff have worked with William Pugh, coordinator of Professional Learning and Curriculum Teaching & Learning for Birmingham Public Schools, for several years to integrate the tour content with Michigan’s standards.

“An important part of our social studies curriculum is understanding the story of why our community was established and how it has had to change over time,” Pugh said. “The Birmingham Museum is an amazing resource that our second grade students have enjoyed visiting each year to learn more about their community and its history.”

“We think viewers of all ages will appreciate the tour videos with vintage photos and maps,” Donnelly said. “They’re really all familyfriendly. We kept them to about eight minutes or so, highlighting the key history elements as creatively as possible. But Bella is like the irresistible frosting on the cake. She makes it special.”

The six-part video series is available at the museum’s YouTube channel, is fully captioned, and free to use (youtube.com/). However, the museum is also welcoming donations toward their video programming and offers a new online option for those who wish to do so. Interested donors can check it out here: bhamgov.wufoo.com.

New animal control contract approved Bloomfield Township trustees unanimously approved a $14,400 annual intergovernmental contract between the city of Birmingham and the township for animal control housing and services, at their meeting on Tuesday, May 26.

Approval of the resolution allows for the reopening of Bloomfield Township's animal control services, which had been closed at the end November 2019, due to budget constraints following voters rejecting a $2.3 mill special assessment district (SAD) that would have been dedicated to public safety in August 2019.

Bloomfield Township Police Chief Phil Langmeyer explained the agreement with Birmingham came about after the township was approached by the Birmingham Police Department in January “about the ability to use our building, and we said we had to wait until we had our millage in March. Then we got hit by COVID.” 75

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The agreement between the two municipalities will take effect July 1, 2020, with each municipality picking up and transferring animals to the township's Animal Welfare Center, where they will be lodged, fed and held, for up to 10 days. In addition, the township will permit Birmingham to dispose of wild animal carcasses at their site.

Birmingham will pay Bloomfield Township $14,400 annually, plus veterinary costs if animals are ill and need to be taken to a vet, and $35 per day for any animal that is impounded at animal welfare.

Langmeyer said previous to the animal control closure, the township had two full-time officers staffing it.

One left the township, the other was reassigned duties, and he will be reassigned to animal control. In addition, the township police department will hire a part-time clerk who will work five days a week, Monday through Friday, four hours a day, to take care of the animals.

“On weekends, the patrol division will feed and clean up the animals,” Langmeyer said.

He noted there is a greater savings

to the township than just the $14,400, because previously there had been a full-time employee, a position which is not being filled at this time.

Both Langmeyer and township supervisor Leo Savoie pointed out the biggest issue is not lost dogs, which are usually reunited with their owners very quickly, but taking care of all of the wildlife in Bloomfield Township, like deer that is killed and left on the side of the road.

“When we didn't have animal welfare, we had to wait for the county,” Savoie said.

Absentee ballot applications in mail All Michigan residents who are registered to vote in the August primary will receive an application to vote by absentee ballot, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced, a number that covers approximately 7.7 million state voters.

Birmingham residents may have received an email earlier in the week inviting them to sign up to join the permanent absentee ballot list. City

manager Joe Valentine explained that city residents currently on the absentee ballot list, or who recently signed up for it, will be mailed their applications from the city, while all other registered voters will receive theirs from the state.

The city's notice read: “This week the Birmingham City Clerk’s Office will be mailing reminder cards to join the Permanent Absent Voter List to all registered voters who have not yet joined. Adding your name to the Permanent Absent Voter List means that you will receive an absent ballot application in the mail for every election. After you return the application, the Clerk’s Office will send you your ballot as soon as they arrive in our office.

“Absent voting has many benefits including avoiding long lines, the ability to maintain social distancing, and time to study the ballot. The Clerk’s Office encourages you to join the Permanent Absent Voter List if you wish to automatically receive absent ballot applications in the future.”

Contrary to miscommunication from President Trump and others,

there is no record of voter fraud through voting by absentee ballots, which has been done by years by seniors and others. Members of the U.S. military vote absentee. In 2018, Michigan voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative for noreason absentee voting.

All Seasons seeking to expand in city Birmingham Planning Board members reviewed a preliminary site plan for a new five-story senior living facility by All Seasons Birmingham, approving a community impact study at their meeting on Wednesday, May 13, but were not satisfied with the preliminary site plan, which will return at a meeting in June after adjustments are made.

All Seasons Birmingham, an independent living facility which opened at 111 Elm Street in 2015, in the city's Triangle District, proposed a 25-unit senior independent living apartment building on a site adjacent to their current building, at 219 Elm Street, as a completely separate five-

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MUNICIPAL story standalone building which would operate independently of one another, planner Nick Dupuis said. It would have 25 units, 10 attached garages, surface parking, and a rooftop patio covering 45,366 square feet.

The site is currently occupied by a small office building and a parking lot.

Birmingham requires a community impact study for any building larger than 20,000 square feet.

Dupuis explained the community impact study acts as a foundation for discussion between the planning board and the applicant, beyond the normal scope of information addressed in the preliminary site plan review application. The board must accept it prior to taking action on a preliminary site plan.

The board agreed that the proposed development met the criteria of the community impact study for the Triangle District, including improving the appearance of the area by redevelopment with a new, visually attractive building and landscaping; improving economic

downtownpublications.com

and social vitality by encouraging diversity of use and providing muchneeded independent senior housing, which introduces new residents to the community and allows current older residents in the area to stay in the community; improving comfort, convenience, safety and enjoyment of pedestrian environment by increasing pedestrian traffic within the Triangle District; and providing this senior housing in an area that has businesses to support the needs of seniors, who in turn provide a wider customer base for those businesses.

Among the issues planning board members had with the preliminary site plan included questions regarding LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) certification, and a request for additional height. They were also concerned about the size of the building relative to the size of the lot, how close the first floor units would be to the sidewalk, and the overall size and scale of the building.

All Seasons is scheduled to return with a revised preliminary site plan on June 10.

Schools issue bonds okayed in March vote The Birmingham Public Schools Board of Education announced the sale of $52.13 million worth of school building and site and refunding bonds, the first in a series of bonds following the March 10 approval of $195 million bond proposal to address facility needs and funding enhancements through 2026.

According to James Larson-Shidler, assistant superintendent for business services at the district, a portion of the proceeds of the bonds, in the amount of $45.64 million, representing the first series of bonds from the March authorization, are being issued for the purpose of remodeling, equipping, reequipping, furnishing, refurnishing school buildings, gymnasiums, pool facilities, athletic fields, playgrounds and other facilities; erecting, completing, equipping and furnishing classroom additions, auxiliary gymnasium additions at the high schools and other additions to school buildings and new facilities at the high school athletic fields; preparing, developing and improving sites at school buildings, athletic fields, playgrounds

DOWNTOWN

and other facilities and the purchase of school buses; and acquiring and installing instructional technology infrastructure and equipment in school buildings and other facilities and paying a portion of the costs of issuing the bonds.

The remaining $6.5 million of the bond proceeds will be used to refund portions of the districts outstanding 2010 refunding bonds, which are due and payable on May 1, 2021, through May 1, 2024.

The bonds were sold at an interest rate of 2.3 percent with a final maturity of 2040.

Financing was conducted by the Michigan investment banking office of the brokerage firm Stifel, the municipal advising firm, PFM Financial Advisors LLC, and law firm Miller, Canfield, Paddock, Stone acting as bond counsel.

“We are thrilled with the outcome of our recent bond sales,” said Birmingham Schools Superintendent Mark Dziatczak.

“The bond refunding will save taxpayers a considerable amount of money while the favorable interest rate achieved in the bond market for our new notes will allow the district to enhance learning environments and school facilities.”

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FACES Varchasvi Shankar s companies started to shut down due to the coronavirus, Varchasvi Shankar began working on the best and safest way to bring people back to offices and factories.

Through Sqwirrel LLC, a subsidiary of Shanker’s company, V2Soft – which he is the founder, president and CEO of – they created the patent-pending app, CompanyTRAK. “What it does is it helps in managing the primary exposure with employees within an organization,” Shankar said. “It’s very neat.”

Since their founding in 1998, V2Soft, headquartered in Bloomfield Hills but with locations all over the world, has always been about more than just providing high performance IT solutions.

“It’s a passion of mine to build software applications,” he said.

“It’s a passion of mine to solve real world problems with technology solutions.”

Other ways his company has been able to do just that have been through iConnectX.com, a patent-pending social fundraising platform for non-profits.

But right now, the focus is on CompanyTRAK. How it works is employees can download the app through their company’s Enterprise App Stores, which Sqwirrel LLC distributes CompanyTRAK to. From there, companies are able to let their employees use the app from their corporate provided devices or personal devices. The app is not available via Apple or Google play stores.

Once the app is downloaded, all employees need to do is download it and make sure it’s connected to bluetooth. The app will do the rest.

“Say I’m in contact with 10 people in my office for meetings or walking by the hallway, it tracks the people in my company I’ve interacted with over the last 14 days,” said Shankar, who mentioned it only tracks those people have come within six feet of their device.

If any employee becomes positive for the coronavirus, they are able to push a button in the app that activates an authorization code to make sure it wasn’t by accident. From there, CompanyTRAK will notify every other individual who has been exposed to that person in the last 14 days. A positive diagnosis notification can be sent out through a company’s human resources department or the app itself.

Due to it's geofencing, CompanyTRAK only tracks people once inside the building where they work. Everything is kept confidential.

They also consulted with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and legal experts.

For employees without a cell phone or one that’s unable to download the app, Shanker has a solution for that too – bluetooth tags that they can carry around while at work.

How have companies reacted to CompanyTRAK? Enthusiastically.

“I think people are super excited. They all want to do the pilot,” Shankar said. “Any time we tell someone we have something like this they ask if they can use it.”

Originally, though, this wasn’t the app the team had planned on releasing. That was ViralTRAK, which they were hoping to have available via the Apple and Google play stores.

According to Shankar, those two play stores have policies that no longer allow coronavirus apps to be released to the public unless it comes directly from a government agency. But there is hope the app might be able to reach the public. Shankar said they have already sent it to Governor Whitmer, and would like ViralTRAK to be free for all Michiganders, if released.

“I’m sure she has so many other, bigger battles,” he laughed. “At some point, if they come back to us, I would love to release it to the public.”

A

Story: Dana Casadei

Photo: Laurie Tennent

AMY ZIMMER, ASSOCIATE BROKER TIFFANY GLIME, REALTOR Amy 248.469.6430 azimmer@hallandhunter.com Tiffany 248.930.5656 tglime@hallandhunter.com LD SO

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$914,900 | 2,806 SF | 4 BR | 3.1 BATHS

LISTED FOR $725,000 | 2,509 SF | 4 BR | 3.1 BATHS

$615,000 | 2,245 SF | 3 BR | 3 BATHS

Custom luxury home in walking distance to schools, parks and town. Designer elegance throughout. Gorgeous new Maison Birmingham designer kitchen. Rare 3-car garage with potential to finish upper studio space. Must see to appreciate all the details.

Stunning newer construction offers a modern open floor plan. Highend designer finishes. Gourmet kitchen. Hardwoods throughout. 2nd floor encompasses chic master suite. Additional bedroom/bonus room on 3rd floor. Private yard with stone hot tub and fire pit.

A completely renovated brick colonial in the heart of Birmingham.

Truly walk-to-town. 2014 renovation ~ top to bottom. Open concept design. Hardwoods throughout. Spacious master suite with fireplace. Large first floor laundry/mud room. Fenced private yard.

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CT RA T N CO R DE UN

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$579,000 | 2,184 SF | 3 BR | 2.2 BATHS

$525,000 | 2,434 SF | 4 BR | 2.2 BATHS

LISTED FOR $475,000 | 2,008 SF | 3 BR | 1.2 BATHS

A distinctive residence with Tuscan ambiance, built 2007.

Travertine and hardwood floors throughout main level. Expansive flowing layout with appeal for a variety of design configurations.

Huge finished lower level. Detached garage with bonus space.

City living at its finest in this 2001 custom built colonial.

Walkable to downtown Birmingham. Fantastic condo alternative.

Virtually maintenance free fenced yard. Master suite with balcony. Finished lower level with large family room and rec area.

Move right in, renovate or remodel… this well maintained colonial is filled with potential! Charming stone facade. Professionally landscaped backyard retreat. Oak hardwoods throughout main level. Oversized 2 ½ car garage with electronic driveway gate.

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R DE UN

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200 RIVER PLACE DR. #19 | DETROIT

3378 GRIFFITH AVE. | BERKLEY

18674 W. THIRTEEN MILE RD. #2 | ROYAL OAK

$499,000 | 2,071 SF | 2 BR | 2.1 BATHS

$315,000 | 1,334 SF | 3 BR | 2.1 BATHS

$249,000 | 1,426 SF | 3 BR | 2.1 BATHS

Wake up to views of the Detroit River, the Aretha and Canada from this outstanding 3rd floor corner unit in the iconic River Place Lofts. Lots of light. 14’ beamed ceiling. Fantastic open layout. Two parking spots. Enjoy Detroit living at its finest.

Designer-perfect renovated ranch with a prime location in Berkley.

Remodeled 2016. Finished lower level. Blocks from downtown Berkley’s shops and restaurants. Close to Birmingham, Royal Oak and minutes from Beaumont Hospital, easy access to freeways!

Nothing to do but move in! Complete renovated (2017) townhouse in Evergreen Commons. Airy, open feel with neutral décor.

Updated kitchen with stainless appliances. Remodeled baths.

Finished lower level. Private patio. Great investment or residence.

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HALL ANDHUNTER.COM | +1 248 644 3500 | 442 S. OLD WOODWARD BIRMINGHAM

BUSINESS MATTERS SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM. Townsend Bakery closes After 27 years at 175 W. Merrill Street in Birmingham, The Townsend Hotel announced it would not be reopening The Townsend Bakery, describing the COVID-19 pandemic that has swept through the country as “very difficult and unprecedented times.” The bakery was known for its wedding cakes, special occasion cakes and tortes, cookies, cupcakes and other sweets. “I can’t tell you how distraught I am to announce that The Townsend Bakery is now closed permanently. The staff, management and customers throughout the last 27 years have been amazing and I feel honored to have worked with such a great team of people,” Steven Kalczynski, managing director of the Townsend Hotel stated. “The bakery, which first opened its doors in 1997, closed its doors in response to social distancing mandates by the state in March. It was not offering take-out, delivery or pick-up because overhead costs would outweigh sales made during the closure period because of the way that the bakery is set up,” Kalczynski said. “The numbers just did not work.” Kalczynksi said the hotel hopes to still offer fresh baked pastries and cakes “to go” once everything is open and operational.

Light my fire Marlene Mansour had been a stayat-home mom and volunteer and was ready for her next act when she wandered into an Urban Wick Candle Bar in Ohio, and she suddenly knew what she wanted to do. “I said I found my thing,” she asked. “Who doesn’t love a candle?”

In early to mid-July, Mansour, along with her daughter Elise Mansour, will open Urban Wick Candle Bar at 172 N. Old Woodward in downtown Birmingham, allowing visitors to create their own scented handpoured candles. She explained the location is not a franchise, but a partner store with the owner. In a friendly and calm setting, each person gets to create their own candle by choosing from 90 different scents, each from naturally derived fragrance oils. Moving along the candle bar, you choose your own jar to put the candle in from their selection, with scent designers guiding you as to what works best.

Natural hot soy wax and a cotton wick is used. “You pour your own candle,” Mansour explained. While it sets for about an hour-and-a-half, she said it’s an opportunity for downtownpublications.com

customers to browse other Birmingham shops, sip a latte or cocktail, or grab a bite to eat. “Then we’ll bring it over to you wherever you are, or you can come back and pick it up.” In addition, with a little notice, the shop can offer one-of-akind parties for five people or more.

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Eco-friendly nail services After months of home confinement, everyone is in the mood for a little pampering. Paint Nail Box, opening the beginning of August at 229 N. Old Woodward in downtown Birmingham, sounds like it will do the trick. Owner Rich Pfaff, who also owns a franchise of Paint Nail Box in Rochester, said upon entering, “the manager will offer customers a glass of wine, champagne, water,” to make everyone feel comfortable. All products used at Paint Nail Box are formaldehyde and fume-free, and feature eco-friendly nail polish lines. “It’s a non-toxic luxury nail bar experience,” he said, of the franchise, which is out of Sarasota, Florida. The new nail spa will feature manicures, pedicures, gels, dip powders, waxing services and offer costume jewelry and lotions.

Watching for 15 years It has been 15 years since Leonid Khankin purchased Ernst Benz North America, 177 S. Old Woodward, in Birmingham from Ernst and Chuck Benz in 2005. The timepieces, from tradition to contemporary, includes special edition models and chonographs, and are inspired by “the spirit of travel and the art of watchmaking.” Each watch is designed and manufactured in the traditional Swiss manner. Khankin, who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, is a second-generation watchmaker, said he was first captivated by watches as a child while watching his father, a prolific watchmaker. Khankin then had the opportunity to work in collaboration with Ernst Benz for many years before acquiring the company and becoming CEO and president. “My passion for the collection and the brand is boundless,” he said, as he works to make sure each timepiece meets his exacting criteria for precision.

Business Matters for the Birmingham Bloomfield area are reported by Lisa Brody. Send items for consideration to LisaBrody@downtownpublications.com.

Items should be received three weeks prior to publication.

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We thank you in advance for your support of our effort to bring you quality local journalism each month. www.downtownpublications.com 85

STATE OF THE ART NEW CONSTRUCTION

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THE COMMUNITY HOUSE Our Journey Back On behalf of the historic Community House (TCH) and The Community House Foundation (TCHF), we hope we find you safe and well. We miss seeing you. I miss seeing you. While our building and property remains partially closed, The Community House and The Community House Foundation remains open; virtually and remotely.

Do you Invest in Real Estate?

Though some very tough and unprecedented decisions were made due to the COVID-19 crisis, the virus will not stop our nearly century-old commitment to you, your family, friends and neighbors to maintain this extraordinary “home to those seeking continuity between personal, professional, philanthropic and recreational pursuits.”

Those who depend upon us most cannot wait for “normalcy” to arrive. Us, too. We will not rest while our constituents: our cherished families, class takers, non-profit groups and supporters await our vital and essential programs and services to return. The demands for our services have never been greater.

At Luxury Mortgage Corp®, we make it simple to grow your ƌĞĂů ĞƐƚĂƚĞ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŵĞŶƚ ƉŽƌƞŽůŝŽ͘

On our journey back, determinedly, we have been able to pivot to virtual summer programs, classes and remote summer camps. We continue to give virtual tours and are accepting bookings for weddings, showers, conferences, business Bill Seklar meetings, and other milestone events. Our Early Childhood, Infant & Toddler Centers has started to accept new students for the late summer/fall 2020 semesters. While mailed out hard copy program/class catalogs have been temporarily discontinued, all these initiatives and more – can be found on our website at communityhouse.com or by calling 248.644.5832.

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Gerald Brody

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Loan approval is subject to credit approval and program guidelines.

The Community House Family has responded heroically. Everyone has had truly difficult decisions to make. That we have done so together will contribute directly to the health, safety and lives of members of our community and countless others. We will continue to do this guided by the best understanding and evidence for what will protect and save lives.

Equal Housing Lender. ©2019 Luxury Mortgage Corp. This is not a commitment to lend. Restrictions apply. Some products may not be available in all states. NMLS # 2745. www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Michigan 1st and 2nd Mortgage Broker/Lender/Servicer Registrant License# FR0021279/SR0021280. Luxury Mortgage Corp.®, luxurymortgage.com®, and Luxury Mortgage® are registered service marks of Luxury Mortgage Corp. All Rights Reserved.

Of one thing I am certain, it will be a gradual process that will take time and patience, and it will likely differ from the old normal, our old life, pre-COVID19. The world will look different coming out of this crisis. Many of those changes will be enduring. The exact trajectory of our recovery is highly uncertain and dependent upon many factors outside of our control such as government mandates, the risk of a second or third wave of infections, and the overall economic backdrop.

According to the CDC and our nation’s top health officials, the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic and what lies beyond summer is a cause for concern. We are being advised to plan for the possibility that a second coronavirus outbreak could occur in the fall, especially if there isn’t a vaccine by then. Worse, we are told that there’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will be even more difficult than the one we just went through. Our obligation is quite simply to do the right thing. Nothing is more important to us than safety of our staff, volunteers and visitors, especially the most vulnerable, our children and seniors.

Due to the continued uncertainty that remains today, including ever-evolving social distancing rules, new sanitization and cleaning standards, fear of a second wave of infections, loss of staff due to layoffs coupled with the unprecedented loss of funding, revenue, investments, donations and other forms of support – The Community House will not be ready to host regular onsite/in-house classes, programs, events/fundraisers, large gatherings or our non-profit or supported groups for the remainder of the 2020 calendar year. It is certainly our hope and desire to recover and find ourselves in a different, much improved, fully-staffed, financially stable “new” normalcy in January 2021. Financially, it remains a most difficult and uncharted path. Outside philanthropic support is key.

On a more positive note, given that Governor Whitmer and the state of Michigan finally lifted the restrictions on re-opening Early Childhood Centers across the state – The Community House re-opened its Early Childhood, Infant and Toddler Centers to working families on Monday, June 15.

We will come out of this, but we must come out of this smarter. Best sciences, financial stability and policies will dictate how and when we return to normal.

William D. Seklar is President & CEO of The Community House and The Community House Foundation in Birmingham.

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PLACES TO EAT Go To Our Website For

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DELIVERY

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. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 220 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.646.2220.

5th Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2262 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9607.

Adachi: Asian. Lunch & Dinner daily. Liquor.

Reservations. 325 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009. 248.540.5900.

Andiamo: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

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

248.865.9300.

Bangkok Thai Bistro: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 42805 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Township, 48304. 248.499.6867.

Beau's: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 4108 W. Maple, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

248.626.2630.

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

167 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.494.7110.

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

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

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

248.594.7078.

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

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

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

Liquor. 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.646.9000.

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

377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.8880.

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

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

Bloomfield Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 71 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.645.6879.

Brooklyn Pizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 111 Henrietta Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.258.6690.

Café ML: New American. Dinner, daily.

Liquor. Call ahead. 3607 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township. 248.642.4000.

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

248.758.1221.

Churchill's Bistro & Cigar Bar: Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

116 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.4555.

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

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

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

248.792.9766. downtownpublications.com

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

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

248.642.1135.

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

Einstein Bros. Bagels: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 4089 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.258.9939.

Elie’s Mediterranean Cuisine: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations.

Liquor. 263 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.2420.

Embers Deli & Restaurant: Deli.

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

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

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

Forest: European. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham 48009.

248.258.9400.

Greek Island Coney Restaurant: Greek.

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

Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American.

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

Liquor. 575 S. Eton Street, Birmingham.

248.712.4050.

Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American.

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

Hunter House Hamburgers: American.

Breakfast, Monday-Saturday; Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 35075 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.7121.

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American.

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

248.594.4369.

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

Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner daily; Sunday brunch.

Reservations. Liquor. 39475 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.792.9609.

Kaku Sushi and Poke': Asian. Lunch & Dinner. Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. No Liquor. 869 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.480.4785, and 126 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009.

248.885.8631.

Kerby’s Koney Island: American.

Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2160 N. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.333.1166.

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

248.858.5800.

La Strada Italian Kitchen & Bar: Italian.

Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 243 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.480.0492.

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

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

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

Little Daddy’s Parthenon: American.

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

CURBSIDE/CARRY-OUT/CATERING 6646 Telegraph Rd. (At Maple Road) Bloomfield Plaza 248.932.0800 • Fax: 248.932.1465 www.stevesdeli.com

$49.95

$49.95

BRUNCH WITH DAD Serves up to 6

DELI DAY WITH DAD Serves up to 6

- Choice of 6 Bagels - Cream Cheese - Tomato & Onion - Capers - Nova Lox - Seasoned Fruit Bowl - Jar of Cookies

- Corned Beef & Turkey - Swiss - Rye Bread - Steve’s Mustard - Cloeslaw & Potato Salad - Mixed Dills - Jar of Cookies

Only Valid June 20 & 21. Must Order by June 19.

Only Valid June 20 & 21. Must Order by June 19.

DT

DT

4 Ways To Shop: 1. Walk In And Place Your Order For Faster Service!

2. Call For Carry-Out 248-932-0800 and Come In Closing Early 3. Call For Curbside, Paid In Advance (with extra charge) Father’s Day at 3pm 4. DoorDash Delivery Through Our Website

DOWNTOWN

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METRO INTELLIGENCER 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 Dana Casadei who can be reached at DanaCasadei@DowntownPublications.com with news items or tips, on or off the record.

This month Downtown reporter Dana Casadei takes a look at local dining establishments re-opening after Covid-19 lockdown, the challenges they're encountering, and how they're bouncing back.

Steak and seafood The new safety measures at Vicari Restaurant Group restaurants begin as soon as guests arrive. Once inside – this goes for customers and staff – temperatures are taken with the non-contact, iDisplay Thermometers. “If they have a temperature, then we’re going to pull them to the side, talk to them, take another temperature read, and if it’s still high, then unfortunately, they won’t be allowed to come in the restaurant that day,” said Joe Vicari, President and CEO of Joe Vicari Restaurant Group. On June 8, temperature checks, among other safety precautions, became the new normal at the six reopened Andiamos, including the one at 6676 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, and both Joe Muer Seafood Detroit and Bloomfield Hills, 39475 Woodward Avenue. Vicari hoped to be back to a full menu at all open locations within a few weeks of their June opening, with plans for all to be serving lunch and dinner by June 15. As far as his staff returning, Vicari estimated about 25 percent wouldn’t be coming back, due to a variety of reasons. For those interested in seeing their full safety measures, both the Andiamo and Joe Muer Seafood websites have videos.

Middle Eastern delights For those who delight in eating at Samy Eid’s Phoenicia, 588 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, or Forest, 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham, the inside is going to look different from what guests are used to. Eid – who also owns Leila Detroit, which has not reopened – said that 30 to 40 percent of the furniture at both restaurants has been removed. Due to the state mandate of only 50 percent occupancy indoor at restaurants, Eid plans to utilize Birmingham’s recent resolution to expand patio space. Guests can expect full menus though, including the original Phoenicia menu and the launch of a new seasonal menu at Forest.

“We’re going to come raging out the gates so we’ll be ready to go,” he said. In regards to his staff, Eid said they are thankfully able to bring back any one who wishes to return. Since they stayed open during the shutdown, fulfilling lots of carryout orders, the back of the house is already used to the new safety requirements, while the front of the house will see major changes, including paper and CV code menus, and all staff will be in masks. Guests are also highly encouraged to wear masks upon entry and any time they leave their table. Both restaurants opened June 9, and are currently open for dinner only. “We feel pretty confident with it – it’s not going to be normal business, obviously, but it’s going to be worthwhile,” Eid said. “We’re just excited to get back...and give guests a night away from all of the misery.”

One, two, three, open!

Heirloom Hospitality President and CEO, Jeremy Sasso plans to reopen Townhouse Birmingham, Townhouse Detroit, and Prime + Proper in the order they were originally created. First up is Townhouse Birmingham, 180 Pierce Street, on June 15, followed by Townhouse Detroit, 500 Woodward Avenue, with a targeted date of June 24, and lastly, Prime + Proper, 1145 Griswold Street, Detroit, which is shooting for July 1. Each restaurant comes with its own challenges as far as spacing to meet the CDC guidelines, especially at Prime + Proper, but Sasson plans to utilize all outdoor expansion options. “That’s one of the tokens of our business model since we started, having a large outdoor environment in concept,” he said. “So we do have a lot of outdoor seating...but obviously, it’s only as good as the weather.” All three restaurants will have staff in masks and multiple sanitation specialists, a newly created position that will be at each restaurant. They will be identifiable via their uniforms and their sole responsibility will be advanced sanitation. Sasson said they are also introducing QR code menus, single-use recyclable menus, and integrating contactless payment solutions. Menu items may scale back about 15-20 percent, depending on the restaurant, but there will be new hyper-seasonal additions and slushy-based cocktails.

Welcome and worth it Sanitation supervisors will also be at Peas and Carrots Hospitality-owned Social Kitchen, 225 E. Maple Road, in Birmingham; Mex, 6675 Telegraph Road,

248.647.3400.

Luxe Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily; Late Night, 9 p.m.-closing.

No reservations. Liquor. 525 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009.

248.792.6051.

Mandaloun Bistro: Lebanese. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, Daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 30100 Telegraph Rd., Suite 130, Bingham Farms, 48025. 248.723.7960.

Market North End: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 474 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.712.4953.

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

248.723.0800.

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

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

Olga’s Kitchen: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2075 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.451.0500.

Original Pancake House: American.

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

248.642.5775.

Panera Bread: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2125 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302.

248.253.9877.

Pernoi: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 310 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.940.0000.

Phoenicia: Middle Eastern. Lunch, Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily.

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

Pita Cafe: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 239 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.645.6999.

Qdoba: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. 795 East Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.988.8941. Also 42967 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48304.

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

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

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

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

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

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

248.932.0800.

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

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

248.645.9123.

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

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

248.333.3887.

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

No reservations. 315 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.9830.

Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro: American.

Dinner. Monday-Saturday. Sunday brunch. Reservations. Liquor. 55 S. Bates Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.731.7066.

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

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

The Gallery Restaurant: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & wine. 6683 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.851.0313.

The Moose Preserve Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2395 S. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302.

248.858.7688.

The Morrie: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 260 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009.

248.940.3260.

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

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

Toast: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Dinner, Wednesday-Friday.

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

Tomatoes Apizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner daily. Carryout. 34200 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham 48009.

248.258.0500.

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

248.593.7881.

Townhouse: American. Brunch, Saturday, Sunday. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 180 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.792.5241.

Vinotecca: European. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 210 S. Old Woodard, Birmingham, 48009.

248.203.6600.

Whistle Stop Diner: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; No reservations. 501 S. Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.566.3566.

Zao Jun: Asian. Lunch Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248.949.9999.

Royal Oak/Ferndale Ale Mary's: American. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 316 South Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.268.1917.

Anita’s Kitchen: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 22651 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.548.0680.

Assaggi Bistro: Italian. Lunch, TuesdayFriday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 330 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.584.3499.

Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 711 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067.

The Blue Nile: Ethiopian. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 545 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220.

248.547.6699.

Cafe Muse: French. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 418 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.544.4749.

Cork Wine Pub: American. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 23810 Woodward Ave., Pleasant Ridge, 48069.

248.544.2675.

Due Venti: Italian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

220 S. Main St., Clawson, 48017.

248.288.0220.

The Fly Trap: Diner. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 22950 Woodward Ave., 48220. 248.399.5150.

Howe’s Bayou: Cajun. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 22949 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.691.7145.

Inyo Restaurant Lounge: Asian Fusion.

Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 22871 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220.

248.543.9500.

KouZina: Greek. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 121 N. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.629.6500.

Kruse & Muer on Woodward: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 28028 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.965.2101.

Lily’s Seafood: Seafood. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 410 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.591.5459.

Lockhart’s BBQ: Barbeque. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 202 E. Third St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.584.4227.

Oak City Grille: American. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 212 W. 6th St, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.556.0947.

One-Eyed Betty: American. Weekend Breakfast. Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 175 W. Troy St., Ferndale, 48220. 248.808.6633.

Pronto!: American. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 608 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.7900.

Public House: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 241 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220.

248.850.7420.

Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

31542 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, 48073. 248.549.0300.

Ronin: Japanese. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 326 W. 4th St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.546.0888.

Royal Oak Brewery: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

215 E. 4th St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.544.1141.

Strada: Italian. Dinner, Wednesday Sunday. Liquor. No reservations. 376 N. Main Street. Royal Oak, 48067.

248.607.3127.

The Morrie: American. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 511 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.216.1112.

Toast, A Breakfast and Lunch Joint: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 23144 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.398.0444.

Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 318 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.541.1186.

Trattoria Da Luigi: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor.

415 S, Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.542.4444.

Twisted Tavern: American. Dinner, daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 22901 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220.

248.545,6750.

Vinsetta Garage: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

27799 Woodward Ave., Berkley, 48072.

248.548.7711.

Troy/Rochester Capital Grille: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2800 West Big Beaver Rd., Somerset Collection, Troy, 48084. 248.649.5300.

Cafe Sushi: Pan-Asian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1933 W. Maple Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.280.1831.

CK Diggs: American & Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 2010 W. Auburn Road,

Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.853.6600.

O’Connor’s Irish Public House: Irish.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 324 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.608.2537.

Kona Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 30 E. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48083.

248.619.9060.

Kruse & Muer on Main: American.

Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 327 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.652.9400.

Loccino Italian Grill and Bar: Italian.

Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily.

Liquor. Reservations. 5600 Crooks Road, Troy, 48098. 248.813.0700.

McCormick & Schmick’s: Steak & Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. Somerset Collection, 2850 Coolidge Hwy., Troy, 48084. 248.637.6400.

The Meeting House: American. Weekend Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 301 S. Main St, Rochester, 48307. 248.759.4825.

Miguel’s Cantina: Mexican. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 870 S. Rochester Rd, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.453.5371.

Mon Jin Lau: Asian. Lunch, MondayFriday. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 1515 E. Maple Rd, Troy, 48083.

248.689.2332.

Morton’s, The Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 888 W. Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.404.9845.

NM Café: American. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 2705 W. Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48084.

248.816.3424.

Oceania Inn: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Village of Rochester Hills, 3176 Walton Blvd, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.375.9200.

Ocean Prime: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2915 Coolidge Hwy., Troy, 48084. 248.458.0500.

Orchid Café: Thai. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. 3303 Rochester Rd., Troy, 48085.

248.524.1944.

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

Somerset Collection, 2801 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084.

248.816.8000.

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.

Rochester Chop House: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 306 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.651.2266.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 755 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084. 248.269.8424.

Silver Spoon: Italian. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 6830 N. Rochester Rd., Rochester, 48306.

248.652.4500.

Steelhouse Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1129 E. Long Lake Rd., Troy, 48085.

248.817.2980.

Too Ra Loo: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 139 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307.

248.453.5291.

Bloomfield Township; Beau’s Grillery, 4108 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township; and Como’s, 22812 Woodward Avenue, #100, Ferndale, which all opened June 8 for dine-in service. Owner and chef Zack Sklar said they’ve been training staff for the past month – Sklar said anyone who wants their job back will be re-hired – on all of the new safety measures, such as QR codes for menus and paper menus, the option to use disposable plates, silverware, and cups, and covering each table with butcher paper. There’s also a video on their website with more guidelines.

Tents have been added at Mex and Beau’s in order to utilize more outdoor space, and Social will use its rooftop and alley. Sklar called Social the premiere outdoor dining restaurant in Birmingham. Even though they can only be at 50 percent capacity, Sklar thinks opening now is worth it. “Is it worth it financially? No. But is it worth it for the community and for the staff? Absolutely,” he said.

Slow and steady While many restaurants are shooting for June openings, restaurateur Bill Roberts plans to wait until early July. “We were pretty much caught off guard with the governor’s announcement” in March, Roberts said. “I’m not going to open five restaurants on the same day. We’re going to take it slow but sure and see how it goes. We’re going to watch to see how people do.” Of the five, Roadside B&G, 1727 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, and Cafe ML, 3607 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township, will probably be the first to open, and each will begin taking reservations, a new practice for a Roberts restaurant. The most obvious safety addition will be small shields, about two feet by three feet tall, at the hostess stands of Roadside B&G, Cafe ML, and Bill’s, 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills. Staff will have their temperature taken and will be required to wear masks, and guests are asked to wear masks, except when at their table.

“We’re just doing the best we can to follow the protocols,” Roberts said. With the addition of $600 per paycheck for unemployed staff through the end of July due to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Roberts hopes waiting to open until July will give them a better shot of bringing their staff back. Menus and hours will be shrinking at Roadside B&G, Cafe ML, Bill’s, Beverly Hills Grill and Streetside Seafood.

Updates on favs La Strada Birmingham, 243 E Merrill St., opened June 11, with normal restaurant hours returning the week of June 17. TOAST Birmingham, 203 Pierce Street, was back for dine-in service as of June 8, as were Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, 323 N. Old Woodward Avenue; Bacco Ristorante, 29410 Northwestern Highway, Southfield; Bistro Joe’s, 34244 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham; and Besa, 600 Woodward Avenue, Detroit. The LePage family’s restaurants Big Rock Chophouse, 245 S Eton Street, Birmingham; and Griffin Claw Brewery, 575 S. Eton Street, Birmingham; opened in early June, and Lumen Detroit, 1903 Grand River, Detroit, opens June 20.

Changes in laws The Michigan House of Representatives and Senate introduced bills that would allow for bars and restaurants to sell alcohol that could be consumed outdoors.

Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) and State. Rep. Michael Webber (R-Rochester, Rochester Hills) each introduced bills that would allow local municipalities to create social districts to designate areas where open containers of alcohol from licensed establishments in the area would be permitted. Bills introduced by state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills) and state Rep. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) would allow for cocktails-to-go via curbside or delivery from restaurants and bars. The two bills in the House, which are part of a package, recently received unanimous approval from a state House committee and moved on to the House Ways and Means Committee. “Hopefully something like this can happen this summer if local municipalities want to do it,” said Webber, who hopes these social districts would become permanent. Birmingham City Manager Joe Valentine said a social district could become a possibility in the area if the legislation passes and would probably work much like when they plan special events. Right now, though, he’s focused on the resolutions that have already passed in the city, including waiving the liquor license renewal fees and allowing restaurants to expand their outdoor dining areas to the sidewalk and parking spaces, and even into the streets. The latter is a temporary modification that will last through October 31. Valentine anticipates they would only close one lane of the street. “There’s lots changing on a daily basis,” Valentine said. “We’re going to continue these efforts as they’re needed to ensure that our businesses are viable in this environment.”

ENDNOTE

The realities of voting by mail in elections bsentee voting, an election practice that has been around since the Civil War days, has now become – unfortunately – a weaponized political issue as we head into the August primary and November general elections.

Republicans, led by President Trump, are attempting to paint the practice of absentee ballot voting, often called voting by mail, as a threat to the sanctity of elections, claiming that voting by mail allows more fraudulent casting of ballots. Minions from the right either are not aware, or more likely they are less inclined to tell you, of the number of studies showing there are few documented cases of fraud when it comes to absentee ballots or the election process in total.

It would appear that this opposition from the GOP stems from a long-held concern that making the voting process easier to access will result in more Democrats participating in the process, especially in communities of color, further challenging the Republican majority in some communities and more specifically the chance of the incumbent president winning another four-year term come this fall.

So let's take a look at the history of absentee ballots and voting by mail.

Both sides in the Civil War used absentee ballots, which were passed out to battlefield units. A number of states following the war began passing laws to facilitate absentee voting, although the number of votes cast in this manner after the war was minimal. Congress got into the act during World War II with legislation in 1942 and 1944, so members of the military stationed outside the borders of our country have been voting this way for decades.

The big push to make it easier to vote with

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absentee ballots by mail came in the 1980s, with California the first state to allow voters to freely request absentee ballots, and by 2018, 27 states allowed what we now call “no reason” absentee ballots.

Michigan voters, with their approval of voting procedural changes as part of a ballot issue in 2018, finally joined the club and we all can now enjoy “no reason” absentee ballot voting.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has helped raise public interest in voting by mail even more, out of concern that crowds physically gathering at polling places will add to what is an expected second wave of infections that medical experts predict for this fall.

To both further implement the 2018 voterapproved electoral changes, as well as safeguarding the public from potential increased virus infection, local clerks and the Michigan Secretary of State are diligently working to distribute applications for absentee ballots.

Election officials are also allowing anyone to join a permanent list of those who would prefer to vote by mail in the future and automatically receive a ballot application for any scheduled election.

So when you hear the latest conspiracy theory about voting by mail, keep the following in mind.

At best, the records from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Election Data + Science Lab show about a 10 percent increase in voter participation with voting by mail, which is a good thing if you support citizen access to the electoral process. Case studies show a moderate increased turnout in mid-term and presidential elections. Increased turnout is more pronounced in primary elections, along with local elections

and special elections. Once again, a good thing.

The Birmingham/Bloomfield area already has a strong track record of turning out to vote. In November of 2018, between 70 and nearly 72 percent of registered voters cast ballots. In November of 2016, a presidential election year, over 76 percent of registered voters cast ballots from this area of the county. It's an impressive turnout but basically shows that 24-30 percent of those registered to vote don't bother for one reason or another.

As to the concerns that more Democrats will turn out and upset the GOP stranglehold in some states – like Michigan – case history across the country shows that not to be true.

Participation increases with less restricted absentee ballot voting was about equal for both parties.

So our hats are off to the 83 county clerks, 280 city clerks and 1,240 township clerks who are working to make the election process more accessible to voters in this state.

Michigan – despite its many failings on the election front thanks to political hacks in the legislature who forced this issue to the ballot in 2018 – had at one time been a leader on some voting issues, such as voter registration through the department of motor vehicles, 20 years ahead of the 1994 federal mandate for all states to do the same.

We wish election officials well in their quest to bring more of the state's citizenry into the voting process, the basic underpinning of our representative democracy.

A steep ask, but good for school district hen we first examined the details of the Bloomfield Hills Schools' $200.155 million bond proposal to support school renovation, additions, security and the movement of some school populations, it was in February, when it was proposed for the May ballot – before the coronavirus pandemic, before over a million Michiganders were laid off, furloughed or fired, including many in this area.

It seems like a lifetime ago, but it was just a few short months ago.

In March, the board of education wisely pulled the bond proposal from the May ballot, moving it to the August primary – a smart move anyway, as we believe May elections should go the way of February elections, and cease to exist by edict of the state legislature.

The Bloomfield Hills Schools district had been looking at school improvements as well as safety and technology upgrades for the last six years, and put together a wide-ranging committee

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comprising teachers, parents, former parents, residents, community officials, students, clergy and other stakeholders, called the Scope and Design Committee.

Of the $200 million ask, approximately $33 million in costs are immediate needs. The rest are improvements, safety and security upgrades at all schools, renovation costs and a district realignment that would take into account how students learn and will learn for the next several decades – taking the three middle schools and combining them into two middle schools, including re-opening the former Lahser High School and renovating it as a middle school, with Bloomfield Hills Middle School as the other site; significant renovations at Conant and Way elementary schools; the movement of Lone Pine elementary to West Hills Middle School, which would become the new Lone Pine, with renovations and updates; Eastover would move to East Hills Middle School, which would

become Eastover, also with renovations and updates; Bloomin' Preschool would be housed and expanded at Eastover and Conant; and Bloomfield Hills High School would receive health and wellness upgrades, among other improvements.

This is a new bond proposal. If approved by voters, the school district’s tax rate is projected to increase by 1.85 mills. A mill is equal to $1 in property tax per every $1,000 in taxable value, which is typically about half of a home's market value.

We were impressed in February with the district's plan to redesign and realign the schools and the district, and a second examination does not change our mind. But we recognize the significant cost which it comes with. Education is an investment in our future, and there is a price tag to go with it. If you can afford to, we recommend you vote YES.

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505 townsend street

Stunning French Chateau Estate $2,475,000 I Rochester

Completely Rebuilt and Renovated In-Town Home $1,595,000 I Birmingham

15 e kirby street 1104

499 westchester way

Fully Renovated Luxury Condo in Midtown $489,000 I Detroit

Beautifully Updated Colonial on Premier Street $545,000 I Birmingham

D E L I V E R I N G A N E L E VAT E D E X P E R I E N C E W I T H A PERSO NALIZED APPROACH 248.613.9583 | lorakcollaboration.com 275 S. Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, MI 48009

T TO OG GE ET TH HE ER R ,, W WE E C CA AN N .. .. ..

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248.318.4504| |KKATHY@MA ATHY@MAX XBROOCKHOMES.COM BROOCKHOMES.COM | | KKATHYBROOCK.COM 248.318.4504 ATHYBROOCK.COM @KathyBroockRealtor @KathyBroockRealtor @

275 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, MI 48009 275 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, MI 48009