Downtown Birmingham/Bloomfield

GERAK: SOCIAL SCENE • HEALD: SMOKEHOUSE EXCELLENCE AT C.A.Y.A.

BEGGARS: FEDERAL COURTS WIPE OUT STATE, LOCAL PROHIBITIONS REGIONAL WATER/SEWER: DETROIT BANKRUPTCY MAY SOLVE DEBATE PAY-TO-PLAY: THE PERSONAL COST OF SPORTS PARTICIPATION

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1993-2013 HERE’S TO THE FRIENDS WE’VE MADE, THE MEMORIES WE’VE CHERISHED, AND 20 MORE YEARS OF BRINGING FASHION FORWARD IN BIRMINGHAM.

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THE NEW STANDARD OF CARE Shades Optical is the first in Michigan to utilize advanced retinal imaging technology to scan the layers at the back of the eye and view the entire depth of tissue. This allows for early detection of potentially threatening conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetes and hypertension. This advancement allows us to diagnose early-stage conditions and promote healthy vision.

DOWNTOWN12.13

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Begging restrictions knocked down

Pay-To-Play Sports

Regional water/sewer

Federal courts have ruled that Michigan law and, as a result, local ordinances criminalizing begging in public are unconstitutional.

Pay-to-play sports participation in the high schools is much more common than most people may realize.

The bankruptcy of Detroit may actually bring about something that politicians for decades have been unable to accomplish.

CRIME LOCATOR

14

FOCUS ON WINE

83

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

FACES

AT THE TABLE

33: Blaire Alise

55: Alix Kay Craig

69: Kari Cholnoky

73: Brad Kifferstein

85

CITY/TOWNSHIP

57

89

Bloomfield Park back on the market; township bond sale complete; Baldwin Library plans move forward; 2014 road projects; township domestic violence ordinance; plus more.

For those not residing in the free mail distribution area, paid subscriptions are available for a $12 annual fee.

Phone 248.792.6464 and request the Distribution department or go to our website (downtownpublications.com) and click on “subscriptions” in the top index and place your order on-line or scan the QR Code here.

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Holy Name Catholic Church on Harmon just off N. Old Woodward in Birmingham, dedicated in 1922. Downtown photo/Rachel Bechard.

DOWNTOWN P

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DOWNTOWN • WESTEND • BLACK BOOK • THE GUIDE 124 WEST MAPLE ROAD BIRMINGHAM MI 48009 P: 248.792.6464 downtownpublications.com facebook.com/downtownpublications • twitter.com/downtownpubs

Publisher: David Hohendorf Ad Manager: Jill Cesarz Ad Sales: Matthew Swigart Graphics/IT Manager: Chris Grammer News Editor: Lisa Brody

News Staff/Contributors: Allison Batdorff, Rachel Bechard, Hillary Brody, Kevin Elliott, Sally Gerak, Eleanor & Ray Heald, Austen Hohendorf, Garrett Hohendorf, Kathleen Meisner, Laurie Tennent

DOWNTOWN

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

ENDNOTE

THE COVER

Tender; Nature's Touch Flowers & Gifts; Darakjian Jewelers; EGG by Susan Lazar; PetPeople; Toast; Massage Envy Spa; Studio Marisa; plus more.

DISTRIBUTION: Mailed monthly at no charge to homes in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills. Additional free copies are distributed at high foot-traffic locations.

C.A.Y.A. Smokehouse Grill in Wolverine Lake is part of an increasingly popular dining trend.

SOCIAL LIGHTS

BUSINESS MATTERS

78

Champagne is the most legendary of wines–perfect for the holidays.

Possible opportunity on regional water/sewer; perhaps not the last word on local begging ordinances.

INCOMING: 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 traditional letters or electronic communication. Your opinions can be sent via e-mail to news@downtownpublications.com; or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 West Maple Road, Birmingham MI, 48009.

Letters must include your full name, address and daytime phone number for verification.

12.13

BLOOMFIELD HILLS

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

W

ork is now starting at

Downtown Publications on production of the third annual edition of The Guide for 2014.

We launched The Guide in the spring of 2012 as an annual publication that would serve as the definitive directory to the communities of Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills.

At the time we specifically designed a community directory that would stand out from other publications in the market in past years, one with a convenient size, high-quality stock and special format (perfect bound). Although considerably more expensive than other publication formats, we thought then and still feel now that the investment in a more upscale product would be appreciated by local residents, who have come to expect nothing less from Downtown Publications.

Basically, we designed a full-color publication more befitting the local communities, and one that we know will be referenced repeatedly during the course of each year.

We think we are uniquely qualified to capture the essential information for the Birmingham/Bloomfield area. With our monthly newsmagazine, Downtown Birmingham/Bloomfield, we have established a track record of producing a quality, upscale editorial and advertising product that so many local residents tell us they look forward to receiving each month.

We will be applying these same high standards once again to The Guide, 25,000 copies of which will be produced in late March of 2014, the majority of which will be mailed to residents in the area.

The Guide will serve as the source of essential information for local residents and newcomers to the area. We will supply detailed information on local governments and both public and private schools, community profiles, houses of worship, along with a variety of information covering other important aspects of Birmingham/Bloomfield.

Like past years, we have priced advertising in The Guide at a level much more competitive than others who have tried to produce something similar in the past. And for businesses who would like us to create their ad, we are not charging for creative/production work.

Additionally, we are offering special discounts for advertisers who make an early commitment to join us on the 2014 edition of The Guide. We are also offering attractive discounts for advertisers who pay prior to publication next March. Combined, you can reduce our more than competitive rates by another 20 percent.

We have already been hearing from a number of past advertisers about our schedule for The Guide next year, so we think response will be strong once again.

For those potential advertisers who are not as familiar with The Guide from past years, we have a limited number of copies available for review. Simply call our office and we will mail a copy to your business.

The business community, immediately after the Thanksgiving holiday, will be receiving promotional information, including deadlines, on the Guide for 2014.

As in past years, we are looking forward to bringing local residents The Guide for the coming year.

So if you are a member of the business community, make sure you benefit from the excitement The Guide will generate in the local communities and join us for the 2014 edition.

As always, I welcome your feedback.

David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@downtownpublications.com

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INCOMING Excellent coverage Thank you for the excellent coverage you offer the residents of the city of Bloomfield Hills. While many cannot come to a 7:30 p.m. city commission meeting on the second Tuesday of every month, they know they can access the issues of the day by checking our Bloomfield Hills city website and by reading their monthly copy of Downtown, or resourcing your frequent email up-dates, which offer detailed and objective summations of decisions being made at city hall.

I wish to specifically thank Lisa Brody for her in-depth coverage of this year’s November 5th election. At every juncture, she was there with specific questions for the purpose of enabling any voter who wanted to know more about a candidate’s views to have some answers. There may have been a time when elected officials and candidates had to worry about being misquoted, or having their words slanted. In my experience, that has never been the case with Downtown, or other news publications in our community, for that matter.

Downtown realizes that readers appreciate a full examination of the pros and cons pertaining to key issues affecting Birmingham-Bloomfield.

We’re fortunate to have you provide us with an objective platform for dialogue.

Thank you for your diligence.

Pat Hardy, Bloomfield Hills City Commissioner

Limited government I am still reeling from (David Hohendorf's) so called editorial as written in your latest issue (From The Publisher/Downtown/November 2013).

You make a lot of personal statements about your dislike for (congressman) Bentivolio and obvious dislike for the Tea Party.

As a long-time resident of this area, I take great exception to your published comments, especially since you are able to vent without any competing comment.

You seem to be very liberal and no doubt like the way things are being managed by the current group in Washington.

Your dissatisfaction with limited government seems to be a key issue.

As a Tea Party limited government supporter since its inception, your comments in our view are antithetical.

You might want to reflect on the very dangerous policies being mandated on you and I by our current government. As a small magazine you might better support small business downtownpublications.com

and community rather than rant about those of us who like America as it was intended to be, allowing us to be free and self supporting.

It seem you have fallen in line with the mass media and are filling in with your liberal opinions at the local level.

America is being assaulted on all levels. If you like what is being planned for you, then keep up what you are doing. But the fertile soil you currently get to plow is changing; even you will be viewed as the enemy.

There are so many changes being made by this President that are distasteful and unacceptable to a free people. You may well look into them and contemplate your and your family's future.

Jarvis Williams, Bloomfield Hills

GREAT HOLIDAY GIFTS

Disservice to Area Within your "Crime Fighting" article (Downtown/November 2013), you state "…law enforcement departments are being forced to work harder than ever before, facing increased social, criminal, and mental health issues…"

I question just how much true research went into this article, and from what sources. A quick look at published FBI statistics reveals that crime is significantly down since 1985, the first time these by-department statistics were collected.

These trends are consistent across the nation. So please tell me, given these facts, how you can possibly justify your statement? It is my belief that irresponsible reporting of the prevalence of crime drives paranoid behaviors, which in turn drive fear disproportionate to the risks presented.

That disconnect drives behaviors on the part of law enforcement and government bodies that are illogical when approached from both costbenefit and constitutional perspectives.

It is my belief that published statements such as the above-cited do a great disservice to the populations you serve.

Wendy Thomson, Bloomfield Hills

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Christmas Services

A Christmas for Everyone

Sunday December 22, 2013 9:30 & 11:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church 1589 W. Maple Birmingham, MI

Friday Night Lights Presents “A Christmas for Everyone� at 5:00 & 6:30 p.m at the Palladium Theater in Downtown Birmingham FREE tickets will be available at the Palladium

fumcbirmingham.org

A Christmas for Everyone

Please join us at

Christ Church Cranbrook as we await the coming of our Savior!

Weekend Worship

Holy Eucharist: Saturdays at 5 PM.; Sundays at 8 and 10 AM. Lex Orandi on Sundays at 6 PM.

Christmas Eve ~ December 24

Sunday Holy Eucharist at 5 PM (suggested for Tuesdays at 10 AM, Holy Eucharist Wednesdays at 7 AM followed22,

by Bible Study at 7:30 December 2013 families with small children and youth); AM, Holy Eucharist Wednesdays at 12:15 PM. &—11:00 a.m.1 atat11:30First United Church Advent 9:30 Family Fair Sunday, December AM All are welcome in theMethodist Festive Holy Eucharist at 8 and 11 PM with Hospitality Center. Please join us directly after church for our annual Advent Family Fair.

1589 W.thatMaple Birmingham, MI We will explore St. Nicholas with a workshop will include puzzles, crafts, skits and full choir and musicians.

Weekday Worship — Morning Prayer Mondays-Fridays at 8:30 AM, Holy Eucharist

more! Snacks too!

Advent by Candlelight — Monday, December 2 at 6 PM A special evening

Christmas Day — Friday Night Lights Presents

for women, including hors d’oeuvres, desserts, a special program and the viewing of spectacularly decorated tables by Christ Church Cranbrook hostesses. Reservations required.

Wednesday, December 25 at 10 AM Holy Eucharist service with

cantor and sermon.

Christmas Brunch — Christmas Day 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM Offering music, “A Christmas for Everyone� at appetizers, conversation, and a traditional Christmas day feast with turkey, ham, and all Festival of Gifts5:00 — Saturday, Decemberp.m 7 at 5 PM; 8 at 10 the trimmings. & 6:30 atSunday, the December Palladium Theater AM Acolyte Christmas Pageant. Bring a gift for the Gift Drive for local charities. in Downtown Birmingham “O� Antiphons (Lessons and Carols) — Sunday, December 15 at 10 AM Christ Church Cranbrook Traditional Anglican Holy Eucharist serviceFREE of Scripture and Christmas will carols ledbe by the tickets Christ Church Cranbrook Choir. No sermon.

470 Church Rd. available at the Palladium %ORRP¿HOG +LOOV 0, Blue Christmas — Sunday, December 15 at 4 PM A service dedicated to all who are challenged by this year’s holiday season; such as the grieving, the unemployed, and those feeling alone.

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Christmas Services Please join us at Christ Church Cranbrook

Blue

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The holidays have a way of focusing and heightening our sorrows, sadness and fears.

We can feel “out of step� with the celebration going on everywhere around us. We are missing our loved ones, worrying about money, wondering what’s true. At the Blue Christmas service, we will have a chance to address the sad, dark things that are weighing us down and ask God’s help to endure them, pray for their healing, and reach for hope.

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CRIME LOCATOR

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Sexual assault

Assault

Murder

Robbery

Breaking/entering

Larceny

Larceny from vehicle

Vehicle theft

Vandalism

Drug offenses

Arson

These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills through November 15, 2013.

Placement of codes is approximate.

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BEGGARS BUDDY, CAN YOU SPARE A DOLLAR?

BY LISA BRODY AND KEVIN ELLIOTT

W

e're all conditioned to the sight. You walk out of Target, Kroger's, Macy's, or some other store at this time of year and there is someone dressed in a red Santa suit next to a red kettle, ringing a bell for the Salvation Army. You throw in a dollar, maybe five, or even $20, and go on your way. Or maybe you walk past.

Either way, most of us don't give it a second thought, considering it as part of the charitable giving of the season.

Now place yourself walking out of one of those same stores and instead of an iconic Kris Kringle figure with that classic red kettle, imagine a poor, dirty, bedraggled man approaching you and asking you for that same dollar.

Begging for it. Do you feel as charitable, or do you feel like your personal space is being invaded? In both of those instances, your money is presumably helping someone in need. The Salvation Army states they're giving meals to hungry children, warm beds to homeless families and hope to those who need it most. When we give spare change to someone begging on the street, hypothetically is there a difference?

The real question we each have to ask ourselves is if there is a difference between asking for help for someone else, whether it's for a charity like the Salvation Army at holiday times, or to help Cub Scouts when they're stationed outside a store selling popcorn and candy, or Girl Scouts with their ubiquitous cookies, begging for that same money.

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DOWNTOWN

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Dan Korobkin, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Detroit, believes he knows the answer to that. And following a decision by the U.S. District Court for the Western District Court of Michigan in August 2012, affirmed by a three-judge panel on the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in August of this year, the verdict, at least legally, is that individuals peacefully begging is the same as asking for money in other instances.

“Anti-begging laws that punish that most vulnerable segment of our society are not only harsh, they are unconstitutional,” Korobkin said.

“No one should be thrown in jail or subjected to a fine for holding up a sign or simply asking for spare change. Our municipalities cannot and should not use the force of law to silence the voices of innocent people who rely on charity to survive.

“The problem with this law and these ordinances are that they criminalize poverty,” Korobkin continued. “You can stand on a corner and ask for charity. You can sell something to help a sports team, or to go on a field trip. You can even ask someone for a quarter for a parking meter if you're short of change, but the one thing you can't do if you're poor is ask for change for yourself. The court ruled this violated the First Amendment and access to free speech.”

The ACLU brought the case against Grand Rapids for two men, James Speet and Ernest Sims, who were arrested in Grand Rapids in 2011 for begging. Speet, who is homeless, was arrested for holding up signs that said seeking “work or help.” Sims, who receives food stamps and monthly disability insurance, pleaded guilty to panhandling after asking for spare change. At issue was a state law and local ordinances banning panhandling and begging in public places. The ACLU asserted the First Amendment protects begging and panhandling.

The ACLU, in its suit, said that Grand Rapids enforced its panhandling ban 399 times between January 1, 2008 and May 24, 2011. he federal courts agreed with the ACLU, ruling that Michigan's anti-begging law, which had been on the books for more than 80 years, was unconstitutional.

The court determined that begging is an entitled protection under the First Amendment, and a protected speech and expressive conduct in public forums. Based on the court's decision, the Michigan State Police sent out a legal update stating that officers should not take enforcement actions under the state law.

On October 29, 2013, the ACLU of Michigan sent out letters to 84 municipalities across the state notifying them that anti-begging ordinances on their books are unconstitutional, and should be repealed. Birmingham and Royal Oak previously repealed their anti-begging ordinances. In Oakland County, the other communities include Berkley, Bloomfield Hills, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Hazel Park, Madison Heights, Milford, Novi, Orchard Lake Village, South Lyon, Southfield, Walled Lake, West Bloomfield, and Wixom.

The letter sent to Walled Lake City Attorney Vahan Vanerian by the ACLU asks the city to repeal its begging ordinance on the basis that begging is a form of speech protected by the First Amendment, as ruled by the US Court of Appeals in August. The letter goes on to quote Judge Robert Jonker's explanation of his federal court

T

ruling that found Michigan's state-law ban on begging to be unconstitutional and his recommendation for local governments to focus on prohibiting specific conduct, rather than speech: "Nothing prohibits the government from regulating directly the conduct the government identifies as problematic. The government can and does prohibit fraud, assault and trespass. But what the government cannot do without violating the First Amendment is categorically prohibit the speech and expressive elements that may sometimes be associated with the harmful conduct; it must protect the speech and expression, and focus narrowly and directly on the conduct it seeks to prohibit."

Each of the 14 letters sent by the ACLU to municipal attorneys in Oakland County follows the same form, but is individually tailored to include each community's ordinance regarding begging.

The letters close by requesting the recipients must contact the ACLU within 30 days to "let us know whether you intend to repeal the ordinance and take appropriate measures to ensure that it will not be enforced by local law enforcement officers."

The city of Walled Lake's ordinance regarding begging states, "It shall be unlawful for any person within the city to beg in any public place either by words, gestures or by exhibiting of a sign."

Walled Lake City Manager Dennis Whitt said the city's police department has been instructed to cease enforcement of the ordinance, but any decision to repeal the ordinance will be made by the city's governing body.

"They basically want to set our agenda so they get recognition for their work," Whitt said of the ACLU's request. "We recognize the court ruling and there hasn't been any enforcement of our ordinance since the ruling. We recognize locally that it isn't enforceable, but it doesn't require a full-scale action to stop enforcement. That's not high on my priority list. What is high is that we simply don't enforce it."

Walled Lake Police Chief Paul Shakinas said he doesn't recall any instances in recent years where anyone has been cited for begging under the ordinance.

"There was one homeless guy who was highly intoxicated at CVS (pharmacy), and he was warned several times to leave the premises," Shakinas said of an instance where begging was involved . "He was cited for trespassing (rather than begging)."

Reaction to the ACLU's letter was similar in the city of Farmington, where police also have stopped enforcing its ordinance regarding begging, said Bob Schulz, director of public safety.

"We have been made aware of the ruling and have ceased enforcement of the ordinance," Schulz said, who added that panhandling is rarely a problem in the community. "My knowledge of the ruling is still very fresh, so we will be reviewing what our options are with our city attorney."

Bloomfield Hills city manager Jay Cravens said they had received the ACLU letter and sent a copy to their attorney, Bill Hampton, who said he is reviewing it.

“We haven't done anything yet,” Cravens said.

“I suspect we'll oblige and move on. We'll likely

strike it because we don't need to be the poster child for the ACLU. But if someone were to beg in Bloomfield Hills, where would they do it?”

Bloomfield Hills' ordinance reads that “It shall be unlawful for any person to beg in a public person from any passersby, either by words, gestures, or by exhibiting a sign.”

West Bloomfield Police Lt. Tim Diamond said the department won't be enforcing the ordinance in the township, where complaints regarding panhandlers are "quite rare."

"We aren't enforcing that ordinance," Diamond said. "If we get complaints of that nature, we do send an officer to investigate. There are other ordinances or traffic rules that we can enforce if they apply, like if a person is trespassing or a pedestrian is in the roadway and causing a problem. Typically, we advise them as to what they can or can't be doing." est Bloomfield attorney Nancy Green of Secrest Wardle said they are still in the process of reviewing the ACLU's letter and what the ordinance provides for.

“West Bloomfield's ordinance is very simple,” she said, noting it is unlawful for anyone to wander around in the township, or to go from house to house.

Houses would technically be private property, which was not included in the court ruling on whether anti-begging ordinances were constitutional.

“There is nothing wrong with making it illegal to trespass on private property, to assault people, to harass them, or to commit fraud, but those are already against the law. There are rules against people asking for money on private property,” said the ACLU's Korobkin. “What you can't do is make it illegal to peacefully stand on the sidewalk and ask for change.”

Tim Currier, city attorney for Birmingham and whose firm, Beier Howlett, represents several other municipalities, said, “there is a difference between begging on a public sidewalk and inside a private establishment. An individual is free to aggressively beg on the public sidewalk. Our ordinance in Birmingham had said that begging was prohibited in the city of Birmingham, and we had to repeal that as a First Amendment protection. But on private property, it's trespassing, whether it's interfering with customers at a store or in the vestibule of a bank.

They would get a trespassing ticket, though not a begging ticket.”

Reaction to the ACLU letters have caused some police departments to cease enforcement of local begging laws, while others have gone further and have already taken steps to repeal or modify their local ordinance.

Wixom City Manager Tony Nowicki said the city's ordinances were changed more than a month ago in order to comply with the law.

"We changed the part where it prohibited begging," Nowicki said. "Our old ordinance specifically listed that as a violation and we removed that."

Orchard Lake Director of City Services Jerry McCallum said the city is in the process of rescinding language in its ordinances that prohibits begging. The process to amend the ordinance involves approval by the Orchard Lake City Council and is expected to be complete in December.

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12.13

"The fact that the U.S. Court of Appeals found that (begging) is a form of speech, I think, probably makes it pretty straightforward that we have to rescind our ordinance. City council could talk about other options," McCallum said.

Ben Myers, city manager for Madison Heights, concurred. “It's not really a community problem, but since the ACLU asked us to repeal it, we are sending them a letter telling them we are going to amend the ordinance. Our city attorney, Nick Growchowski of Sherman & Sherman, is working on an ordinance amendment right now,” Myers said. “It's not really been enforced before, but mostly because it's not been a major issue.”

Some municipalities have taken additional steps to alter their ordinances to be in line with the court's ruling, while still maintaining laws that address begging that goes beyond the scope of speech.

The city of Royal Oak in May 2011 addressed the issue of "aggressive begging" in its ordinance regarding loitering. Under the city's ordinance, a person may commit the offense of loitering if he or she remains or wanders about in a public place for the purpose of aggressive begging.

The ordinance defines aggressive begging as: (1) Touching the solicited person without that person's consent; (2) Blocking the path of a person without that person's consent; (3) Following behind, alongside or ahead of a person who walks away from the solicitor after having been solicited; (4) Using abusive language, either during the solicitation or following a refusal to donate, or making any statement, gesture or other communication which would cause a reasonable

person to be fearful or feel compelled to make a donation; (5) Soliciting a patron in a sidewalk cafe without first having obtained the permission of the operator of the cafe. orobkin said the ACLU is not addressing Royal Oak's ban against aggressive begging, at least for the time being. “We may look at what they define as aggressive begging to see if it passes muster,” he said.

“The courts have ruled that conduct that is aggressive can be limited by a law,” said Korobkin. “For example, if someone asks you for some spare change, and if you decline and they keep following you down the street and asking you over and over and over again, harassing you, and if they are using language that would make a reasonable person feel coerced or intimidated, that can be against the law. If they're just using uncomfortable language, or unpleasant, that's not the same thing, and they still have a right to that behavior.”

“When they are getting in your face and are rude, they don't have a right to assault you, touch you, interfere with your progress, or block your way into a store,” Currier pointed out. “But often, it happens so quickly, by the time you call 911 or the police, they're gone and on to the next person.

“But they can say whatever they want,” Currier said. “It's considered a form of protest.

It's the same rules as those for protesting furs. As they say, you don't have to like what they say, but they have the right to say it.”

While even the county's most affluent

K

communities have some population that is struggling with poverty or homelessness, whether begging or panhandling is an issue that is addressed through ordinances and enforcement may depend, at least in part, on the physical characteristics of each individual community.

"We don't have many public places for people to panhandle," said Wolverine Lake Acting Police Chief John Ellsworth, who said the village's ordinances don't address begging. "We don't have any issues with begging. If it were interfering or obstructing something, we have laws for that.

But as far as panhandling, we try to make sure people are taken care of. If it is a legitimate need, we try to address it. There are several resources we can rely on to assist people."

“I think we're going to see more and more instances of people coming into communities and begging now that it's allowed,” Currier said.

“They can stay in Detroit and not get as much money or risk getting rolled, or come out to Birmingham or these other communities and see about getting more money. It's a sad story, because those who are approached are uncomfortable. Yet it's an element of society who may need the help.”

“Even if people are uncomfortable, they still have the right to that behavior,” Korobkin pointed out.

“Just because someone is racially different, maybe mentally unstable, and making us very uncomfortable, think about it, they're no different than a guy wearing a costume ringing a bell for the Salvation Army,” Currier said.

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CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

associate broker 248.762.5319 mcolburn@hallandhunter.com

FRANKLIN | $3,995,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 3 Half Baths 10,578 Square Feet MLS# 213044578

BIRMINGHAM | $3,250,000

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- SOLD -

BIRMINGHAM | $1,575,000 5 Bedrooms 5 Full, 1 Half Baths 4547 Square Feet MLS# 213082878

Exquisite French Normandy 4 Bedrooms designed home in Quarton 6 Full, 2 Half Baths Lake. Renovated to 6785 Square Feet perfection by a prominent MLS# 213051993 national designer.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $2,999,000

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- UNDER CONTRACT -

BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $1,990,000 Impressive contemporary estate on 2.28 acres. Flowing floor plan. Banquet-sized Dining Room. Courtyard and pool.

- UNDER CONTRACT -

BIRMINGHAM | $1,695,000

An incomparable Post 5 Bedrooms Modern Masterpiece on 3.3 6 Full, 3 Half Baths wooded acres. Sophisticated 5071 Square Feet and functional spaces. Pool MLS# 213094417 and tennis court.

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Nanci J. Rands

associate broker 248.701.9000

CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

- UNDER CONTRACT -

FRANKLIN | $1,595,000 5 Bedrooms 5 Full, 2 Half Baths 5469 Square Feet MLS# 213083027

BIRMINGHAM | $798,000

Outstanding 2005 custom 4 Bedrooms build on private landscaped 4 Full, 1 Half Baths site. Soaring ceilings.

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WEST BLOOMFIELD | $405,000 4 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 3483 Square Feet MLS# 213109168

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BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $1,249,000 5 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 4798 Square Feet MLS# 213105266

Distinguished heart of Bloomfield Tudor on a private acre. Gracious 2-story Foyer. Inviting spaces. Great Master Suite.

- SOLD -

BIRMINGHAM | $2,495,000 BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $2,995,000

Wonderful “Bloomfield on 6 Bedrooms the Park” home. Elegant 6 Full, 2 Half Baths formal Dining & Living 6866 Square Feet Rooms. Master Bedroom MLS# 213027252 Suite has huge walk-in closet.

2004 built in-town home 4 Bedrooms with exceptional features. 5 Full, 2 Half Baths Private apartment over 3 6065 Square Feet car garage. Gourmet Island MLS# 213082198 Kitchen. Breakfast Room.

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442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Lynn Baker & Deby Gannes 248.379.3000 lbaker@hallandhunter.com

CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

248.379.3003 dgannes@hallandhunter.com

BLOOMFIELD | $669,900 OR LEASE AT $3250 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 2648 Square Feet MLS# 213090171

Hilltop setting surrounded by views of perennial garden views from every window. Living room with French doors to 3-season porch. Updated eat-in granite kitchen. Hardwood, slate and Pewabic tile floors. Finished lower level.

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP | $2,199,900 4 Bedrooms 5 Full, 2 Half Baths 6222 Square Feet MLS# 213081586

Cul-de-sac location in prestigious Goodison Place. 2-story foyer with grand dual staircases.

High-end finishes. Walkout lower level with theater, wine cellar and separate tasting room.

Private covered patio with limestone fireplace.

BIRMINGHAM | $469,900 3 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 1734 Square Feet MLS# 213112754

Walking distance to downtown. Dark hardwood floors, plaster walls with coved ceilings, newer roof, windows, kitchen and air conditioner.

Finished lower level with 2nd family room, craft/ toy room, lavatory and storage. Fenced yard.

ROCHESTER | $689,900 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 4644 Square Feet MLS# 213096820

Open floor plan featuring library with built-ins.

Kitchen with oversized breakfast room and huge butler’s pantry. Finished daylight basement with kitchen, family room with fireplace, theater and full bath. Very private treed yard.

View these and other listings at LynnAndDeby.com

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

CHRISTINE

DRINKWATER

associate broker CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

248.318.4745 CDRINKWATER@ hallandhunter.com

BIRMINGHAM | $3,100,000 4 Bedrooms 5 Full, 2 Half Baths 5200 Square Feet 1500 Sq. Ft. in LL

New construction opportunity on sought after Lake Park in Quarton Lake. Alex Bogaertsdesigned East Coast classic traditional with exceptional craftsmanship and detailing. 2-car attached garage plus detached 2-car garage.

BIRMINGHAM | $929,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 3245 Square Feet MLS# 213102744

Beautiful new construction by Great Lakes Custom Builder. Open floor plan with beautiful appointments, including quartz, marble, and hardwood, Kitchen Aid stainless appliances, butler pantry, and mud room. Large yard.

BIRMINGHAM | $1,399,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 2 Half Baths 4300 Square Feet MLS# 213101235

Spacious open floor plan. Spectacular chef ’s kitchen with quartz, marble and stainless steel appliances overlooking great room. Extensive trim and hardwood. Command center with desk and loads of storage. Master suite with fireplace.

BIRMINGHAM | $899,000 3 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 2738 Square Feet MLS# 213113604

Proposed new construction with open floor plan.

Large kitchen with breakfast room overlooking great room. Abundant hardwood and exceptional custom details. Library. Possible 4th bedroom in finished lower level. 2nd floor laundry.

View these and other listings at hallandhunter.com

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Hill Susanrealtor CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

248.225.1399 shill@hallandhunter.com

BIRMINGHAM | $999,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 2 Half Baths 3425 Square Feet MLS# 213117625

Beautiful Quarton Lake home on huge 212’ lot. Kitchen with granite island, workstation, pantry and dining area opens onto living room with fireplace overlooking patio and deep backyard. Entertainer’s dining room offers fireplace. Private study. Mudroom with built-ins. Master suite has fireplace, vaulted ceilings, huge walk-in closet and custom bath. Ensuite 2nd bedroom. 2nd floor laundry. A finished lower level with family and exercise rooms adds an additional 1420 square feet of living space. Perfection!

View these and other listings at hallandhunter.com

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

442 South Old Woodward Avenue Birmingham, Michigan 48009 CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

248.644.3500

Experience makes the difference.

Pam has been a top producing agent for over 29 years.

Pam Stoler

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248.840.0044 pstoler@hallandhunter.com

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442 South Old Woodward Avenue Birmingham, Michigan 48009 CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

Cheryl Riback associate broker,

248.644.3500 & Julie Flynn Frank associate broker | realtor 248.835.4150

ABR, SRES

fflynn@hallandhunter.com

248. 808.3112

248.835.4222

criback@hallandhunter.com

jflynn@hallandhunter.com

BLOOMFIELD | $745,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 2 Half Baths 3427 Square Feet MLS# 213111468

Orange Lake privileges. Large kitchen, family room, library, dining room, living room and hardwood floors. Finished lower level with sauna, steam shower and hot tub. 1st floor laundry. Central vac. Generator. Nice deck.

- SOLD -

BIRMINGHAM | $1,785,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 5100 Square Feet MLS# 213015203

Custom new construction on hilltop overlooking a large, private yard. Custom design and gorgeous detailing. Dream kitchen and finished lower level with daylight windows. 3-car garage.

BLOOMFIELD | $899,000 5 Bedrooms 7 Full, 1 Half Baths 4882 Square Feet MLS# 213110574

Spectacular wood and water views in Woods of Lone Pine. 1st floor master suite. Open floor plan. Walls of glass. Gourmet kitchen leads to Brazilian walnut deck. Walkout LL with 2nd kitchen. Heated 3-car garage.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $595,000 4 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 4556 Square Feet MLS# 213110316

Original Foxcroft model home renovated in 1998. Spacious rooms. Hardwood floors.

Dual staircases. Beautiful half acre setting with gardens and lush landscaping. Heated oversized 4-car garage.

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442 South Old Woodward Avenue Birmingham, Michigan 48009 CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

Kevin

248.644.3500

A my Zimmer & Tiffany Glime

Conway realtor

azimmer@hallandhunter.com

248. 330.3324

248.930.5656

kconway@hallandhunter.com

tglime@hallandhunter.com

248.593.1608

ROYAL OAK | $120,000 3 Bedrooms 1 Full Bath 906 Square Feet MLS# 213117078

BEVERLY HILLS | $435,000 3 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 2783 Square Feet MLS# 213117215

Desirable private setting in prime location.

Spacious 1st master suite, 1st floor laundry, Great room with vaulted ceiling. Library.

Brick driveway. Award-winning Birmingham Schools. Immediate possession.

Updated 1920s Craftsman home. New roof 2012. Newer windows. Furnace 2007. Freshly painted. Updated kitchen with granite counters, breakfast bar, new appliances. 3rd bedroom could be great office. Rear deck.

- UNDER CONTRACT-

ROYAL OAK | $210,000 3 Bedrooms 1 Full, 1 Half Baths 1158 Square Feet MLS# 213110325

Move-in ready! Beautiful updated bungalow.

Newly refinished hardwood floors. Updated stainless kitchen. 2nd floor has master with half bath, walk-in closet and separate library area. LL family room. Oversized 2-car garage.

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442 South Old Woodward Avenue Birmingham, Michigan 48009 CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

Ginny Fisher

248.644.3500

Lanie Hardy Cosgrove

realtor

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248. 703.1105

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BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $1,699,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 4800 Square Feet MLS# 213006575

Private gated enclave on ravine setting. Total of 7000+ square feet. Renovated Millennium cherry kitchen opens to family room. Finished walkout with possible 5th bedroom. Lower paver terraces. 4-car garage.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $1,999,000 5 Bedrooms 4 Full, 3 Half Baths 4733 Square Feet MLS# 213113645

Landmark estate of American author Elmore Leonard. French Regency design set on 1.27 lush acres with pool and tennis court. Stately 2-story foyer. Generous room sizes. Pewabic tiles. 3 fireplaces. 3-car garage.

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442 South Old Woodward Avenue Birmingham, Michigan 48009 CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

248.644.3500

Nancy Buck

Associate Broker,

Tom O’Brien

GRI, ABR, SRES

realtor, SRES, ABR

248.310.2339

248. 705.5891

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tobrien@hallandhunter.com

- SOLD -

ROYAL OAK | $465,000 2 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 3014 Square Feet MLS # 213031908

BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $440,000 4 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 3047 Square Feet MLS# 213115015

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- SOLD -

TROY | $295,000 3 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 2259 Square Feet 1100 Sq. Ft. in LL

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Updated granite/stainless kitchen. 2-story great room opens to deck with hot tub.

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FACES Blaire Alise

W

hen WDET-FM radio host Ann Delisi was asked in October to pick five up-and-coming bands from the Detroit music scene, she didn't hesitate in naming Blaire Alise and the Bombshells.

"She is one of the most driven artists that I've come across in a long time," Delisi said on NPR-member station WXPN during an interview on the station's World Cafe show. "I think she's got the goods."

The words are welcome praise to Alise, who at just 17years-old isn't yet old enough to get into some of the venues she and her bandmates play. Described as a combination of 1950's girl-group pop and Detroit-area punk rock, Blaire Alise and the Bombshells released their second EP, "Run & Hide" on Nov. 27 at the Cadieux Cafe in Detroit. Recorded at Ghetto Recorders with the help of producer Jim Diamond (best known for his work with The White Stripes), the 45 rpm vinyl record features the singles "I Got Something" and "Let Me Into Your Heart", both which can be heard on the group's website www.blairealise.com.

"I would like to eventually take this to the next step, but I have to finish high school," Alise said about the band and the recent recognition. "I'm just going with the flow. It takes time, but this is kind of snowballing and picking up speed right now."

Alise, a Bloomfield Township native now in her junior year at a local private high school, learned to play music through classical piano training. By 12-years-old, she was booking shows over the summer with her all-girl garage rock and punk band, Smudge Candy. In 2012, Alise attended a summer music camp in California. Citing influences from the Marvelletes and Shangri-Las to MC5 and Iggy and the Stooges, Alise said it wasn't until she went to other cities across the country that she realized how unique the sounds were that have historically come out of Detroit.

"I went to the Berkeley College of Music for a summer program and started to recognize my writing style and what I wanted to do, so I got home and formed the band," Alise said. "That was a big summer for me. That's when I really got into it and wanted to channel it."

Helping channel the sound are musicians Craig Adams, on lead guitar; Ian Mathes, on bass guitar; and Krystian Quint, on drums. Alise, who is partial to playing the Fender Mustang and Danelectro guitars she got at Detroit Guitar in Birmingham, sings and plays guitar in the band.

Playing around metro Detroit this summer helped the band gain exposure, particularly at the Metro Times Blowout, Alise said. She said the band plans to build on their recent success and hopes for more gigs and perhaps a larger tour during the summer.

"I would love to make music a profession, whether it's writing and performing, or something else. I would also like to get into the business side, something like working at a record label," Alise said about her plans after high school.

"I'm a very dedicated student," she added, pausing after the statement for effect. "I'm pretty focused on the music."

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Laurie Tennent

PAY-TO-PLAY ATHLETIC PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS

BY LISA BRODY

W

e have heard for years that the best thing for students is to get them outside, into the fresh air, away from their computers and video game consoles, and let them run around and play. As parents, we've listened. In our modern era, we just haven't let them play on their own. We've signed them up for kiddie soccer leagues, pee wee football, t-ball and little league, junior tennis and hockey, and lacrosse, even when the sticks and bats were bigger than they were. We may not be raising the next generation of Tiger Woods, Misty May Traynors or Serena Williams, but we are working hard to give our children the opportunity to pick up and swing a club, boot a ball over the net, perfect their jump shot, and serve and grunt just as well as their (and our) sports idols.

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Before most of our kids have had a chance to discover which sports they really are passionate about, we're signing them up for travel and rec teams, because we've learned from parents ahead of us that if kids aren't on a travel team as soon as one is formed, they've missed the boat.

Specialization and year-round participation in one or two sports has become the norm for many elementary school children, with inherent costs for equipment, uniforms, practice facilities, coaches, and out of town tournaments. Which can cost thousands of dollars per child, per year.

The increase in specialization in youth sports, with those high price tags, has led to charges that many sports have been turned into playgrounds for the privileged, with sports like soccer, hockey, baseball and volleyball becoming referred to as upper class sports rather than ones that are open and available to the greater populace.

“Without a doubt, soccer has become a rich kid's sport,” Shane Kennedy, a longtime soccer coach said, noting the costs of up to $4,000 a year to play summer and fall travel sports; as well as the additional costs of tournaments at $500 for a weekend of three games. Uniforms and equipment in most sports are extra. Mark Hyman, author of “The Most Expensive Game in Town: The Rising Cost of Youth Sports and the Toll on Today's Families,” said youth sports is a $5 billion a year industry. “It's the global warming of youth sports.”

F

or many families, those fees for their young kids are worth it because their ultimate goal is some kind of college scholarship in the sport, not realizing at their children's young age that they are few and far between, and that participation does not necessarily equal extraordinary ability. The other goal is to achieve a spot on the coveted high school varsity team, which often demands years of training in the sport before arriving in high school, and excludes those students who have not reached a level of excellence in the sport.

The big surprise for many parents today is that when their kids get to middle and high school, there is often a fee to participate in a sport or extracurricular event in many schools across the country, including here in metro Detroit. The reason is primarily financial, as schools have been experiencing budget reductions, especially since the financial crash in 2008.

“The 2008 bottoming out of the economy sent everyone scurrying for resources,” said Bob Gardner, executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations. “Pay-to-play is an easy way to get money and work around the budget. It's hard to assess the backlash on a national level. Most parents and athletes understand and have adapted.”

Gardner, whose association is based in Indianapolis, noted that payto-play has been around in some form since the 1950s and 1960s, although it has seen it's time of popularity ebb and flow. “Today, it's pretty common. There is some form of pay-to-play being done in 40 of the 50 states,” he said. “We're just seeing the widespread use really ramped up in the last five years.”

Pay-to-play is a term referring to the charge required of someone to participate in an activity. In today's public, and many private, schools, it can be required not only in athletics, but also for other extracurricular activities. In some cash-strapped districts, students and parents are being obligated to pay for some curricular activities as well, such as for students to take a foreign language or honors or advanced placement classes.

As Gardner noted, pay-to-play is not a completely new phenomenon. At various times in different economic cycles pay-to-play for athletics has been required of students and parents. But with this economic recession continuing to last for years and affecting the state government's appropriations to education budgets, it's appears that pay-to-play has moved from a temporary measure to a permanent part of school financing.

“Once you go to that model, and it's in the budget, you're not going to include it again,” Gardner pointed out of axing athletic allotments from school budget appropriations. “Schools are not going to put athletics back into the budget. Once it's gone and they're getting fees for it, even if property taxes come way, way back, it's gone.”

To some, there is a worry that decision will mean that only students whose parents can afford the participation fees and expenses associated

with equipment and uniforms can, and will, be part of school athletic teams and extracurricular activities.

“It sends a clear message to everyone in the school district, a message opposite of that intended by the community-supported public schools: opportunities are available only to those who can pay the fee,” wrote Bob Cook in Forbes magazine.

That assumption appears to have some validity. A national survey done in January 2012 by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health of parents of children in middle or high school (age 12 – 17 years) about participation in and costs of school sports revealed that 12 percent of parents said that the cost of school sports had caused a decrease in the participation of at least one of their children.

Of those surveyed, 43 percent reported that their children participate in some kind of school sports. Of those, a pay-to-play fee was charged for 61 percent of the sports participants. The average fee was $93, with 21 percent of kids facing a play-to-play fee of $150 or more.

Parents did note that pay-to-play were just one of the components of the school sports costs they reported. Including additional team fees, equipment, uniforms, and other costs, the average cost for sports participation was $381.

The University of Michigan C. S. Mott National Poll on Children's Health study found there were substantial differences in school participation based on household income, with families earning more than $60,000 a year, more than half had a teen playing school sports; but among those earning less than $60,000 a year, which was 19 percent of the respondents, one in five parents indicated that at least one of their children had decreased their participation in school sports due to the cost.

Of those who reported it, 6 percent of those whose children participate in school sports received waivers for the pay-to-play fees.

Waiver policies can vary from district to district. In many, students who qualify for the federal free or reduced lunch program are automatically given waivers for pay-to-play fees. Other districts require financial disclosures to provide student waivers. “However, such policies would miss working families who earn too much for free/reduced lunch, but not enough to afford additional fees for sports,” the poll reported.

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he University of Michigan study provides a harsher analysis, cautioning districts to proceed with pay-to-play with trepidation. “School sports offer many benefits: higher school achievement, lower dropout rates, improved health, and the development of teamwork, problem-solving skills, and enhanced self-confidence. Findings from this poll are a cautionary tale for those who administer middle and high school sports programs. Pay-to-play programs should be implemented carefully, to ensure that all teens have an equitable chance to benefit from participating in school sports.”

“As pay-to-play becomes the norm, nearly 1 in 5 lower income parents reported their kids decreased their sports participation – that's significant,” said Sarah Clark, associate director of the Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit at University of Michigan and associate director of the National Poll on Children's Health. “There is not an athletic director, school administrator or coach out there who doesn't want every kid to have a chance to participate. Perhaps schools need to look at their waiver policies and consider options like partial waivers, installment payments, or other means to provide flexibility for families.”

Yet not all families are upset by the fees, noting pay-to-play fees of $150, $300, or ever $500, per student a year are significantly lower than youth sports had been.

Mike Cowdrey, Director of Athletics for Bloomfield Hills Schools, said the district began charging for participation in athletics six years ago, during the 2008-2009 school year, to offset the cost of K-12 athletics. “We charge for any member of the student body where there is a coach or a sponsor,” Cowdrey said, whether it is a sport or a club. “There are different fees for clubs than there is for sports.”

Bloomfield Hills Schools offers students 24 different sports that they can become involved with. Student athletes in Bloomfield Hills, whether they participate in football, soccer, cheerleading or poms are charged $150 a year at the high school level. “Whether it's one or more, it's all

$150,” Cowdrey said. “What our pay to participate fees are for is to recoup some of the costs to pay for a coach.”

At the middle school level, it costs $100 to participate in sports. The district has a family cap of $500. However, if a student is on free or reduced lunch, they can plead their case to the individual school principal to get their fee waived, Cowdrey said.

Cowdrey said that since Bloomfield Hills Schools has begun charging for playing in athletics, there has been very little feedback or backlash from district parents. “They've understood,” he said. As a member of the Oakland Activity Association, he noted the district is on the low end of pay-to-play. “Now Rochester Schools and Clarkston, they're steep.”

In reality, there are direct as well as indirect costs that are related to running a sport. Direct costs are coach's salaries, officials, transportation, state and league tournament fees, as well as awards. There are also a lot of indirect costs to an athletic department which can add up. They include hiring athletic trainers for teams, administrative costs, field maintenance, fertilization, medical supplies, field paint, equipment maintenance and repair, central office expenses, insurance, game support, and miscellaneous supplies and materials. One district, Walled Lake Consolidated School District, with three high schools, estimated the indirect costs add up to $675,000 a year for its athletic department.

Some equipment is purchased by the district, and other supplies are the responsibility of students and families. Cowdrey said that most uniforms and equipment that an athlete needs, particularly in sports like football and basketball, where they are paid for out of the district's general fund. It is the individual athlete's responsibility to pay for their own tennis racquets, skis, golf clubs, lacrosse helmets and pads, hockey equipment and ice time.

Clubs in the Bloomfield Hills district include Model UN, forensics, yearbook, Spanish, Student Council, and others, where $50 is charged per student, or $30 in the middle schools. “But if an individual participates in both clubs and sports, there is a one-time (per year) fee of $150 for both,” he said. He said it is to cover the cost of staffing the clubs.

M

arcia Wilkinson, spokesperson for Birmingham Public Schools, said that the district has charged a participation fee in athletics for over 20 years. “While the rates have changed over time, the original decision to institute the fees was before our current athletic directors were in place,” she said, noting they don't have the history of how it was begun. The district claims charging a pay-to-play fee helps them focus district resources in the classroom.

However, she said the district has not seen any decrease in sports participation over the years. “One of the core values of the BPS athletic program is to promote high levels of participation,” she said. “We closely monitor those participation rates to ensure that our pay to participate rates do not create a negative impact.”

In 2011, the Birmingham district introduced a tiered pay-to-play structure. At the high school level, 13 sports have a fee of $165, one (football) has a fee of $185, while 13 others have a fee of $145. Students who qualify for free and reduced lunches may be eligible for exemptions by contacting the appropriate school's athletic director. Three other sports are completely self-funded, and those participants do not pay the district a pay-to-play fee. The reason they instituted the tiered model was to generate the revenue required by the budget for more expensive sports.

“There are some programs without a pay to participate fee collected by the district. They are gymnastics, figure skating and hockey,” Wilkinson said. “In those sports, the participants pay 100 percent, or in the case of hockey, close to 100 percent of the direct costs associated with running the program.”

The more costly sports for the district per player are football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, boys and girls water polo, softball, wrestling, golf, lacrosse, and skiing.

Intramural sports also require a pay-to-play fee, which the district requires for the same budgetary reasons. In middle school, the fee is $45; at the two high schools, it depends on the activity. For example, the Seaholm Snow Club, which offers weekly skiing and snowboarding at Pine Knob during the winter months, has a four-time rate of $169, and an eight-time rate of $313. They include transportation and lift tickets.

Private and parochial schools follow different funding models. Some require pay-to-play fees; others include those athletic and club fees in

their tuition. “To my knowledge, it is all included in our tuition,” said Nicole Pielecha, communications coordinator for the Academy of the Sacred Heart. Reg Cavender, athletic director for Brother Rice High School, noted that they have a booster fee that covers certain fees, but “we have an operating budget for each of our sports, and there are things we cannot cover, and parents are expected to cover it. Our (athletic payto-play) fees are all over the map, sport by sport.”

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avender explained further, “If a student keeps it, they are paying for it. If a kid is going to keep a jersey, we can't pay for those. In swimming, for example, their swimsuits, they're going to keep them, so they have to pay for them.

The shorts and tops for cross country, they pay for it. A golf jersey, for example, is $36, and the student will keep it at the end of the season. It's his.”

However, he clarified that Brother Rice covers the costs for many other expenses. “Football pads come back into our inventory, so we pay for those,” he said, as well as helmets and jerseys. What Cavender termed “normal” transportation expenses, to meets and games in the general vicinity, are paid for out of the athletic department's operating expenses. “But charter bus,” when there is a tournament or a state meet, he said, “that's a different story,” with parents and boosters needing to pick up the cost.

Steven Graf, athletic director at Cranbrook Schools, explained that they do not require pay-to-play fees, “not directly, like a typical public school where you have to pay a fee just to try out,” he said. “What is unique to Cranbrook, and probably other schools like Cranbrook is, I don't buy ski uniforms because they are so customized. I don't buy skis because they are so specific to the student, and they can cost $1,000 and they can go out of style, and another student wouldn't use them. Our golf team, they'll purchase their own polo shirts, as well as their own golf clubs. The tennis team purchases their own shirts and warm up suits, as well as their own tennis racquets.”

For each of those sports, the cost can run into the hundreds of dollars per student.

Cranbrook does purchase the uniforms and the equipment for other sports, like football, soccer, volleyball and basketball. A typical uniform, he noted, can cycle through for five years, and then it is usually worn out and there are changes in designs.

There is a fee, however, for football training camp the first week of August each summer. “It's the cost to feed, house and accommodate them on campus for the week,” Graf explained.

While hockey players do not have to pay for ice time, as the school has its own ice rink, nor for jerseys, “individual students have to buy their own hockey gloves,” he said.

“Students have to purchase items that are customized, things that are more of a supply than equipment,” he said. Transportation costs are included in the athletic budget.

Detroit Country Day Schools do not have a pay-to-play system either, although, like Cranbrook, certain sports do require their own purchase of equipment.

“Every student, in order to get a diploma, has to participate in a competitive team. Our school motto is a sound mind is a sound body, with the understanding that a sound body leads to a sound mind,” said Director of External Affairs Susan Murphy. “We believe character development stems from athletic involvement. We particularly are focused on team work, responsibility, and the follow through to teammates that athletics engenders, as well as leadership.”

Murphy said that generally, most of Detroit Country Day's extracurricular activities are included in the school's budget and tuition, although swimmers purchase their own swimsuits, tennis players their own racquets and polos, and golfers their own clubs. “Basketball and football players are issued team uniforms,” she said.

Transportation to all games, meets and practices are provided by the school and covered in students' tuition.

As for other extracurricular activities, she said there are case by case situations where a student may be required to pay for equipment. She explained that band and orchestra students do not pay for participating as a part of the band or orchestra in regional or state competitions, “but when an individual student goes to an individual competition that is not required by the school, they may need to pay for that.”

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WATER SEWER

REGIONAL CONTROL IN THE OFFING?

BY KEVIN ELLIOTT

F

rom Water Works Park on E. Jefferson and Cadillac Blvd. in Detroit to each of the 127 suburban communities hooked into the city's 6,871-mile network of water and sewer lines, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is the literal connection that links Oakland County residents to the city of Detroit.

DWSD is a sprawling network which encompasses the city of Detroit and most of suburban Detroit. It is also one of the oldest public utilities in the country, begun in 1852 by Detroit's city council which formed a board of trustees to operate the water system and provide hands-on management. One year later, in 1853, the Michigan legislature transformed the board of trustees into the Board of Water Commissioners (BOWC). Once known as the Detroit Water Supply, it became the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department in 1973 with the adoption of a new Detroit city charter.

Political leaders in the suburban counties surrounding the city have tried for decades to insulate their communities from Detroit's economic problems, particularly today as Detroit attempts to get out from under an estimated $18 billion in debt, which includes about $5.7 billion in water and sewer bonds owed by DWSD. However, it may be through the DWSD's physical connections and associated utility bills that residents in Oakland County will actually help Detroit get itself above water.

The DWSD's reach jettisons out to include a 1,079-square-mile area from where it provides water services, as well as 946 square miles to which it provides wastewater service. All told, the system serves roughly 40 percent of the state's total population, including about 700,000 customers in the city of Detroit and more than 3.3 million customers in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Lapeer, Genessee, Washtenaw, and Monroe counties. Drawing water from both the Detroit River and Lake Huron, the system pumps about 616 million gallons of drinking water and treats about 710 million gallons of wastewater each day.

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Because the majority of the DWSD's customers reside outside the city of Detroit, for decades officials in the surrounding suburban communities have pushed to have more control over the operations inside the DWSD. Currently, DWSD is considered a city department, but it operates its own budget outside the city with operations overseen by a seven-member board of water commissioners. That board includes four members representing the city of Detroit, and one commissioner each from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, who are all nominated by their individual counties and appointed by the mayor of Detroit.

"We have no claim (to ownership) from a legal perspective, but as a practical matter, any of the expansions on the treatment plant in order to provide flow and other improvements have been paid for by the suburbs by the fees that have been charged to the suburbs," said Oakland County Deputy Executive Robert Daddow. "This is a monopoly. There's no reasonable way to move off of a monopoly of this nature. Because permits are held through DWSD, securing them to build your own system isn't in existence and probably isn't going to happen."

The system has about 1.22 million suburban wholesale customers in Oakland County, with another 1.2 million in Wayne and 850,000 in Macomb, in addition to 600,000 retail customers. Wholesale customers refers to municipalities that the DWSD charges for water and/or sewer services, which in turn charge residents and businesses a retail price based on the municipality's cost of delivering those services.

The DWSD's 2013-2014 budget estimates the system will generate $877 million in revenues. Operations and maintenance costs are expected to use up 40 percent of the DWSD's revenues in 2013-2014, with the debt expense to use it at about 45 percent. Roughly 80 percent of the DWSD's total revenue is generated by suburban customers. fforts to establish a regional water authority by local communities, counties and state legislators in the past three decades have been resisted by Detroit city leaders and the federal court system, which until this year maintained oversight of the DWSD since 1978, due to the department's failure to meet federal clean water requirements regarding sewage and storm water discharges that occur when the system becomes overloaded. However, Detroit's impending bankruptcy and the appointment of attorney Kevyn Orr as the city's emergency financial manager by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has spurred new efforts by state lawmakers and the city's administration to establish a regional water authority.

In 2012, a Root Cause committee was established to look into ways the DWSD could better fund its longterm debt and pay for an estimated $1.5 billion in capital improvements to the system over the next five years. While previous plans for a regionalized system failed to gain any semblance of acceptance by existing and former city officials, the threat of losing ownership of the DWSD system has generated support from the emergency manager, the director of DWSD and others.

The committee's report recommended establishing an autonomous authority created to oversee DWSD's operations, including permitting the authority to set water and sewer rates, issue bonds and finance debt, and collect revenue from customers. In turn, the authority would be required to make recurring payments to the city for the use and operation of the city's water and sewer assets.

"The emergency manager is currently evaluating the recommendations in the Root Cause committee's report and other operational and financial issues involving the DWSD," Orr stated May in his financial and operating plan. "Substantial analysis is required not only of the proposed transaction recommended by the Root Cause committee report, but of the prior orders entered by the district court in the EPA litigation, the current and future intersection of the DWSD and its current and former personnel with those of the city and related treatment of legacy and other related debt obligations related thereto. Further, a plan to address the deferred capital projects must be developed. The emergency

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manager will continue to evaluate all options for the DWSD for inclusion in his comprehensive restructuring plan."

The committee's report is one of at least four plans this year that have been proposed to establish a regional system. In October of this year, Orr proposed his plan to officials in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties. Three proposals to create a regional water authority in southeast Michigan were introduced in the Michigan state legislature this year by Rep. Kurt Heise (R-Northville). Additionally, leasing or selling the DWSD system to private investors has been listed as one of the many possibilities by Orr and city financial advisors.

While the DWSD owns one of the largest water systems in the nation, by law, the department can only make enough money to cover the costs for its services, meaning it isn't permitted to make a profit. However, plans from the city of Detroit to lease the system to a regional authority would allow the city to establish a revenue stream for Detroit via payments from the authority. Whether those plans would require the city or regional authority to provide the funding for some $1.5 billion of system improvements over the next five years isn't clear and is likely part of negotiations.

Under the regionalization plan presented by the Root Cause committee, the city of Detroit would retain ownership of the DWSD system, but would lease it to a regional water board, which would in turn make payments to the city of Detroit. The report estimated those payments could be about $50 million per year.

Kenneth Buckfire of the New York investment banking firm Miller Buckfire & Co., who was retained

by Detroit as a financial consultant, said in a September 20 court deposition that the city is working with the Birmingham restructuring firm Conway MacKenzie to provide an economic analysis of DWSD. "They are doing a business plan for the water and sewer department that will allow for us for the first time to accurately project cash flows and determine what valuation might be attached to those cash flows," Buckfire said.

Buckfire said in his deposition that he is responsible for discussing with the counties the potential creation of a regional water authority which might acquire control of the assets currently owned by the city of Detroit. If that were to develop, he said, it would create value for the city. Discussions, he said, started in June.

"We are reviewing the possibility of privatization as an alternative to transferring control to an authority," Buckfire said in the deposition. "We haven't done anything about it yet. We are waiting for the economic analysis from Conway MacKenzie in order to go to the next phase of our review."

Buckfire suggested water and sewer rates would have to be raised in the future to pay for capital improvements to the system, which he said would total about $1.3 billion, which would include improvements that were deferred in previous years due to lack of funds. Buckfire made it clear the only way to pay for those capital improvements would be to raise rates.

"Either you have to raise rates to pay for the debt that you borrowed to build the project, or you have to raise rates to generate cash flow to invest in the project," Buckfire said. "Either way, you have to raise rates."

A proposal based on the Buckfire/Conway reports was presented to Oakland County in October. A proposal based on the Root Cause committee's report was presented on March 27 of this year to U.S. District Judge Sean F. Cox, who released the DWSD from 35 years of federal oversight. Cox didn't make a ruling on the committee's proposal.

"The Root Cause was a waste of time," Oakland County's Daddow asserted. "It's fundamentally screwed.

We were told on a Wednesday that on Friday we were going to be offered to pay $50 million a year on a system that we have no involvement in."

The counties didn't have adequate time to consider the Root Cause committee's proposal before Cox made his ruling. The most recent proposal, Daddow said, is still under negotiations.

"As proposed, there is nothing beneficial in it to the counties. It's DOA as proposed," Daddow said. "We are

working to develop a counter to what is on the table.�

Bill Nowling, spokesman for Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, declined to comment on the proposal while the parties are conducting negotiations.

Nowling wouldn't confirm or deny media reports that the offer included a total of $9 billion in payments to the city from the suburbs.

There would need to be a discussion of willingness of the suburbs to undertake those payments as well as an answer to the important question hanging in the air of who would govern a potential regional water authority.

Daddow said any agreement or hope of establishing a regional water authority would likely need to be done before financial oversight is restored to the city's governing body.

"The only way to really deal with the issue is the current time," Daddow said. "If the emergency manager leaves and they are out of bankruptcy, I don't see any hope in doing anything they haven't done in the past 50 years. We either deal with the problem now, in bankruptcy, or we don't."

Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash said the figure included in the offer from Detroit wasn't acceptable.

"They made a proposal and we are going to make a counter proposal," said Nash, who indicated the county is working with advisors and certified public accountants UHY to assist in making a proposal. "That was a very, very high number. It's something we are working on with the city. A regional system is the only sustainable way to go, but it has to be fair to everyone.

The governance of any system will be the big question.

The numbers they put out are pretty unacceptable. It's pretty unacceptable to the counties and something we will have to work through."

Nash said the county desires a governance board that accurately reflects all customers of the system. He said any agreement likely to be acceptable to the suburban counties would have to make sure that payments to the city would be used to address the large backlog of repairs needed.

State Rep. Kurt Heise (R-Northville) has introduced three bills in the legislature that aim to establish a regional water system, as well as provide a new means for rate-setting oversight. Two of the bills (HB 4009 and HB 4790) would provide a means for the the DWSD to transfer its assets to a regional authority or association, which could then operate and maintain control of the system. Each of the bills would provide that the authority or alliance provide funding to the city for lease or purchase of the system. he key difference between the two bills, dubbed the "Regional Water Authority Act" and "Regional Water Alliance Act," is the structure of the regional governing board. An "authority," under the proposed bill, would consist of representatives from each municipality receiving water or sewer services from the authority. The board would be required to establish an executive board that would then oversee day-to-day operations of the system. Under the "alliance" act, the regional board would consist of fewer members, similar to the current Board of Water Commissioners, with appointments made by the governor.

The third bill (HB 4791) would require the service rates charged by the regional system to be established by the Michigan Public Service Commission, which sets rates for all private utilities in the state.

Heise said the water alliance bill is his "Plan B" bill, which is based on the governance structure being proposed by the city's emergency manager. He said tying rates to the Michigan Public Service Commission could be used in any scenario, including privatization.

"Everyone has talked about it, but with the bankruptcy and need for money, there's clearly a plan

by Orr to spin it off into a privately run authority or regional governmental authority,� Heise said.

"Detroit certainly has valid ownership interest in the facilities. They have paid into the system over decades.

I don't want to get into any arguments over ownership.

But it's a regional system that others have invested into. It really comes down to the customers. It's about

T

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making sure the customer, and rate payer, gets value for the system."

State Rep. Klint Kesto, (R-Commerce Township, West Bloomfield) said the legislation gives the parties an alternative to some of the negotiations currently being discussed.

Heise said the the proposal brought forward by Orr doesn't provide a fair representation to all of the stakeholders in the system.

"Various plans have been put forward over many years," Heise said, former director of environment for Wayne County. "While with Wayne County, I worked on a plan with the state and people from other counties, and we had a plan that was very close to fruition, but (Kwame) Kilpatrick got in trouble and the plan never went forward."

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced in October to 28 years in federal prison after being convicted of 24 felony counts, including mail fraud, wire fraud and racketeering. Former DWSD Director Victor Mercado pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy which was related to the Kilpatrick conviction. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, while serving as director of the DWSD from 2002 to 2008, Mercado was responsible for administering over $2 billion in contracts with private companies and reported directly to Kilpatrick.

Kilpatrick served as special administrator over the DWSD. That designation arose from a federal consent decree resolving federal environmental violations, which also gave Kilpatrick authority to award DWSD contracts directly with outside parties, bypassing city procurement procedures. It also gave Kilpatrick responsibility over the operations of the DWSD's wastewater treatment plant to ensure compliance with federal standards.

Mercado stated in his plea that Kilpatrick used his position to filter contracts to Bobby Ferguson, or have the contracts delayed, awarded to competitors or cancelled, resulting in economic harm.

Daddow said the corruption at the DWSD is just one

of the reasons that a regional water board should be established.

"The incredible operating loss they have run up, the mismanagement and corruption, all underneath the federal government's nose," Daddow said. "I think if it were run in a transparent way, through a regional authority, those things wouldn't have happened.

Oakland County has to look out for its citizens and taxpayers, or in this case, rate payers, for water and sewer services. If Detroit has a demonstrated track record that they can't or haven't done it, perhaps a regional authority might provide the means to do so."

At the local level, some communities have already taken steps to help lower or control water or sewer rates. lans to build a two-million gallon water storage facility in Commerce Township are being proposed as a way to reduce the township's water rates. Commerce Township Supervisor Tom Zoner said the township pays one of the highest water rates among the some 81 suburban communities that receives water from the DWSD. The rates are set by a combination of factors, including the distance the water travels to its customers, the amount of water used, and the amount of water used at "peak" times, or times when water is most in demand. In building a water storage facility, Zoner said the township hopes to offset peak usage from the DWSD by allowing water to be drawn from the storage facility at peak times, thus lowering the township's overall rate.

Bloomfield Township Supervisor Leo Savoie said the township has become a member of the Southeastern Oakland County Water Authority (SOCWA), which includes a number of Oakland County communities and allows members to negotiate a lower rate for services with DWSD. "As a customer, we are able to save about 20 percent off of the Detroit rate," he said. "We became a member about three or four years ago. I believe we have saved about $2 million in costs by becoming a member. It's a huge, huge savings."

P

Savoie said he isn't sure yet how a regional water authority, such as those being negotiated and proposed in the legislature, would impact customers in Bloomfield Township.

"You heard the $9 billion number thrown out there, but the way I read it, that was over 40 years, with interest thrown in. I'm not sure if that's accurate. Then there's the $6 billion in debt. That's a huge number to satisfy, and I think that's reflected in the water rates and what they would end up charging.

“I'm not sure what the right answer is," he said.

"Hopefully, they can get it running properly and efficiently, so everyone isn't pointing fingers back at them."

Birmingham City Manager Bob Bruner said establishing a regional authority to oversee the water and sewer system could eventually provide some efficiencies to suburban communities, as well as to the overall water and sewer system.

“I don't think rates are going to change much if we maintain the status quo or under a new structure, in terms of year-to-year and people feeling a change in their pocket,” Bruner said. “I think it's a longer term issue that will put the system in better shape in the long run. If we have an authority or a new governance structure, that will be more fair for all the communities involved. I think it will have a positive effect in the long run because it will be easier for suburban communities to invest in the system."

Bruner said that separating the DWSD from the city of Detroit could allow a new regional authority to refinance its bond debt by receiving a better rating, therefore saving money to customers across the system by lowering interest on long-term debt, and therefore water and sewer rates.

"The thing that people need to understand about their bills is that a small portion goes to Detroit, but the majority is spent here in Birmingham (or other communities)”, he pointed out. “Some may trickle down to the other communities, but that's a small portion of your (individual) bill."

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Elegant and Sophisticated BLOOMFIELD HILLS Must see interior to appreciate architectural elements & finishes. Kitchen with fireplace features Bosch, Subzero, Miele & Thermador stainless steel appliances.

Master suite with spa bath & fireplace.

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Quarton Lake Estates BIRMINGHAM Open floor plan with hardwood floors, gourmet kitchen. First floor master suite with his/her baths and French doors leading to Flagstone patios and lovely gardens. Fabulous lower level great for entertaining with game room and theater.

Four bedrooms with 3.2 baths.

213115173. $1,290.000. Ronni Keating

Beautiful Treed Lot BIRMINGHAM Great room with cathedral ceiling, skylights and fireplace. Kitchen with bar seating area, granite, Jenn-air appliances and skylights. First and second floor master suites. Upper master has 2-way fireplace, jetted tub and euro shower.

Finished lower level. Five bedrooms with 3.2 baths. 213114863. $799,900.

Mike Cotter & Paula Law

Walnut Lake Privileges BLOOMFIELD HILLS Wonderful Bauhaus style Contemporary home surrounded by nature! Fabulous open floor plan offers brand new Scavolini kitchen with quartz counters and new Miele stainless appliances, bamboo flooring, redone baths with custom cabinets and marble. Private balconies.

Three bedrooms with three baths.

213111763. $725,000. Chris Johnson

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Spectacular .65 Acre Lot BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE One of a kind family home. Gorgeous family room, formal living and dining room, finished lower level with workout room and second kitchen. Custom kitchen opens to breakfast and hearth spaces with cozy fireplace. Master suite with fireplace and luxurious bath. Six bedrooms with 6.2 baths. 213098476. $1,895,000.

Bill Tracy

An Incredible Estate BLOOMFIELD HILLS The living is peaceful in this sprawling Frank Lloyd Wright inspired home. Open floor plan encompasses a Poggenpohl kitchen. Walk out lower level with sunroom, fitness studio, dry sauna, & theater. Over two acres of property with lush landscaping. Six bedrooms with 6.1 baths. 213101662. $1,495,000.

Lisa LaBelle & Cindy Obron Kahn

Custom Throughout OAKLAND TOWNSHIP Perched high with fantastic views, 1 acre, cul-de-sac, loaded with hardwood, crown moldings, 5 fireplaces, hearth area in kitchen, lower level finished with music room, huge workout area & kitchen.

Professionally decorated with exquisite landscaping & outside entertaining.

Four bedrooms with 4.2 baths.

213094384. $1,199,900. Susan Johnson

Renovated Village Colonial BLOOMFIELD Open and light with hardwood floors throughout. Family room with built-ins, Fieldstone fireplace and Pella French doors leading to patio. Newer white kitchen with high end appliances.

Finished lower level with bedroom & full bath. Five bedrooms with 3.1 baths.

213118222. $$799,000.

Heather Salesin & Cindy Obron Kahn

Sophistication and Style BIRMINGHAM Newly remodeled in 2000! Spectacular open floor plan throughout 1st level with gourmet kitchen, granite & stainless appliances. Kitchen opens to family room & formal dining room. Master retreat with spa bath & sitting area with fireplace.

Fabulous lower level. Four bedrooms with 3.1 baths. 213119000. $715,000.

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Sharp Custom Built ROYAL OAK First floor master suite, gourmet kitchen with high end appliances, library/office with built ins. Full finished basement with bath, kitchen/laundry area, exercise room, 22 x 25 rec room and lots of storage space. Great back yard with deck and full outdoor kitchen.

Seven bedrooms with seven baths.

213095559. $579,900. Jim Casey

Beautiful Sprawling Ranch TROY Gourmet kitchen with commercial grade appliances, custom pot & pan rack, granite, island, garden window & lots more. Large breakfast eating area.

Nice mixture of hardwood & tile floors.

Large master suite with fireplace.

Bloomfield Hills schools.

Three bedrooms with 2.1 baths.

213111667. $459,900. Donna Barlow

Large Fenced Backyard BLOOMFIELD This beautiful Colonial is located close to parks and shopping. Hardwood flooring throughout, custom granite kitchen with high end appliances, large living spaces and a finished lower level.

Two car attached garage.

Four bedrooms with 3.1 baths.

213116713. $389,000.

Dan Gutfreund

Private Lot BLOOMFIELD Beautiful Colonial with elegant open floor plan. All exposed hardwood floors throughout, new roof 2008, new energy efficient furnace 2013, eat in kitchen with granite & cherry cabinets, master suite with walk in closet, family room with gas fireplace & Florida room.

Four bedrooms with 2.1 baths.

213116063. $345,000. Mary Gleeson

Newer Built ROYAL OAK Gorgeous and charming Colonial.

New carpet, slate flooring and hardwood floors. Close to downtown Royal Oak, restaurants, shopping and parks.

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Three bedrooms, 1.1 baths.

213118727. $249,000.

Sandra Treboldi & Renee Lossia Acho

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Five bedrooms with 3.1 baths.

213114902. $568,000 Molly Henneghan & Kris Barich

Fabulous Natural Light BIRMINGHAM Mid-Century Modern design located on a lovely lot. Natural fireplace in living room and wood burning stove in family room. Lots of updates. Kitchen has tons of storage. Easy access to ample attic storage. Heated attached 2 car garage.

Four bedrooms with 2.1 baths.

213095371. $439,500.

Diane Cancro

Move In Ready BEVERLY HILLS VILLAGE Beautifully updated Colonial. Stunning new island kitchen with granite and premium stainless steel appliances opens to family room with lovely new stone fireplace & built-ins. Gorgeous treed lot with oversized deck. Beautiful hardwood floors. Four bedrooms with 2.1 baths.

213117011. $375,000.

Maureen Francis

Hammond Lake Privileges BLOOMFIELD Lovely updated Ranch with gorgeous views overlooking private yard. Light and open with beautiful floors. Kitchen with granite. Completely updated baths with new ceramic shower and tub surround, stone/granite countertops, new sinks and toilets. Three bedrooms with 2.1 baths.

213117334. $299,900.

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Double Lot PLEASANT RIDGE Beautifully renovated! All new appliances including washer & dryer. Granite kitchen, new baths, large sun porch, hardwood floors throughout, newer vinyl windows.

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lix Kay Craig has immersed herself in women's fashion since she was a teen growing up in the Bloomfield Hills area.

"I love getting that weekly manicure," she said. "Since I was about 16 and could get manicures, my friends always wanted me to pick out their colors."

After high school, Craig pursued her passion for colors by attending the University of Michigan's School of Art and Design, and later to Los Angeles and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, where she obtained a degree in manufacturing. She also worked in retail, assisting celebrity wardrobe stylists, and worked directly with fashion designers.

Throughout the past several years, Craig has worked to develop her own brand, AKayStyle, through a line of nail polish.

"It's been years in the process," Craig said. "It's been a really long process finding the right chemist and formulation for the product I wanted to put out, the right bottle and cap. It took years. We launched in January of this year."

Craig said touches, like AKay's rubberized, non-slip caps make the brush easy to hold and help to set it apart from other products on the market.

She is also quick to point out that all of the AKay nail polish products are 100 percent vegan and made without any harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde, camphor or toluene.

"A main goal that I had with the polish was being healthy and vegan," Craig said. "There are so many products out there that have harmful chemicals that you don't want to use. The reason I made it non-toxic and

vegan is that people don't realize when you put something on your nails, it goes directly into your bloodstream. It's almost like putting it in your mouth."

Color names Girly Girl, Natural Leader, Glamazon and Rocker Chic, each have their hue and statement. Each of the colors not only has a unique name, but a poem that Kay wrote that goes with it. The idea is to give each of the colors its own identity, and thus an image that customers might use in their own fashion expression. Kay also writes a blog about fashion and identity at her website www.akaystyle.com.

"It's fashion at your fingertips," she said. "A lot of companies have a unique name for each of their colors. I've taken it a step further. They might like the color, they might like the poem. It's about identifying with color, brand and fashion."

Kay said the names are more than a marketing approach – it's also a way for women to identify with current fashion trends, rather than following trends. “Nail polish is a sort of one-size-fits-all component of women's fashion that is both high-end and affordable,” she said.

"Nails are important in fashion, and nail polish is an ever-growing trend.

Right now, it's so hot to have the coolest nail art and color," Kay said. "My goal in coming out with nail polish in fashion was to give women something that fits everyone, and you can change it as often as you want.

"It's just something that I've always loved, and it makes any woman immediately feel beautiful."

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CITY/ TOWNSHIP Township completes pension bond sale

By Lisa Brody

Bloomfield Township signed the final documents on Tuesday, October 31, to complete the sale of over $80 million of municipal pension obligation bonds in order to fully fund township pension plans and save the township $3 million a year over the next 20 years.

The money from the bond sale will allow the township to fund pensions of retirees and current employees who are under the old defined benefit pension plan. That plan has since been replaced by a defined contribution plan.

Bloomfield Township is the first local municipality in the state of Michigan to issue bonds to cover unfunded pension mandates under a 2012 state law which allows municipalities with a AA or better bond rating to issue bonds for pension obligations. The township was given the go-ahead to sell the bonds earlier in October by the Michigan Department of Treasury.

In September, Bloomfield Township received triple-A ratings, the highest possible, from two of the nation's leading bond agencies, Standard & Poor's and Moody's. In giving the township the AAA bond rating, Standard & Poor's said, “We consider Bloomfield's economy to be strong, with access to the broad and diverse economy (of) Oakland County...In our opinion, the township's budgetary flexibility remains very strong, with reserves at more than 30 percent of expenditures for the past several years and no plans to significantly spend reserves down.”

Bloomfield Township first began exploring the possibility of of issuing bonds to cover unfunded pension liabilities in February, as a way of saving the township money over the long haul. Their initial estimations were based upon a 4 percent interest rate; they ended up locking in at a 4.5 percent interest rate, meaning their payment will be $6.2 million a year.

The bonds, said Ray Perkins, township finance director, “will stabilize our otherwise volatile pension costs for the next 20 years.”

“It's more than when we planned (the bond sale), but since then the bond market tanked and interest rates skyrocketed,” township supervisor Leo Savoie said. “Sixty days ago it would have been 5.2 percent. If we didn't do the bond sale, it would be a totally different ball game. In the next budget year (January 1, 2014 – December 31, downtownpublications.com

Blighted Bloomfield Park back on market

By Lisa Brody

G

rand/Sakwa Properties, LLC of Farmington Hills, which has developed over five million square feet of retail, mixed use and residential properties and is one of the midwest's largest private real estate developers, has chosen to not acquire the the foreclosure rights to Bloomfield Park, after completing due diligence on the project.

In August, Grand/Sakwa acquired a purchase agreement for the foreclosure rights to the property, subject to a period of due diligence, from Wells Fargo Bank, which had acquired the foreclosure rights in 2011 after resolving a complex 2009 lawsuit in Oakland County Circuit Court involving over 170 liens on the property. The bank has never formally foreclosed on the property.

“I remain hopeful that if we can get some more diligence done on unraveling the complexities of the project, that they are one of the companies that will be interested in it again,” said Matthew Gibb, Oakland County Deputy County Executive for Economic Development.

“We are continuing to push ahead to try to unravel the issues that are blocking movement, such as ways to structure the Brownsfield Authority on it, to assist a developer to demolish, finance and redevelop the property. We're still uncertain how to do that.”

Gibb said there is a lot of interest in the property, and that while Oakland County had initially been the prime mover in pushing a sale forward, Wells Fargo has now picked up momentum. “The bank has done a fabulous job of showing it to developers,” he said. “They have been patient so far, but they are losing patience.”

He said that Grand/Sakwa “tried very hard to move fast enough to meet the deadlines imposed to reclaim the site. There's just too much to unravel, because so much is actually usable. A lot of what's built actually would not need to be torn down; they're still usable structures.

But to make it financially viable with what is there is the issue. It's how to save parts, demo parts, and restructure the uses that are there are the key issues. It's a complicated process to make all of the numbers work.”

Bloomfield Park is a 90-acre site in Bloomfield Township and Pontiac where construction began but was abandoned in 2008, following the banking and real estate collapse now known as the Great Recession.

Currently, the site is abandoned and considered blighted.

Gary Sakwa and Bill Eisenberg, principals at Grand/Sakwa, did not return calls for comment, nor did Alan Greene, partner at Dykema Gossett, who represents Wells Fargo in the Bloomfield Park matter.

2014), our payments would have been $10.8 million into the unfunded pensions. That's $5.5 million more than we're paying.”

Savoie said the township had no difficulty selling the bonds, even in light of Detroit's bankruptcy filing. “I think the markets are cautious in general about municipal markets, as there are so many municipalities struggling. Detroit just happened to file for bankruptcy,” he said. “We

went out for competitive bids.”

Savoie said that $80 million was more than any one company wanted to swallow on their own, so they went with negotiated bids. “There were a number of companies who wanted to talk to us about Bloomfield Township. I think that's because both rating agencies gave us a AAA rating while we're so close to Detroit, right in the middle of the rust belt. The day before the bond sale, we had over $200 million

DOWNTOWN

in bond offers. That allowed us to go back and get better interest rates.”

In February, Perkins explained the benefit of issuing the pension obligation bonds, “We currently have about $130 million. If we borrow $80 million, we will have $210 to invest. With a 6.25 percent rate of return, it will completely satisfy our liabilities, and we will no longer need to make any contributions to our pension fund, only to repay the bond payments. If we didn't sell the bonds, we would have the expense of $10 million a year to fund the pension fund. That was going to be tough to do.

This way it's only $6 million a year. And we will realize a $60 million saving over 20 years by doing this. That's an average $3 million a year savings to taxpayers.”

Bonds investment allocation approved Bloomfield Township trustees unanimously approved a recommended investment allocation of their pension obligation bonds proceeds at the board of trustees meeting on Monday, November 11.

Township treasurer Dan Devine explained that the township has all of its investment money in a trust fund that is divided into two account funds.

Prudential has historically had the lion's share of the township's assets, he said, with an investment allocation of $129 million in guaranteed assets. An equities account, managed by Gregory J. Schwartz of Bloomfield Township, “has historically had little equities exposure,” Devine said.

On October 31, Bloomfield Township signed the final documents to complete the sale of over $80 million of municipal pension obligation bonds to fully fund the pension funds with the goal of saving the township $3 million a year over the next 20 years. That money, Devine said, would be placed in the equities account under Gregory J. Schwartz' management.

“Now we will have a balanced financial portfolio, with $81.3 million in the equities account,” Devine said.

“We'll have a balance of 60 percent in fixed and 40 percent in equities, which is the target we set in December 2012.”

He noted the township is obliged to pay the pension as it comes due, but that they have reduced their obligation by paying $6.2 million a year versus $9 million if they had not sold the pension obligation bonds.

“In essence, we refinanced the mortgage on our house,” he said.

57

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Commissioners, planners joint workshop

By Lisa Brody

T

Domestic violence ordinance approved The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees unanimously passed a domestic violence ordinance amendment at their regular meeting on Monday, October 28, which adds provisions to the existing law prohibiting domestic assault and domestic assault and battery, and provides penalties to anyone convicted of the misdemeanor.

The township ordinance mirrors the Michigan state statute, according to the township clerk's office. Bloomfield Township Police Captain Scott McCanham presented the ordinance, which says that anyone who commits “assault or assault and battery against an individual is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 93 days or a fine of not more than $500, or both.”

Further, the ordinance states, “Any person who assaults or assaults and batters his or her own spouse or former spouse, an individual with whom he or she has had a child in common, or a resident or former resident of his or her household, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 93 days or a fine of not more than $500 or both.”

The ordinance also permits a police officer to arrest an individual based upon suspicion of assault or assault and battery whether or not the officer has a warrant, or whether or not the assault happened in the presence of the officer, as long as the officer has reasonable cause to believe it happened or is continuing to happen, and if they have a child in common, live in the same household, or is a spouse or former spouse.

The trustees voted 6-0 to pass the ordinance, with trustee Corinne Khederian absent.

Bloomfield Hills looks at road projects The Bloomfield Hills City Commission evaluated the city's road improvement programs for 2014 through 2016 at its meeting on Tuesday, November 12, unanimously approving a project for 2014 to reconstruct Yarboro and Joyce Court, while requesting more engineering information on major improvement

projects for S. Cranbrook and Vaughan roads.

Engineer Jamie Burton from Hubbell, Roth & Clark stated that the commission in 2012 had set a recommendation of spending $250,000 from the city's millage on smaller road projects and $50,000 from the city's general fund on crack sealing and patchwork each year. Larger road projects cost much more and require the city to either refrain from a year or two of work and save up, Burton said, or pay for the reconstruction and repairs through a bond or millage increase.

Burton said the worst roads in Bloomfield Hills are Chesterfield, Chestnut Circle and Chestnut Court, Woodwind Drive, S. Cranbrook Road from Lone Pine to Quarton, and Yarboro, where the street has experienced sewer collapses and drainage issues. “The road is actually falling apart,” he said.

Multi-year budgeting is needed for Lahser Road from Long Lake to Hickory Grove, Hickory Grove, N. Kensington Road, Vaughan Road, and the rest of Cranbrook Road, Burton pointed out.

He said the money is available for 2014 to do smaller projects, such as Yarboro and adjacent Joyce Court, but not for a larger project.

“S. Cranbrook Road is an embarrassment to our city,” said commissioner Sarah McClure. “It's an entranceway to the city.”

“No debate. But the money just isn't there,” said city manager Jay Cravens.

“We would need to raise the millage or present a bond. I would prefer to raise the millage. Our city fathers were very wise in structuring our millage to allow us to raise or decrease our millage for major road projects. I think that would be more palatable to voters (rather than presenting a bond).”

Mayor Pat Hardy pointed out that a larger conversation was needed on the subject. “We all heard from many residents who may be willing to spend on roads. We need to sit and figure it out,” she said, asking Burton if the commission would still have time to approve a major project if they saw engineering details and an estimate of costs at their December meeting.

Burton said they would.

The commission then authorized Hubbell, Roth & Clark to develop detailed plans for potential road projects for S. Cranbrook and Vaughan roads, as well as approving road projects for Yarboro and Joyce Court for 2014.

he Birmingham City Commission and Planning Board met at a joint workshop session on Monday, October 28, to discuss planning questions before the two boards, and for commissioners to provide working advice to the planning board on how to proceed on three issues they are currently working on, Class C liquor license transfers, noticing for public hearings for areas in the zoning transition overlay areas, and whether to bring back master planner Andres Duany in the spring of 2014.

In August 2012, city commissioners approved an ordinance requiring any and all transfers of ownership or location of a liquor license in the city to receive the prior approval of the city commission. The ordinance was created in light of new regulations from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLLC) which went into effect July 1, 2012, erasing local control from liquor license transfers. While the MLLC no longer mandates the city to approve the transfer of a liquor license, the city commission and Birmingham Police Chief Don Studt said the ordinance was a way of reasserting local control. In approving the ordinance, all liquor license transfers now require special land use permits (SLUPs) from the city commission before they go to the state liquor commission.

The planning board first reviews all requests, and were unsure as to how to proceed. Commissioners advised them “basically look at them as any other business in terms of signs, layouts, regulations. There's a whole list that they're supposed to do in standard reviews,” said commissioner Stuart Sherman. “We told the planning board we're not looking for the same kind of review as they would perform for initial bistro licenses.”

Commissioner Gordon Rinschler concurred. “The planning board was trying to treat them like bistros, which is exhausting,” he said. “The planning board does not need to be judge and jury, just to advise them.

We're trying to use the SLUP as a means of local control. It's as important after the fact as before, so that the planning board would rethink plans, and any ramifications, before it comes to the city commission.”

As for the question of how much noticing is necessary for a public hearing as they create the zoning transition overlay and amend the zoning map, a concern came from some members of the public near Adams Square. “I started the movement for more noticing,” Rinschler said. “It's a courtesy notice, but not a legal document. I feel the planning department should create more of a press release to those in the area, not the former intimidating document.”

“It's better to notice everyone within 300 feet and all property owners so everyone is aware (of the public hearing),” said commissioner Rackeline Hoff. “But the reality is, citizens do not pay attention or are not concerned about a matter unless it directly affects them.”

As for looking at the 2016 master plan, a consensus grew at the meeting that master planner Andres Duany, who developed the plan for Birmingham in 1996, should be invited back in the spring for a visit. “We would set up a small committee to look into doing it, what we're looking at from Duany by bringing him back, where are we now, and how do we move forward,” Sherman said. “There wouldn't be formal meetings or charrettes.”

Sherman said that for a relatively nominal fee of $10,000, the feeling was that the city would benefit from his insight at this juncture.

“We have to be looking forward, but we don't need another 2016 plan,” Rinschler pointed out. “When we did the 2016 plan, there were a lot of challenges that have now been met. Because it's relatively inexpensive to have Duany come back, it would be good to start a dialogue, and say, what's next? What comes after the multi-modal and transitional zoning plans? We're looking for some thought-provoking dialogue going forward.”

“We have accomplished most of the 2016 plan, and accomplished it well. I want to see some input from him – not a new plan, but some suggestions, not just walking around with a group of people saying 'good job,'” Hoff said. “I will look forward to it being a productive session rather than just a pat on the back.”

City manager Bob Bruner said the committee, which will likely be formed in the first quarter of 2014, will be an informal advisory committee comprised of “community members who have stood the test of time and some more recent members of the city commission and planning board.”

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623 PARK ST, BIRMINGHAM $2,149,000

CUSTOM BUILT BY TROWBRIDGE, NOTHING ABOUT THIS HOME IS LESS THAN GRAND. SITTING ON A HILLTOP IN THE "SAN FRANCISCO" AREA OF BIRMINGHAM, JUST STEPS AWAY FROM DOWNTOWN, OPEN FLOOR PLAN W/2-WAY FIREPLACE BETWEEN FAMILY ROOM & LIBRARY. GOURMET KITCHEN, GRAND MASTER SUITE, SEPARATE IN-LAWS SUITE, COMPLETELY FINISHED LOWER LEVEL W/FULL BATH, WET BAR, THEATER. THE FINEST OF MATERIALS & DETAILS. AGENT ASSISTED SHOWINGS.

6975 CATHEDRAL, BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 1921 WAKEROBIN DR, BLOOMFIELD HILLS

$389,000

$449,000

This beautiful Bloomfield Township colonial is located close to parks and shopping. Features of this home include 4 large bedrooms & 3.1 bathrooms. Hardwood flooring throughout, custom granite kitchen with highend appliances, large living spaces and a finished lower level. 2 Car attached garage & a large fenced in back yard.

This mid-century modern home is nestled in a private wooded setting on almost an acre of land. Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, this home offers an open floor plan with floor to ceiling windows, brand new hardwood flooring throughout and a freshly painted interior.

Features of this home include; 4 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, walkout lower level, wood paneled office space and a 2 car attached garage.

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CITY/ TOWNSHIP Pat Hardy mayor of Bloomfield Hills Newly-reelected Bloomfield Hills City Commissioner Pat Hardy was appointed mayor of the city by her fellow commissioners after being sworn in for another term in office at the city commission meeting on Tuesday, November 12.

Commissioner Michael Dul was appointed mayor pro tem. Terms for mayor and mayor pro tem are for one year and, like their fellow commissioners, those holding the office are paid $5 per month.

Bloomfield Hills appoints the mayor from the commission as a whole following nominations from a fellow commissioner. Hardy was nominated

by Dul; Dul was nominated by newly elected commissioner Mike Coakley.

Both appointments were unanimous, with commissioner Stuart Sherr absent.

Hardy, 74, is a former history teacher who has been a community activist since she left teaching in 1966. A Bloomfield Hills city commissioner since 2003, she previously served the city as mayor in 2007. Prior to becoming a city commissioner, Hardy sat on the city's planning commission for 10 years.

Dul, a noted landscape architect with a company based in Birmingham, is serving his first term as commissioner after having been on the city's planning commission.

“Let me thank my fellow commissioners, the city staff and residents for giving me the honor of serving as mayor again,” Hardy said.

“We really do have an exceptional city and we are going to work as a team.”

She then thanked commissioner Sarah McClure for her 18-month term as mayor, which was extended due to a change in Bloomfield Hills voting dates. “Sarah McClure served for 18 arduous long months. She did a great and Herculean job,” Hardy noted.

Scott Moore new Birmingham mayor

By Lisa Brody

Birmingham City Commissioners elected fellow commissioner Scott Moore as the new mayor of Birmingham at their meeting on Monday, November 11, and elected commissioner Stuart Sherman mayor downtownpublications.com

pro tem, as commissioner George Dilgard concluded his year as mayor.

Their terms commenced at the meeting, and will last for one year. In Birmingham, the mayor position rotates among the elected commissioners, and is an honorary position with no additional pay.

Commissioners are paid $5 per meeting. The mayor helps the city manager set the agenda, can perform weddings and other ceremonial functions.

Moore, a lifelong Birmingham resident, is in his 14th year as a Birmingham City Commissioner. He held his first commission term from 1995 to 1999, and has been a commissioner consistently since 2003. He has been mayor twice before, in 1999 and 2006.

He is an attorney, certified mediator and has a secondary teaching certificate. He is married to Joan, a fellow lawyer, and has one daughter, Paige, a sophomore at Michigan State University.

“There is no one who loves Birmingham more than Scott Moore,” commissioner Tom McDaniel stated in nominating Moore. He also thanked Dilgard.

“George, you were a model of efficiency and always so well prepared.”

“I feel honored to be part of a commission that has been together for so many years. We are excited to be part of its future,” Moore said in his acceptance speech. “Looking forward to the coming year, we will be engaged in continuing the conversation of balancing and furthering the needs of our seniors, improving the physical experience of our library. This community has always understood managing the assets of our city.”

He noted it is also important to maintain Birmingham's AAA bond rating and to work regionally.

“Working regionally with our neighbors will be important, not just next year but in the years to come,” he said. “We are part of a region that is competing for talented people and we have to make sure that our city is second to none.”

Sherman, who was just reelected to the commission for his third term, said, “I want to thank the citizens of this great city. I want to thank my fellow commissioners for giving me this great opportunity for the second time. I'm really honored and I'm looking forward to serving.”

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Lincoln to include multi-modal changes

By Lisa Brody

Birmingham engineer Paul O'Meara presented conceptual plans for resurfacing Lincoln Avenue between Southfield and Woodward in 2014, including multi-modal changes such as bump outs and bike lanes at the Birmingham City Commission meeting on Monday, November 11, which commissioners approved while declining his recommendation to assess residents for the improvements.

O'Meara stated to commissioners in presenting the Lincoln Avenue road project that “2014 road projects have to be approved now in order to be put out for bid over the winter months.” He further told them that in designing the engineering plans, they tried to follow Greenway Collaboratives directives towards incorporating multi-modal transportation uses as much as possible.

The Greenway Collaborative in Ann Arbor was hired by Birmingham last year to determine Birmingham's multi-

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modal desires and needs, and to come up with a multi-modal transportation master plan which can be implemented in different phases over 20 years or so. The Greenway Collaborative works on greenways projects, complete streets and sustainable design.

O'Meara noted that Lincoln was originally built as a four-lane road and is now down to two driving lanes and two parking lanes. In addition to repaving the road, the city wants to improve pedestrian crossings along Lincoln, calm speeds and add bike lanes. At several four-way intersections, the city plans to add tree extensions in bump outs and tree islands in order to allow the street to feel narrower. O'Meara acknowledged it will take away from some street parking, but said “there's really been no comment from the public.”

Some areas of the street will have lanes widened to allow for bikes.

Because it is a resurfacing project and not a complete road reconstruction, O'Meara said the curbs and gutters will not be rebuilt.

“It's an asphalt overlay on concrete. I

anticipate just removing the asphalt and resurfacing the asphalt. It's not a complete reconstruction. It's a 20year fix,” he said.

Jeff Surnow, owner of The Surnow Companies and an avid biker who began the Birmingham Bike Festival, said, “Lincoln is not a well-traveled bike route. If there is a way to add a little more room, that would be appreciated. I don't know what else you can do. Slowing the traffic is really important.”

Commissioner Gordon Rinschler pointed out that “One foot could add a lot of room (to a bike lane), going from two-and-a-half feet to three-anda-half feet, without impacting pedestrians.”

Commissioner Mark Nickita said he was cautious about redesigning the multi-modal aspects of the plan at the commission meeting. He also pointed out the bump outs recreate the width of parked cars, and cyclists have to be careful of that.

Birmingham city planner Jana Ecker told commissioners that there had been adamant commentary from residents on Lincoln that “they want

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as much narrowing of Lincoln as possible. They want as much traffic calming as possible.”

While commissioners unanimously approved the multi-modal additions to the plans, they declined to act on O'Meara's recommendation to assess residents 50 percent of the cost of those additions.

Ecker said multi-modal improvements were supposed to be implemented whenever it was part of a major reconstruction because then it was free. “This isn't then. This situation is unique because we've added major multi-modal changes to a modest resurfacing.”

“If you want to kill the multimodal concept, this is the way to do it,” said commissioner Tom McDaniel.

“It seems to me it is the obligation of the city to rebuild the roads the right way. Whether it's a repave or a reconstruction doesn't matter. I think this goes down the wrong way.”

Nickita also said, “I'm not in favor of moving towards an assessment.”

The entire project still needs approval from the commission when O'Meara has the costs for it.

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Merrill Street stretching from Chester to Bates, the full length of the block, two stories tall with the addition of a basement for three stories of use. The new building would be integrated and connected to the original library on the main floor in the center of the block.

Some members of the planning board questioned not reorienting the entrance back to the library's original entrance on Martin Street, but a representative of Quinn Evans, other planning board members, and members of the joint library building committee pointed out that it would be difficult to incorporate. Public feedback has indicated that there is strong opposition to compromising the library's Grand Hall by changing the entrance back to Martin. It would also add to the renovation costs.

Overall, the planning board was supportive of the expansion plans.

Since the last meeting of the joint library building committee in October, Quinn Evans worked with R.W. Brown & Associates, a Virginia company which specializes in building cost estimating. They determined that the plan, as it was presented in October, would cost Birmingham $22.9 million, exceeding the committee's $21.5 million planned budget.

Library committee moving forward

By Lisa Brody

The Birmingham Joint Library Building Committee met on Wednesday, October 30, at a public forum where members reviewed architectural plans and construction cost estimates to evaluate the most cost-effective way to move forward on the Baldwin Public Library possible expansion.

They next presented their plan and costs to the Birmingham Planning Board on Wednesday, November 13, at a public hearing. “It was a courtesy review of the plans by the planning board, which they do not need to approve. We were looking for suggestions and comments from them,” said Baldwin Library Director Doug Koschik.

Following months of work, meetings and analysis, the library committee chose a conceptual plan in October from Quinn Evans Architects which would take down both the 1960 and 1980 additions, leaving only the original 1927 building, which would be enhanced. A new building would be built in the shape of a rectangle on

The city will need to issue a bond to pay for the expansion and renovation, which would likely be for $21.5 million, and is anticipated to be placed on the May 2014 ballot, Koschik said. Birmingham City Commissioners will consider approval of the bond at their meeting on Monday, December 16, following a scheduled presentation and approval of the library renovation project itself to the commission on Monday, November 21.

“We did a fair amount of value engineering, seeing where we could eliminate certain points of the plan and the budget without damaging the overall quality of the building or the plan,” Koschik said of the October 30 meeting. “We also went into detail over the latest cost estimate models.

As a result of the work we did at the meeting, we brought the costs down to $21.5 million.”

Koschik said that reductions were achieved by eliminating or scaling back interior finishes, furnishings and equipment, and certain lighting. They also eliminated the cost of having an owner's representative on site during the construction to oversee the process.

“We also scaled back the size of the

basement,” said Koschik. “There will still be a full basement, but the small cutback allows for a savings of about $250,000.”

Since beginning its expansion and renovation efforts, the joint library building committee has had certain principles that members felt should guide any work. These principles are: maintaining the spirit of the Grand Hall, and if possible, letting it infuse the rest of the building; ensuring that all square footage of the building is used to the best effect, including the lower level and second floor; making the library's spaces as flexible as possible since the future will likely bring changes in library usage; creating a more spacious, less cluttered layout which would integrate a more retail model; improved lighting; enhanced way-finding; less shelf space allocation for the collection as the move continues from print to electronic formats, and audiovisual materials from print; the importance of keeping the main traffic areas free of clutter.

“It's good that we have approvals to go forward with costs and designs,” said Birmingham City Commissioner and library building committee member Gordon Rinschler.

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FACES Kari Cholnoky

E

ast Coast native Kari Cholnoky had spent the past decade moving from town to town every nine months in an effort to pursue her artistic goals, but a recent merit scholarship has allowed her to set up an art studio of Bloomfield Hills where she is pursuing her masters of fine arts degree at Cranbrook Art Academy.

"The work that I make changes with the set of conditions that I'm presented with," Cholnoky said, gazing out at the neatly manicured school campus from the wall of windows inside her studio and comparing her new digs to the cramped closet she worked out of in Brooklyn, NY. "It's a beautiful place, and the architecture is phenomenal. I feel fortunate to be here, but it also feels semi-fictional. I spend at least 12 hours a day here, seven days a week, then walk 30 feet to my dorm room and sleep. It's a physical bubble, but it can also become a mental bubble."

Born in Stamford, Conn., Cholnoky said she has enjoyed working at Cranbrook, as well as throughout the Detroit area during this summer. In September, her work was part of Oakland Community College's national women's exhibit, From Our Perspectives: A National Women's Art Exhibit, which ran through Oct. 25.

In her art studio at Cranbrook, Cholnoky said she works on a half dozen or more paintings at a time before finishing any.

The walls and floor of the studio are covered with works that are either finished, nearing completion, or just beginning.

Buckets with remnants of industrial foam insulation on them, drills, saws and tools line the shelves on the wall, while a Noam Chomsky book and Georges Bataille's "Story of the Eye" rest on Cholnoky's desk.

"My work primarily deals with material and body. I'm interested in the links," Cholnoky said. "Like, what makes a personal thing into a universal thing. Or, how do you make a painting that addresses a wide landscape of conceptual ideas, versus one topic."

Throwing herself into an intense workload, in terms of production, has helped to expand her work ideas, she said.

"Last year, I was separately doing abstract and representative art, and I recently figured out you can do both at the same time," she said, pointing to a painting that appears to look like a mask with nipples for eyes. "The boobs on that painting also register as eyes, and they are realistically painted – I kind of like that flipping – the fact that the viewer is staring at a painting of tits, and the fact that the painting could be aware you are staring at it."

Her art uses a range of materials, with particular use of industrial foam, which dries and cures at various stages while Cholnoky molds it into shape. She uses paint and other objects to add additional texture to her paintings. The merit scholarship, she said, has been a key component to expanding her art, in terms of what materials are available.

"I love industrial material and craft material. All of this stuff is still pretty dirty in the art world, which I think is more telling," she said. "America's discomfort with seeing cheap materials is still hyper present in the contemporary art world."

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Jean Lannen

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FACES Brad Kifferstein

B

irmingham entrepreneur Brad Kifferstein has spent the past three years trying to perfect a smarter cup of coffee.

The result is VitaPerk, a coffee additive that contains a blend of 15 different vitamins intended to combine coffee consumption and health.

"There are over 5 million cups of coffee consumed in the United States each day," Kifferstein said. "Most people are living busy lifestyles. They don't have time to eat healthy. This allows someone to live a busy lifestyle while living healthy."

While there have already been a variety of coffee products on the market that are infused with vitamins or other additives that tout increased health properties, Kifferstein said VitaPerk is the first "coffee-ceutical" that may be added to any cup of coffee. Sold for about 99-cents each, VitaPerk packets come in four flavors, including original, hazelnut, vanilla and mocha, that can be dissolved into a 12 to 20 ounce cup of coffee. Kifferstein doesn't claim the vitamin elixir will give your coffee any medical or magical properties, but the product does contain vitamins and minerals intended to support memory, energy, nutrition and health.

"About 40 percent of people don't like to swallow pills," Kifferstein said. "It's intended to be a convenient coffee additive. We aren't competing with Centrum or One-A-Day. You can still take those and not overload on vitamins."

The idea behind VitaPerk was sparked about three years ago while Kifferstein was drinking his coffee on a drive across town.

"My mind is always racing. I'm very entrepreneurial, and thought there must be a way to fuze coffee with health," he said. "Everyone has their own affinity for coffee, so it's challenging to have someone try new coffee. I found a biochemist in Arizona and told him of the concept, and gave him some very simple directions. It took about two years to generate."

Kifferstein said VitaPerk has a mild taste, with the unflavored version unnoticeable in a cup of coffee – the work of years of taste testing countless gallons of coffee.

Employing a consultant in the vitamin industry and a biochemist, Kifferstein said VitaPerk went through at least 70 different formulations before coming up with the current product.

"It was insanely sweet at first. It was a disaster," Kifferstein said of the first formulations of VitaPerk. "God knows how many versions we had to get to where we are. It was a challenge because nothing like this existed. There were taste issues and dissolvation issues where the minerals would float or sink to the bottom."

Finally pleased with the final product, Kifferstein is looking to take VitaPerk to the top of the market, with plans to soon have it in convenience stores and other locations where hot coffee is sold.

"I'm not a snob with coffee, I will drink coffee from anywhere," Kifferstein said, adding that VitaPerk isn't aimed at the coffee aficionado. "We are targeting more of a mass market of people."

Story: Kevin Elliott

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NMLS #394920 Office: 248-244-6828 Cell: 248-228-4805 Lwiand@talmerbank.com 2301 W Big Beaver Ste 525 4th Floor

BUSINESS MATTERS Tender celebrates 20 years Sisters Cheryl and Karen Daskas grew up immersed in the fashion world, so the idea to open a women’s

true to ourselves and what Tender is.

We are going to be here for another 20 years because we love coming to work. We have fun every day.”

Darakjian Jewelers opens

fashion store 20 years ago didn’t come as a shock, said Karen Daskas, co-owner of Tender, 271 W. Maple, Birmingham. “Our mother was a model, so we were always shopping.

That’s how we grew up, and she made shopping fun. Our parents had a lot of style. It was kind of our environment,” Karen said about the motivation for opening the store two decades ago. “When we first opened, it was more of clothing on a contemporary level, with a younger vibe. As our client base grew, they started requesting this or that collection, and we ended up moving into the designer market.” Today, Tender is frequently mentioned in the pages of high fashion publications such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar as one of the premier locations for fashion, with many of its designer collections unavailable at other stores in the state. “We pride ourselves in bringing in American and European collections, but they are collections that are exclusive to Tender. We have exclusive (selling) to the state of Michigan, so you don’t see yourself coming and going,” she noted. “We also give great customer service, and we know our merchandise.” The exclusive offerings, a mastery of fashion sense and ability to build relationships with their customers are what Karen says has made it possible for Tender to prosper.

“We try to have merchandise that is special for our customers, and we have to depend on the people of southeast Michigan, mostly. They are all different ages and all different sizes. Over the years, they have been very loyal to us,” she said. “In my opinion, to be successful in business, you have to stay on top of your business and what is new, but also know what is going to work for your clients. We are also in our store every day. We have worked six days a week for 20 years, and we know our store and merchandise. We will never try to be something we aren’t. We stay very 78

Darakjian Jewelers opened at 101 Willits in Birmingham on November 14, right in time for the holidays. The jewelry store, which had been a presence in Southfield for 20 years, made the move to Birmingham to follow their customers. “Our clients, and our potential clients, have moved to Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and Troy, and we’re coming to where our customers are,” said Ara Darakjian.

The new store focuses on diamonds and bridal, as well as high-end and exotic watches for men and women, Darakjian said. They have also created boutiques within the store featuring Tacori, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron, Ulysse Nardin, and other brands, offering a completely different jewelry shopping experience, Darakjian said.

Pet store opens The opening of PetPeople, at Telegraph and Maple in the Bloomfield Plaza in Bloomfield Township in the former L’Uomo Vogue spot in November makes the store the first in Michigan from the Ohio-based chain, which operates 17 stores in Ohio and one additional store in Indiana. The store, owned by Michael and Trish Elkind of Columbus, Ohio, specializes in highquality, natural pet foods and pet supplies. The pet company focuses on products that are “natural, wholesome, pure and simple, high quality, unique and fresh.” Originally started in 1993, PetPeople doesn’t allow the sale of cats or dogs in their stores, but instead works to educate the public and potential pet owners about the importance of non-profit shelters and rescue groups.

Floral shop changes hands Molly Donaghue was a fitness teacher before she bought Nature’s Touch Flowers & Gifts, 2527 W. Maple, Bloomfield Township, in October, but she had always been familiar with the shop and its longtime presence in the community where she was raised. “It’s been here forever,” Donaghue said of the shop located about a mile from her childhood home. “It was called Nature’s Nook a long time ago, maybe back in the 1970’s, but it’s

been here for so long.” Donaghue said her sister was working at the shop when the former owner decided she was going to sell the store.

That’s when Donaghue recognized the perfect opportunity to work with her family and return to her roots.

“I’m new to having a new business, but it’s been good. I grew up here, so it’s nice,” Donaghue said. While she had taken some gardening and horticulture classes in high school and college – mostly as filler courses – Donaghue has become more of floral expert in recent months. She said she also employs the skills of local designers to help offer unique florals, planters, candles and other custom creations sold at the shop.

The store offers flower arrangements and gifts for all occasions, as well as gift baskets, plants, candies and other items. Donaghue said she also offers at-home services for customers, such as tree or holiday decorating.

New middle eastern locale Restaurant owner Ali Hebheb said Pita Stop Middle Eastern Cuisine, 33757 Woodward, in Birmingham, has had a limited opening and is now serving customers. The restaurant features classic Middle Eastern entrees and appetizers such as shawarma, kabob, shish kafta, tawook, fried kibbee and grape leaves, as well as fresh salads and soups. Pita Stop also offers hamburgers, hot dogs and a variety of desserts.

New children’s store EGG by Susan Lazar, 244 E. Maple, in Birmingham, also known as “Egg Baby,” announced its name change in November from The Purple Bear.

Hatched in 2003, Lazar broke into the children’s clothing market with EGG after working in women’s sportswear design. The stores, with locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Southampton and Georgetown, specializes in baby and children’s apparel, including dresses, pants, shorts, skirts, women’s maternity apparel, and organic baby bedding. Megan Dieringer, who manages the Birmingham location, said EGG will soon be expanding from infants to size 8. Products feature high-quality cotton at a great price point, she said.

Along with Lazar, the Birmingham location is owned by Ed Harrison, whose wife was born and raised in Birmingham and still has family in the area, Dieringer said.

DOWNTOWN

5 years of Toast Toast at 203 Pierce Street in Birmingham, celebrated its five-year anniversary on November 21, but owner Thom Bloom said the restaurant will continue celebrating throughout the holidays with various specials until the end of the year.

Started as an uptown version of Toast’s Ferndale location, which opened in 2001, Thom and Regan Bloom officially opened Toast Birmingham in November 2008. The

restaurant features the same type of gourmet breakfast and lunch menu offerings that helped establish their Ferndale location, but added dinner, cocktails, wine and beer. Homemade dishes give Toast a unique twist on American cuisine, and the restaurant’s atmosphere gives visitors a unique and comfortable experience, complete with live entertainment many evenings. The bar also offers more than 30 different boutique wines and 30 craft beers. Bloom said the restaurant has been well received in Birmingham. “The concept, even in a general restaurant, is that you work with the neighborhood and change a few things as needed – at least the ones that don’t work,” Bloom said.

“We fixed some things, but have stayed true to our format. The biggest hurdle was getting the message out about the bar and dinner, and that has been a big hit.”

Hardware store to close Ace Hardware in the Bloomfield Plaza at Maple and Telegraph in Bloomfield Township, will be closing its doors in January following more than a quarter century of hardware service at the location. Mark Elmer, who purchased the store in 2007, about two years after the store changed to an Ace Hardware, confirmed the store’s liquidation. The former Damman Hardware operated at the location for about 25 years, Elmer said. “Unfortunately, the landlords weren’t receptive to negotiating a new lease,” Elmer said.

“They wanted the rent to go up, and I wanted it to go down.” Elmer said failure to establish a lease agreement, 12.13

combined with aging equipment at the location, economic factors and other issues, were the deciding factors in closing the location. An additional Rochester location, he said, is scheduled to be closed in February for many of the same reasons as the Bloomfield Hills location.

Skulls score Doug Schwartz, owner of Complex at 168 W. Maple in downtown Birmingham, appears to have struck gold with his entry into product design with the creation of a “Skull Face” tablet holder under his 400oz collection. The skulls, which he considers functional art, are designed as an alternative to standard “black jacket” tablet covers. “They can hold anything,” Schwartz said. “Business cards, phones, a mini tablet or a regular tablet.” The skulls, which feature a metallic finish and are available in a variety of colors, were designed by Schwartz and are made in Detroit. “We use a hand-poured resin,” he said. “It’s basically the same finishing process you use to do cars.” Each of the skulls are packaged in a hand-crafted, birchwood box. The skulls are available at Urban Outfitters online, as well as in his own boutique.

Schwartz’s creation will receive additional exposure this December as guests of the W Hotel South Beach will receive skulls as part of their stay during Art Basel Miami Beach.

Massage location opens Maintaining wellness through a holistic manner that involves therapeutic massage and healthy skin facials is the concept behind Massage Envy Spa, 2257 S. Telegraph in Bloomfield Township, said co-owner Anil Rao. “Massage Envy has been around for over 10 years and has built a brand reputation across the nation that is second to none,” Rao said. Rao, who is targeting December 17 as an opening date for the spa, said the reputation and concept behind Massage Envy were what led him and his business partner to open the store, which is located in the Bloomfield Town Square Shopping Center, north of Square Lake Road.

The spas feature therapeutic massage and facial services, and offer special benefits to member customers, such as monthly massage and facial services, family specials, downtownpublications.com

discounted rates and products, free upgrades and other bonuses.

Makeup salon opens Marisa Qarana is a busy mom since the birth of her daughter, particularly since the opening in October of her own eyebrow and makeup salon, Studio Marisa, 630 N. Old Woodward, Suite 203, in Birmingham.

As a former co-owner of MASQ Beauty Salon and a makeup artist with about a decade of salon experience, Qarana said Studio Marisa was established because she wanted to open a high-end store of her own in Birmingham. The salon offers makeup and eyebrow appointments, makeup lessons, facials, wax applications, as well as a selection of beauty products. “It was a very easy choice to work in Birmingham. It’s been good to me, so I’m not going anywhere else, I was just looking for more of a one-on-one experience for my clients. A little more intimate and personal.”

40th anniversary honors Birmingham-based law firm Williams, Williams, Rattner and Plunkett, 380 N. Old Woodward, Suite 300, Birmingham, is in the midst of celebrating its 40th anniversary. The firm, which includes 22 lawyers practicing in fields that range from business to commercial and corporate law, litigation, real estate, family law, estates and trusts, is celebrating its four decades of operation by donating a total of $40,000 to four different non-profit organizations. The organizations include Birmingham’s The Community House; Grace Centers of Hope; The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center; and the Oakland County Bar Foundation. “We had an incredible run with a lot of growth and success over these past four decades and we thought the best way to celebrate it is to give back to the community,” said R. Jamison Williams, managing partner. “Our partners and associates volunteer their services at a variety of not-forprofit organizations and together we felt each of these four communitybased organizations represent extraordinarily worthwhile recipients.”

Business Matters for the BirminghamBloomfield area are reported by Kevin Elliott.

Send items for consideration to KevinElliott@downtownpublications.com.

Items should be received three weeks prior to publication.

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DOWNTOWN

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ONLY THE BEST!

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EST. 1978

PRIMO’S PIZZA

OF

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(Photos by Turner Rouse, Jr., John Daughtry, Litwin)

Pizza is just the beginning…

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• 21 Shrimp in a Basket • Shrimp Dinner (7 piece) Includes Cole Slaw, Fries, Roll & Sauce

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*Includes Cole Slaw & Fries

• Spaghetti (w/ Meat Sauce, Meatballs, Mushrooms or Meatballs & Mushrooms) • Bucket of Spaghetti (serves 4-6 ppl) • Ravioli (w/ Meat Sauce, Meatballs, Mushrooms or Meatballs & Mushrooms)

CHICKEN TENDERS • Tender Dinner (5pcs) • Tender Snack (3pcs)

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Tickets: ticketmaster.com, 800-982-2787, & Detroit Opera House & Fisher Theatre box offices. Info: BroadwayInDetroit.com & 313-872-1000. Groups (10+): 313-871-1132 or e-mail Groups@BroadwayInDetroit.com.

2 FABULOUS HOLIDAY SPECIALS SIDE ORDERS • French Fries • Seasoned Fries • Sweet Potato Fries • Onion Rings

1 OFF 00

Any Kitchen Item. Excludes Pizza.

$

|

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Or Carryout Or Catering Orders of $59.95 or More Present this coupon when placing order.

Excludes all other specials and offers. Expires 1/10/14. DTN

Large Pizza w/ 2 Items

Pick up only • One coupon per pizza

Come In and Visit The

PRIMO WINE SHOPPE

Buy 1 Dozen at Regular Price and get 2nd Dozen 50% Off

ENTIRE WINE PURCHASE

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Limit 1 Dozen 50% Off

Present this coupon when placing order. Excludes all other specials and offers.

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248.642.1400

6646 Telegraph at Maple Bloomfield Plaza

CALL DINE-IN/CARRY-OUT/CATERING

248-932-0800

www.stevesdeli.com 80

DOWNTOWN

12.13

PLACES TO EAT The Places To Eat for Downtown is a quick reference source to establishments offering a place for dining, either breakfast, lunch or dinner. The complete Places To Eat is available at downtownpublications.com and in an optimized format for your smart phone (downtownpublications.com/mobile), where you can actually map out locations and automatically dial a restaurant from our Places To Eat.

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

248.645.2150.

Andiamo: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

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

248.865.9300.

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

248.792.3579 Bangkok Thai Bistro: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 42805 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Township, 48304.

248.499.6867.

Beau Jacks: American. Lunch, MondaySaturday; 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.

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 Eaton Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.7774.

Birmingham Sushi Cafe: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009.

248.593.8880.

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.

Alcohol. No reservations. 3607 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township.

248.642.4000.

Cafe Via: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

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

248.644.8800 Cameron’s Steakhouse: American.

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

248.723.1700.

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

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

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

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

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

Commonwealth: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 300 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.9766.

downtownpublications.com

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

Deli Unique of Bloomfield Hills: Deli.

Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 39495 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.646.7923.

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. Alcohol. Reservations. 37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.712.4095.

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

248.258.9939.

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

248.647.2420.

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

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

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

Forest Grill: American. Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

INTRODUCING OUR HOLIDAY PRICE FIXED LUNCH MENU Special $25 Holiday Price Fixed Lunch Menu available for any sized lunch party November 25, 2013 - December 30, 2013.

Complete menu details can be found online.

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245 S. ETON STREET, BIRMINGHAM | 248.647.7774 | bigrockchophouse.com

FINE DINING

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DOWNTOWN

81

Happy Holidays from our family to yours.

Shop at Hills. Family owned and operated. “It tastes better here.”

There is no need to go anywhere else to stock up for the holiday season or for any other occasion during the year. You will find the right wine, liquor or beer at fair prices. Friendly service and attention to detail is what you will find at this boutique wine and liquor store.

We offer case discounts on select wines and champagnes (mix or match); premium cigars & lighters; extensive liquor selection; over; 300 fine single malt scotches and cognacs; and 600+ plus craft, micro and imported beers. Delivery services are available. Keg beer available.

The lowest liquor prices in Michigan.

Same as warehouse club prices. Gift cards available.

• CHAMPAGNE & FINE WINES • • PREMIUM CIGARS & LIGHTERS • • EXTENSIVE LIQUOR SELECTION • • CRAFT, MICRO & IMPORTED BEERS • 41 W. Long Lake Road • Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 Located on the south side of Long Lake Road and west of Woodward, next to PNC Bank.

248-540-8200 FAX: 248-540-8214 www.HillsFineWine.com Email: info@HillsFineWineandSpirits.com

Open Monday through Friday 9 am - 9 pm; Saturday 10 am - 9 pm; Sunday 12 noon - 6 pm

$

10.00 OFF

15% OFF

Your purchase of $50.00 or more*

Any Craft, Micro & Imported Beers, Many Wines & Champagnes

Champagne & Fine Wines, Premium Cigars & Lighters, Micro, Craft, Imported Beers, Sodas, Juices, Water & Snacks.

Excludes liquor, cigarettes and sale wines.

Limit 1 per Customer per visit.

Expires 1-5-14

Excludes sale wines and sale beers.

Limit 1 per Customer per visit. $19.99+tax $34.99+tax $19.99+tax

Expires 1-5-14

Reservations. Liquor. 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.9400.

Fox Grill: American. Lunch, Monday through Friday; Dinner, daily. Sunday brunch. Reservations. Liquor. 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304. 248.792.6109.

Fuddrucker’s: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Beer & wine.

42757 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.333.2400.

Greek Island Coney Restaurant: Greek.

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

Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American.

Liquor. Dinner, Tuesday-Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday and Sunday. 575 S. Eton Street, Birmingham. 248.712.4050.

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

248.626.1800.

Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American.

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

Hunter House Hamburgers: American.

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

248.646.7121.

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American.

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

248.594.4369.

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

Kerby’s Koney Island: American.

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

248.333.1166.

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

248.858.5800.

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

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

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

Little Daddy’s Parthenon: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 39500 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

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.

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

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

248.723.0800.

Mitchell’s Fish Market: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 117 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.646.3663.

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

248.644.2913.

New Bangkok Thai Bistro: Thai. Breakfast, Monday-Thursday; Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, daily. No reservations.

183 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.2181.

Olga’s Kitchen: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Also

downtownpublications.com

FOCUS ON WINE Serve ultra-premium champagne for the holidays

By Eleanor and Ray Heald

C

hampagne is the most legendary of wines. It’s unique and celebratory – perfect for holiday joy.

In the Champagne region of France, the towns of Reims and Epernay are dual focal points. The majority of the region is devoted to farming grapes for the most famous sparkling wine in the world, named for the place Champagne.

Champagne Salon Champagne Salon makes only one wine from 100 percent chardonnay grapes, known as Blanc de Blancs, grown on the east-facing slope in the Côte des Blancs grand cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.

Founded in 1905, Salon produces only vintage champagne and only in outstanding years. Only 37 Salon vintage Blanc de Blancs have been produced since 1905, approximately one in every three harvests.

Grapes from individual parcels are fermented separately, and if the vintage is top quality, the best are blended to produce Salon - only 5,000 to 6,000 cases for the world. The blended base wines produce a cuvée, then sugar and yeast are mixed with the cuvée. It is bottled (tirage) and the second fermentation begins in the bottle, producing the carbon dioxide that gives champagne its bubbles. At the same time, added complexity is derived from aging on the yeast lees and remains en tirage for 10 to 13 years (the legal minimum is 15 months).

The current available vintage is Salon Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil 1999, $375. A very ripe year in Champagne yielded a well-rounded wine that expands on the palate with notes of white pepper and ginger. Salon Export Director Vianney Gravereaux offers a perfect description: “Salon has the complexity of older wines with the freshness of a young wine.” Caviar is too fishy for the delicacy of this champagne. Try serving smoked trout, smoked salmon, chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano or buttered popcorn sprinkled with grated parmesan.

As the story was related by Gravereaux, “In 1905, Monsieur Salon wanted to have his own private champagne brand. He wrote to his winemaker-brother in Champagne who said the very best champagnes are made only of chardonnay, grown in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. So he bought five acres of vineyard, purchased additional fruit from growers and made the first wine in 1905. This wine was only available at the home of Monsieur Salon or when he dined at Maxim’s in Paris. Eventually Salon became Maxim’s house champagne. The first commercially available Salon was the 1921 vintage.”

The ageability of Salon is up to 40 years. In order to 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: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 100 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.203.7966.

Also 2125 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield

maintain the acidity and freshness over such a long period, the wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation or barrel aging. “This is how we are able to maintain the purity and complexity intended for the style of Salon,” Gravereaux explains.

Champagne Delamotte Delamotte is Salon’s sister champagne house and makes 10 times as much as Salon. It owns 20 acres of grand cru chardonnay and purchases more. Grand cru pinot noir and pinot meunier are purchased when needed for Brut NV (non-vintage) and Brut Rosé.

Delamotte Brut NV, $50. Ninety percent grand cru grapes, including 65 percent grand cru chardonnay, 25 percent grand cru pinot noir and ten percent pinot meunier. En tirage is 36 months, developing apple and pear aromas with underlying toasty notes and a full palate impression.

Delamotte Brut Blanc de Blancs NV, $65. Only grand cru chardonnay sourced from Le Mesnil and neighboring villages.

En tirage is 48 months. It’s lean and a grand match with Dover Sole.

Delamotte Brut Blanc de Blancs 2002, $99. Only grand cru chardonnay. En tirage 9 years. Toasty and brioche aromas with flower and orange notes. Nonvintage wines may be blended with reserve wines from another year, but vintage champagne must be 100 percent of the vintage listed on the label. Try with fresh oysters as an alternative to chablis.

Delamotte Brut Rosé NV, $90. En tirage 24 months and 80 percent grand cru grapes. Copper-salmon color. “We do not want our rosé to be a red wine with bubbles,” Gravereaux explained. “And we do not blend to achieve the color. After a cool maceration of pinot noir and chardonnay, we drain off the liquid when we have the desired color. We want the expression of dried rose petals, or dried leaf aromas accompanied by cherry and berry flavors.”

Bubbles other than champagne Only sparklers with grapes grown in the Champagne region of France and made there can be called champagne. In our tastings we found a few non-champagne sparklers that we liked and thought you might too.

J Brut Rosé, Sonoma County, Calif., $38 2009 Biltmore Estate Blanc de Blancs, Russian River Valley, Calif., $25 2006 Ferrari Perlé Blanc de Blancs, Trento, Italy $35 La Marca Prosecco, Treviso, Italy $17 Ballatore, Moscato Rosé Spumante, Calif., $10 Eleanor & Ray Heald have contributed to numerous international publications including the Quarterly Review of Wines. Contact them by e-mail at focusonwine@aol.com.

Hills, 48302. 248.253.9877.

Peabody’s: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 34965 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.644.5222.

Phoenicia: Middle Eastern. Lunch, 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

DOWNTOWN

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 &

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Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 505 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.8977.

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

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

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

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

248.932.0800.

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

Reservations. Liquor. 273 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.645.9123.

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

Reservations. 42656 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.333.3887.

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

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

Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro: American.

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

248.731.7066.

The Corner Bar: American. Dinner.

Wednesday-Saturday. Reservations.

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

The Gallery Restaurant: American.

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

248.851.0313.

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

248.858.7688.

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

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

The Stand: Euro-American. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

34977 Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.220.4237.

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

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

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

248.593.7881.

Townhouse: American. Brunch, Saturday, Sunday. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 180 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.5241.

Village Coney Island: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 653 S. Adams.

Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.7964.

What Crepe?: French. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday, Breakfast & Lunch, Sunday. No reservations. 172 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009.

248.792.5634.

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

248.566.3566

AT THE TABLE Smokehouse excellence featured at C.A.Y.A.

By Eleanor Heald

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Roast in Detroit and the executive chef for Toast, a Birmingham restaurant (203 Pierce Street). He has also done stints in the kitchens of Tribute, Big Rock Chophouse (245 S. Eton Street, Birmingham), and Iridescence in Detroit.

Co-owner Rachel Mandell’s passions are great food and upbeat design.

f you’re a foodie and have visited Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Albemarle County, Virginia, you no doubt saw the outbuilding that houses a conventional brick Let’s eat fireplace built into an exterior wall where the flue disMenu prices are exceptionally moderate. A variety of charges into an authentic smokehouse. Smoking food is starters from mussels to sliders run $7 to $9. Smoked truly American and is enjoying a revival.

Salmon with Yuzu vinaigrette and toasted sesame seeds Executive Chef Jeff Rose and co-owner Rachel is a winner. Various salads are priced from $5 to $12 and Mandell did not intend come in two sizes. The a Jeffersonian imitaRoasted Beet Salad is tion when they introdelicious. duced the Wolverine For an almost Lake and nearby comunheard of $8 price, a munities to variety of 8-oz burgers house–smoked beef (except salmon at $9) and pork in their new are served on a grill/bistro, C.A.Y.A. brioche bun. Mains Smokehouse Grill, run $17 to $24 and opened earlier this include among others year. But they are part Seared Salmon, Trout, of an increasingly popand a Pan Seared ular trend.

Duck Breast.

Smoked items are From the Smoker is a cooked for 10 to 14 menu section that hours using hickory, showcases the talents oak, maple, apple and and ingenuity of Chef cherry woods – a Rose. Baby Back Ribs process ensuring all are served one-half meats are fully cooked slab for $13 and full and naturally tender. for $24. My favorite A variety of woods from the smokehouse produces a dark outer is Asian Beef Short layer, referred to as Ribs on the Bone at bark, that caramelizes $26. This generous the meats’ exterior. serving is shareable The acronym and both rib selections C.A.Y.A. stands for are well complement“come as you are” and ed by a side of creamy describes the casual Tillamook White ambience and modern Cheddar Mac & menu, featuring foods Cheese, $5, or mashed Butternut squash ravioli, pastrami pork belly, and cranberry sauce martini. made with local ingrepotatoes with roasted Downtown photo: Tracy Scarpati dients. garlic and cheddar, $4.

Pulled Pork from the smoker is incredibly good at oneOne of a kind half pound, $6, or full pound at $12.

Smokehouses generally have significant history Six beers are on tap and many more by the bottle. behind the concept. C.A.Y.A. is located in the former Stella Artois is $4. Wines are reasonably priced at $5 to Nifty Norman’s building, which had been vacant for sev- $10 by the glass and $18 to $54 by the bottle. eral years. Its industrial and rustic look emanates from a Wolverine Lake may not be on a Birmingham or blend of modern metals and old-style wood. Rusted copBloomfield resident’s radar. Yet this restaurant should be. per, barn wood and iron are principal design compoOver the holidays, if you are expecting a full house of nents. family and you’d like a break from cooking, take a ride to Barn wood comes from the 1916 Fred Irwin Farm in C.A.Y.A. – you’ll be delighted.

Michigan. Each board was hand cut and matched by size and color. Cement brick interior walls, an exposed C.A.Y.A. Smokehouse Grill, 1403 South Commerce ceiling, industrial-style lighting and an onyx bar add Road, Wolverine Lake, 245.438.6741, Tuesday to uniqueness. The dining room seats 100 diners and when Thursday 4:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday until 11 warm weather returns, an outdoor covered patio has p.m. and Sunday until 9 p.m. Parking on premise. seating for 60 guests.

About the owners Before renovating and opening C.A.Y.A., Executive Chef Jeff Rose was the opening chef at Michael Symon’s

Eleanor Heald is a nationally published writer who also writesthe wine column in a double byline with her husband Ray for Downtown. Suggestions for Quick Bites section can be e-mailed to QuickBites@downtownpublications.com.

R E N E E L O S S I A A C H O SKBK’S TOP PRODUCER | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN AGENT AND AN EXPERT

odern Masterpiece in Bloomfield Hills This modern masterpiece, the epitome of sophistication and style exhibits an unparalleled level of architectural detail and design.

The impressive two story window views overlook the majestic 4.5 acre property. Cutting edge design incorporates mixed use of materials such as warm woods, steel, glass, and stained concrete creating a symphony of warmth and interest.

The ultimate in luxury, this exquisite entertainers delight includes everything imaginable… master spa retreat, pool, cabana, cellar, theater, yoga room and billard room.

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Renee Lossia Acho 248.310.1414 ReneeAcho.com renee@reneeacho.com

415 S. Old Woodward | Birmingham, MI 48009

THE COMMUNITY HOUSE TCH Announces New Programs For 2014 As a non-profit that’s here to provide Community Education programs, I am excited to let the community know we’re launching a number of excellent programs starting in Winter 2014. They’re highlighted below, and I’ll write about them in more detail as time gets nearer. Come learn, enjoy, and connect with others – all while knowing you are contributing to raising money for TCH’s children and family outreach programs.

TCH Center for Wealth Education TCH is launching a Center for Wealth Education (CWE) to help educate the public in an information rich, non-selling environment. We’ve handpicked experts to help you “get your act together” in key areas unclear to many – for now and for later. The CWE’s panelists will educate you on things that protect you, your assets, your loved ones and/or your business in investment, estate planning, insurance and tax arenas by providing information, definitions and guidelines to help you go forward with greater confidence.

Camille Jayne

Take this short quiz to see where you stand: 1.

Do you really know if you have the right trust documents to protect you while living?

2.

Are you under-insured or paying too much for your property & casualty insurance?

3.

How can you get a bank to approve a loan more easily?

4.

Is your trust protecting your assets in case you (or your children) divorce?

5.

Should you “rent or own” life insurance – and will the payout be subject to estate taxes?

6.

What types of long term care insurance riders give you the best options?

7.

Are you protected by your property casualty insurance for the most frequent lawsuits?

8.

What investment vehicles are the best for you at each stage in your life?

9.

How can you pay less taxes to the government?

10. Are your assets protected so your loved ones won’t have to go to probate court?

11. Do you have a “heck, no!” trust?

12. How do you pick the right successor trustee or guardian?

Dear Santa, eally good girl this year I’ve been a r time). For Christmas, (most of thelift” my spirits (and a I’d love to “ ings), and maybe have a few other t®h too. An appointment with little Botox would be the perfect Dr. Vasileffbecause he’s talented, gift for me nd even double boardexperienced a certified! e, m e b o t t n a w I , n o This holiday sTeahsat’s the gift I want only better. ee – so you can leave the under the tr someone else! bathrobe for Love, Holly

Our expert friends from Bank of Birmingham, Baker Tilly Accountants, Dickinson Wright Attorneys, JPS Insurance, Managed Asset Portfolios, Matters at Hand™, Northwestern Mutual, Serlin, Trivax & Stearn Attorneys, and TAMMA Capital will give you the answers to these questions and so much more.

Wednesday evenings on February 12th, March 12th, and April 9th. No charge.

Register at: www.tchserves.org Bulletproof Discussion Workshops Come experience a new learning concept in each workshop, followed by participating in fun case study discussions! The first hour will be spent with Camille Jayne, President & CEO of TCH, teaching a new concept that will improve your professional proficiency in key focus areas. Then participate in a 30-minute case study discussion with table mates to discuss what you’ve just learned. The third Thursday of each month, starting in February. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. $25 each.

Registration starts December, 2013.

Book Your Child’s Birthday Party at TCH! Starting this December, let TCH take the stress out of planning your child’s next birthday party. Choose from one of our exciting party packages: Zumba; Hip Hop Dance; Kindermusik; Princess; Hula Hoop; Kids Hands on Cooking; or Ballerina and Fairy Parties. Guests will be entertained as well as instructed. For more details, call: 248.594.6401. To reserve a Ballerina and Fairy party, call the Dance Academy directly at 248.594.6415. Minimum age requirements for some parties.

On-Going Programs That Help Others We hope all of you in the community realize how much TCH, as a nonprofit, truly needs your donations to cover the cost of providing free space and administrative staff for fourteen nonprofits and sponsored groups who would have nowhere else to go if not at TCH. Most importantly, to help TCH provide exercise, nutrition, art and mentoring programs for underserved children and families who can’t afford to pay.

Please consider being part of our “family” by donating to our Annual Fund Drive by December 31st. We would be grateful for your online donation at: www.tchserves.org.

(248) 644-0670 B

Camille Jayne is President & CEO of TCH. downtownpublications.com

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415 S. Old Woodward | Birmingham, MI 48009

SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Here is the update on the recent social scene. Many more photos from each event appear online each week at downtownpublications.com where readers can sign up for an e-mail notice when the latest social scene column is posted. Past columns and photos are also archived at the website for Downtown.

MARL Hoof and Woof In 1996, the first year of this annuSally Gerak al Michigan Animal Rescue League benefit, it was staged ringside at the Bloomfield Open Hunt horse show so “hoof” was a logical part of the name. The venue has changed but not the clever name, nor the solicitous attention of its creator - Yvonne Fisher McCready. That summer she was very pregnant with her first daughter Madison. This year Madison was a volunteer raffle ticket seller and her parents, along with Connie Hogan and Jep and Michelle Street, were the cochairs. It was especially spirited because it celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Pontiac-based rescue organization, notable because it does not euthanize healthy animals. It attracted the largest crowd yet (300), including two and three generations of some families, to Oakland Hills Country Club. They socialized big time, sipped and supped on the stroll and boogied to Simon Vitale’s music. In between they bought raffle tickets and silent auction items ($15,000) and bid in a mini-live Hot Board auction ($8,900), conducted by Tim Humes and Elise Fisher Hayes. The Diamond Anniversary Celebration raised more than $100,000.

And, like the early Hoof and Woofs for which she made doggie motif cookies, Sis Fisher helped out this year – by making the glistening doggie table decorations. To learn why MARL inspires such devotion, go to www.michiganannimalrescueleague.org.

Judson Center’s A Night to Embrace For 30 of Judson Center’s 90 years of embracing children, essential funds have been raised to support its mission at a gala dinner and auction. The 30th anniversary of A Night to Embrace kicked off with a VIP Celebration Reception for 70 at The Corner Bar. The champagne accented event was a splendid beginning to the evening which attracted 230 to The Townsend for pre-dinner cocktails and silent auction bidding ($18,000). The dinner program, emceed by WWJ’s Tom Jordan, began with a rousing performance by a musical group comprised of JC residents, volunteers, staffers, board members and event committee members.

After dinner, auctioneer Christopher Aslanian garnered $19,000 for 11 items, including GM’s donation of a Superbowl XLVIII package ($5,500). Thanks also to generous sponsors and the $54,000 pledged during Take A Stand, the soiree raised $200,000 for services to the children and families served by the center, which will also benefit from its share of North American International Auto Show Charity Preview proceeds on Jan. 17, 2014.

Michigan Aids Coalition Dining by Design Although MAC was late getting on board, the national Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids Dining by Design bandwagon, they surely have perfected it. The fourth annual three-part local event chaired by Ann Duke, Kelly Deines and Jennifer Gilbert was as stellar as the first three, and the venue the best yet - the historic Detroit Federal Reserve building on Fort Street, now part of Dan Gilbert’s portfolio. The 28 installations, including one

by Rossetti & Associates which has leased the building’s fourth floor, attracted hordes of people: 600 for cocktails on Thursday; 350 for ArtWorks Detroit on Friday; capacity 280 for dinner on Saturday. A Cocktails highlight was the cuisine from 29 restaudowntownpublications.com

MARL Hoof and Woof

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9 1. Event co-chairs Yvonne McCready (left) of Bloomfield and Jep and Michelle Street of Commerce.

2. Ed (left), Janet Mardigian and Matthew of Bloomfield with Diana York of Birmingham. 3. Sis Fisher and her granddaughter Louise McCready of Bloomfield. 4. Tom (left) and Leslie Rosen with Kimberly and Ken Whipple of Bloomfield. 5. Doug (left) and Gwen North of Bloomfield and Denise Bull of Rochester. 6. Bill (left) and Cheryl Bournias and Michelle and Chris Gamble of Bloomfield. 7. Jim (left) and Robin Henderson with Annie Margulis and Chris Zantop of Bloomfield. 8. Debby (left) and Hugh Sloan with Jack Marwil and his bride Duffy Wineman of Bloomfield. 9. Solange and Norm Messelian of Bloomfield. 10. Linda Fisher (left), Char Terry and Joanne Brody of Bloomfield.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK rants. Chef awards included: Healthiest Choice – Novi Chop Best Table – Wolfgang Puck; 1st place – Gastronomy; 2nd place – Bangkok 96; 3rd place – Wolfgang Puck. Filmmaker Max Fisher’s impassioned speech at ArtWorks and a new art auction high proceeds were Friday night highlights. And actually dining in the installations on Saturday night, with the generous support of sponsors like Opportunity Detroit, Rock Ventures, Bedrock RE and Doodles Home, was reportedly truly inspirational, especially for those who have long labored in the HIV/AIDS education and service fields. The three-day celebration of creativity and design raised more than $150,000 for MAC’s mission.

Judson Center’s A Night to Embrace

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4 1. Gail (left) and Judson CEO Cameron Hosner of Shelby Twp. with committee member Jeff and Susan Sadowski of Birmingham. 2. Board members Stephen Henes (left) of Birmingham and Mike Husmillo of Troy with Frank Lievan of Bloomfield.

3. Katie (left) and Dave Andrea of Troy with Meloney and Jonathan Lau of Bloomfield. 4. WWJ’s Tom Jordan (left) of Brighton with Carol Cianciolo and Bob Lott of Birmingham. 5. Melissa Husmillo (left) of Troy, Julia Henes of Birmingham and Doumia Lievan of Bloomfield. 6. Sponsor Mike Savoie Chevrolet’s Keith Studzinski of Bloomfield and Donna Meyers of Novi Donna.

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2 1. Bill Bahoora (left) of Bloomfield with event co-chair Ann Duke and her husband Ken Zawislak of Royal Oak. 2. Emily Griffith (left) of Rochester, Jill Schumacher of Ferndale, Michelle Mio of Birmingham and Erin Parker of Bloomfield. 3. Alesha Beistine (left) of Royal Oak, sponsor Kathleen Kennedy of Birmingham and Sandy Koelzer of Warren inside the Michigan Opera Theatre installation.

4. Doug Schwartz (left), Luigi Bruni and Tony Notarangelo of Birmingham.

5. Katie Katz (left) of Detroit, Adam Post of Royal Oak, Niki Serras and Justin Near of Birmingham.

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Mothers, Daughters, Sisters & Friends More than 700 guests attended the ninth annual Mothers, Daughters, Sisters & Friends luncheon at Shenandoah Country Club. Boutique shopping preceded lunch where the program featured E! News host and breast cancer survivor Giuliana Rancic and her entrepreneur husband Bill Rancic. They told the story of how they met, their infertility struggles and Giuliana’s battle with breast cancer. In addition to lots of young Rancic fans eager to get up close, excitement was also caused when the couple spontaneously raffled a trip for two, including airfare, to Los Angeles for a taping of “Fashion Police”. When a bidding war developed, the Rancics donated two trips for two to a very happy Shari Finsilver and Krista Berman. The event, chaired by Florine Mark, Lisa Lis, Francee Ford and Micki Kline, raised more than $100,000 for the Francee and Benson Ford Jr. Breast Care and Wellness Center at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital.

Karmanos Partners’ Night The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute’s 20th Annual Partners Golf and Night events raised more than $800,000, attracted more than 600, and honored Danialle and Peter (Pete) Karmanos, Jr., the Institute’s most generous benefactors.

Because Partners Night was at The Fillmore Detroit, executive committee co-chairs Brian Eisenberg and Michelle Mio made good use of the theatre’s stage following the reception and Forte Belanger strolling cocktail dinner. Karmanos board members Ethan Davidson and Nedda Shayota joined Karmanos boss Dr. Gerold 12.13

Bepler there as a spotlight escorted the honorees for a glowing tribute and brief presentation of a framed enlarged replica of the event’s Playbill-type program. Known for straight-talking that had recently got him fired as a Compuware consultant, Pete said he was glad the Partners got Compuwares’ event sponsorship money before the incident, that he really appreciated everybody’s support, and called their attention to the fact that “…I haven’t sworn or said the F-word.” Following the program, a live auction of six items brought in $33,000 thanks to winning bids by Jeffrey Eisenshtadt, Darcy and David Fischer, Jr., Stephanie and Barry Zekelman, Jennifer and Jay Lasco, and Gretchen and Ethan Davidson, who bought two. This was followed by the Vagabonds of Vaudeville’s music and special guest comedian J Chris Newberg. Thanks also to generous sponsorships, the 2013 two-part event brought the Partners’ 20-year total to more than $13.5 million raised for state-of-the science research.

St Hugo Altar Guild Ladies Night Out After 54 years of staging a fashion show and luncheon, including the one in 1978 that was this reporter’s first freelance writing assignment which led to a weekly column for the Eccentric, the St. Hugo’s Altar Guild decided it was time for a change to a Ladies Night Out at the Razzle Dazzle Club event that could more happily accommodate the younger members.

Great call. More than 200 (at $50, $150-benefactor), including lots of mother/daughter combinations, convened at Pine Lake Country Club for the 55th annual fundraiser. The strolling format was much more conducive to chit chatting, which elevated the energy level considerably. The 16 vendors were thrilled with the enthusiastic shoppers and the club kitchen presented excellent food stations offering Italian cuisine, sliders & fries, smoked salmon crepes and a splendid mashed potato bar, to name but a few. Other diversions included a raffle and entertainment by Aida and Mark Randisi singing Frank Sinatrastyle. Everyone we interviewed loved the new format. Funds raised will support the guild’s many charities.

Variety’s Lights, Camera, Auction!

Variety, The Children’s Charity’s most popular event attracted 400 to Novi’s Emagine Theatre on a night downtownpublications.com

Karmanos Partners’ Night

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1. Michelle Mio (center) of Birmingham with Dave Thewes (left) and Dan Cornwell of Bloomfield. 2. Shannon and Brian Eisenberg of Bloomfield.

3. Martin (left) and Beverly Miller of Southfield with Milt and Eunice Ring of Franklin and Karen Ring Weiss and her husband Bob of Birmingham.

4. Honorees Danialle and Pete Karmanos of Orchard Lake. 5. Suzi Moceri (left) of Bloomfield, Gretchen Davidson of Birmingham and Tracee Miller of W. Bloomfield. 6. John Forte (left) of Oxford with David and Elyse Foltyn of Birmingham. 7. Adam Post (left) of Grosse Pointe and his fiancée Niki Serras of Birmingham with Lauren and Justin Near of Birmingham. 8. Chris Mann (left) of Beverly Hills, Brooke and Jason Geisz of Birmingham and Sunny Connelly of Orchard Lake. 9. Jim and Patti Prowse of Bloomfield.

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1. Judi Juneau (left) and Nancy Brown of Bloomfield and Teresa Stayer of Rochester Hills.

2. Karen Seitz (left) and Martha Torre of Bloomfield. 3. Anita Hakim (left) and Yasmine Najor of Bloomfield and Elena Vitello of Troy.

4. Kelley Smith (left) and her mother Jackie Ong of Bloomfield. 5. Connie Salloum (left), Marilynn McDonald and her daughters Linda Reitmyer and Kathy Kause of Bloomfield. 6. Carol Shaya (left), Sandie Knollenberg and Rose Obloy of Bloomfield.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK when the Tigers were still in the postseason playoffs. Fortunately, the planners had mounted television screens so people could keep track of the game while chowing down on the great food and beverages at 30 stations recruited

by Bob Golding. He was wearing the chef’s white coat Variety gave him several years ago in gratitude for this annual volunteer service. Folks also bought the great donations to the silent auction before convening in one of the theatres where Variety board president Connie Beckett and event co-chairs Judy Solomon and Michael Bressler thanked them and host Paul Glantz for their enthusiastic support.

The event raised $62,000 for Variety’s life changing mission. Guests also bought 48 bikes for deserving, underprivileged kids. These will be presented at a joyous party on Dec. 11.

Persons wishing to do likewise ($182.45) may call Variety at (248) 2585511.

Variety’s Lights, Camera, Auction!

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1. Paul Glantz (center) of Lake Angelus with Len Dillon (left) and Marvin Walkon of Bloomfield. 2. David (left) and Marsha Stanislaw and Michael Bressler and Judy Solomon of Birmingham. 3. Nancy DeAngelish (left) and Jane Synnestvedt of Birmingham. 4. Judy Tappero and Henry Baskin of Bloomfield. 5. Doris and Jim August of Bloomfield. 6. Pamela Dillon (left) and Sharon Walkon of Bloomfield.

7. Felicia Shaw of Birmingham and Alan Barry of Commerce. 8. Paul Schneider (left) of W. Bloomfield and Ed Shaw of Birmingham. 9. Joyce Baker (left) of Novi with Eric and Nancy Clark of Bloomfield.

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1. Erica Gerson (left) of Bloomfield and Jen Zachary with Karen Sosnick Schoenberg of Birmingham. 2. Dr. Lorna Thomas (left) of Detroit with Susu Sosnick of Birmingham.

3. Ashley Crain (left) and Nedda Shayota of Bloomfield, Gretchen Davidson of Birmingham and Danialle Karmanos of Orchard Lake.

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Wine, Women & Shoes Speaking of Ladies Night Out, more than 200 girlfriends and supporters of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation flocked to Cranbrook Kingswood for a very chic version of same chaired by Erica Gerson and Jen Zachary with help from Gail Ball. They sipped wine at nine stations staffed by an expert and perused selections for sale from Plum Market, which, like the exclusive boutiques set up for shopping, returned a percentage of sales to the cause. A Key to the Closet raffle offered a closet makeover by California Closets plus the contents of the one on display – hundreds of dollars worth of goodies donated by local retailers.

The Neiman Marcus fashion show was special for more than the great clothes and shoes. It also featured some of CHM’s best and brightest women on the runway as their life changing work was described Lindsay Heering, Dr. Seetha Shankaran, Dr. Barbara Oettgen, Sarah Peslar Wilson, Dr. Lalith Sivaswamy, Dr. Nadia Tremonti and Elizabeth L. Voyles. The event raised over $125,000 to support the five groundbreaking programs they developed and manage.

CARE Night Charity Ball A capacity crowd of 350 anti-child abuse advocates ($250, $500, $1,000tickets) partied in style at The Townsend at the elegant CARE House CARE Night Charity Ball. The 12.13

event theme – Illuminating Children’s Lives Together – was expressed visually with intriguing, glowing landscape globes of various sizes and colors and the blinking, lighted lapel pins worn by generous folks who made $100 on-the-spot donations during the cocktail hour.

New CARE House executive director Carol Furlong was profuse in her gratitude to co-chairs Kappy Trott and Lisa Payne and the many generous event sponsors before the program that put the spotlight on honoree Alicia Boler-Davis and prolific songwriter Kara DioGuardi. GM North America President Mark Reuss obviously relished his role detailing Boler-Davis’ impressive accomplishments at his company where she’s a Sr. VP. And the audience relished DioGuardi’s conversation about the stories behind her songs and the concert featuring her songs, including “Pieces of Me”.

Following the show, McCann Erickson Detroit president Chris Fay, a CARE House supporter, was the auctioneer for a mini live auction, and he got some impromptu help from DioGuardi. She not only teased guests to bid high, she also donated her house in Maine for two separate holiday stays. In all, the live auction raised $100,000, including the $40,000 paid for VIP hospitality at Tom and board chair Vicki Celani’s vineyards estate in Napa Valley. This brought the total proceeds for the 2013 benefit to a record-breaking $341,000.

AVANTI Soiree AVANTI, a weeklong summer workshop/festival for area students conducted at Derby Middle School by Musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (MDSO) is now in its third successful year. A mini-AVANTI fundraiser saluting Donald Baker’s 41st and final year as DSO’s principal oboist attracted 40 guests ($90 ticket) to Donald and Sally Baker’s home across the street from the Manoogian Mansion. According to AVANTI chair Judy Doyle, the highlights of the elegant evening were many: the formal dinner prepared and served by the musicians; a 30-minute concert by the DSO oboe section; a video of Baker’s career narrated by WRCJ’s Chris Felcyn; toasts and reminisces galore. The Soiree raised more than $3,000 to support the 2014 AVANTI Summer MusicFest. Learn more about it at www.avantisummermusicfest.org. downtownpublications.com

CARE Night Charity Ball

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6 1. George Peck (left) of Bloomfield with Kappy and Dave Trott of Birmingham. 2. Carol Furlong (left) of Bloomfield with GM’s Alicia BolerDavis of Rochester and Mark Reuss of Bloomfield. 3. Kelly Shuert (left) and Lisa Payne (right) of Bloomfield with Connie Beckett (center) of Troy.

4. Carl Camden of Bloomfield with singer Kara DioGuardi. 5. Jim Hayes and Denise Abrash of Bloomfield. 6. Debie Ponmoski (center) of Beverly Hills with Dana Selis (left) and Ruthie Selzer of Birmingham. 7. Meghan Pulte (center) of Chicago with Bob and Maryclare of Bloomfield.

8. Barbara Yolles (left) and Marcia Nodel of Birmingham with Karen Jacobson of Bloomfield. 9. Susan and Bill Harvey of Birmingham.

10. Elyse Foltyn (left) of Birmingham with Marlene Emerson and Kim Reuss of Bloomfield. 11. Katie Parks (left) with Bob and Mary Ann Schott of Bloomfield. 12. Mary Taylor (left), Anne Marie and Tim Udell and Dave and Lanie Cosgrove of Birmingham.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK OUR TOWN Art Show and Sale

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OUR TOWN Art Show and Sale Barbara Heller and Janice Degen chaired the 28th annual OUR TOWN Art Show and Sale. It honored the presenting sponsor DeRoy Testamentary Foundation’s late Art Rodecker and the opening night party attracted 400 people ($75-friend; $200 to $500-benefactors) to The Community House.

The attendance list also included about 100 of the artists who are guests of the committee because they pay a fee to enter and donate 35 per cent of their sales to TCH. Raymond James sponsored the opening night Art in Vogue party. It featured six models looking very compatible with the piece of art near which they posed because College for Creative Studies student Jenna Van Fleteren designed and made their apparel to do just that. The list of local artists winning prize money was topped by painter Tony Duce and included photographers Gene Meadows, Bob Swanson and Steven Tapper.

Proceeds from the fundraiser are not released, but we can report that 54 of the 338 pieces of the art that Gregg Wittkopp and Rachelle Nozero juried into the show sold.

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1. Julie Rodecker (left) and her husband Joseph Holly of W. Bloomfield with Sean Metrose of Bloomfield and Julie Hollinshead of Birmingham. 2. Mollie Proctor (left) of Bloomfield, Barbara Heller of Birmingham and Rachelle Nozero of Novi. 3. Janice Degen (center) of Bloomfield with Lauren (left) and Ali Sabella of Grosse Pointe. 4. Bob Swanson (left) of Bloomfield with Greg Wittkopp of Huntington Woods and Rachelle Nozero of Novi. 5. Tony Duce (left) of Birmingham and Steve Tapper of Orchard Lake. 6. Mo (left) and Gene Meadows of Royal Oak with Robert Dempster and his wife Caroline Rooney of Bloomfield.

7. Committee member Joe Campanelli (left) and Tori Sawula of Bloomfield with Lynn Gillow of Birmingham. 8. Ian (left) and Connie McEwan of Birmingham with Chuck and Mary Letts of Bloomfield. 9. Linda (left) and Bill Stewart and Carrie Proctor of Bloomfield with exhibitor Julie Dawson of Birmingham. 10. Exhibitors Kristen Gause Carey (center) of Rochester Hills and Ellie Gause with Dick Gause of Bloomfield.

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Beaumont Foundation’s Celebration

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1. Honored donor Florine Ministrelli (center) of W. Bloomfield with Linda O’Brien of Orchard Lake and Ron Rogers of Bloomfield. 2. Lois (left) and Mark Shaevsky of Bloomfield and Dr. Pam Marcovitz of Ann Arbor. 3. Marion Ginopolis (left) of W. Bloomfield and Gretchen Gonzalez of Bloomfield.

4. Barbara and Chuck Ghesquiere of Bloomfield. 5. Shel Fuller (left) of Bloomfield and Gilda Hauser of Royal Oak. 6. Sandra Moers (left) and Michael Wolfe of Bloomfield and Cis Kellman of Southfield. 7. Betty Bright (left), Harriett Fuller and Barbra Bloch of Bloomfield.

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Beaumont Foundation’s Celebration “Peter made all this possible,“ Florine Ministrelli told the 123 guests gathered at a cocktail reception in Royal Oak Beaumont’s south tower. It was ablaze with red flowers, suggesting the Women’s Heart Center bearing the Ministrelli name, which is newly in lights on the hospital’s north façade. Florine’s brief remarks saluting her real estate developer husband followed expressions of gratitude for the Ministrellis’ steadfast, 25-year beneficence to Beaumont by foundation CEO Margaret Cooney Casey, hospital CEO Gene Michalski and Dr. Pam Marcovitz, medical director of the center. It was the first of its kind when it opened in 2002 and serves 2,500 women each year. Six days after the Ministrelli celebration, Herbert and Suzanne Tyner were the center of attention at a similar event that spotlighted their gift of the Center for Cardiovascular Interventions which bears their name. Cooney-Casey and Michalski spoke to the 110 friends gathered for the Tyner salute as did Dr. Marc Sakwa, Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery. Some guests toured the new center. Both parties featured splendid cuisine and serious socializing.

ReMarkable Women Live!

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Weight Watcher’s Florine Mark welcomed 617 guests ($75 per ticket) to her 14th annual ReMarkable Women Live! luncheon at The Henry.

The event offered guests lots of free samples from vendors and spotlighted the personal and professional achievements of honorees: HGTV and Food Network’s president emeritus Judy Girard, Inside Edition anchor Deborah Norville, and Carol Arsenault, who went from a size-16 to a size-8 in one year as a Weight Watcher. It also featured Ch. 7’s Glenda Lewis moving revelation of a past abusive relationship and Free Pree reporter Rochelle Riley’s laugh evoking saga of husband hunting. The event netted about $40,000, which will benefit, in addition to Norville’s and Girard’s charities of choice, Beaumont’s Ministrelli Women’s Heart Center, U of M’s Cardiovascular Center, and West Bloomfield Henry Ford Hospital’s Florine Mark Inpatient Unit for Women’s and Children’s Health.

CCS Detroit International Wine Auction The 32nd annual fundraising wine auction attracted 550 College for Creative Studies supporters to the humungous white tent erected in Cadillac Square. The site was a salute to GM’s presenting sponsorship. The tent’s elegant décor referenced GM’s luxury cars and its clear top seemed to bring Detroit’s office buildings right inside. As Matt Cullen, who cochaired the event with his wife Karen and Nate and Cathy Forbes, told the VIP’s gathered for a special reception, “We wanted to have it here to celebrate the city itself.” Featured vintner Jean-Charles Boisset then proposed that all “Raise our glasses to Detroit.

Though the oceans separate us, we have wine that brings us together.”

Before dinner, guests sipped exceptional wines and perused the silent auctions of 50 wine lots and more than 30 art objects created by CCS alums. When they adjourned for the five-course dinner, their table was centered with a beautiful sculpture created by glass artist April Wagner (CCS ’95 crafts). Guests bought 22 of them, raising $19,100. The remaining 28 are for sale through Jan.1, 2014 at the Somerset and downtown Detroit Shoppes.

New this year was the pairing of fashion with the wine, thanks to Forbes, his Somerset Collection and shops there. Models wearing designs from Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci, downtownpublications.com

CCS Detroit International Wine Auction

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3 1. Cathy and Nate Forbes of Franklin. 2. Karen (left) and Matt Cullen of Grosse Pointe with Elizabeth and Syd Ross of Bloomfield. 3. Susan (left) and Rick Rogers of Grosse Pointe with Sid and Maddy Forbes of Bloomfield. 4. Lori (left) and Van Conway of Franklin with Liz Hardy of Birmingham. 5. Wendy Silverman (left) and Michelle Perron of Birmingham. 6. Stewart and Myra Moreland of Birmingham. 7. Erma Elder of Bloomfield. 8. Vivian Pickard (left) of Bloomfield with Al Lucarelli of Grosse Pointe and Wally Prechter of Grosse Isle. 9. Til Klem and Patrick Jakeway of Bloomfield. 10. David (left) and Jennifer Forbes of Bloomfield and Nancy Forbes Katzman and Randy Werthheimer of Franklin.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Armani, MaxMara and Halston Heritage were in the spotlight when fabulous lots donated by them were on the block. When auctioneer Fritz Hatton completed the live auctioning of 45 lots, he had garnered bids totaling $400,000.

The top bid was $70,000 for the featured vintner’s trip to France with Boisset for the Hospice de Beaune event. Also notable was the $42,000 winning bid for a trip to the Ferragamo estate in Tuscany and $10,000 to spend at Salvatore Ferragamo Somerset Collection. Some 150 of the guests stayed for the champagne and Cognac afterglow in the nearby First National Bank lobby. The 32nd annual auction raised $1.2 million for CCS scholarships and free art programs for Detroit youth.

Guest House’s 55th annual Bishops Dinner

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3 1. Katie (standing) and Bill Nienstedt of Birmingham with Ray and Jane Cracchiolo of Grosse Pointe. 2. Sr. Bridget Bearss of Bloomfield and Ginny Nienstedt of Rochester Hills. 3. Lisa (left) and Skip Lemon and Tom and Patty Dugan of Bloomfield. 4. Debra and Pat Conroy of Birmingham. 5. Lou (left) and Liz Mahoney and Kay Browne of Bloomfield. 6. Chris (left) and Ann Dine of Birmingham and Lynn and Dave Hipp of Royal Oak. 7. Annette (left) and John Kolon of Bloomfield with Patti and Bob Koval of Troy. 8. Chip (standing) and Maria Jerome of Grosse Pointe with Harry and Leslie Kemp of Birmingham.

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Guest House’s 55th annual Bishops Dinner Ever since Guest House began treating alcoholic Catholic clergy more than 50 years ago, an annual dinner has been held to raise financial support for its mission. The 2013 dinner, chaired by the Bill Nienstedts and Andrew Fishers, was the largest yet. It attracted 318 ($150 and up) from the entire Detroit diocese to the Detroit Athletic Club for camaraderie and dinner. There were highlights during the program. Archbishop Allen Vigernon, who received an award, was described thusly, “He’s holy and really, really smart.”

The testimony of Guest House alum Fr. Bill Reigel, “I’m a miracle…I’ve been...given a new life,” received a warm standing ovation. The Knights of Columbus received an award presented by the first woman Guest House board chair Sr. Bridget Bearss. And trustee Bob Koval reported the board’s big decision to combine the current men’s program currently conducted in Rochester, MN and the women’s in Lake Orion into one facility under construction in Lake Orion. Over the years, the Guest House programs have expanded to include substance abuse and other addictions in addition to alcohol. Thanks to title sponsor St. John Providence Health System and others, the event raised more than $120,000.

Key to the Cure kick off More than 400 people ($75-patron, $60-Friend) gathered at Saks Fifth Avenue to launch the local version of SFA’s 15th annual nationwide initiative which has raised more than $33 million to fight women’s cancer. They sipped and supped at culinary stations stocked by great food purveyors. They socialized and sampled makeup artistry and psychic readings. They also shopped seriously because a percentage of the sales benefited Josephine Ford and Francee and Benson Ford, Jr. Cancer centers at Henry Ford Hospitals.

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JARC Fundraisers Sharon Eisenshtadt staged a day of shopping at her trendy Bloomfield Hills fashion boutique to benefit JARC, an organization serving people with disabilities. The event featured a personal appearance by Ramy Sharp, designer of the Ramy Brook collection. Jewelry designer Mauri Pioppo also brought a special showing of her trendsetting designs popular with television and movie celebrities. Following the charity shopping event, JARC‘s 33rd annual Fall Fundraiser attracted more than 3,000 supporters to the Fox Theatre for a performance of “The Little Rascals Once Upon a Dream”. More than 400 of the younger set arrived early and partied in the Groovin’ Lounge. To date, the event proceeds have totaled $1.2 million for JARC’s life changing mission.

JVS Salute to Retiring CEO More than 100 well-wishers gathered at the Reserve to salute JVS CEO Barbara Nuremberg upon her retirement after serving the human service agency for 21-plus years. Board chair Hadas Bernard, Jewish Federation executive director Scott Kauffman, and JVS COO Leah Rosenbaum all paid tribute to Nurenberg’s innovative ideas, practical solutions and achievements advancing the rights and privileges of people with developmental disabilities.

Nuremberg is moving on to a new career with an agency in W. Palm Beach, FL, but her legacy will be remembered here by a fund established in her name to benefit JVS. Rosenbaum is the interim president / CEO of JVS, whose next fundraiser – Trade Secrets - will spotlight Sandra Pierce, Mar.12, 2014 at Knollwood Country Club.

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Send ideas for this column to Sally Gerak, 28 Barbour Lane, Bloomfield Hills, 48304; email samgerak@aol.com or call 248.646.6390.

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ENDNOTE

Opportunity for regional water, sewer system

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ecent efforts to establish a regional authority to oversee the multi-billion dollar water and sewer system owned by the city of Detroit should be recognized as a golden opportunity to bring equitable representation and accountability to a system that has been plagued by issues of mismanagement, corruption and inefficiency for decades.

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is one of the largest municipal systems of its kind, providing water and sewer service to about 40 percent of the state's population, including most of southeast Michigan. As owner of the system, the DWSD is responsible for managing and maintaining a 1,079-square-mile water service area that includes the city of Detroit and 127 suburban communities, as well as a 946square-mile wastewater service area.

Of the 4 million people who receive water from the DWSD, about 1.22 million are in Oakland County, with another 1.2 million in Wayne, and 850,000 in Macomb. Less than 700,000 customers reside within the city of Detroit. In total, suburban communities provide about 80 percent of the department's revenues, which total more than $750 million annually. Yet, suburban representation on the DWSD's seven-member Water Board of Commissioners, which oversees the department, has been limited to three members since 1960.

Dating as far back as 1871, when commissioners refused to surrender their books to

a regional board created by the state's legislature, efforts to regionalize Detroit's water and sewerage system have been met with strong opposition by the city. Subsequent efforts by local communities, counties and state legislators over the past three decades have been resisted by Detroit city leaders and the federal court system, which until this year maintained oversight of the DWSD since 1978, due to the department's failure to meet federal clean water requirements regarding sewage and storm water discharges that occur when the system becomes overloaded.

However, Detroit's impending bankruptcy and the appointment of attorney Kevyn Orr as the city's emergency financial manager by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has spurred new efforts by state lawmakers and the city's administration to establish a regional water authority. Common to each of the proposals is the establishment of a regional water authority, which would be permitted to lease the DWSD system from the city for an annual fee. The new authority would then be responsible for the day-to-day operations, management and financial oversight of the system.

Considering historic opposition to regionalization and the current financial situation, the opportunity to bring plans for a new authority to fruition may not appear again once control of Detroit's finances are returned to the city's mayor and governing body. However, Oakland officials are wise to ensure the cost and makeup of a

potential authority are fair to all customers.

Citing the city's financial issues and DWSD's internal dysfunction, Orr estimated underspending on critical capital expenditures has resulted in the need for $1.5 billion in improvements to the system over the next five years. City financial advisors have also said the city's financial crisis could make refinancing an estimated $5.7 billion in long-term bond debt owed by the DWSD particularly difficult.

While it's understandable that Detroit would want to use the DWSD's assets as a source of profit, something it isn't permitted to do now under the law, lease payments ranging from $50 million annually to upwards of $9 billion over 30 years may not be reasonable. The water and sewer system is a regional asset, and it's time for mutual governance. At the same time, everyone in the region has recognized that some kind of payment should be paid to the city for control of the asset.

We encourage establishing a regional governance structure that protects the interests of all of the system's customers. For too long, the DWSD has been subject to mismanagement and the whims of corrupt and misguided city officials.

Officials from Oakland and surrounding counties, as well as state legislators, must continue focusing their efforts on creating an authority that would provide efficiency and equity to all customers, as well as a stronger system management.

Aggressive begging needs to be controlled

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o one likes to be approached by a panhandler for a handout, but this past summer the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court ruling in a Grand Rapids case which held that individuals peacefully begging is an entitled protected constitutional right under the First Amendment, as a means of free speech.

The federal courts agreed with the ACLU, which had taken on the case of two men arrested for begging, ruling that Michigan's anti-begging law, which had been on the books for more than 80 years, was unconstitutional. On October 29, 2013, the ACLU of Michigan sent out letters to 84 municipalities across the state notifying them that anti-begging ordinances on their books are unconstitutional, and should be repealed.

Included in that mailing were several communities in Oakland County.

Of the municipalities, Birmingham repealed its anti-begging ordinance this past summer, and Royal Oak changed theirs in 2011, amending a portion of their city code that prohibited “loitering in a public place for the purpose of begging”, to singling out forms of “aggressive begging.”

Royal Oak's new ordinance prohibits certain specific aggressive behaviors such as touching the solicited person without their consent; blocking the path of the person being solicited, or the entrance to any building or vehicle; following behind, alongside or ahead as the person walks away from the solicitor after having been solicited; using abusive language, either during the solicitation, or following a refusal to donate, or making any statement, gesture or other communication that would cause a reasonable person to be fearful or feel compelled to make a donation; and soliciting at a sidewalk cafe without the permission of the owner of the cafe.

Dan Korobkin, attorney for the ACLU, asserts that “peacefully standing on the sidewalk asking for change” can't be made illegal, but “there's nothing wrong with making it illegal to trespass on private property, to assault people or harass them, or to commit fraud – but those are all already against the law.”

Korobkin asserts that the courts have ruled that conduct that is aggressive can be limited by law, “such as if someone asks for spare change,

and you decline, and they kept following you down the street and asking you over and over again, harassing you, and if they're using language that would make a reasonable person feel coerced or intimidated.”

He did emphasize that some foul language may be protected as free speech.

Korobkin's point is that it's not a crime to be poor. Granted. But's it's also not a right to personally intimidate others, allege it's begging, and use the refrain of “free speech.” While many Oakland County communities are assessing their anti-begging ordinances in light of the letters they received from the ACLU, we urge them all to look at Royal Oak's revised ordinance and consider the aggressive begging provision.

While some communities may not have a current issue with begging, no one can anticipate when an opportunist seizes upon their municipality. Wise leaders prepare for the possibilities of the future, sparing their citizens from the intrusions of aggressive and intrusive behavior with the potential to harm the community in the same way an intrusive species can harm the environment.

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