Rochester/Rochester Hills

FRONT/BACK: PAGE 50 • PLACES TO EAT: OVER 200 RESTAURANTS

DOWNTOWN R O C H E S T E R

•

R O C H E S T E R

H I L L S

AUGUST 2016

PLUS

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL POLITICAL NEWS AND GOSSIP

OAKLAND GRAVEL MINING: REPURPOSING THE LANDSCAPE COUNTY 911 SYSTEM: PLAYING TECHNOLOGICAL CATCH UP RESETTLING REFUGEES: FINDING HOME IN METRO AREA ECRWSS Postal Customer EDDM

DOWNTOWNPUBLICATIONS.COM

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THE LINDA REA TEAM - RESPECTED • RECOMMENDED • REFERRED

good reasons Linda Rea works for Real Estate One. Real Estate One is a local family of companies which additionally include Reinhart, Max Broock, and Johnstone and Johnstone. This broad global and local network helps Linda to sell homes fast, as well as find the perfect homes buyers are looking for the instant they reach the market. This contributes to the Linda Rea Team being one of the very best in the nation.

Most people have never seen a photograph of Real Estate One’s main office in Southfield Michigan. It is a great advantage to have the latest technology and resources to advertise, promote, list and sell in a company founded and still located in Michigan. This makes no home too big or too small for our team. In house mortgage, home staging, razor sharp marketing, make for convenient one stop shopping when you visit us at our beautiful Rochester office. While there, check out our historic display about Real Estate One. The importance of hiring a local agent that really knows the Rochester market is a huge factor that helps us help you quickly with less stress.

70 65

Market Share Totals

60 55

Total $ Volume (by office)

MKT 8.6%

$ in Millions

50

List $ Sell $

45 40 35

MKT 4.2%

30

MKT 3.8%

25

MKT 3.8% MKT 3.3%

20

MKT 3.0%

MKT 2.9%

MKT 2.6% MKT 2.0%

MKT 2.0%

Colburn Mcdonald Asoc, Realtor

RE/MAX Metropolitian

15 10 5 0

Real Estate One Rochester

Real Living Kee Realty

Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Hwwb

RE/MAX Defined

Max Broock, Realtors® Birmingham

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Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel Rochester

Real Estate One Troy

*MLS Data Source: Realcomp 1/1/2016 – 7/26/2016

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DOWNTOWN08.16

20

Seeking refuge and a new home in metro Detroit In the most recent 20-month period, metro Detroit took in 2,321 refugees fleeing their home countries out of concern for safety and there are several groups working to make sure that resettlement goes as smoothly as possible.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

10

Townships may be better off not having partisan elections, especially now that the age-old political party farm system may have outlived its usefulness thanks to term limitation and increased campaign money that has entered the picture.

CRIME LOCATOR

15

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

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

17

Our political/government gossip columns details the latest, including what's new in the race for the county clerk's office; a new challenger for U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop; David Wolkinson's possible run for state attorney general; and more.

MUNICIPAL

44

Rochester Infrastructure Advisory Committee formed; tax break for Jenoptik; second building for RARA; changes for DDA and PSD codified; mixed-use development approved; M-59 and Crooks Road land uses reviewed, plus more.

FRONT/BACK

50

Katie Deska gives us the the latest on what’s happening in the front and the back of the house in metro Detroit area restaurants with a series of short takes on the latest news and gossip for the industry.

THE COVER The award-winning Royal Park Hotel in downtown Rochester, often described as a boutique resort hotel with architecture reminiscent of an English manor house.

Downtown photo: Laurie Tennent.

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27

Excavation and reclamation Oakland County sits on one of the largest veins of gravel in the country, and mining success is tied to reclamation efforts after excavation.

39 Next generation of 911 Officials around the country and locally are trying to improve the 911 emergency call system to catch up with mobile and VoIP technology.

36

Brian Caponi

BUSINESS MATTERS

55

Dr. Bradley Barnes of Kiz1st Pediatrics; TooRaLoo; Tutus and Tendus; Metro D; Food Trucks for a Cause.

SOCIAL LIGHTS

56

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

ENDNOTE

62

Municipalities should not cater to corporations with tax abatements; everyone must contribute on parking costs.

FACES

18 36 43 47

Justin Glanda Brian Caponi Elizabeth Burns Kristen Gibson

Lynn Baker & Deby Gannes 248.379.3000 | LBaker@HallandHunter.com 248.379.3003 | DGannes@HallandHunter.com

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OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 5760 Murfield | $789,900

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 3102 Royal Birkshire Lane | $699,900

OXFORD TOWNSHIP 3777 S. Century Oak Circle | $679,999

Moceri-built Hills of Oakland first Homerama show house. Every upgrade and detail imaginable!

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Former model home just minutes from downtown Rochester. Amazing patio/deck with built-in BBQ. 5,072 SF | 4 BR | 4.1 Baths | MLS #216000438

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OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 4571 Chatford Court | $459,900

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Completely renovated home on 10 acres of rolling hills and meadows. Great room opens to deck. Walkout LL. 3,827 SF | 4 BR | 4 Baths | MLS #2216044802

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

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

For those not receiving a free mail copy, paid subscriptions are available for a $12 annual charge. To secure a paid subscription, go to our website (downtownpublications.com) and click on “subscriptions” in the top index and place your order online or scan the QR Code here.

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

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

If you are using the mail option, you must include a phone number for verification purposes.

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248-601-3399 Direct: 248-601-1000

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FROM THE PUBLISHER s Downtown newsmagazine has reported on the political turmoil engulfing Bloomfield Township the past two years, my first reaction is that our current approach to relying on party affiliations at the local level is a concept that should be tossed in the dust bin.

A

I know the first response from party stalwarts on both sides of the aisle will be to posit that the future of government relies on a political party farm system based on, at least in theory, local township officials gaining valuable experience, then starting to move up the ladder through county-level elected office, perhaps progressing to the state level as a state Representative or Senator, and then a select few would some day move on to Congress. Years ago that might have been a good concept, but a couple of factors have changed the playing field and rendered the farm system approach increasingly obsolete.

First, term limits at the state House and Senate level have, as one of many negative impacts, created a situation where those who choose elected public office as a lifetime vocation, but are forced out of a position after a prescribed set of years, have been recycling themselves back down to lower level offices at the county level, thereby disrupting the farm system in which office holders are supposedly groomed for the future.

Then we have the untold and ever-increasing amounts of money being poured into even local campaigns long before the courts opened the floodgates with the U.S. Supreme Court Citizens United decision in January of 2010. Money has always talked, so whens it comes to grooming local officials to move up the proverbial ladder, forget about it. Raise enough funds, hire the right seasoned campaign strategist and you don't need to pay your dues. That became readily apparent when I witnessed a few races several decades ago – Democrat Doug Ross' run for the state Senate and Republican David Honigman's campaign for the Michigan House, just to name a couple of examples. Back then, it was shocking to realize that all of a sudden $250,000 in a campaign became the new norm, then $400,000 and you could successfully garner a place in the state legislature. A more recent example would be congressman David Trott, who came from the business community and now represents a broad district from Oakland County in Washington D.C. because he had the financial juice to run an effective campaign.

Now, even a full-time administrative office at the county level will cost you $500,000-$600,000, if not more, depending on the election year and what is taking place at the top of the ticket.

So much for the farm system everyone held out as the best training ground in years past.

A partisan system at the local township government level is certainly not the only reason that turmoil can consume a community like Bloomfield Township, but it certainly is a contributing factor.

Over the years, I have covered or followed from a distance the shake-up of a number of local townships dating back to the late 1970's, starting in Highland Township in the western Oakland area up to the present day, where turmoil still consumes a community like West Bloomfield.

Interestingly, communities like Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Rochester and Rochester Hills – all cities – function just fine without having partisan labels attached to council positions, even though the leaders in each of those communities are all no doubt Republicans, Democrats, or Independents – closeted or not.

That's not to say moving to non-partisan elections at the township level will eliminate politics, which by its very textbook definition is defined as the art and science of winning and holding control over a government. But it may at least start to tone down political upheaval when it does start to develop.

And rest assured you will still have periodic upheaval in local communities; it's almost unavoidable over time, usually based on changing demographics in a community, or as less populated communities increase in density and development level.

But none of those factors really apply in Bloomfield Township, which has been in the throes of conflict since Republican treasurer Dan Devine felt jilted a few years back as then-trustee Leo Savoie was appointed supervisor. Figuratively speaking, Devine was left standing at the altar alone, rather than claiming a spot he thought was his birthright because he diligently worked the GOP chicken and pea circuit dating back prior to his tenure on the county board of commissioners before taking the treasurer post.

Put simply, Devine has made a raw power grab. In the process he has turned a local community on its head – disruptive behavior at board meetings; unfounded allegations that have made Bloomfield Township seem third world in its operations; and alienated a township workforce that has at times had to bear the brunt of the treasurer's misguided claims and criticism.

Devine has managed to assemble a clown car of candidates for all the offices in the August GOP primary election and has unleashed a local election campaign filled with half-truths and innuendos.

The only hope in this election is that Bloomfield Township voters will cast aside any past political party chits Devine has built up over the years and put an end to the local turmoil by rejecting his bid for another term, based on failed performance on the job.

Long-time involvement in a political party should not be the deciding factor when it comes to determining who runs the local government.

David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@downtownpublications.com

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INCOMING Support mass transit At Oakland University, we take pride in the fact that our more than 20,000 students have access to many unique and diverse life experiences.

Whether close to campus or throughout the Southeast Michigan region, undergraduate and graduate students alike can engage in countless employment, cultural and entertainment activities.

Unfortunately, taking advantage of many of these opportunities requires the use of some form of transportation. Some of our students are without cars and, as a result, are disconnected from a majority of regional destinations. The disjointed regional transit network now in place simply does not serve them.

Southeast Michigan is an employment and cultural hotbed.

Business enterprises here range from Fortune 500 companies to family businesses to new and exciting startups. These organizations provide outstanding internship, coop and public service opportunities.

They are only beneficial, however, if our students can get to them.

Approximately 92 percent of jobs in the region cannot be reached within 60 minutes by utilizing regional public transit. Our students strive and sacrifice daily to pursue their career goals, and we cannot afford to allow a lack of public transit to be the reason they are unable to get an internship or secure employment.

As a regional community, we need to keep in mind that it is not only students who suffer, but also business and industry as a whole.

Student immobility means that employers are left with limited talent pools when looking to fill key positions.

Likewise, the region’s cultural, entertainment and hospitality industries suffer. For example, students, senior citizens, people with disabilities and others would love to go to a Tiger’s game, concert or park but lack transportation.

Opportunities like these are abundant, but many find themselves without the means to get there.

Hence, both the community and regional commerce suffer.

Young people want high-quality, reliable regional public transit. If we do not address existing system inadequacies, some in today’s generation that might one day lead Southeast Michigan will continue to move to Chicago, Cleveland, Seattle or other cities that meet their transportation needs. downtownpublications.com

SPEAK OUT We welcome your opinion on issues facing the Rochester/Rochester Hills communities.

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

We have an opportunity to help reverse a talent drain and improve opportunities for our young people thanks to the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan’s Regional Master Transit Plan. This plan will allow us to improve regional economic vitality and quality of life by reconfiguring a disjointed regional public transit system that has stifled Southeast Michigan for far too long.

We cannot leave Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties disconnected. Our students and many others depend on regional public transit to take advantage of opportunities while attending school, pursuing careers and seeking experiences that contribute to a rich and rewarding lifestyle. High-quality regional public transit benefits everyone, and I encourage you to learn more about the plan at rtamichigan.org/masterplan/.

George W. Hynd President, Oakland University

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Graying of Oakland I wanted you to know how much I enjoyed the Graying of Oakland County article (July/Downtown) — and not just because it included several strong quotes from our director.

The entire article was comprehensive and balanced while doing an excellent job making important statistics accessible to the reader.

Aging is a big issue and can be a complicated one; (Lisa Brody’s) writing brought to light all the critical issues arising now and looming in the near future.

Cheryl Deep, MA Media Relations & Publications Merrill Palmier Skillman institute & Institute of Gerontology Wayne State University

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CRIME LOCATOR

Map key

NORTH

Sexual assault

Robbery

Larceny from vehicle

Drug offenses

Assault

Breaking/entering

Vehicle theft

Arson

Murder

Larceny

Vandalism

These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Rochester and Rochester Hills through July 28, 2016.

Placement of codes is approximate.

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Rochester Hills - $479,900

Macomb Township - $269,900

2 Beds, 2.0 Baths, 1,916 Sq Ft

4 Beds, 3.1 Baths, 3,666 Sq Ft

4 Beds, 2.1 Baths, 2,197 Sq Ft

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Rochester Hills - $399,900

Rochester Hills - $179,900

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4 Beds, 3.0 Baths, 3,324 Sq Ft

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OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL Oakland Confidential is a periodic column of political/government news and gossip items, both on and off-the-record, compiled by staff members of Downtown.

Possible items for this column can be sent to OaklandConfidential@DowntownPublications.com.

FACT OR FICTION: It seems with every passing month there is new scuttlebutt in the primary race for the GOP nomination for Oakland County Clerk between former county clerk Bill Bullard and Rochester Hills Clerk Tina Barton, the latter conveniently ignored in a recent oversized postcard mailing by Bullard. Instead, Bullard directs all of his criticism at incumbent clerk Democrat Lisa Brown, taking the high road as if he is already the Republican standard bearer. But word has it that at least one, if not two, of the four photos with other political leaders in an array of what gives the appearance as endorsements have caused some ripples. Seems Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, who as a matter of policy does not endorse in party primary races, was not too pleased, we hear, to see her mug alongside Bullard’s in his recent mailing, giving the illusion that she is backing him. Then there’s the claim that he was instrumental in Johnson’s purge of “hundreds of thousands of non-citizens” from voter rolls. For that one he gets four (the max) Pinocchio’s – there were only 4,000 estimated statewide in 2012, Bill. And for those who are wondering, Bullard is no longer a state senator, despite some of the monster signs on major thoroughfares that call him a senator who is running for county clerk. He ended that taxpayer funded gig in 2002.

REPUBLICAN DELIGHT: Actress, and now former politician, Melissa Gilbert will still appear on the August 2 Democratic primary ballot for the 8th Congressional District, currently held by Republican Rep. Mike Bishop, which encompasses parts of Livingston County and northern Oakland County, including Rochester and Rochester Hills, although she announced in late May that she was dropping out of the race due to health reasons. Since it was past the official deadline to drop out, her name will appear on the ballot, and after the election she will formally request the Bureau of Elections to vacate her ballot in accordance with SHKRELI the law. At that point, Oakland and Livingston Democratic party leaders have announced they will appoint Suzanna Shkreli, a 29year-old assistant Macomb County prosecutor from Clarkston, a political neophyte who is the daughter of Albanian immigrants. An Oakland County Democrat recently praised Shkreli as an up-and-comer. However, Oakland County Republicans had a different response – on social media, they were positively gleeful, with postings on Facebook that held numerous exclamation marks and happy emoji faces. A new website for Shkreli, where she boasts she is a first-generation American, states she will “create good jobs, improve our schools, keep guns out of the hands of terrorists, care for our veterans, end the opioid addiction, and protect Social Security and Medicare.” Whew. We’re exhausted already.

PIE IN THE SKY?: Word among some local Republicans is that David Wolkinson, who came in second in the 2012 Republican primary for the state House 40th District to current Rep. Mike McCready (Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Birmingham), is eyeing a 2018 run for Michigan attorney general. The post is currently held by Republican Bill Schuette, who had his first moment on the national stage at this year’s Republican National Convention as he preps for a run for the 2018 governor’s race. A Republican lawmaker said about WOLKINSON Wolkinson, “He’s never won anything yet, but I like him. He has some big dreams. But where do you start? Snyder, Trott, didn’t have any downtownpublications.com

political backgrounds, but they had successful business careers, and they self-funded. Wolkinson thinks he can raise a couple hundred thousand from connections in the Jewish community. More power to you.” A friend of Wolkinson’s confirmed it’s something he’s looking at, and that he does have connections to deep pockets in the Orthodox Jewish community.

Yet politicos believe it will take much, much more to compete on the state level, with county races requiring a half million or so this go round.

Wolkinson, who took 29.9 percent of the vote to McCready’s 32.1 percent in 2012, was former Congressman Kerry Bentivolio’s campaign manager in 2014, against current office holder David Trott. Wolkinson, an attorney by trade, currently is in real estate and works with the Michigan Republican Party, helping candidates with strategy.

BATTLE OF THE GAVEL: If Republicans keep control this fall of the state House of Representatives, it appears there will be a battle for Speaker of the House, and it will be a struggle between which faction of the Republican Party will prevail for the next two years. Current speaker Kevin Cotter (R-Mt. Pleasant) is term-limited, leaving the door open for either Rob VerHeulen (R-Walker) or Tom Leonard (R-DeWitt).

COTTER Respected lawmakers are putting their money – and working to raise funds this summer – on VerHeulen, who was general counsel for Meier for many years before retiring for public service. “He has no future political goals,” said one local representative. Leonard, who one lawmaker privately refers to as “the twit from DeWitt,” is 35, and was assistant state attorney general prior to running for the state rep. “He is beholden to western Michigan forces, notably the DeVos family,” which donates heavily to VERHEULEN influence causes they favor, a source said.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER: You can dump a guy, but you can’t take away what, and who, he knows. Michigan political pundit Bill Ballenger, formerly the publisher/editor of Inside Michigan Politics, has started a new – and free – website called The Ballenger Report, to offer reports on national, state and local politics and elections, including judicial contests. The report, he said, won’t compete with his former subscription-based newsletter, which he sold three years ago and from which he was fired from in January of 2016.

“It’s a brand new venture that I started about three months ago,” said Ballenger, who is subject to conditions of a non-compete agreement with Inside Michigan Politics until this November. “We have a podcast every Friday on the web (at theballengerreport.com). I’m doing a lot of what I used to do, but it’s a little different,” with a greater emphasis on political history and perspective, he said.

Ballenger, who started Inside Michigan Politics in 1987 BALLENGER and sold the publication to Susan Demas in 2013, was fired

by Demas in January following on-air statements he made to WJR’s Frank Beckmann about the Flint water crisis. During the January 19 radio show, Ballenger, a native of Flint who still resides there part-time, said the crisis had been “vastly overblown” by politicians, the news media and some entertainers. Demas dismissed Ballenger the following day, calling the comments “indefensible.”

Ballenger, a long-time politico (state House/Senate, state administrative positions, President Gerald R. Ford administration), continues to be quoted frequently in print and radio, and appears to still be the go-to guy for reporters seeking intel on political matters. He said he may consider expanding the new report after his non-compete agreement expires in November.

DOWNTOWN

17

FACES

Justin Glanda ’ve always enjoyed the race,” said Rochester Hills swimmer Justin Glanda. “Your mind is totally committed to one thing. “It’s a rush of adrenaline, and that’s what’s always intriguing.”

Glanda, who as a young boy couldn’t swim the length of a pool has grown into a portrait of what hard work and dedication begets.

The recent University of Michigan graduate is a record-breaking freestyle swimmer who competed with U-M for five years and has more than one recent Olympic trial under his belt.

As a swimmer for Cranbrook Kingswood he set a state record in the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard fly. Glanda said he always felt an affinity for U-M as he sought a balance between athletics and academics.

“Student athletes have been criticized for being solely focused on athletics,” said Glanda, who broke that mold by cramming for business classes between two-a-day practices. He earned recognition by the university for his academic achievement, was a recipient of the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar award, and earned a Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship, which allowed him to finish his master’s degree in accounting this spring.

As a junior studying business administration at the Ross School of Business, Glanda swam the third leg in a relay team that set a record at the 2014 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament. Held in U-M’s Canham Natatorium, Glanda said, “(The race) was basically the fastest 800-yard relay ever swam. At least in the U.S., because we’re the only one with ‘yards.’ It was technically the fastest ever done at the time.”

Reminiscing on how the four-man relay team visualized their win during their twenty hours of grueling practice each week, “We would line up next to each other and talk about the possibility of breaking that record. We knew it was in range, and to see that work and that accountability (pay off). It was a tremendous moment. To get a relay record, in my opinion, can be more difficult than getting an individual record, because it could be superstar talent, but for the relay, you need all four guys to pull the weight.”

That record-breaking race came one year after the team had a phenomenal performance at the NCAA in Indianapolis. “We won the whole thing that year. It was the highlight of my whole career, being on that team,” said Glanda, who served as a team captain.

Also during his junior year, acknowledging the importance of team cohesion and camaraderie, the scholar-athlete initiated the founding of Blue Connect, an informal team-run program that serves to keep competing swimmers in connection with their alumni counterparts. “It’s a cool program, to involve alumni back into the current team, and they come out to meets. It’s a way to bring some of the alumni back into the circle,” he said.

Having wrapped up his swimming career at U-M this spring, his final hoorah came this summer, at the Olympic trials, “a culmination point for a lot of swimmers,” he said. “It’s been a summer not of goodbyes, but of transitions. It’s fun to have these conversations with the team. We wouldn’t have had them as freshman or sophomores because we just think we’ll keep swimming forever.”

Glanda has lined up a job with a Detroit consulting firm. But first, he’ll be cheering on former teammates as they compete for an Olympic medal in Rio de Janeiro.

“We’ll probably have watch parties, and we’ll be cheering them on from here.”

I

Story: Katie Deska

Photo: Mark Bialek

SEEKING REFUGE

FINDING A HOME IN METRO DETROIT WHEN YOUR HOMELAND IS NO LONGER AN OPTION

BY LISA BRODY ariq (not his real name) first stepped foot on American soil on January 21, 2016, after three long years spent as a refugee in limbo in Turkey.

Originally from Mosul, Iraq, he said, through an interpreter, he escaped his hometown and home country “due to the threat of terrorism and the violence of the groups in the area.” He was also working with American groups in Iraq, making him more of a target, he said.

“And because I am a Christian, I felt more threatened,” he said. When his wife was threatened and intimidated when she was at the university, it became clear – they had to flee their homeland.

Tariq arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport with his wife and two young children, where he was met by a caseworker from Samaritas, formerly Lutheran Social Services, and volunteers who helped set them up in an apartment in Sterling Heights, where there is a large community of Iraqis, many who, like Tariq's family, are Chaldeans, or Iraqi Christians. They came with no family ties, knowing no one but each other.

Samaritas, along with Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, and Jewish Family Service of Ann Arbor, are approved by the United States government to provide resettlement to refugees of all ages, from countries around the world that have been torn apart by war, persecution and strife. The difference between an immigrant and a refugee is that an immigrant is someone who chooses to move to another country, versus a refugee, who leaves their home country due to war or political unrest, and feels they cannot return due to fear of persecution because of their race, religion, ethnicity or political affiliations.

Leaving a country as a refugee is not a simple, or quick, process.

“The immigration process is lengthy and takes years,” said Kimberly Hassan, program coordinator for the Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC). “It's done through the United Nations and Department of Homeland Security, and it's a series of interviews and background checks. If the interviews aren't done, because of security issues in the region, they're put on hold. If government issues or safety and security are not safe for the interviewer, it's put on hold. There's no rushing any of the process. Someone from the UN goes out, into the refugee camps, or wherever, and interviews the clients, and if the area isn't safe, because they're not always in stable governmental areas, the process is on hold.

T

“When numbers (of refugees) are slower, the State Department responds by saying the area where the refugees are isn't safe for the interviewers to go out and interview them,” Hassan said. “For refugees, on average, it's a years-long process. For some, they wait 10 years.”

Hassan said her agency, based on their staff's qualifications, primarily deals with Iraqi, Egyptian and some Syrian refugees, along with some from Muslim African countries. “Iraqi refugees are still the majority.” Most of the refugees who arrive here are families, with 35 to 40 percent children. “A majority are families because people want to find a safe place for their families,” Hassan explained.

Between October 2014 and May 2016, ACC welcomed 511 refugees to Oakland County, 75 percent of which were Iraqis, and the remainder were mostly Syrian. “In the last few months, there has been a steady increase in Syrian refugees,” she said. “You see the Syrians on the news, but it takes time for it to translate.”

“After Paris, some politicians stated there should be an ethnic or religious litmus test for anyone coming into this country. We believe that is antithetical to American values. We are a country that has historically welcomed refugees and immigrants from around the world,” noted Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council of Muslim-American Relations (CAIR). “We see the anti-Syrian refugee sentiment as part of a greater framework of Islamophobia, and that is why our organization has been vocal in fighting that sentiment.”

From October 2014 to May 2016, for Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties, ACC welcomed 2,321 refugees, which Hassan said was down from fiscal year 2013, when they had 3,200 refugees. In fiscal year 2014, they received 2,788 refugees. “The numbers are starting to go back up,” Hassan said. “One of the issues (for the decline) we were informed of was security.”

Steve Tobocman, executive director of Global Detroit and a former Democratic state representative for southwest Detroit (20022008), said that despite the political rhetoric, “metro Detroit is one of the leading areas of the country to embrace immigration. We've really helped create an understanding that immigration is a positive economic opportunity for the region.”

He noted that since 2009, when he began working on this initiative, there are now close to 20 Rust Belt cities embracing the model of immigration as an economic growth incentive, and it continues to be in metro Detroit's best interest to encourage immigrants to settle here.

“The state of Michigan has 6.5 percent foreign born (population), well below the national average of 13 percent. In southeastern Michigan, it's nine percent,” Tobocman said. He said of adult immigrants

over the age of 25, “40 percent are college educated, compared to 22 percent of native born Michiganders, and they're almost twice as likely to possess college degrees in coveted STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) areas.”

He pointed out that research from University of Berkley and Duke University have both indicated that 25 percent of high tech corporations founded between 1995 and 2005 had at least one immigrant founder or cofounder, and 52 percent of Silicon Valley high tech firms have an immigrant founder.

Michigan, surprisingly, is ranked third in the nation for an area that attracts highly educated, more entrepreneurial, successful immigrants, behind California and New Jersey. “And those are not communities threatened by declining populations,” Tobocman said.

New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul – Tobocman points out that they are all cities that over the last several decades found their resurgence largely

Some politicians stated there should be an ethnic or religious litmus test for anyone coming into this country.

We believe that is antithetical to American values.

due to strong immigration growth.

“These cities have embraced immigrants as a way of repopulating their cities,” he said.

“The only cities that have rebounded from population loss is to have strong immigration growth.”

He said that between 1960 and 1980, of the 50 largest American cities, 29 lost population, including Detroit. Fourteen of those cities grew their populations between 1980 and 2013, “and all 14 had strong immigration growth. Zero cities did it without immigration growth. You can't find a single city that grew without immigrants.

“We look at immigrants as a valuable part of resettling the area,” agreed Wojciech Zolnowsk, executive director of International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit, first founded in 1919, to assist refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers in the metropolitan area.

“From a strictly economic perspective, the height of immigration balance was the '50s, '60s and '70s, when the ratio of working class

to seniors was 150 workers to 20 retirees. So we need to entice immigrants to come to help sustain the economic balance. We mainstream them to accelerate their customer power. Most refugees and immigrants are of working age, and many are highly educated and highly skilled. What we also know about immigrants is that most are very driven.”

Currently, the institute serves individuals from 46 nations, although most are Iraqis, Chaldeans, Mexicans, Indians and some Syrians.

“Mayor (Mike) Duggan has talked about repopulating the city as his number one goal – he has talked that he should be judged on that,” Tobocman said. “For the last 25 years, if that is any kind of indication, he won't get there without immigration.”

Tobocman says he believes that is possible, as immigration is growing in the city, with refugees from Yemen and Bangladesh, and Latino immigrants settling in underserved areas because of low costs to rent and own a house, as well as to start and own a business, although immigration is currently only at five percent in Detroit.

“We have had to work to have the communities learn to communicate and work together,” said Christine Sauvé, senior project coordinator for Welcoming Michigan, an immigrant integrator initiator, noting that in a southwestern Detroit neighborhood, where there were once African Americans and those from Appalachia, it is now populated with African Americans, Hispanics and Yemeni Arabs. “The community group worked with the youth, who were Hispanic and Arab, and the elders, who were African American. We've seen a lot of learning,” she said, notably where younger members learn some of the others' language. “We have to remember they're taxpayers and consumers as well as business owners.”

“There are about 400,000 immigrants in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, and only about 35,000 in the city of Detroit. The other 90 percent live in the suburbs,” Tobocman said. “I think it's for the same reasons so many others have left the city of Detroit,” noting many Iraqi refugees have family ties in Dearborn, Troy and Sterling Heights.

Over the 20 years Mihaela Mitrofan has been director of refugee resettlement for Samaritas in southeast Michigan, she has seen the refugee migration evolve from Vietnamese refugees to Bosnian, Albanian, Kosovan and Iraqis, and now Syrians. “Since the 1990s, Russians have been more constant.

After 9/11, it was Iraqis and others from the Middle East. Between 2007-2008, when there was a large influx of Iraqi refugees, and our numbers peaked in 2013, and have kept growing, with Iraqis and Chaldeans (Iraqi Christians). Right now, we have a diverse resettlement of Iraqi and Syrian refugees, along with Somalis, Sudanese, and Afghani refugees.”

As of May 2016, for this fiscal year, Samaritas had resettled 1,446 refugees in Michigan, with 800 coming to Troy. In the last year, they resettled 21 Syrians to western Michigan and 62 in southeast Michigan.

Mitrofan noted it's still early on in the resettlement of Syrian refugees, and whether they come to Michigan over other places is often determined by where they may choose to come, based on family or other community ties. Some have no family ties, but choose to come here because of the large community of other Middle Eastern people. As Hassan noted, southeast Michigan has the largest population of Middle Eastern people outside of the Middle East, with California second, so many choose to come here because there are established communities. Currently, according to U.S. Census figures, there are about 500,000 Middle Eastern individuals in metro Detroit. “There are staffs of community organizations prepared to deal with them, cultural restaurants, cultural stores, churches, mosques, a support system is already there,” Hassan stated. “It's a lot easier to find someone to translate here than someplace else.”

“The Middle Eastern population in Detroit is open and willing to help Arabic-speaking refugees; we have a long history of that in metro Detroit,” concurred Lynne Golodner, spokesperson for Samaritas. “The Syrian American Rescue Network (SARN) is a formal volunteer group that Samaritas collaborates with, and they've been advocating for as many Syrians as we can possibly resettle to come to metro Detroit.”

Landing at Metro airport does not mean all of their worries and troubles are over – they may have escaped their troubled country, and then left behind refugee camps with all of their incumbent horrors, but now they are forced into a new life, a new world, a new home where nothing is familiar.

“When they first get here, the mind set is just survival, especially if they're coming from a war-torn country,” Hassan said. “Later, they can consider job skills. Some don't even want to talk about their previous life because of the stigma.”

“In the beginning, it was difficult,” Tariq said. “Everything – the language, the country, everything, the community. We don't have any relatives here, so we are all alone. Now we're getting adjusted and meeting people.”

Help and assistance can come from many corners. Resettlement groups like Samaritas, Catholic Charities, and U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants provide refugees with furnished apartments, basic household items, food, welcome them at the airport and take them to their new home. Volunteer groups often provide the emotional and practical assistance once the agencies leave.

“We are sponsoring a family from Syria, a mother, father, an 18-year old son, and a 17year old son, who is living in a member's home in Birmingham,” said Frank Driscoll,

chairperson of the Church's Society at Birmingham's First United Methodist Church.

The family, who arrived on June 3, first spent about a week in a hotel, he said, after which Samaritas referred them to the church group of volunteers. “We are providing the home rent-free for six months. The member built an in-law suite addition onto their home, and the member committed to allowing them to stay.”

Driscoll said their journey as volunteer hosts began last fall, when a church bishop wrote a letter stating how dismayed she was over the public conversation regarding not wanting immigrants, especially Syrian immigrants, to come to Michigan, or the U.S. “It was a powerful letter,” he said, and it motivated the pastor at their church to spur them to action.

The family that is staying with them in Birmingham, Driscoll said, first left Syria over five years ago, after they experienced a lot of firefighting around them, including an injury to one of the sons. “They went to Jordan, rented a home, applied for refugee status, and

They may have escaped their troubled country… left behind refugee camps with all of their incumbent horrors, but now they are forced into a…new world.

waited. Their life was on hold,” he said. The father, at age 63, is starting his life over, and they have no family in metro Detroit.

The family is beginning to take English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, and the two sons will be enrolling in school for the fall. In a few months, the father should hopefully get a job. About 70 volunteers from the church are taking turns providing them with all of their transportation needs, driving them shopping, to medical appointments and making sure they have check ups, helping them get groceries, providing them with clothing. Driscoll noted he has discovered an area in Sterling Heights with markets geared towards them, and enjoys taking them grocery shopping. “It has really been wonderful for us.

There's a lot of excitement in our church. A lot of people want to help them.”

Driscoll said that in addition, First United Methodist Church is planning on hosting weekly meetings for the family as well as other Syrian refugees in the area, “so they can

share with people of similar backgrounds what they have been going through.”

The church group is committed to the family for six months, providing transportation to each member to and from school, and once they get a job, back and forth to work, all appointments, and to cultural outings around metro Detroit. “We have them for six months, and when they leave us, we will provide them with an automobile and furnishings for their new place.”

Their generosity is matched by the family, Driscoll asserted. “When you visit them, they take hospitality to the next level. They want you to sit in the most comfortable chair, and they offer you and always want you to have something to eat or drink.”

Julie Huellmantel was motivated by the picture of the drowned young Syrian refugee boy washing up on the shore of a Turkish beach to similarly act. She spoke to her pastor at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, and the church decided to support a family. They were contacted in February about a refugee family from Iraq who had just arrived in Troy.

“They were set up in an apartment (by Samaritas), but while it was furnished, they really needed everything, from toothbrushes, toilet paper, furniture, light bulbs, bath mats – all of the little things you never think of,” Huellmantel said. “After we moved them in, I took the father to Meier and took him grocery shopping for food and staples, things for the kitchen. We had brought certain basics, but we wanted them to get the kind of food they would feel comfortable with.”

She said they have stayed in contact with them since the family has become more established in their community. “They're in a great community, the kids are enrolled in school, and they have a great support network,” she said. As a Christian Iraqi family, they are one of many relocated to the Troy/Sterling Heights area, with restaurants, schools and grocery stores around them. “It's all culturally familiar to them when they're in a new country.”

Huellmantel said that about once a month, the family comes over to the east side to Grosse Pointe Memorial Church. “He (the father) got a job, and he's employed. We got them a car from someone in our church who donated a car. They have been so, so, so grateful for our generosity.”

However, Huellmantel said that she and her fellow volunteers have been the fortunate ones. “Whenever you volunteer, you take home much more than you give,” she said.

“Every time we're with them, it's always been a great experience.” So much so, they have now welcomed a second family, a mother and two children from the Ivory Coast.

But families are not left on their own, with volunteers driving and helping them out.

Established organizations are trained to deal with immigrant issues and needs.

Once they take them to their apartments from the airport, “We provide them with a

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Rochester/Rochester Hills/Oakland Twp - July 2016

S O L D

ADDRESS 3530 Woodcrest 2825 Devondale 2976 Gerald Avenue 1875 Mackwood 2344 Pleasant View 5651 Beechview 907 Peach Blossom 555 Sarsfield 2899 Simpson 1650 Gravel Ridge 2413 Hessel 3832 Somerset Circle 2710 Ledgewood Ct 3180 Gerald 359 Willow Grove 875 Greenview Ct 166 Cherry Dr 1167 Brewster 2320 Longview Ave 1361 Barneswood Lane 2933 Dearborn 1339 Royal Crescent 3698 Connors 1126 Valley Stream Ct 424 Oak Street 533 Tennyson 1929 Ridgefield Ct 3607 Merion Ct 3799 Teakwood Lane 3301 Emmons Ave 837 Langdon Ct 1848 June Ave 1628 Hillside Lane 631 Whitney 3053 Rolling Green Circle 323 Maywood Ave 1921 Kingstree Ct Minimum Average Maximum

List Price $139,900 $154,900 $250,000 $279,900 $295,000 $329,000 $490,000 $229,900 $139,900 $288,900 $374,900 $485,990 $1,149,000 $139,900 $178,900 $178,000 $189,000 $224,999 $298,000 $319,900 $316,900 $359,900 $377,000 $420,000 $425,000 $184,900 $375,000 $519,000 $659,950 $109,900 $119,000 $195,900 $259,900 $264,900 $295,000 $339,900 $340,000 $109,900 $324,925 $1,149,000

Sale Price $128,500 $149,900 $210,000 $265,000 $296,500 $335,000 $428,000 $215,000 $137,000 $280,000 $362,000 $485,990 $1,149,000 $144,200 $163,000 $170,000 $180,000 $205,000 $295,000 $310,450 $316,900 $361,000 $380,000 $424,000 $431,500 $184,900 $363,000 $455,000 $640,000 $104,000 $117,500 $200,000 $246,000 $264,000 $295,000 $350,000 $355,808 $104,000 $315,741 $1,149,000

Beds Baths 2 1 3 2 3 3 4 2.1 4 2.1 4 2.1 3 3.1 3 2.1 3 1 4 2 4 2.1 3 2.1 4 4.2 3 1.1 2 1.1 2 2 4 2 3 2 3 2.1 4 2.1 3 2.1 3 2.2 4 2.1 4 2.1 4 2.1 2 2.1 3 2.2 4 3.1 4 4.1 2 1 2 1 4 2 3 2.1 3 2.1 4 2.1 4 2 4 2.2

Sqft Total 1,012 1,456 1,935 1,974 2,076 2,304 2,517 1,815 1,040 2,100 2,393 2,207 4,982 1,224 1,209 1,568 1,537 1,290 1,889 2,062 1,945 2,296 2,511 2,704 2,325 1,346 2,682 3,720 3,900 900 957 1,950 1,944 1,635 2,313 1,524 2,376 900 2088 4982

Price/Sqft $126 $102 $108 $134 $142 $145 $170 $118 $131 $133 $151 $220 $230 $117 $134 $108 $117 $158 $156 $150 $162 $157 $151 $156 $185 $137 $135 $122 $164 $115 $122 $102 $126 $161 $127 $229 $149 $102 $145 $230

Close Date 7/1/2016 7/1/2016 7/1/2016 7/1/2016 7/1/2016 7/1/2016 7/1/2016 7/4/2016 7/5/2016 7/5/2016 7/5/2016 7/5/2016 7/5/2016 7/6/2016 7/6/2016 7/6/2016 7/6/2016 7/6/2016 7/6/2016 7/6/2016 7/6/2016 7/6/2016 7/6/2016 7/6/2016 7/6/2016 7/7/2016 7/7/2016 7/7/2016 7/7/2016 7/8/2016 7/8/2016 7/8/2016 7/8/2016 7/8/2016 7/8/2016 7/8/2016 7/8/2016

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safety orientation,” Samaritas' Mitrofan said. “We want to educate them about personal safety – not to leave their apartment unlocked, not to venture outside in the streets, not let their kids go out alone. That happens immediately after arrival. Then we immediately educate them on U.S systems, laws, and the legal system. We talk about education in the United States, and the importance of enrolling them and their children in the U.S educational system, and we help enroll them in school,” especially in ESL classes.

They also receive all necessary inoculations and medical checks.

She said local schools are very welcoming to new immigrants. “We have been working with many schools, for them to obtain ESL and other language services. Many schools in Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties are very welcoming, with resources to work with the incoming refugee population.”

Samaritas has a refugee school impact program which acts as a liaison between the refugee students and the districts to ease other cultural differences. “We help (immigrant) parents with parenting skills in the U.S.,” Mitrofan said. “We teach them about disciplining in the U.S., the different ways of acceptable disciplining, ways to engage with education, tutoring, how they can get direct assistance between school personnel, like teachers and parents, such as dealing with report cards and parent/teacher conferences, so they understand what they need to be doing.”

She said they also assist them with resume preparation, job prep and job searches, as well as job placement assistance, “and we follow up on them.” She said most refugees, especially those from Iraq and Syria, are typically placed in sustainable employment between three to six months of their arrival.

“It's one of our successes. We work very intensely when they arrive, going through their past employment, their education, mental and physical health, their English proficiency – they're all factors to how soon they can gain employment,” Mitrofan said.

She said they arrive with work permits, and they connect the refugees with Social Security numbers, and enroll them in driver's education, or if they already know how to drive, help them get their driver's license. They also help them get assistance through the Department of Health and Human Services, to get Bridge cards. “It's just a little help to get them on their feet,” she said.

Once they get on their feet and learn English, many come to the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit, Zolnowsk said, where they enter into career development and job placement programs, and vocational programs for less skilled refugees and immigrants. Many learn carpentry, to be electricians, plumbers, and seamstresses and tailors.

“Thirty to forty percent of our participants come to us as refugees,” he noted. “There's a growing demand for professional sewing machinists.

This multi-level training program allows them to accelerate the process of becoming a self-employable individual,” which is especially important for many wives, who can then work producing sewn items from home.

“We have a very good return on investment that way, to have them stay employed. We check on them. We also want them to understand the culture and interact with people. We want them to go to a PTA meeting, or a city council meeting. We want them to be successful,” he said.

An important program he encourages them to participate in is a financial empowerment programs that helps build their credit history, which they do in collaboration with the United Way of Southeast Michigan. “We can enroll the immigrant in a twin account program to establish their credit, and we get it from zero to 680 FICO score in six to eight months,” Zolnowsk said. “We have an agency that loans them $200, and they have to repay it in increments of $20 to $50 a month, and they have to report it, and in that way they begin to earn credit.”

It is not only a way to earn credit, it becomes a gift. “It's not only a loan – it's a match,” he said. “Once it's paid off, it's given to them as a gift.”

Tariq, who has now been here for six months, said he and his family have felt welcomed by the Americans they have met here. “People have been very open and welcoming.”

While they are still settling in, acculturating, he said, “from a security and peace of mind, I feel much better here. We're safer and happier.”

“Immigrants are not better or smarter, but when they come to the U.S., they are willing to work harder, longer, to sacrifice for their children,” Zolnowsk said. “I look at them as the new pioneers.” downtownpublications.com

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EXCAVATING GRAVEL REPURPOSING THE MINED COMMUNITY LANDSCAPE

BY KATIE DESKA AND LISA BRODY

I

sland Lake of Novi is a master planned community built on 901 acres in the heart of the city of Novi, with its own 170-acre lake, five miles of shoreline, a marina, parks, miles of carefully curated walking trails, boat docks, pools, tennis courts, and numerous other amenities, along with 876 two-story semicustom homes. At first glance, it looks like it was designed around nature's best features.

In a way it was. Only it was planned to be that way, as part of a reclamation project following decades first as a gravel mine, belching forth gravel, aggregate and sand that was used in community roads, bridges, sewer pipes, for the foundations of buildings and homes, and other infrastructure uses.

Island Lake of Novi photo: Ken Cobb

“We mined it from the 1960s through the 1980s, and then Toll Brothers built 800-some homes in a master planned community,” said Steve Weiner, vice president of real estate and environmental, Edward C. Levy Company. “You just don't find pieces of property with 800 to 1,000 acres. Maybe you see that in Texas or Florida, but you don't in Michigan. We're blessed to have that much land. It's marvelous – it's the most successful master planned community in Oakland County.”

A community's natural resources are so valuable they can be worth their weight in gold. In Michigan, notably southeastern Michigan and Oakland County, we are sitting upon one of the world's largest veins of gravel, formed thousands and thousands of years ago.

The Pleistocene era, more commonly known as the Ice Age, came to a close about 11,000 years ago as glaciers, which had come down as far forward as Michigan and Indiana, melted away, and left veins of sand, gravel and clay in their wake deep underground.

As ice sheets melted and receded, they left behind deposits of peat and forest beds 15 feet thick, and rivers, lakes and streams, as well as the Great Lakes themselves. Beneath the surface, a thick cover of glacial drift protected layers of sediment, sand and gravel.

“That outwash material, the glacial till or sediment that’s been carried by melt water, can be very good for sand or gravel,” said Peter Rose, geologist with the Office of Minerals Management at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

A component of concrete, along with sand, water and cement, gravel is a central part of infrastructure, from roads to bridges, sewers and pipes, buildings to housing developments, and luckily for the the metro area, Oakland County and Livingston County rest upon one of the largest gravel deposits in the world. As it happens, northern Oakland County sits upon the second largest source of gravel mining in the United States.

The majority of the state was covered by glaciers, said Rose, noting that after the melt, “Oakland County is a mixture of moraines and outwash, whereas in the Thumb (of Michigan) you get more lake sediments, you can get more clay. But sand and gravel is common to moraines and outwash, so there are big sand and gravel operations in Oakland County.”

A moraine is a deposit at the base of a glacier and getting collected by the melted water, the sediment is transported in streams.

“These aren’t wide meandering streams, like you see today, these would be more braided streams, like what’s downstream from glaciers in Alaska and places today,” said Rose.

“They’re not necessarily uniformly good for gravel. There are pockets that would be ideal, so it requires explorations, drilling and test pits.”

“Mining has been the building blocks, the cornerstone of civilization for thousands of years,” Weiner noted. “Steel, iron, gold, silver, copper. We do it here in Michigan, and in every country in the world. The way to determine where to mine is to drill deep into the ground, because veins can be sandwiched deep into the ground, part of the glacial till. So you drill a bunch of holes in the ground, every three to five feet, to source it initially, and put that information into a computer to determine its viability, and determine the quality of the materials, because you have to meet certain specifications.”

Weiner noted veins of natural aggregate, made up of sand and gravel, can be made up of very fine sand all the way up to pea gravel or boulders. “We also measure the hardness and angularities. Angular stones will stay in one place.

“We also look for how clean the material is,” Weiner explained, noting that thousands and thousands of years of other organic materials, such as decayed trees, dead and decayed animals, and other items have been pushed away by melting glaciers. “We have to wash it all away, as well as clay, which is a binder. It all must be clean to use.”

Over the decades, gravel mines have been created all over the

state, from the northern coast of the mitt, along Lake Michigan and in the Upper Peninsula, to mines scattered around southeast Michigan and Oakland County, in Highland Township, Groveland Township, Brighton, Holly, Green Oak Township, S. Lyon, Hartland, Oxford, and Springfield Township. Throughout the state, some gravel mines have been dug on state land; others, on private property. In Oakland County, all of the active mines are privately owned and on private property.

The permitting process is different if a mine is on state land, versus on private land in a municipality. If a gravel mine is leased on land from the state, permitting for that mine goes through through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Office of Minerals Management. It requires a reclamation plan before the lease will be granted. The initial lease runs for seven years, and upon expiration, the lessee can apply for an extension. “When they’re done mining, and before the lease expires, they’re supposed to reclaim the pit. It’s up to us to monitor that and require that,” said Rose, geologist with the DNR. But all gravel mines in Michigan built and reclaimed on private property are permitted by local zoning ordinances.

“Mining for gravel in southeast Michigan is a very benign exercise.

It's not an environmental hazard in any way, because it's just taking a natural resource for construction,” Weiner asserted. “If something (natural) hasn't been grown, it's been mined. We do cut down trees, but we plant new ones. We're regulated to not threaten endangered species, for wetlands, for protected species. Our industry is regulated, and equipment is maintained.”

They even create new topography, by digging deep into the water table and tapping into aquifers, and new lakes arise. If a lake of a certain size will be created in the process of a gravel mining operation, or if there will be excavation in or near a wetland, the operator needs additional permits from the DEQ’s Water Resources Permits Division. Governed by the wetlands statute, “the first preference is not to disturb the wetland, but if that’s the only option for operation, they’ll need to do offsetting activities, preserve or protect (other) existing wetlands,” said Hal Fitch, chief of the Office of Oil, Gas, and Minerals at the DEQ. Fitch, noted that the office does not regulate gravel mining, as they do with iron, copper and other mining operations. “Gravel operations may need air quality permits; it has the potential for creating dust,” which is one reason why some communities fight against them.

Doug Needham, president of Michigan Aggregates Association, a non-profit organization, concurred, “There are no environmental issues (in mining). We are heavily regulated by the state and nationally, and we strive very hard to meet and comply with all regulations. There don't seem to be issues. Mines have to get air quality permits and water discharge permits from the DEQ, and the National Pollutants Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), covers national issues.” The NPDES, created in 1972 by the Clean Water Act, is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program authorizing state governments to permit and regulate point source groundwater.

Rick Rusz, chief of groundwater permits for DEQ, said, “Permits are issued every five years for gravel mines. They wash sand or gravel on the site. We do not consider it very problematic as they follow all the rules.”

Rusz said washwater is done without any additives, and is then put back into the mine. They must maintain a log displaying the amount of water they have discharged; and they are not permitted to discharge water on any other site. “In this way, they're using clean water and putting clean water back into the mine, and no groundwater is contaminated during gravel mining when these permitting procedures are followed.”

While southeast Michigan has “good quality aggregates left behind

OAKLAND SITS UPON ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST VEINS OF GRAVEL, FORMED OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

by the glacial retreat, accessibility to it is difficult due to urban sprawl, with subdivisions, buildings and roadways built on top of it, making access to it very difficult,” Needham said. “Once it's covered, there's no way to get to it.”

A primary local use for gravel, once mined, is for road construction.

To pave one mile long four-lane roadway, it takes 85,000 tons of gravel – meaning literally tons of gravel are moved and used when are roads are reconstructed. Because there are gravel mines in Oakland County and southeastern Michigan, it helps to reduce the costs for road projects to local municipalities and the Road Commission of Oakland County (RCOC), as well as Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). MDOT purchases at least one million tons of gravel per year, and Jeff Cranston, MDOT director of communications, said its costs have increased 40 percent in the last 10 years.

“It's very costly to move it. It's highly transportable, and it's often more expensive to move it, so if it's local, it's easier to use,” said Weiner of the Edward C. Levy Company. “(Gravel) averages about $10 a ton, but we go through over 20,000 tons in a season,” used for patching and filling the shoulders of roads maintained by the county, said Shelly Foreman, purchasing agent for the Road Commission of Oakland County (RCOC). On top of the 20,000 tons, the county incurs an additional expense for gravel in order to reapply a layer to the county’s 800 miles of gravel roads. “A trucking company would come out and spread three to four inches of gravel over miles of road, and then there’s a road grader there to smooth it out,” said Jay Carter, RCOC maintenance operations engineer.

Currently, there are major road projects in Bloomfield Township on Big Beaver Road from Woodward to Adams, which is closed until November; Maple between Southfield and Cranbrook will soon be closed for repavement in Birmingham; numerous streets are being repaved in Rochester Hills and Bloomfield Hills; while the South Boulevard/ Rochester Road intersection is being rebuilt.

Although, relative to other mineral commodities, gravel is cheap, the cost adds up in the transport of the material. The rule of thumb is that for every 30 miles the gravel is hauled, the price doubles, said Fitch of the Office of Oil, Gas, and Minerals. As taxpayers who foot the bill for the road commission, Oakland County residents benefit financially from sitting on a plethora of gravel.

“If you have a project in Detroit proper, and have to go to a suburban area to find a gravel supply, (the price) multiplies up pretty quickly. Big modern buildings have a lot of concrete in them, and that takes a lot of sand and gravel, so the demand will remain,” Fitch said.

But “it’s getting more and more difficult to find sources close to the project. If some township wants to prevent sand and gravel mining, then the company will have to go that much further out, so it’s more cost for the infrastructure. It adds to our tax burden. And, it’s more trucking, and those (trucks) add the carbon load, you’re burning diesel and putting out carbon dioxide. And the impact to the roads themselves, the further you have to truck it, the more impact there’s going to be,” said Fitch.

Resident opposition is the biggest issue currently facing gravel mining. “The biggest challenge we have is communities' willingness to welcome mining into their communities,” Needham said. “The existing mines have a limited supply in their pits. Some of our existing mines are running out of reserves, and need to look for new mines.

Several of the communities that have the resources, they've made it difficult to gain access, or have put up road blocks to rezoning for the pits.”

Several communities are halting privately-owned enterprises from operating, listening to resident opposition characterized by the sentiment “not in my backyard,” often known by the acronym NIMBY.

Yet, these municipalities are in direct violation of a law passed by the state legislature, the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act (Public Act 110), which precludes local municipalities from denying gravel mine operations as long as they follow local zoning ordinances. The act became effective in July of 2006, and states, “An ordinance shall not prevent the extraction, by mining, of valuable natural resources from any property unless very serious consequences would result from the extraction of those natural resources. Natural resources shall be considered valuable… if a person… can receive revenue and reasonably expect to operate a profit.” Public Act 113, passed in 2011, takes it a step further, stating, “A county or township shall not regulate or control the drilling, completion, or operation of oil or gas wells or other wells drilled for oil or gas exploration purposes and shall not have jurisdiction with reference to the issuance of permits for the location, drilling, completion, operation, or abandonment of such wells.”

Weiner of the Edward C. Levy Company said they will likely be the first company to test Public Act 113, probably later this year, for a proposed gravel mine in Metamora, on former Boy Scout camp grounds.

“We filed recently for a mine in Metamora, and the host community will fight it, and we'll have to go to court,” he said. “No one wants it in their community. They don't want the impact. The only impact we have are the trucks (when) we transport the gravel. But the roads they go on were built for that purpose. If the neighborhoods fight and say 'don't come near us,' and we have to go 10 miles out of our way, RCOC is going to have to pay more for roads, and builders will pay more to build homes.”

Metamora Township supervisor Dave Best did not respond to calls.

Highland Township also has a gravel mine, and requires a special use permit for the pit, which planning director Beth Corwin said places extra scrutiny on the project before approval was granted.

A public hearing was held on two occasions, once at the planning commission meeting and again at the township board meeting, and “in the case of the gravel mine we required hydrogeological studies, some marketing studies that showed the need for the product that they produce,” said Corwin, noting that proving a need in southeast Michigan for gravel isn’t a difficult task.

Before the mine, operated by American Aggregates of Michigan, Inc., a branch of Levy Indiana Slag Co., was permitted in the 1990s, Corwin said “they had to negotiate the haul routes, make sure the gravel trains – the big double trucks you see – are limited to Class A roads that can manage the weights. We looked at how they could mitigate impacts to the neighbors, like with big berms to contain noise and to screen the visual effects. We looked at the safety – how is it secured? A gravel mine is considered an attractive nuisance. Kids are drawn to the lakes that get created in mining, or they’re interested and curious about the equipment. People can get in trouble by trespassing.”

As mandated in the lease terms set out by the state, municipalities may require the company to submit a reclamation plan at the time of project approval. If mined appropriately, once the majority of valuable material has been collected, gravel pits can be transformed into subdivisions, parks, or other developments in place of what has became a deep hole in the earth.

Some local governments, like Highland Township, and the state when it leases mines, require a reclamation plan be prepared at the time the company is issued a permit to mine.

“They can’t just mine it out until it's not good for anything anymore,” said Corwin of Highland Township. “Brighton Township, in Livingston Township, has a lot of mines that were developed and in

MINING HAS BEEN THE BUILDING BLOCKS, THE CORNERSTONE OF CIVILIZATION FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

operation for decades, but they didn’t leave anything behind to work with. They’re just big holes in the ground. Whereas pits that are done with the idea that at the end you’ll have a residential use, they’re more careful about how they go about extracting the soil. If you take it all away and want to reuse the land, you have to bring something back, so the ones that start with the end in mind will approach it more carefully.”

Reclamation has been a key component to the success of Edward C. Levy Company's mining operations. “It's wonderful to have the second harvest – the adaptive uses, because when we go to the next community to get a permit you can show that you have created a tax-generating community,” Weiner explained. Island Lake of Novi is just one example, he said, where planning begins at early stages, for the adaptive reclamation.

“These projects often take 30, 40, 50 years. They take a lot of creative planning. You spend millions and millions of dollars to get these projects up and running, and look to service the market for a long time,” he said. “You mine, or dig, a lake, create for the after. We try to plan in 3-D, so we have a lake with a nice slope where we can have homes with walkout basements, and beautiful properties. We do creative earthmoving and grading, and often you leave a lot of natural resources behind.”

Rochester Hills has had numerous gravel mines.

"In the early ‘90s was the last gravel operation we had, that was Clear Creek – the area around Stoney Creek High School, those homes to east and north, it’s now a nice neighborhood of high value homes,” said Ed Anzek, Rochester Hills Planning Director. “(The mining) probably began in the ‘80s, and they started building homes in 1992.

Elro Corporation did the development. I think the people who did the mining were also developers and they knew they had surplus materials they could remove and still maintain land for development."

Anzek noted that city engineers are required to do an analysis of all gravel and mining removal, “make sure there would be no damage to the aquifer, and (evaluate) dust, noise control, hours of operations. Then they would do a report to council and council would approve it or not, but it’s been a long time since we’ve done one of those."

American Aggregates has been permitted to mine a roughly 830-acre Highland site through 2025. At that time, the deep hole is slated for redevelopment as a community of 672 homes, accented by two lakes, which are frequently created in gravel mining as a result of digging until they reach the water table, or aquifer.

While the company is still mining the site in the area west of Fish Lake Road, the environment on the east side of the road, where mining operations have already been shut down, has been reclaimed, said Corwin.

“They’re done with mining, and it’s filled in with topsoil. Grass is growing; the lake is beautiful. Now we’re just waiting (for development). I’m sure the (surrounding) neighbors don’t care. They look out and see a lake and a field, and a nice piece of property.

(American Aggregates) had a plan, and left what will be roads, so there will be a stable base. They didn’t go and try to get each last bucket of gravel out,” Corwin said.

A timeline for the housing development, which also includes a water system, currently remains unknown, but a likely first step is for American Aggregates to sell the land to a developer, as the company did with a previous 350-acre Milford site.

“They want to sell gravel – they don’t want to sell houses,” Corwin noted.

The Lakes of Milford, a residential development in the northwest corner of Milford, previously was a gravel mine also operated by

American Aggregates, which was shut down in 1998 after its supply was exhausted. After Real Estate Investment Group designed the property, it was sold to Holtzman & Silverman Construction, then to national home builder Toll Brothers, and finally to single family owners of the newly-constructed houses.

“It’s a beautiful subdivision with four or five lakes,” said Don Green, township supervisor, of the site, which has been reclaimed and is generating revenue in property taxes, illustrating the best use of an abandoned mine.

Yet, in other instances, municipalities struggle with mine owners to come to an agreement that residents and officials can be satisfied with. A Milford mine that stopped operations in 2004, about a year or two before its permit expired, has remained a vacant hole ever since, said Green, noting that the last action involving the township took place a year-and-a-half ago.

“I’m not sure when they will break ground. We had a plan approved in front of us, and (the developer, Robertson Brothers Homes) had three items to satisfy before they could start construction. They have not satisfied the three issues,” Green said.

Robertson Brothers could not be reached for comment.

“Many of these pits – we will have one operator, and they will stop using the pit, and then we’ll have someone else come in and continue mining, so it gets complicated on who is responsible for what reclamation. It’s something I don’t know if we’ve ever really sorted out, who’s liable, basically, for the earlier reclamation,” said the DNR's Rose. “You can’t make the company who didn’t do the earlier mining reclaim areas that a previous company did.

There haven’t been any cases like that recently, but some of our legacy pits that are much older, that weren’t properly reclaimed, you can’t go back and try to track down a lessee from 20 years ago, or at least it’s difficult to do. It’s something I’ve struggled with since I arrived here, is how to tackle that situation.”

Currently, in Oakland County, there aren’t any active gravel mines under the supervision of the state, though there have been. The 71-site campground at Seven Lakes State Park, in Holly, is a former gravel mine.

Like the mine in Milford, half of the mine, within the 1,400-acre Seven Lakes State Park, was reclaimed before mining operations were completed. “It was interesting, back in the ‘90s, the campground was established and operating while the mining was still going on,” said Andrew Cole, park supervisor with the DNR. “People didn’t seem to mind, it was like that every weekend. We were full, just like we are now.

That’s a spring fed lake that’s down there in the campground, and that lake was established when they made the gravel pit area. The original plan was (the campground) was going to be above the gravel pit, and then someone decided it was going to go in the gravel pit,” adjacent to the lakeshore. Cole said that sometime around 2002, the last of the gravel piles were removed, grass was planted on the hillsides, and engineers let the lake flood to about twice the size.

“The inevitable concern when you talk about a mining operation is that you are permanently removing a natural resource from below the surface of the ground. Sand, gravel, copper, oil, gas, and coal, it isn’t that different. You’re permanently removing something from below the surface for immediate use,” said Dr. Barry Rabe, a professor of Public Policy with the University of Michigan, and recipient of the 2006 Climate Protection Award from the EPA. “The global demand for gas and oil is different than the demand for gravel, but we’re talking about the removal of an asset base, of property, from the community, and what are the long-term environmental consequences of that?”

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS COMMUNITIES' WILLINGNESS TO WELCOME MINING INTO THEIR COMMUNITIES.

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Brian Caponi ochester-area native Brian Caponi was in high school when his art teacher planted the seed that would grow into a career in sculpture and ceramics. Some 15 years later, the Rochester High School graduate has held exhibits throughout the world, and is passing on his knowledge as a professor and chair of ceramics at Oakland Community College in Royal Oak. "I took some art classes in high school â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a photo class and watercolor class. When I graduated, I still thought it was kind of cool, and the painting instructor said that whatever I do in the future, I would have to work with my hands. That kind of stuck with me."

Enrolling at Grand Valley State University, Caponi took a 3-D design class, later getting interested in ceramics and sculpture, discovering an affinity for the work and materials. He later changed his course of study from art education to sculpture, and threw himself into ceramics.

"It was a slow evolution into making the decision to pursue clay or sculpture as a kind of profession," he said. "I was never really about that â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I was just excited about the materials and the technical process to create it. I started out in the art department and you have to declare a major going in. It was like, 'Uh, OK, graphic design?'"

Caponi eventually changed his focus and earned a fine arts degree in sculpture. In 2013, he received a master's degree in ceramics from New York State College. He has received several awards and honors while presenting exhibits in China, Japan, India and various galleries in the United States.

"I've done shows in different countries, and I'm always trying to understand my relation to where I am," he said. "In China, India or Korea, I try to understand their culture and their use of clay and space. I had a show at the Kansas City Public Library, and did a lot of research into language and writing, and the history of clay tablets and Sumerian culture, where writing was established."

Wherever his art is being shown, Caponi said he incorporates the space around his work, allowing the space to become part of the art. The process offers a different perspective to those viewing his work. From pulverizing portions of drywall and recasting the powder into a plaster-like material, or removing sections of a space, Caponi draws attention not only to his work, but the space where it's viewed.

"It depends on where the show is at or where the work will be displayed. I have a few core philosophies or themes, one of which is that I'm interested in architecture," he said. "Looking at architectural surfaces that embodies experience. Surfaces have a certain quality through their use, like scuffs and scrapes. I pay attention to those things."

In 2014, Caponi accepted a position at OCC in Royal Oak. While he said he still feels he's settling into the position, he's happy to be shaping his own world and that of his students.

"I came back home to figure out what I was going to do, and kind of landed here at OCC. It's kind of amazing," he said. "I'm still getting my feet wet. It's amazing teaching and working with students, and trying to develop a program while pushing students to be sensitive and thoughtful makers."

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Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Jean Lannen

EMERGENCY SERVICE USHERING IN NEXT GENERATION OF 911

BY KEVIN ELLIOTT

ess than 50 cents.

That's the amount the typical phone customer in Oakland County is charged each month to fund emergency 911 services provided by the state and local public safety agencies. However, exactly what services and capabilities are available varies by the location of the call and the type of phone being used.

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First used in the late 1960s, the creation of a universal emergency number was initially suggested in 1957 by the National Association of Fire Chiefs. Still, by 1987, only about half of the country had access to 911 call centers, leaving others to keep a list of local emergency numbers handy in the event of a life-threatening situation. In fact, it wasn't until 1999 that a federal mandate was approved making "911" the official emergency code that we use today.

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hile at least 96 percent of the geographic United States now has access to 911 services, the vast majority of those systems run on telephone technology that is a half-century old. As a result, most 911 systems currently in use aren't able to provide precise locations of callers dialing in from mobile phones, despite a phone's capability to pinpoint its own coordinates. Likewise, newer VoIP telephones, or voice over internet protocol, which uses the internet to place and receive calls, relies on the user to regularly update their location when moved. Further, some multi-line phone systems used by school districts and large companies provide 911 operators with limited location data.

Ultimately, the majority of 911 systems in the country, including those used by the Oakland County Sheriff's Office and local public safety agencies in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, and Rochester, were designed to work with traditional copper-based landlines.

"We are talking about 1964 technology that right now we are using to route 911 calls. It's insane," said Mel Maier, chief of emergency management operations for the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

The Oakland County Sheriff's Office receives more than a half-million calls to its operations center each year, with about half of those coming from people that dialed "9-1-1" on their phones. Countywide, 911 dispatch centers, or public safety answering points (PSAP) as they are referred to by those in the field, received 676,864 calls to 911 in 2014. Of those, 106,088 calls were made on traditional landlines, with 533,149 made from wireless phones and 37,627 from VoIP phones.

"About 86 percent of our calls are from cell phones," Maier said. "It's not like it used to be when everyone had a landline."

Emergency dispatchers have been able to track the location of 911 calls made from traditional landlines for decades through databases that list the address of individual telephone lines. But tracking mobile phones is less precise. While dispatchers are able to determine the location of the cellular tower a phone is using to make a call, as well as the general direction from the tower where the call is made, older 911 systems aren't able to determine latitude and longitude coordinates of a wireless phone.

Nor can the systems reveal the caller's elevation.

"It depends on the handset and where the person is. For instance, you could be in the eighth floor of a building, but your location might show up at an intersection," Maier said. "The biggest challenge we have in 911 today is location."

Other challenges older 911 systems face relate to their capabilities to utilize digital information. For instance, none of the current systems used by local public safety agencies are able to accept photos, videos and other information commonly sent and received by modern mobile smart phones. Nationally, only about 10 percent of 911 systems are able to receive text messages â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a capability that was implemented by the Oakland County Sheriff's Office in 2015 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including dispatch centers operated by police departments in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills and Rochester.

Text messages sent to 911 in Oakland County are received by the sheriff's office operations center if a local community doesn't have the capability to receive text messages. The sheriff's office then notifies those departments when a message is received.

"In 2014, we looked around to do something different and developed a text-to-911 solution for the entire county," Maier said. "We had about 1,000 text-to-911 calls in the past year, and about 25 percent of those were emergent calls."

In addition to text capabilities, the sheriff's office is embarking on the implementation of a "Next Generation 911" system that will resolve the shortcomings of the current system. The system will link all 20 dispatch

centers in the county by a fiber-optic based, digital system with the ability to receive more descriptive locations and information. The system will also work with the county's Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information System (CLEMIS), allowing digital information to be shared with law enforcement officers on the street at light speed.

The new system comes with an estimated $20 million price tag, which includes the installation of a fiber-optic network, dual back-ups, and hardware and software for each of the 20 dispatch centers in the county. Of the estimated $20 million cost, about $2 million will be funded by local public safety agencies for the purchase of hardware, said Oakland County 911 Administrator Patricia Coates.

"It's a multi-part project. We have to run fiber for connectivity, and put in two different data centers, one on this side of the state and another on the west side of the state. We have two different fiber providers, so that if one of their systems goes down, the other stays up," she said. "The software needs to be upgraded, and the county's GIS (Geographic Information System) needs to be upgraded to feed into the system... Then the recording systems have to be upgraded, which for years was only used for voice, and now it will be video, photos and other data that they haven't had to deal with. And there will be a lot of training.

"A lot of it will be difficult, but it will be a very good system. As old as it is now, it's a very good system, but this will enhance it, and the public will benefit."

Coates said the system is expected to be up and running by the end of 2017. Funding for the new system is part of the 2017-2019 budget just unveiled by Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.

The timeline to implement the new system coincides with federal requirements placed on wireless service providers by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Although the FCC doesn't regulate the nation's 911 systems directly, it does regulate commercial service providers the public uses to contact 911 operators.

"There is no entity that oversees all of the 911 systems. Our regulations apply to the commercial side, the originating side of the call," said Mark Wigfield, deputy director of the office of community relations for the FCC. "We have location accuracy rules that apply to carriers, specifically for wireless."

The rules, which were adopted in 2015 and will be required to go into effect over a series of years, require wireless service providers to meet specific location accuracy benchmarks. Under the rules, all providers must submit by February 3, 2017 their first reports on live 911 call location data to the FCC, the National Emergency Numbers Association, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, and National Association of State 911 Administrators. Nationwide providers in February of 2017 must also provide initial plans for implementing indoor location accuracy requirements and progress reports, as well as a privacy and security plan for the National Emergency Address Database.

In 2014, the FCC required wireless service providers to meet certain texting capabilities. Earlier mandates also required wireless providers to transmit all 911 calls, regardless of whether the caller subscribed to the provider's service or not.

The mandates, which were created in conjunction with national organizations representing 911 systems, are part of an effort to upgrade 911 systems across the country to "Next Generation 911" or NG911 systems.

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nder the rules, all wireless providers must achieve 50-meter horizontal accuracy or provide dispatchable locations for 40 percent of all wireless 911 calls by April 3, 2017. Accuracy requirements are to be further increased in 2018. The rules will also require service providers to provide vertical, or z-axis, accuracy over several years, which will ensure the ability of Next Generation 911 systems to determine from what floor of a building a call is made.

"Today, the core of the system is the ability to reach 911, before anything else," said Trey Forgety, director of governmental affairs for the National Emergency Numbers Association (NENA), based in Washington, D.C. "In the basic 911 sense, all calls go to a PSAP (answering center). That was a good state of affairs because it was better than what came before. You don't have to have a sticker on a telephone

with seven different numbers to dial. As telephone equipment became computerized, that led to 'enhanced 911,' which is the majority today."

Enhanced 911 systems are able to route 911 calls to the appropriate call centers for the caller's location. They also automatically provide operators with general location information of wireless calls and the caller's telephone number, so that an operator can call back if the call is dropped or disconnected.

In the near future, NG911 systems will better utilize location-based services already used in the commercial industry to better locate callers, to include GPS, WiFi access points and Bluetooth beacons, by 2021, as at least 80 percent of the wireless 911 calls are expected to use new technology to deliver locations to 911 systems. The next generation systems will also utilize text, image and video information.

"We may get the latitude and longitude, but it may be a couple football fields off, and that's only for 67 percent of the time. The others may be more off," Oakland County's Coates said. "The FCC hasn't required z-axis information from providers, yet, but that is very important for some places like Troy and Birmingham, which have taller buildings.

Often people can't speak or don't know where they are. All we have to go on is a guess, based on coordinates.

"It's sad because if you call and order a pizza, they know exactly where you are. Every delivery service in the world knows exactly where you are, but the 911 systems don't get that. That's the most important thing of going to Next Generation 911."

In addition to location services, NG911 systems will allow for the use of photos and videos. For instance, Coats said wireless callers in the future will be able to send 911 operators a photo or video of a scene, a missing person or suspect, which can then be sent to first responders prior to their arrival at the scene. Or, she said, the system may be able to link up with surveillance systems and provide incident footage in real time.

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aying for the system is yet another hurdle that has to be resolved. Currently, the county receives funding through two surcharges placed on all phones registered in the county. Telephone customers using traditional landlines are charged 22 cents per month for 911 services, which is assessed and retained by their service providers.

All wireless customers in the state, with the exception of those using pre-paid phone plans, are assessed a surcharge of 19 cents per month by the state of Michigan. Under state law, a portion of those funds are returned to counties with a qualifying 911 plan in place and are used for 911 services.

Additionally, Oakland County assesses a 28-cent surcharge per month on telephone lines in the county. That fee, which will remain at 28 cents through June of 2017, can be raised to as high as 42 cents per month by a vote of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.

Coates said the county surcharge is collected by service providers and remitted back to the county to be used for anything directly related to the processing of 911 calls. In total, the county received $1.829 million in state surcharges in 2015, and $3.706 million in county surcharges from service providers. However, Coates said the amount of money received by the providers fluctuates each year, based on the number of customers.

"The providers aren't required to tell us how many customers they have, and they keep that secret because it's a very competitive business," she said. "Large providers like Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon have other providers that use their network, so to say who is using the network and how many there are is confusing. The amount carriers tell us is different every month. Plus, there are people who don't pay their bills, or who don't pay for months, then catch up. There isn't really anything we can do under the current statutes. We can see the history and trends in Oakland County because we have been collecting that for years, but for those counties just now collecting a local surcharge and trying to make a budget, it's impossible."

In addition to the money the county already receives from surcharges, a portion of the state's 19-cent surcharge is retained by the state to provide additional funds for reimbursement of public safety network costs.

The 19 other public safety agencies that will hook into the county's

911 system will be required to upgrade their hardware systems; however, the county will provide software systems to ensure uniformity in the system.

For the Birmingham Police Department, which also provides dispatch and 911 services for Beverly Hills, the cost to upgrade the operations center's current hardware is estimated to cost about $85,000, said Birmingham Police Chief Mark Clemence. The upgrades are to be paid for from the city's general fund as a capital outlay purchase, he said.

"We have three (computer) stations, and all three will have to be upgraded," he said. "It's been a pretty cooperative relationship with the county. They tell us the amounts we'll have to pay to be on board. The nice part is that we are on the same system and can train together. There are some advantages to it."

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ith seven full-time and four part-time employees in the Birmingham department's dispatch operations center, training is a necessity that comes with a cost. However, public safety agencies are able to recover a portion of training costs from the state, which allows cities to apply for reimbursement. In 2014, the department received $10,031 from the state's training fund.

In 2015, the department received a total of 43,665 calls for service, including 7,142 calls from wireless phones for 911 service, and 2,338 calls from landlines specifically for 911 service.

Clemence and other local chiefs said dispatchers in the local operations centers do more than answering phones and radioing officers on the street. For instance, employees update internal databases, file criminal warrant information, conduct follow-up calls for officers and other duties beyond dispatching.

"I've been a police officer for 31 years, and the way technology is impacting our jobs, it's amazing to me," Clemence said. "It's all about keeping up with what the public expects from us, but also technology as a whole. It's a struggle."

The Bloomfield Township Police Department received $14,488 in state training funds for 911 services in 2014, according to state records. The department maintains a staff of 13 in the dispatch center, including one supervisor.

Bloomfield Township Police Chief Geof Gaudard said the department receives about 25,000 calls for service each year. He said maintaining its own dispatch center, rather than contracting services with the sheriff's office allows for more personalized services for residents while still utilizing other capabilities offered by the county.

"The advantage is that you have control and can therefore have a level of customer service and professionalism that your community expects.

Not to say that you can't have that with the sheriff's office, but we are comfortable having that in-house and having that assurance," Gaudard said. "The NG911, and the ability to get video and that kind of stuff, the sheriff is handling that for all the county, but in the future, we will handle our own. That is coming in the very near future."

Bloomfield Hills Public Safety Chief David Hendrickson said the department's communication center has three full-time employees and four part-time employees, who answered 8,382 calls in 2015.

The department in 2014 received $10,031 in state training funds.

"Right now, our dispatch center is working well for us, but you never know what the future may bring," Hendrickson said. "It's something we constantly look at. The service model we have may be different than other communities. We pay a lot of attention to our residents and visitors."

Rochester Police Chief Steven Schettenhelm said the department receives between 12,000 and 13,000 calls for service each year and employs five dispatchers. The department in 2014 received $5,573 in state training funds.

"Every year the technology gets better in terms of how its delivered, and we are getting better as time goes forward," he said.

Schettenhelm said by maintaining its own dispatch center, the department is able to offer 24-hour services to residents and visitors.

"We can keep the station open 24 hours, so we have a safe haven where people can come," he said. "It also allows us to staff our own lockup and house people here in the city. If we didn't have (dispatch)

here at the station, then we couldn't operate our lock-up without another arrangement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We've been very satisfied. The idea of having and providing our own level of service has been satisfactory, and there's no effort to stop it."

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IWitnessBullying.org

42

egardless of whether or not a public safety agency in the county operates their own dispatch and 911 services, all of the departments will benefit from the county's NG911 system when it is implemented. However, the sheriff's office operations center is by far the largest provider of services.

"I'm very proud of our whole team over there," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "Because it's grown so much, we have upgraded it to a full division. It's about four-times the size of the average police department in America."

In total, the operations center employs more than 70 staff, dispatching for sheriff's deputies and 29 other county and local agencies and communities, including the Rochester Hills substation. In 2014, the office received $62,410 in state training reimbursements.

In terms of overall size, the Michigan State Police department's 911 system is the largest in the state, said Harriet Miller-Brown, state 911 administrator. In addition to operating the state's system, the office oversees training, notice and compliance of the state's 911 phone surcharge.

"Right now, we collect about $27 million each year for 911 fees," she said.

In terms of local surcharges, 68 of the state's 83 counties charge a surcharge, with Oakland County's currently being the lowest.

In addition to state and local surcharges, the state collected $769,206 in 2014 from pre-paid wireless sales, which aren't subject to a standard surcharge.

Under Michigan law, 82.5 percent of the surcharge fees collected by the state are returned back to counties in the state, or about $23 million. Of that, 40 percent is divided equally among counties, with 60 percent divided based on county population. Six percent of the funds collected are made available for training purposes, while 7.75 percent is made available for reimbursing local systems for costs related to wireless emergency service.

The remainder is used to operate the state's regional dispatch center and the Michigan State Police to maintain the office of the state 911 coordinator.

Statewide, there are a few 911 systems that have made the switch to NG911 systems. In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the entire 911 system has been built out and upgraded. A consortium of counties, including Midland, Bay, Huron, Tuscaloosa and Iosco counties have upgraded their systems, as well as Genesee County and a handful of other counties on the west side of the state.

Despite upgrading systems, there remain holes in state regulations that continue to hamper location services. For instance, efforts to require large multi-line systems to provide location data for each individual line have yet to be passed. As a result, calls to 911 from some school districts and large, interconnected office buildings may provide 911 systems with inaccurate or incomplete locations, such as an administration building. Public safety experts recommend people hooked into such large, multi-line systems meet first responders at the entrance when possible, in order to guide them to the correct location.

Likewise, some VoIP phone users should be aware that their phone's location may be registered in a different location than where it is physically located. While VoIP phones provided for home use by internet providers are typically accurate, VoIP phone users who often relocate their phone for convenience should be aware that the phone's location must be updated when its moved.

"We have gotten a call from someone who lives in Oakland County, but are in Maryland and in their hotel with a VoIP phone, and it comes back to Oakland County when the emergency is in Maryland," Oakland County's Coates said. "Voice over IP is a nice feature and affordable, but the citizen needs to think about that and make sure the programming is updated."

Meanwhile, for all the advances in technology, 911 officials say traditional landlines still provide the most accurate location to operators, for the time being.

"Copper landlines are still the most reliable. It's a fixed line at a fixed address, and there's a tabular line that tells us that," Coates said.

DOWNTOWN

08.16

FACES

Elizabeth Burns ore than four decades after graduating from Marygrove College, Rochester Hills resident and Marion High School alumna Elizabeth Burns has returned to Detroit to serve as the college's president.

"There is nothing else I can think of doing that would have lured me away from retirement," Burns said about the decision to re-enter the academic field after a career in medicine. "There was thought of parttime work at a medical school, but when the call came from Marygrove, there wasn't a question in my mind."

Burns, who left the state for Pennsylvania to complete her family medicine residency after earning her medical degree from the University of Michigan, practiced family medicine for decades at university hospitals in Illinois and Iowa. In 2008, Burns returned to Michigan to serve as president and CEO of Michigan State University's Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies for four years. From there, she served as Associate Dean of Faculty and Clinical Affairs for Western Michigan University's School of Medicine for three years.

When Marygrove College tapped her for a temporary position as Interim Provost, she gladly accepted. In January, the college named her its ninth president.

"What attracted me was helping out with the leadership transition and being part of that, and the opportunity to get to know the faculty better and discover what programs were happening and developing in the future," she said about her six months as provost.

Burns' connection to Marygrove extends beyond her time as a student. Her mother is an alumna of the college, and her grandmother â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who also took classes at the college â&#x20AC;&#x201D; was on the college's first board of trustees. Burns also served on Marygrove's board of trustees for a decade during her professional career.

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While she said there are obvious differences in the college and its current student population from her family's early days at Marygrove, she said its role as a liberal arts college in Detroit remains an important part of the city. The formerly all women's college began accepting men into undergraduate programs during Burns' senior year.

The college's student body has also changed with the makeup of the city, with the majority of students being black.

"The other big, obvious thing is the athletic teams," Burns said. "We have soccer fields and men's and women's soccer, basketball, volleyball and baseball. We are part of an athletic conference. Those are two big differences people will see. What they don't see is that the majority of our students are Pell Grant eligible, so we have to do a lot of fundraising for scholarships because of the needs of our students.

Almost half are first generation college students."

Tackling declines in enrollment and addressing maintenance needs on campus are two areas where Burns is focusing. Additionally, she is tasked with making sure the college has a role in the city of Detroit's revitalization.

"The next step in the revitalization of Detroit is revitalization of the neighborhoods, and Marygrove is a vital organization in that. The majority of our students are from Detroit, and we have an urban leadership focus," she said. "Our programs are helping to fill the needs of the city of Detroit."

In the meantime, Burns said she is re-familiarizing herself with the city.

"I never drove in the city when I was a student," she said "I'm learning my way around the city again."

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Laurie Tennent

MUNICIPAL RARA about to buy adjacent building

By Katie Deska

Rochester-Avon Recreation Authority (RARA) is in the process of purchasing a second building, RARA’s executive director, Ron Jewell and superintendent of recreation Dave Word announced at the Rochester City Council meeting on Monday, June 27.

Jewell said a purchase agreement has been drafted, but the sale has not yet closed on the building of interest, located at 480 E. Second Street, adjacent to RARA’s current facility, at 500 E. Second Street.

The second building would add an additional 22,500 square feet for recreational purposes, on top of the current facility’s 36,000 square feet.

The RARA board and administration are seeking to expand its programming capabilities, and are confident the second building would fulfill this goal, officials said.

“We’ve shown our community how much we are a part of the fabric, and we look at participation numbers and they’re growing,” said Jewell.

If purchased, the building would undergo construction of a build-out, and ultimately be equipped with two multi-court surfaces providing opportunities for basketball, volleyball, inline hockey, pickle ball, tennis and other activities and events.

“The board feels this meets the long-term goal to increase opportunities,” said Jewell, noting that the building acquisition would provide RARA with a space “six times larger than the 10,000-square-foot building (RARA) leased prior to 2012,” which is when the recreation authority purchased their current location, tripling its size. Completed last fall, the facility houses four large dance rooms, a turf fieldhouse, a gymnastics wing, an indoor playscape, a preschool, and more.

In addition to the headquarters on E. Second Street, RARA relies heavily on the recreation spaces provided by all four of its entities, Rochester Community Schools, Avondale School District, and the cities of Rochester and Rochester Hills.

At the request of Jewell, council members approved a motion to “allow RARA to use a portion of its unrestricted fund balance for a portion of the purchase at 480 Second Street.” All who were present voted in favor of the approval; council members Stuart Bikson and Ben Giovanelli were absent.

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Zoning effort to permit more uses

By Kevin Elliott

n attempt to introduce greater use of properties located near the M-59 and Crooks Road interchange in Rochester Hills was approved by city council members at their meeting on Monday, July 18, with the first reading of an amended zoning ordinance for the city.

Rochester Hills Economic Development Manager Pamela Valentik said the city-initiated zoning ordinance was requested to align the zoning in the area to better fit the intended uses in the city's master plan, which prescribes developing the area as a Regional Employment Center.

The ordinance would impact about 24 parcels of property within about 70 acres of land.

The two dozen parcels are currently zoned as a mixture of B-2 (General Business); B-3 (Shopping Center Business); B-4 (Freeway Service Business); B-5 (Automotive Service); I (Industrial); and REC-W (Regional Employment Center Workplace) zonings. The introduction of REC-I (Regional Employment Center Industrial) would allow for greater use and eliminate the existing use of B-4 zoning in the area.

The REC-I zoning, as noted in the city's master plan, is intended to create a gateway into the Regional Employment Center district and the city at the Crooks and M-59 interchange.

"Because of its unique location in the city with its orientation and direct access to M-59, and because of its location to residential neighborhoods, it's an ideal location for some higher intensity and mixed uses, which we don't necessarily find in other areas of the city," Valentik said. "Because of redevelopment pressures in the city and the increase in the market, we thought this was a good time to implement the REC-I designation at this location and help re-incentivize some of the redevelopment of those parcels."

The Regional Employment Center was identified in the city's 2007 Master Land Use Plan for the area bounded by the Clinton River Trail and Auburn Road, between Livernois and the western city boundary. It includes the majority of the city's industrial and technological uses. The M-59 Corridor Study was completed in 2012 and provided detailed recommendations for future redevelopment of REC districts.

Council members unanimously approved the first reading of the ordinance, as well as a motion to amend the existing ordinance and remove references to B-4 zoning, which will be replaced by REC-I zoning.

Both measures were previously recommended for approval on June 21 by the Rochester Hills Planning Commission.

The measures will return before city council at a future meeting for final approval.

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Jewell went before the Rochester Hills city council on July 18 with the same request.

RARA representatives will then return to Rochester at a future planning commission meeting for site plan and special exception approval, which is required for a building in an industrial district to be used for recreation, said Nik Banda, deputy city manager.

Last November, voters overwhelmingly approved a 10-year millage renewal to benefit RARA. “We’ve had the same millage rate since ’76, and we’ve lived within our means since ’76,” said Jewell. “The way our fees are set up, they’re lower than most. We keep prices significantly lower so we can offer good affordable programs at the right price.”

Council member Robert Ray posed the question to Jewell whether fees could be adjusted if more revenue were generated. He responded by saying, “If this does become highly successful, there’s no reason we couldn’t or shouldn’t bring down our fees.”

Currently Rochester and Rochester Hills residents receive the resident rate for programming, while Oakland Township and other communities are required to pay the non-resident rate.

“We envision having one day Oakland Township on board with us.

We came close six or seven years ago, and my hope is to keep extending the olive branch to them,” said Jewell.

“Almost 18 percent of our clientele come from the south side of Oakland Township.

“It’s a good time for RARA. We’re

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growing, so anything we can add above and beyond to the community is going to be a plus. We’re the community’s premier recreation provider and anything we can do to stay on the most current trends, that’s our sole responsibility,” said Jewell. (Purchasing the building at 480 E. Second Street) is something that the RARA board and administration is for.”

Residential parking permits instated

By Katie Deska

Rochester City Council on Monday, July 25, approved a resident-initiated request to implement a 24-hour residential permit parking zone on Pine Street between Second and Third streets, after employees at some businesses have infringed on local neighborhoods to avoid paying for parking.

The approval came after council granted the restrictions for a neighboring block on Pine Street, between Third and Fourth streets.

In the wake of the changes to the city’s parking options, some residents have expressed frustration that some employees of local businesses have opted for parking on residential streets rather than shelling out money to purchase a monthly parking permit for the new parking decks or flat lots. All but one of the block’s residents, between Second and Third streets, signed a petition, which was filed with the city in support of instating the permits.

To illustrate the problem facing the residents, one approached the podium. “We’ve had our car hit three times in one month. They park over our driveway so we can’t pull in or out. So we signed the petition and had residents sign it. Bar nights are horrible. We’ve had broken bottles.

There have been people on my front porch. The people parking are the business owners and they don’t want to pay the pass fee.”

Before approving the residential permit parking zone on a vote of 6-0, with council member Ben Giovanelli absent, council deliberated on the matter.

Noting that she lives on Pine Street, mayor Cathy Daldin confirmed, “There have been quite a few accidents on that street.”

Council member Stuart Bikson posed the question, “Where does this (residential permitting) end? The metered lot was empty, and if we continue to push it out, how far does this go to collect the money we think 08.16

we need for this parking system? It seems to be becoming more and more onerous.”

Council member Jeffrey Cuthbertson argued, “I think we extend it as far as we need to. If we're serious about the people who use it, pay for it, we need to ask people to play by parking rules that are intended to make this an asset to the community.”

Police Chief Steve Schettenhelm said the residents approached him with the issue. “They came in and explained the problem and it was presented by me as a potential solution,” said Schettenhelm.

“There’s downsides for the residents to take this measure, but they thought the benefits, the gains, to better control the parking on their block, outweighed (the detractors).

“Most of our streets have parking on only one side, so it always existed to park only on one side, so instead of being regulated by time zone or having no restrictions, it will be restricted to vehicles that have a residential permit only. They will receive three guest passes and have passes permanently affixed to their

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vehicles,” said Schettenhelm. There will be no cost for the residents to have the residential parking permit.

Advice for long-term infrastructure spending Rochester Mayor Cathy Daldin announced on Monday, June 27, the establishment of the city’s first Infrastructure Advisory Committee, tasked with making recommendations to city council regarding potential sources of funding to cover the estimated $100 million cost of infrastructure improvements, which city staff and engineers have said are necessary over the next 25 years.

Staff and engineers from the department of public works, city manager Blaine Wing; council members Jeffrey Cuthbertson, Ann Peterson and Robert Ray; yet-to-beselected Rochester residents; and additional staff and engineers will prioritize projects and plan for the future, and help keep the public informed through a webpage and a newsletter.

Speaking to the audience watching the city council meeting, Daldin said to residents, “Please apply for the resident position.”

“This is the foundation of a successful community. It requires hard choices, prioritizing and looking at what revenue is needed to meet quality infrastructure,” said Cuthbertson, noting that the city has about 45 miles of roads.

This is not the city’s first glance at the looming issue; rather staff has been working on addressing this issue for a while, said Banda. The $100 million in expenses that the city faces over the next 25 years is a scientific estimate generated by engineers and other professionals through various analyses, said Nik Banda, deputy city manager.

“Engineers came up with that estimate, they know what shape our roads are in, they take how many dollars it costs per mile or road, or per foot of sewer,” said Banda. “That’s today’s dollars. They came up with that number, and they’re not afraid to put it out there. It’s a scary number.

It’s a projection of how many miles we have of everything, based on

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replacement cost and including maintenance.

“Part of the (infrastructure advisory) subcommittee is to see how we can get money in the pot, identifying sources for how we will pay for this infrastructure,” said Banda. “Even if we had $100 million, we couldn’t rip up the whole town at once. It’s an orchestrated plan.”

Jenoptik approved for tax abatement

By Kevin Elliott

A German-based technology company planning to expand its North American operations in Rochester Hills will save about $312,000 in tax payments over the next 12 years under a tax abatement approved on Monday, July 18, by Rochester Hills city council members.

Jenoptik, which manufactures a host of optical products, is currently seeking to expand operations of its metrology and laser technology operations in North America by expanding facilities in Rochester Hills, where it has operated for the

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past eight years. In February, the company purchased about 15 acres of vacant land on W. Hamlin Road for about $2.38 million. Jenoptik plans to build a new facility at the property, 1500 W. Hamlin Road, by April of 2017, with a second phase of construction on a technical campus on an adjacent parcel included in the purchase.

Under the plans, Jenoptik sought and was granted a tax abatement on real property investments, or equipment and facility expenditures, for the next 12 years in the form of an Industrial Facilities Exemption Certificate.

Pamela Valentik, economic development manager for the city, said the project, which includes about $12.9 million in investments by Jenoptik during its first phase, will generate about $374,182 for the city over the next 12 years with the tax abatement, compared to about $448,344 without an abatement. The total amount generated under the abatement for all taxing jurisdictions is estimated at $1.833 million, which includes collections for Rochester Schools, the city of Rochester Hills, Oakland County, Oakland Intermediate Schools, Oakland Community College and the state education tax.

Local tax abatements are used as financial incentives to entice businesses to invest in a community.

"The abatement isn't applied to the value of the land, so when you see that investment in real property, we are really looking at what they spent on the building itself. That's the only portion that we are going to be abating. They are still going to pay the full taxable value on the land itself," Valentik said. "And, the abatement only applies to new tax liabilities, so we aren't cutting their current taxes or anything that is currently on the Michigan tax rolls.

"At the end of the day, if Jenoptik doesn't follow through with the project, there is really no money out of the city's pocket with the approval of the abatement."

Valentik said the property, which had been owned by the city, hasn't generated any tax in 17 years.

Under state law, the property must also be rezoned as an Industrial Development District, which was unanimously approved by city council members. Council members also unanimously approved an Industrial Facilities Exemption Certificate, or tax abatement, for the next 12 years, from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2028.

Jenoptik spokesman Andrew Blind 46

South Boulevard opens; Adams to close he early completion of a $2.7 million intersection improvement project at South Boulevard and Rochester Road, in Rochester Hills, should alleviate some traffic congestion in the area, while the Adams Road bridge, north of Hamlin Road, closed on Monday, July 11, for maintenance work.

All lanes on Rochester Road near South Boulevard are now open to traffic, although there could be intermittent lane closures for restoration and other remaining work, the Road Commission for Oakland County said. Resurfacing work on South Boulevard, from Livernois to John R, will continue through July.

The road commission closed the intersection to through traffic in May. The remaining road work is expected to be completed in August.

The $2.7 million project is being funded through a partnership with Rochester Hills, Troy and Oakland County. The project includes new traffic signals at South Boulevard and Rochester Road; resurfacing South Boulevard from east of Livernois to west of John R; an extension of the right turn lane from eastbound South Boulevard to southbound Rochester Road.

In another area of Rochester Hills, the Michigan Department of Transportation closed Avon Road at Rochester Road Tuesday, July 5, 2016, through late August 2016. The Michigan Department of Transportation is investing $1.4 million to reconstruct the Rochester Road/Avon Road intersection in addition to traffic signal upgrades.

Meanwhile, a $339,000 bridge project on Adams Road, north of Hamlin Road, began July 11. The project is funded by the road commission and includes bridge deck rehabilitation work; asphalt resurfacing; installing a waterproof membrane on the bridge deck; and a new guardrail. The bridge carries about 23,370 vehicles each day.

The detour for the closure will be Hamlin Road to Crooks to Avon Road, and back to Adams, and vice versa. The project is expected to be finished by mid-August.

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said the first phase of the project will create at least 75 new jobs, and create or retain another 125 jobs within the first 24 months of the project's completion, which includes the construction of a 100,000 squarefoot facility. Under the agreement, the company must provide an annual report to the city stating the current number of employees and number of new jobs at the facility. If the number of jobs is less than that projected, the company must provide an explanation. The company must also remain in operation for the duration of the abatement. Any reduction in workforce of more than 50 percent constitutes a material breach of the abatement agreement.

Council president Mark Tisdale said Jenoptik has been a good corporate citizen and has successfully met or exceeded projections in the past.

Coordination for DDA, PSD boards Two ordinance amendments regarding the intersection of the Rochester Downtown Development

Authority (DDA) and the Rochester Principal Shopping District (PSD) were unanimously approved during the city council meeting on Monday, July 11.

The amendments to the city code enable the DDA to designate a member from the PSD to be a nonvoting liaison, and vice versa.

At prior meetings, council members had discussed the duties of the two bodies, noting that while separate, there is overlap between the two. The ordinance amendments help to codify the process by which the two boards work together.

“Based on the fact that there is overlapped businesses between the two (boards),” said mayor Cathy Daldin at a March meeting, referring to the geographical boundaries, there’s not a “clear, clean separation. In an ideal world, it would have started out separate to begin with, but because they were enmeshed at one time, completely separating them is probably something that can eventually happen, but right now that’s not anything that they’re working on separating. One (the DDA) is completely capital and one (the PSD) is completely marketing and promotion.”

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A DDA is funded on property tax captures in a defined area that may include residential properties, which can then be used for public improvements, including infrastructure, in a downtown district. A PSD, on the other hand, is designed to promote economic development within the business community and is done through special assessments on businesses to finance those activities.

New development for Pine Street okayed A three-story mixed-use development, to be located on a .18acre site south of the Rochester Municipal Complex, was approved by the city's planning commission on Wednesday, July 6, on a vote of 6-1, with chairman Joseph Tori in opposition, and commissioners Christopher Koehler and Tricia DeMarco absent.

After making final revisions to the site plan, developer Jim Polyzois and architect Ralph Nunez of DesignTeam Plus can now move forward with the project, which consists of three condos situated above street-level office space.

Nunez appeared before the commission on July 6 to present an updated site plan, which architects revisited in response to commissioners feedback at previous planning commission meetings. The project had been tabled after being discussed at the June planning commission meeting.

One of the prior stumbling blocks for the commission was the building’s setback, which has since been moved further from the street. To respond to commissioners' concerns while still maintaining a marketable product, Nunez redesigned the doorway to be flush with the building, sacrificed some deck space, and made other necessary tweaks in order to reduce the building’s footprint and provide a deeper setback.

The city attorney will now draft an easement agreement to be signed by city officials and Polyzois that pertains to a piece of public property adjacent to the building. The sidewalk which is currently there will have to be reconstructed by the development team to have a more modest slope, and will be extended so that it leads from the front of the building to Municipal Park. It was determined the building owner is responsible for the area’s landscaping, maintenance and irrigation. Chairman Joseph Tori, who voted against the motion to approve, expressed his dismay at the “use of public land for egress.”

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FACES

Kristen Gibson he idea for a mystery novel had been simmering with Rochester Hills author Kristen Gibson for some years, but it wasn't until after the birth of her second child did work begin heating up on her debut book, "Red Ochre Falls."

Drawing on her own experiences and imagination, Gibson tells the story of how her character, Mattie Harper, investigates the death of a friend with the help of a funeral home director and lands herself in the middle of a conspiracy. The self-published book was recently featured on the Hometown Reads (Detroit) website, and is currrently available at local bookstores, Amazon, iBooks, Kindle, Nook and Scribd.

Working in the corporate world for years, Gibson was a part-time student at Oakland University when her first child was born. Not wanting to go back to full time office work, Gibson embarked on a freelance writing career before getting serious about taking on a full book.

"I was practicing writing and doing what I could while freelancing," she said. "After my second child was born, I had the idea of Red Ochre Falls, and something just clicked. I got excited about writing it, and used every free moment I had. It became my work.

"I kept writing and submitting the book, and got to the end product with help from a lot of family and friends. I'm really proud of my first effort, and very excited itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s out there and I can share it."

Raised in a small Ohio farming community, Gibson grew up with stories being told around the family table with aunts, uncles and cousins sharing their own memories. Gibson said that storytelling tradition is shared in her work on Red Ochre Falls, a name which plays into both the story and her own personal history.

"The idea, in part, was inspired by life experience and my mom and

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grandmother," Gibson said. "The idea came decades ago, but the writing was about three or four years ago."

Back in Ohio, Gibson's grandmother had moved into an apartment above a funeral home during her retirement. Years later, the apartment and the perspective it gave on the funeral home business made its way into the book.

"Later, it hit me that there's a lot of mystery surrounding that kind of venue," she said. "What if someone was solving mysteries around that type of atmosphere... You wouldn't believe the types of things that surround a funeral home. It's all of humanity coming out, and that's some of what I wanted to touch upon."

While the writing process was part of the work for the book, Gibson learned the writing process is just a small part of self-publishing a book. Marketing plans, sales meetings, corporate events, developing contacts, and pitching the book later turned out to be an equal task, she said.

Now working on the first follow up to Red Ochre Falls, Gibson said she spends her free time goofing around with her family around Rochester Hills, including biking along the Paint Creek or heading to the race track with her husband and their vintage Porsche.

"When you find something you enjoy, it's not always easy to turn it into a business, but if you really enjoy it, that takes away some of that anxiety," she said. "It helps through those creative lows if I had something else to focus my attention. For instance, part of the job can be reading another mystery, because I'm researching the market."

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Laurie Tennent

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

Rochester/Rochester Hills 112 Pizzeria Bistro: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 2528 S. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.289.6164.

2941 Street Food: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 87 W. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.606.4583.

Alex’s of Rochester: Italian, Greek, & American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.852.2288.

Antoniou’s Pizza: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 918 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48307. 248.650.2200.

Avery’s Tavern: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2086 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.270.4030.

B Spot Burgers: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

176 N. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.218.6001.

Bangkok Cuisine: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 727 N. Main Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.652.8841.

Bar Louie: American. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, 10 or more. Liquor. 1488 N. Rochester Road, Rochester, 48307.

248.218.5114.

Bean and Leaf Café: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

439 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.601.1411.

Big Boy: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No Reservations. 3756 S. Rochester Road., Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.852.5540. Also 90 E. Tienken Road, Rochester Hills, 48306.

248.601.7777.

Bologna Via Cucina: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

334 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.651.3300.

Buffalo Wild Wings: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

1234 Walton Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.651.3999.

Chadd’s Bistro: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No Reservations. 1838 E. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.293.0665.

Chapman House: French-American. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations recommended. Liquor. 311 Walnut Blvd., Rochester. 48307. 248.759.4406.

Cheng’s Restaurant: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 2666 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.299.9450.

Chili’s: Tex-Mex. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2735 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.299.5281.

Chipotle Mexican Grille: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2611 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills,

downtownpublications.com

48307. 248.402.0047. Also The Village of Rochester Hills, 84 N. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.402.0047.

Chomp Deli & Grille: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 200 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307. 888.342.2497.

CJ Mahoney’s Sports Grille: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 3260 S. Rochester Road, Rochester, 48307. 248.293.2800.

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

Liquor. 2010 W. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.853.6600.

Clubhouse BFD (Beer-Food-Drink): American. Lunch, Saturday & Sunday.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations, 10 or more. Liquor. 2265 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.289.6093.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit: Barbecue. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 1418 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.266.6226.

Downtown Café: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 606 N. Main, Rochester, 48307.

248.652.6680.

East Side Mario’s: Italian. Lunch & dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2273 Crooks Road, Rochester, 48309.

248.853.9622.

Einstein Bros. Bagels: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 2972 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48307. 248.606.4519.

Famous Dave’s: Barbecue. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2945 Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48307. 248.852.6200.

Firehouse Subs: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1480 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.656.9200. Also 3044 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.299.7827.

Five Guys Burgers & Fries: American, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

2544 S. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.299.3483.

Ganbei Chinese Restaurant & Bar: Chinese. Lunch, Monday-Saturday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 227 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.266.6687.

Georgio’s Pizza & Pasta: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Italian.

117 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.601.2882.

Gold Star Family Restaurant: American & Greek. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 650 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.652.2478.

Golden Eagle: American. Lunch, Sunday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1447 N. Rochester Road, Rochester, 48307.

248.651.6606.

Grand Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 12 Marketplace Circle, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.289.1350.

Half Day Café: American. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

3134 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.375.1330.

Hamlin Pub: American. Breakfast, Sundays. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 1988 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.656.7700.

Hibachi House Bar & Grill: Japanese Steakhouse. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 335 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.266.6055.

Honey Tree Grille: Mediterranean.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No

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301 South Main Street Rochester 48307

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

French patisserie Marais owners David and Monica Gilbert recently launched Marais Café, a patisserie within the Grosse Pointe restaurant, at 17051 Kercheval Avenue. Open Tuesday through Sunday, from 7 a.m. to noon, the six-day-aweek menu replaces the restaurant’s Sunday brunch, which will be discontinued as of August. The café concept capitalizes on the former brunch favorites – freshly baked pastries served in an elegant setting. The café menu includes hand-rolled croissants; macarons; crepes made on equipment imported from France; quiches; yogurt parfait; and other sweet, light fare, including fresh squeezed orange juice. Additionally, as of midJuly, Marias now has a presence in Plymouth, within the walls of Westborn Market, 860 Penniman Avenue. Described by David as a madeto-order concept, he said he spent a year consulting with representatives of Westborn and that “the premise is to enhance their program. They’re doing wonderful small plates that are made to order, and we supply a lot of pastries to them.”

Local chef changes Since Jared Bobkin’s earlier departure, “We have two exciting young guys running the kitchen,” said Ric Jewell, general manager of Local Kitchen and Bar, 344 W. Nine Mile Road in Ferndale. Helmed by executive chef Joe Van Wagner and executive pastry chef Ben Robinson, the duo have taken creative liberties with the menu while maintaining the focus on “well crafted comfort food,” said Jewell. “It’s more of a question of platings, how it looks and how the food feels as a whole. We want you to look at the menu and see that it all makes sense together.” Owned by Brian Siegel, Geoff Kretchmer and Rick Halburg, chefs Van Wagner and Robinson came to Local after working together at Bacco Ristorante in Southfield. “(Robinson) and Joe wanted to do a quasi pop up dinner, and we were really impressed with what they did,” said Jewell. “We thought it would fascinating to see what they’d do with the menu.” To be certain, The Local Burger, Mac and Cheese, and Fried Green Tomatoes remain as beloved Local staples.

New craft options Craft Work owner Hubert Yaro and executive chef Aaron Solley are ushering in a new wave of offerings at the West Village restaurant, 8047 Agnes Street in Detroit. A raw bar has recently been built in the spacious dining room, which will feature dishes “focused on more seafood options, some vegetarian options and some sushi-related options,” said Yaro. While Craft Work is “not interested in fusion food,” Solley is developing a menu that includes ceviche, crudo, and beef tatake, signature dishes that are popular in Spain, Italy and Japan, respectively. As for the pop-ups, Shinya Hirakawa, sous chef of Ronin Sushi, brings sushi to Craft Work every Thursday from 5 to 10:30 p.m. in the raw bar. Additionally, Solley is preparing to host a weekly pop-up featuring a fixed-price tasting menu tailored to diners’ preferences.

Roadhouse opening Expected to open by the end of August, The Morrie is the latest project from Aaron Belen, owner of AFB Hospitality, and executive chef Derek Watson, who’s been with Belen since the launch of his restaurant Bistro 82. With Sabrage in the same building as Bistro 82, at 401 S. Lafayette, The Morrie will be Belen’s third Royal Oak restaurant, filling a 7,500square-foot space at 511 S. Main Street. “There’s a live music component, but food is first and foremost,” said Belen, who described the menu as “roadhouse cuisine, or in layman’s terms, great bar food.” In addition to an assorted line-up of musicians, The Morrie’s resident band is Your Generation, formerly known as 50 Amp Fuse. “They’re one of the biggest bands in the state of Michigan,” said Belen, and will take the stage regularly, “playing cover songs and rock ‘n roll.” The Morrie’s on-site free parking provides an added perk.

24-hour chow With its classic cars and retro signs, Woodward Avenue has a way of inspiring nostalgia for a bygone era. Seeing the opportunity to bring a bit of history back to life, restaurateur Joe Bongiovanni, owner of Birmingham’s

reservations. 2949 Crooks Road, Rochester, 48309. 248.237.0200.

Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1186 W. University Drive, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.651.3527.

Johnny Black Public House: American.

Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 1711 E. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.606.4479.

Kabin Kruser’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. No reservations. Lunch, Monday-Saturday.

Dinner, daily. 306 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.651.2266.

Kerby’s Koney Island: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. 2552 S. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.844.8900.

King Garden: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1433 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.656.3333.

Krazy Greek Restaurant: Greek. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 111 E. University Drive, Rochester, 48307.

248.652.0089.

Kruse & Muer In the Village: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 134 N. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.375.2503.

Kruse & Muer on Main: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

327 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.652.9400.

Lebanese Grill: Lebanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2783 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.606.4651.

Lino’s Restaurant: Italian. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 50 W. Tienken Road, Rochester Hills, 48306.

248.656.9002.

Lipuma’s Coney Island: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 621 N. Main Steet, Rochester, 48307.

248.652.9862.

Lucky’s Prime Time: American. Weekend Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations, weekdays. Liquor. 1330 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.656.8707.

Main Street Billiards: American. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 215 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.652.8441.

Main Street Deli: Deli. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, Thursday, Friday. No reservations. 709 N. Main Street, Rochester, MI 48307. 248.656.5066.

Mamma Mia Tuscan Grille: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday, Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 543 N. Main Street, Suite 311, Rochester, 48307. 248.402.0234.

Mezza Mediterranean Grille: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor at The Village location only. 1413 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.609.2121.

Also The Village of Rochester Hills, 188 N. Adams Road, Rochester Hills.

248.375.5999.

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

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

248.453.5371.

Mitchell’s Fish Market: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 370 N. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.340.5900.

Mr. B’s Food and Spirits: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

423 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.651.6534.

Noodles & Company: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 184 N. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.375.5000.

North Shack: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 990 E. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.853.3366.

O’Connor’s Public House: Irish Pub. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 324 S. Main Street, Rochester,

48307. 248.608.2537.

Oceania Inn: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Village of Rochester Hills, 3176 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.375.9200.

Olive Garden: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2615 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.853.6960.

Outback Steakhouse: Steakhouse. Lunch, Friday-Sunday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations, eight or more. Liquor.

1880 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.650.2521.

Paint Creek Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday, Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 613 N. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.759.4205.

Panda Express: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 3105 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.853.9880.

Panera Bread: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 37 S. Livernois Road, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.601.2050. Also 2921 Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.853.5722. Also 2508 S. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.853.7430.

Park 600 Bar & Kitchen: American.

Weekend Brunch. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

Royal Park Hotel, 600 E. University Drive, Rochester, 48307.

248.652.2600.

Paul’s on Main: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 630 N. Main Sreet., Rochester, 48307. 248.656.0066.

Pei Wei: Asian Fusion. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1206 E. Walton Boulevard, Rochester, 48307.

248.601.1380.

Penn Station East Coast Subs: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

146. S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.601.4663.

Penny Black Grill & Tap: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

124 W. 4th Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.841.1522.

Pudthai & Sushi: Thai & Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 2964 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.299.6890.

Qdoba Mexican Grill: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1198 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.608.2603. Also 3014 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.844.3668.

Ram’s Horn: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1990 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.651.7900.

Red Knapp’s Dairy Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 304 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.651.4545.

Red Lobster: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2825 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.299.8090.

Red Olive: Mediterranean & American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1194 Walton Boulevard, Rochester, 48307. 248.656.0300.

Rochester Bistro: American-Continental.

Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday, Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 227 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.923.2724.

Rochester Brunch House: American.

Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 301 Walnut Boulevard, Rochester, 48307. 248.656.1600.

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

248.651.2266.

Rochester Diner & Grill: American, Greek & Italian. Breakfast & Lunch, daily.

Dinner, Monday-Saturday. 1416 E.

Walton Blvd., Rochester Hill, 48309.

248.652.6737.

Rochester Mills Beer Co.: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 400 Water Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.650.5080.

Rochester Tap Room: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6870 N. Rochester Road, Rochester, 48306.

248.650.2500.

Rojo Mexican Bistro: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 401 N. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.601.9300.

Sakura Sushi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

6866 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48306. 248.608.3867.

Shish Palace: Mediterranean. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. 165 S. Livernois Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.453.5464.

Shogun: Japanese. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 173 S. Livernois Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.453.5386.

Silver Spoon Ristorante: Italian. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

6830 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48306. 248.652.4500.

Soho: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2943 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.289.1179.

Sumo Sushi & Seafood: Japanese & Korean. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations, 24 hours in advance.

Liquor. 418 N. Main Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.601.0104.

Tapper’s Pub: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 877 E. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.852.1983.

Tim Hortons: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 940 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.656.8292.

The Meeting House: American. Weekend Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 301 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.759.4825.

Tropical Smoothie Café: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2913 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.852.4800.

Val's Polish Kitchen: Polish. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday, Sunday. Reservations. 224 E. Auburn Rd., Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.293.2660.

Wayback Burgers: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1256 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.453.5746. Also 2595 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.844.2717.

Willoughby’s Beyond Juice: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 120 E. 4th Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.841.1670.

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

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

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

Kona Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 30 E. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48083. 248.619.9060.

Lakes: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 5500 Crooks Rd., Troy, 48098. 248.646.7900.

McCormick & Schmick’s: Steak & Seafood.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

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

248.637.6400.

Mon Jin Lau: Asian. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1515

E. Maple Rd, Troy, 48083.

248.689.2332.

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

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

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

248.816.3424.

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

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

Orchid Café: Thai. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

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

248.524.1944.

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

Somerset Collection, 2801 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084. 248.816.8000.

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

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

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

248.817.2980.

Tre Monti Ristorante: Italian. Lunch, Thursdays. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 1695 E. Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48083. 248.680.1100.

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

248.646.2220.

Andiamo: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

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

248.865.9300.

Arthur Avenue: Italian. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 260 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009.

248.480.0768.

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

248.792.7795.

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

248.792.3579.

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

Reservations. Liquor. 4108 W. Maple, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

248.626.2630.

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

167 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.494.7110.

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

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

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

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

Liquor. 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.646.9000.

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

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

Café ML: New American. Dinner, daily.

Liquor. Call ahead. 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.

Market North End, recently transformed the former Onion Roll Deli into O.W.L., a 24-hour “Mexican American hamburger stand,” as he put it. The 14seat, quick-bite spot slings “hamburgers, chicken wings, and a whole side of it that is a small Mexican element that we think is important. We have a breakfast sandwich component, an egg component that’s prevalent, breakfast served 24 hours,” said Bongiovanni, who runs the restaurant with his wife Kristin Bongiovanni and brother Larry Bongiovanni. Painted black with a white angled roof, the original structure remains, as has the iconic sign, now accented with an owl and the letters O.W.L., an acronym that Bongiovanni said he leaves up to the customers to define.

Vegetarian lunch added The plant-based GreenSpace Cafe, 215 W. Nine Mile Road in Ferndale, recently expanded its hours and is now open for the lunchtime rush. Owned by Dr. Joel Kahn, a cardiologist, the lunch menu includes smaller portions of dinnertime favorites, as well as a handful of new dishes. GreenSpace provides light options such as Tomatillo Gazpacho and Masoor Dahl soup; signature salads; and a variety of animal-free entrees such as the faro lentil burger and vegetable/quinoa/noodle bowls. Keeping in mind the dietary restrictions and health concerns of their customers, the vegan restaurant, which opened for dinner last December, has gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and oil-free options available. The sleek café, with its high ceilings and wood furniture, serves wine, beer, cocktails and raw juice.

Food truck transformation Norma G’s, a food truck that’s been dishing up Caribbean cuisine in the Detroit area for the last two years, is working on plans to open a brick and mortar restaurant, at 14628 E. Jefferson in Detroit. A participant in Mayor Mike Duggan’s MotorCity Match program, chef-owner Lester Gouvia said Norma G’s is in the final running for a hefty grant to help him set up shop in the east Jefferson corridor. Gouvia’s signature Curry Chicken is a hit with the public.

Prepared with a West Indian-style curry, “it’s a combo of vegetables, Yukon gold potatoes, green beans, chick peas, with chicken in a Trinidad yellow curry. It’s not made with coconut milk, just a combination of those things, with all the flavors, and obviously a little spice to it,” he said. Jefferson East, Inc., a Detroit community organization, is also a key a component behind the restaurant project, said Gouvia, noting humbly, “I’m a part of this, not the ‘it’ itself.”

Sushi hits Detroit Maru Sushi & Grill, a small Michigan chain with four locations, is set to open this fall in Detroit at the Federal Reserve Building, 160 Fort Street. To be managed by Thomas Rossana, currently the manager of the Midland location, the restaurant is characterized as casual fine dining, and offers a “balanced menu that can be lighter wallet,” said Rossana. “If you’re looking for an upscale experience, we have that as well. We have signature specialty rolls, and a pretty in-depth omakase section, which is a term for ‘trusting your chef.’” A crowd favorite is the Crouching Tiger, which Rossana said is made with “panko-fried shrimp, crab and cream cheese, avocado and ebi, a type of blanched shrimp.” Maru also serves dishes from the hibachi grill, and to accompany the meal, carries a full bar, including a variety of sake. Launched in 2009 by owner Robert Song, Maru Sushi & Grill can be found in East Lansing, Okemos, and Grand Rapids, with another one slated for Kalamazoo.

End of the road A loss for the area’s many dedicated followers, Peabody’s Restaurant at 34965 Woodward in Birmingham, served its final meals on Saturday, July 30, closing the door on a 40-year-old family owned and operated business.

Peabody’s began as a local fruit market in 1947, opened by Stan and Louise Peabody, grandparents of the current owners, sisters Susan, Nancy, and Barbara Peabody. In 1975, Jim Peabody, Stan and Louise’s son and Susan, Barbara and Nancy’s father, converted the barn structure that housed the fruit market into the popular local restaurant, offering modern American fare and spirits. Susan Peabody had originally stated last spring that the sisters were considering reopening the restaurant in a smaller space in the future, but she said in July she had no comment at this point. “It’s so busy here. We’re just trying to get this closed up.”

Front/Back is reported each month by Katie Deska. KatieDeska@DowntownPublications.com. We welcome news items or tips, on or off the record, about what's happening in the front or back of the house at metro area restaurants.

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

248.723.1700.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

248.258.9400.

Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American.

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

Liquor. 575 S. Eton Street, Birmingham.

248.712.4050.

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American.

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

248.594.4369.

Ironwood Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, 6 or more. Liquor.

290 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.385.0506.

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

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

248.792.6051.

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

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

248.723.7960.

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.

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

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

248.644.3122.

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

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

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

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

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

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

248.645.9123.

Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro: American.

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

248.731.7066.

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

248.203.6600.

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

Liquor. 32760 Franklin Rd, Franklin,

52

48025. 248.865.6600.

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.

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

Triple Nickel Restaurant and Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor.

Reservations. 555 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009. 248.480.4951.

North Oakland Clarkston Union: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 54 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346.

248.620.6100.

Holly Hotel: American. Afternoon Tea, Monday – Saturday, Brunch, Sunday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 110 Battle Alley, Holly, 48442.

248.634.5208.

Kruse's Deer Lake Inn: Seafood. Lunch & dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7504 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346.

248.795.2077.

Via Bologna: Italian. Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 7071 Dixie Highway, Clarkston. 48346. 248.620.8500.

Union Woodshop: BBQ. Dinner, Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday – Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 18 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346.

248.625.5660.

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

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

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

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

Andiamo Restaurants: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 129 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.582.0999.

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

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

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

Bistro 82: French. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 401 S. Lafayette Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.542.0082.

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

248.547.6699.

Bspot Burgers: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 310 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.268.1621.

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

Reservations. Liquor. 418 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.4749.

Cork Wine Pub: American. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 23810 Woodward Ave., Pleasant Ridge, 48069. 248.544.2675.

D’Amato’s: Italian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

222 Sherman Dr., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.584.7400.

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

220 S. Main St., Clawson, 48017.

248.288.0220.

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

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

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

Inn Season Cafe: Vegetarian. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. No reservations. 500 E. Fourth St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.547.7916.

Inyo Restaurant Lounge: Asian Fusion.

Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 22871 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.543.9500.

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

Lily’s Seafood: Seafood. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 410 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.591.5459.

Local Kitchen and Bar: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 344 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220.

248.291.5650.

Lockhart’s BBQ: Barbeque. Sunday Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 202 E. Third St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.584.4227.

Oak City Grille: American. Dinner, daily.

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

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

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

248.808.6633.

Pronto!: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

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

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

248.850.7420.

Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 31542 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, 48073.

248.549.0300.

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

Royal Oak Brewery: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 215 E. 4th St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.544.1141.

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

248.607.3127.

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

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

248.541.1186.

Town Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 116 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.544.7300.

Trattoria Da Luigi: Italian. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 415 S, Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.542.4444.

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

27799 Woodward Ave., Berkley, 48072.

248.548.7711.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 29508 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.208.1680.

Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 29110 Franklin Road, Southfield, 48034.

Maria’s Restaurant: Italian. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2080 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323.

248.851.2500.

The Bombay Grille: Indian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 29200 Orchard Lake Rd, Farmington Hills, 48334.

248.626.2982.

The Fiddler: Russian. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Thursday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 6676 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322.

248.851.8782.

The Lark: American. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 6430 Farmington Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.661.4466.

Mene Sushi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 6239 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.538.7081.

Meriwether’s: Seafood. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 25485 Telegraph Rd, Southfield, 48034. 248.358.1310.

Pickles & Rye: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6724 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.737.3890.

Prime29 Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6545 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.7463.

Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor.

6745 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.865.0500.

Shangri-La: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. Orchard Mall Shopping Center, 6407 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322.

248.626.8585.

Sposita’s Ristorante: Italian. Friday Lunch.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 33210 W. Fourteen Mile Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248. 538.8954.

Stage Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

6873 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.855.6622.

Sweet Lorraine’s Café & Bar: American.

Weekend Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 29101 Greenfield Rd., Southfield, 48076.

248.559.5985.

Yotsuba: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 7365 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield, 48322.

248.737.8282.

West Bloomfield/Southfield

Detroit

Bacco: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 29410 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.356.6600.

Beans and Cornbread: Southern. Lunch &

Angelina Italian Bistro: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor.

1565 Broadway St., Detroit, 48226.

313.962.1355.

Antietam: French. Sunday Brunch. Dinner,

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West Oakland Gravity Bar & Grill: Mediterranean. Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday, Dinner.

Reservations. Liquor. 340 N. Main Street, Milford, 48381. 248.684.4223.

It's A Matter of Taste: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2323 Union Lake Road, Commerce, 48390.

248.360.4150.

The Root Restaurant & Bar: American.

Lunch & Dinner, Monday - Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 340 Town Center Blvd., White Lake, 48390.

248.698.2400.

Volare Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 48992 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.960.7771.

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Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

1428 Gratiot Ave., Detroit, 48207.

313.782.4378.

Bucharest Grill: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2040 Park Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.965.3111.

Cliff Bell’s: American. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 2030 Park Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.961.2543.

Coach Insignia: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

100 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243.

313.567.2622.

Craft Work: American. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 8047 Agnes St., Detroit, 48214.

313.469.0976.

Cuisine: French. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 670 Lothrop Rd., Detroit, 48202. 313.872.5110.

The Detroit Seafood Market: Seafood.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 1435 Randolph St., Detroit, 48226. 313.962.4180.

El Barzon: Mexican. Lunch, Tuesday-Friday.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 3710 Junction St., Detroit, 48210. 313.894.2070.

Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café: Cajun.

Breakfast, daily. Sunday Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 400 Monroe Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.965.4600.

Giovanni’s Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 330 S. Oakwood Blvd., Detroit, 48217. 313.841.0122.

Green Dot Stables: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2200 W. Lafayette, Detroit, 48216.

313.962.5588.

Jefferson House: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 2 Washington Blvd., Detroit, 48226. 313.782.4318.

Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Lunch, Monday- Friday, Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243. 313.567.6837.

Johnny Noodle King: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2601 W. Fort St., Detroit, 48216.

313.309.7946.

Maccabees at Midtown: American.

Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

5057 Woodward Ave., Detroit, 48202.

313.831.9311.

Mario’s: Italian. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 4222 2nd Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.832.1616.

Midtown Shangri-la: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 4710 Cass Ave., Detroit, 48201.

313.974.7669.

Motor City Brewing Works: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Beer & Wine. 470 W. Canfield St., Detroit, 48201. 313.832.2700.

1917 American Bistro: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 19416 Livernois Ave., Detroit, 48221.

313.863.1917.

Prism: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 555 E. Lafayette St, Detroit, 48226.

313.309.2499.

Red Smoke Barbeque: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

Trappers Alley Shopping Center, 573 Monroe Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.962.2100.

Roma Café: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

3401 Riopelle St., Detroit, 48207.

313.831.5940.

Russell Street Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. 2465 Russell St, Detroit, 48207. 313.567.2900.

downtownpublications.com

Santorini Estiatorio: Greek. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 501 Monroe Ave, Detroit, 48226. 313.962.9366.

Selden Standard: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 3921 Second Ave., Detroit, 48201.

313.438.5055.

Sinbad’s: Seafood. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

100 St Clair St., Detroit, 48214.

313.822.8000.

Slows Bar BQ: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2138 Michigan Ave, Detroit, 48216.

313.962.9828.

Small Plates Detroit: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 1521 Broadway St., Detroit, 48226. 313.963.0702.

St. CeCe’s Pub: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 1426 Bagley Ave., Detroit, 48216.

313.962.2121.

Tap at MGM Grand: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 1777 Third Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.465.1234.

Taqueria Nuestra Familia: Mexican.

Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 7620 Vernor Hwy., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.5668.

The Block: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 3919 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201.

313.832.0892.

Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 519 East Jefferson Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.964.4010.

Top of the Pontch: American. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservation. Liquor. 2 Washington Blvd, Detroit, 48226.

313.782.4313.

Traffic Jam & Snug: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

511 W. Canfield, Detroit, 48201.

313.831.9470.

24grille: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, 1114 Washington Blvd, Detroit, 48226.

313.964.3821.

Union Street: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 4145 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201.

313.831.3965.

Vince’s: Italian. Lunch, Tuesday-Friday.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 1341 Springwells St., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.4857.

Vivio’s Food & Spirits: American.

Saturday Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2460 Market St., Detroit, 48207.

313.393.1711.

The Whitney: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & High Tea, Monday-Friday. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, daily. Liquor.

Reservations. 4421 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.5700.

Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina: Italian. Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 1777 Third St, Detroit, 48226. 313.465.1646.

Wolfgang Puck Steak: Steak & Seafood.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1777 Third St, Detroit, 48226.

313.465.1411.

Wright & Co.: American. Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 1500 Woodward Ave Second Floor, Detroit, 48226. 313.962.7711.

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BUSINESS MATTERS 50 years of practice This year, Dr. Bradley Barnes, of Kidz1st Pediatrics, celebrates his 50th anniversary as a pediatric doctor at the Rochester Hills clinic.

With 52 years of pediatric experience, Barnes “was a pediatrician before Crittenton (Hospital) was here, before amoxicillin, and before a lot of our immunizations were here,” said Kathy Campbell, community liaison for Kidz1st, located at 2370 Walton Boulevard. One of five providers at the clinic, Barnes spent his first two years working at an Army hospital in Maryland before joining Kidz1st. “He’s been an amazing man in our community.

He’s taken care of children who (now) have children. They all keep coming back,” said Campbell, who like many in the community saw Barnes as a child and then brought her kids to him.

New Rochester restaurant The latest addition to the Rochester restaurant scene, TooRaLoo, started slinging pizzas and other fare in midJuly at 139 S. Main Street, on the corner of Second Street. Owned by Nick Varnavas, Matthew Hatz, Tina Pasquali and Rochester-area resident Keith Wadle, who also owns O’Tooles Irish-American Grill and Bar in Royal Oak, TooRaLoo takes its name from an Irish lullaby, and offers an “Irish feel with Italian zeal,” said Varnavas. Boasting a 31seat bar, 80 beers on tap, a wideranging menu, and kid-specific dishes, the restaurant caters to families and the weekend crowd alike. A key player in the venture is chef Jeff Jepko, a lifelong chef and restaurateur, who formerly owned Little Italy in Northville, Maria’s Restaurant in West Bloomfield, and most recently worked as the director of operations for Bigalora Wood Fired Cucina. In addition to salads, sandwiches, fish and pasta dishes, TooRaLoo offers 20 varieties of Neapolitan thin-crust pizza, including 10 white pizzas, which are pizzas sans the tomato sauce. “I’ve always coveted a restaurant here in Rochester,” said Jepko, who was friends with his now-business partners. “They brought me in from retirement,” he joked. “They had a concept here that was Irish in the front, but more of a restaurant, family-friendly vibe, and I’m doing my thing in the kitchen. You have the best of both worlds – when you want to go for drinks, you think of downtownpublications.com

Irish, and to eat, not so much, and that’s where Italian, Mediterranean food, that’s where my specialty comes in.”

Store for dancers Cindy Rassel, owner of Rochester’s 2nd Street Studio of Dance, 100 E. Second Street, is opening Tutus and Tendus, a retail shop for tutus, leotards, tights, dance shoes, and hair accessories, said Johanna Mosley, assistant director with the dance school. Currently undergoing construction, the store is slated to open in late August at 120 E. University in Rochester. “Cindy thought it would be a cool idea to open a dance store downtown, with RARA (Rochester Area Recreation Authority) down the street and we’re here. If you want to look for dance merchandise, you have to drive 45 minutes away,” said Mosley, who explained that ‘tendu’ is a French term, describing a tautly held ballet move. First launched in May of 2013, the dance studio emphasizes fun, noncompetitive dance classes for kids and adults alike. “We’re starting in the fall with ‘Mommy & Me’ classes,” said Mosley. “The mom and the little one in class will be doing different stretches and moving to the music.”

National emergency clinic MedPost Urgent Care, a national care clinic, is moving into Rochester Hills at 3035 S. Rochester Road, on the southeast corner of Auburn Road. The walk-in clinic will have extended weekday hours, as well as weekend hours. A hybrid of MedPost and MedPost Kids, the Rochester Hills clinic will offer adult and pediatric care for minor injuries and illnesses, including colds and flus, burns, broken bones, asthma and earaches. School and sports physicals are also available. Located in nine states, MedPost currently has Michigan locations in Bloomfield Township and Livonia, with others planned for Canton and Grosse Pointe.

Pop-ups at Village Shoppers at the Village of Rochester Hills, 104 N. Adams Road, now have the option of buying local clothing, body products, artisan foods, artwork and more at Metro D, a pop-up shop that recently opened at 112 N. Adams Road. Slated to remain in the Village until the first of January, co-owner Colin McConnel

said he’s hoping for an extended stay. McConnel and his business partner, Michael Haas, opened the store after launching their clothing line, Detroit Respect, which is sold at Metro D along with a number of other metro Detroit brands. “We didn’t want to call (the shop) Detroit Respect, being so far in the suburbs, and we wanted to showcase things that make metro Detroit great,” said McConnel. “We have people from Ferndale, Oxford, Bloomfield Hills, Rochester, and all over,” including photography by Rochester-area resident Diane Wilks, along with Mel’s Toffee, a Rochester-area company. “Right now it’s trying to bring something different to the Village mall where people can buy locally-made products. There’s a ton of amazing cities in metro Detroit that I would like to be in,” said McConnel, who’s putting in “a lot of time and energy and love at this location.”

Food trucks help others Dubbed “Food Trucks for a Cause,” the Village of Rochester Hills, 104 N. Adams Road, is experimenting with food trucks, and generating money for non-profits in the process.

“We were looking for a way to bring more of a fun, city-type feel to the Village, and that was the first thing that came to mind,” said Shelleen McHale, director of marketing for the Village. Launched in July, a handful of food trucks are scheduled to arrive for one day a month, continuing through December. If the program is well-received, McHale said it’s possible the trucks will become a regular addition to the Village. Held in the parking lot along Adams Road, Marconi’s Pizza and the Meanie Weenie are monthly vendors, accompanied by additional trucks that vary each month. McHale noted that the Troy hot dog restaurant came as a recommendation from Rochester Community Schools, “because Meanie Weenie comes in and helps them out.” Along with the two mainstays, Kona Ice and Cool Jacks will be serving on Monday, August 8. Additional dates and vendors can be found on the Facebook page for the Village of Rochester Hills.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Here is the update on the recent social scene.

Many more photos from each event appear online each week at downtownpublications.com where readers can sign up for an e-mail notice when the latest social scene column is posted.

Past columns and photos are also archived at the website for Downtown.

Sunset at the Zoo Benefactor Bash

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Sunset at the Zoo Benefactor Bash Cynthia and Edsel Ford, who hosted the first party for Sunset at the Zoo benefactors in 2005, opened their doors again for the 2016 benefactors Sally Gerak ($750 ticket) and some 100 of them attended.

Socializing centered on the back porch and in the gardens – both with traditional sensibilities and a splendiferous view of Lake St. Clair.

Conversation paused for zoo director Ron Kagan to thank everybody, especially new Polk Penguin Conservation Center lead donors Stephen and Bobbi Polk and the hosts, who were presented with a penguin-shaped topiary. All guests left with a plush penguin souvenir. Three weeks later a record-setting crowd of more than 2,500 flocked to the zoo for the main event – Penguin Palooza. They savored drinks and comestibles from more than 50 generous establishments, spent $20,000-plus for Sunset keys to open prize cages, and bid more than $30,000 in the silent auction. The live auction for such offerings as dinner parties in the penguin center and the Cotton Family Wolf Wilderness added another $50,000-plus. Many guests rounded out the evening by dancing under the stars to Simon Vitale’s music. Thanks also to generous sponsors, the event netted more than $500,000.

ORT/ART and the City Nicole Eisenberg, Cathy Forbes and Jessica Kwartowitz, who chaired ORT’s latest fundraiser, chose Eastern Market as the venue. Nearly 400 supporters ($55 & up tickets) of ORT’s education programs flocked there to sip, sup on food truck fare and, most especially, to view and bid on Somerset Collection store merchandise that had been artistically enhanced by College for Creative Studies students. Music by Jared Sykes accented all the activity, which generated more than $100,000 for ORT. Andrew Luckoff, Jason Fisher and Josh Fisher are chairing Rub-A-Dub, the next ORT benefit, Wednesday, Aug. 17 at Franklin Hills Country Club.

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1. Joe & Melissa Campanelli of Bloomfield. 2. Cathy & Jim Rosenthal of Bloomfield. 3. Keith Crain (left) of Grosse Pointe, Jim Hayes and Denise Abrash of Bloomfield. 4. June Everett (left) of Bloomfield, Martha Ottolini of Livonia. 5. Diane Platt (left) of Grosse Pointe, Stephen & Bobbi Polk of Bloomfield. 6. Marvin (left) & Lauren Daitch and Sue Kauffman of Bloomfield.

7. Eleanor (left) & Dick Gabrys of Bloomfield, Marina & Scott Houghton of Grosse Pointe. 8. Suzy Farbman (left) of Franklin, Rick Carmody of Berkley, Bonnie Larson of Bloomfield. 9. Zoo director Ron Kagan (center) of Royal Oak with event hosts Edsel & Cynthia Ford of Grosse Pointe. 10. Mert Segal (left) and Glynda Beeman of Bloomfield, Ira Jaffe of Farmington Hills.

SKY Foundation Women’s Event More than 100 people ($55 & up ticket) gathered at the Townsend Hotel to socialize, dine and hear from researchers about the latest developments in fighting pancreatic cancer. Guests included widows of pancreatic victims, people with pancreatic cancer and pancreatic cancer survivors like SKY Foundation founder Sheila Sky Kasselman. Good news updates included word of a new class of drugs that gets rid of bad cells and the establishment of a national consortium to work on studies co-operatively. The event netted more than $26,000 for research.

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ORT/ART and the City

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1. Emily Camiener of Birmingham, Nicole Eisenberg of Bloomfield and Jessica Kwartowitz of Huntington Woods. 2. Jody Colman (left) and Stephanie Brigstock of Bloomfield. 3. Lacey Jacobson (left) and Samantha & Mikey Foon of Birmingham, Carley Sanfield of W. Bloomfield.

4. Howard & Sharon Eisenshtadt of Bloomfield. 5. Marc Schwartz (left) and Sarah Winkler & Simmon Leopold of Birmingham. 6. Brenda & Howard Rosenberg of Bloomfield. 7. Erik & Andrea Morganroth of Birmingham.

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Fashion Group International Detroit Recollections ruled when 60 people gathered at the Heathers club to honor two Detroit fashion legends – Rosemary Bannon and Linda Dresner. Detroit style guru Chuck Bennett, addressing what he called “…a room full of my special ladies,” saluted Bannon for encouraging him when he was just a WSU student, and Dresner for putting him on the map in NYC during the 25 years she had a store there. Estee Lauder regional VP Theresa Selvaggio remembered 38 years ago when Bannon, her boss at Himelhoch’s, advised her to accept an offer from Estee Lauder. (Good advice. Himelhoch’s closed soon thereafter.) Bannon noted that “…Linda has surpassed every single person who opened her own (women’s apparel) store,” which she first did in 1978.

Dresner’s success is likely due to her belief that women “…should not care what others say…find your inner essence, love yourself and exercise freedom of choice in fashion.” Sponsored by the local chapter of a fashion and design industry non-profit organization, the luncheon proceeds were earmarked for the Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Eisenhower Dance 25th Anniversary In 25 years Eisenhower Dance went from its first performance on a Detroit

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sidewalk to the stage of the Detroit Opera House, with tours across the US and to Russia along the way.

“Sometimes I wonder how we did it,” confessed Laurie Eisenhower, founder of Michigan’s premiere contemporary dance company. She addressed the 170 enthusiastic loyalists ($175 ticket) gathered at the Westin Book Cadillac to celebrate the milestone anniversary. The evening was chaired by Dodie David, Amy Jidov and Kathy Ryan but all were anxious to put the spotlight on others. Like 12-year board chair Debra Bernstein-Siegel, past executive director Maury Okun and donors like Maggie Allesee, Carol Halsted and the Lee Barthels. The pre-dinner program featured two dance performances which drew standing ovations, as did Eisenhower herself. She was quick to credit Stephanie Pizzo for her 25 years of loyalty, talent and passion for ED. Small silent and live auctions, a wine pull and dedicated giving accounted for more than $30,600 of the $61,580 the event raised. Information about the company’s performance and audition schedules and classes at both the Rochester and Birmingham centers are available at eisenhowerdance.org/.

Variety’s A Star is Born The Michigan Celebrity Hall of Fame at Emagine Entertainment’s Royal Oak home has its first corporate star – the Shinola Company. The induction occurred at Variety, the Children’s Charity’s sixth annual A Star is Born fundraiser which drew 300 supporters ($150 & up tickets) to Emagine’s Star Lanes and Grille. Lois Shaevsky and Felicia Palazzolo-Shaw chaired the gala evening which featured scrumptious food from new executive chef/Birmingham native Andy Begole’s crew. From a stage erected on the Star (bowling) Lanes singers from FAR Therapeutic conservancy kicked off the program which last year’s co-honoree Paul W. Smith emceed. Honorary co-chair Ana Sanchez spoke for her absent husband, who was pitching for the Tigers, and credited their interior designer/Variety past president Michael Coyne for introducing the couple to Variety. Shinola president Jacques Panis emphasized that the honor “…is not about me. It’s about the 540 people who work at Shinola.”

Dancing to Ben Sharkey’s music, dessert, gaming, bowling and movies rounded out the evening. All guests downtownpublications.com

SKY Foundation Women’s Event

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1. Sheila Kasselman (left) of W. Bloomfield, Bluma Schechter of Bloomfield, Dr. Diane Simeone of Ann Arbor. 2. Sally Mezey (left) of Birmingham, Nancy Smith of Bloomfield. 3. Becky Walton (left), Marsha Wester and Jan Bird of Birmingham. 4. Debbie Fellberg and Janice Steinhardt of Birmingham. 5. Irfana Muqbil (left) of Canton, Laura Zubeck of Royal Oak , Dr. Philip A. Philip of Farmington Hills, Linda Remington of Bloomfield.

6. Judy Anderson (left) and Wendy Powers of Bloomfield, Mary Jane Vogt of Berkley. 7. Roberta Madorsky (left) of Bloomfield, Sandy Schwartz of Franklin, Cis Kellman of Southfield.

Fashion Group International Detroit

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1. Linda Dresner of Birmingham and Rosemary Bannon of Beverly Hills. 2. Cynthia LaMaide (left) of Rochester, Suzy Farbman of Franklin, Brenda Rosenberg of Bloomfield, Contessa Bannon of Beverly Hills. 3. Cheryl Hall Lindsay (left) of W. Bloomfield, Marie Brigstock and Harriett Fuller of Bloomfield. 4. Peggy Brown (left), Caro Lee Markley and Lorraine Schultz of Bloomfield. 5. Linda Buchzeiger and Carol Minowitz of W. Bloomfield.

Eisenhower Dance 25th Anniversary

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1. Stephanie Pizzo (left) of Rochester Hills, Marty Testasecca of Northviile, Laurie Eisenhower of Rochester. 2. Debra Bernstein-Siegel (left) of Bloomfield, Dodie David of Oxford, Amy Jidov of Milford and Kathy Ryan of Troy. 3. Maury Okun (center) of Northville, Maggie Allesee (left) and Carol Halsted of Bloomfield. 4. Carolyn Demps (left) and Celeste Demps-Simons of Birmingham, Pat Demps of Oklahoma City, OK. 5. Bridget & Michael Morin of Bloomfield. 6. Sandra Moers (center) and Jeff Davison (left) & Anthony Marsalese of Bloomfield 7. Debra Bernstein-Siegel (left) and Olivia & Massoud Batmanghelichi of Bloomfield.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK took home handy packages of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory treats.

Thanks also to generous sponsors, the sixth annual soiree netted $150,000 for the children served by Variety.

Variety’s A Star is Born

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1. Lois Shaevsky (left) of Bloomfield, Jacques Panis of Detroit, Felicia Palazzolo-Shaw (left) of Birmingham. Photo: Doug Ashley. 2. Paul W. Smith (center) and Bob with Maggie Allesee of Bloomfield.

3. Ana Sanchez of Birmingham, Michael Coyne of Bloomfield. 4. Matt Shuert (left) and Jennie Cascio of Bloomfield, Paul Glantz of Lake Angelus.

5. Lauren (left) & Jon Goldstein of Bloomfield and Alan & Karen Barry of Commerce. 6 Mert Segal and Glynda Beeman of Bloomfield. 7. Len & Pamela Dillon and Michael Coyne of Bloomfield. 8. Jeffrey & David King of Birmingham. 9. Sophie (left) and Kim Smith of Bloomfield, Natalie and Jamie Guisinger of Troy. 10. Judy McBride (left) and Cindy Oliver of Bloomfield.

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Frame Your Face: Art of Giving

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1. Karen Buscemi of Rochester Hills, Tom Maniac of Birmingham. 2. Tina (left) & Walt Polleiner and Christine Betz of Rochester.

3. Shannon & Zoran Lazovski of Rochester.

4. Matt Maniac (left) of Bloomfield, Whitney Davis, Gene Nelson and Rex Curtis of Birmingham. 5. Linda Luchi of Commerce, Jeff Abood of Bloomfield. 6. Laura Light (left) of Rochester Hills, Lisa Zvonek of Grand Blanc.

7. Roger & Jean Steed of Birmingham.

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Frame Your Face: Art of Giving Since they were introduced in 2004 at one of the late John Bloom’s Fanclub Foundation for the Arts fundraiser, artist Tom Maniaci’s signature Paint-By-Number celebrity images have been a fun focus at charity events. His own seventh annual Art of Giving charity event held at The Stand in Birmingham was no exception. Some 300 trendies ($75 & $100-patron tickets) gathered there to support this year’s charity – Karen Buscemi’s Detroit Garment Group – a fashion community education and development nonprofit.

However, there was competition for the David Bowie portrait. Like chow from The Stand kitchen, Zim’s cocktails, Alex Maniaci’s DJ music, a boffo silent auction of 40-plus packages, the David Bowie t-shirt station and Matthew Richmond’s couture creations made of up-cycled materials being modeled by RGA models. More than 50 patrons concluded the evening at the After Party. Thanks to those who each paid $20 to paint by number, the auction ($8,000) and generous sponsors, the seventh annual Art of Giving raised an estimated $10,000 for the DGG.

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Belle Isle PwC Grand Prixmiere For the third year, to benefit the Belle Isle Conservancy, Chevrolet presented the PwC Grand Prixmiere on Belle Isle the night before the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix race weekend on the island. To reach the huge party tent, nearly 550 guests ($600 ticket) actually experienced the race course by traveling a fairly lengthy section of the track. The evening, chaired by Robin and GM’s Dan Nicholson, included serious cocktail hour socializing around a moving, mini race track presentation of hors d’oeuvres by caterer Andiamo.

Detroit Grand Prix founder Roger Penske’s preference for a “no tie” dress code was universally embraced by the guys. The dinner program, emceed by WJR’s Paul W. Smith, featured a video in which French driver/Penske Team member Simon Pagenaud was shown enjoying such Belle Isle highlights as the Conservatory and the giant water 08.16

slide. Following a stellar dinner, the live auction of six items generated extremely generous bids and raised more than $200,000. This was followed by pledges totaling more than $27,000 for constructing a walking and biking trail around Belle Isle’s perimeter. Thanks also to generous sponsors, the annual race weekend kick-off soiree raised more than $545,000 to help the Belle Isle Conservancy restore and maintain the unique island park. For more information, visit belleisleconservancy.org.

Hackett Family Center Celebration The late, beloved Jeanne and Bob Hackett’s original gift to The Community House in 1993 funded a new, 1,234-square foot meeting room following a major renovation. But a large wait list for the Early Childhood Center prompted TCH CEO Bill Seklar to ask the Hackett heirs to approve changing the room’s function. And thus, about 100 Hackett family and friends including fellow Rotarians gathered for the Ribbon Cutting and Rededication Ceremony of the new Hackett Family Infant & Toddler Center. “I was overwhelmed when I saw the (invitation wording),” confided Amy Hackett Palmer, adding that approving the new use was “a no brainer.” The event was also a farewell for Amy and Dave Palmer.

The next day they left Birmingham for their new home in Austin, Texas.

However, the generosity of the longtime TCH friends remains. It will enable the five-star-rated ECC to expand its enrollment from 42 to 72 students ages 6 weeks to 6 years.

South Oakland Shelter Rent Party Bloomfield native Paddy Lynch hosted a sold out Rent Party for 300 South Oakland Shelter supporters ($100 ticket) in his 10,000-square-foot manse in Detroit’s Arden Park-East Boston Edison Historic District.

Ninety benefactors and sponsors arrived early for a tour of the house, once home to Stanley Kresge. The party theme was based on a 1920s solution for raising money to pay the landlord by passing the hat at a party where jazz was center stage. Michael Jellick Quartet and Ralphe Armstrong and I.D. Quartet took turns in the living room while RJ Spangler’s Planet D Nonet with vocalist Thornetta Davis gave a classy meaning to “garage band”. An open bar featuring Atwater Brewery, Two James Spirits, and wine downtownpublications.com

Belle Isle PwC Grand Prixmiere

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1. Kathy (left) & Roger Penske of Birmingham, Rick & Jorja Hanna of Northville. 2. Bud (left) & Melissa Denker of Bloomfield and Doug Seneshen of The Blue Mountains, Ontario. 3. Jim Campbell of Birmingham, Michele Hodges of Grosse Pointe. 4. Peggy Daitch (left) & Peter Remington of Birmingham, Tonya Allen of Troy. 5. Patricia Mooradian (left) and Dan Quick of Bloomfield, Suzanne and Tom Lewand of Royal Oak. 7. Mike (left) & Lisa Brennan of Birmingham, Sonna Johns of Clinton, Bob Kaiser of Grosse Pointe. 8. Julie & Rocky Gust of Bloomfield. 9. Joy (left) & Allan Nachman and Nancy & Larry Bluth of Bloomfield. 10. Jim & Diane Charles of Orchard Lake.

Hackett Family Center Celebration

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1. Bill Seklar (left) of Bloomfield and Dave & Amy Hackett Palmer of Birmingham. 2. Joe Bauman (left) of Livonia, Rev. Bill Danaher of Bloomfield, Rob Farr of Beverly Hills. 3. Kathy Skubic (left) of Rochester Hills, Amy Hackett Palmer of Birmingham, Barb Hertzler of Birmingham. 4. Suzanne Upward (left) and Dave Rosenberger of Bloomfield, Gloria Krass of Clarkston. 5. Bryan Frank (left) of Beverly Hills, Dave Palmer and Chris McLogan of Birmingham, John Mucha of W. Bloomfield.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK South Oakland Shelter Rent Party

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7 1. Mary Callaghan Lynch (left) of Bloomfield, Paddy Lynch of Detroit, Meg Holt of Troy. 2. Mary Jo & Chip Dawson of Bloomfield. 3. Deb (left) & Dennis Paruch of Birmingham, Ryan Herz of Huntington Woods. 4. Ed & Pam Boutrous of Bloomfield.

5. Bill & Jennie Cook of Birmingham, Patrick Lynch of Bloomfield. 6. Mike (left) & Patty Moran of Bloomfield and Jamie & Lorie Moran of Troy. 7. Kathy Spencer (left) of Rochester, Katie Marinelli of Royal Oak. 8. Jennie (left) & Bill Cook of Birmingham, Pastor John & Sandy Harvey of Clinton Twp.

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JARC – SpringElation

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1. Arlene & Chuck Beerman of Bloomfield. 2. Phil (left), Sha and Bree Goldsmith of Birmingham. 3. Avery and David Gach of Bloomfield. 4. Jason (left), Elan & Gillian Tamaroff of Birmingham. 5. Tracie (left) and Maddy Fienman of Bloomfield. 6. Carol (left) and Rachel Berg of Bloomfield.

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complements of Kakos Market and passed comestibles from Green Dot Stables, The Huron Room, and Johnny Noodle King provided sustenance. The party flowed onto the terrace and the congenial host and 30 volunteers hustled to accommodate protection from a summer rain. The fun, lively event raised more than $50,000 to help SOS, which last year moved 80 percent of the 581 homeless people it served into permanent housing. For more information, go to southoaklandshelter.org JARC – SpringElation More than 1,800 JARC supporters ($25 ticket) gathered at the Detroit Zoo for the agency’s 18th annual family friendly fundraiser chaired by board member Joshua Jacobs. As in the past, they relished a picnic dinner, lots of activities (face painting, flower planting and hair braiding) and entertainment by TRAX. But this year the big attraction was the new 33,000square-foot Polk Penguin Conservation Center. The rains came but did not dampen any spirits.

Thanks to generous sponsors like Quicken Loans, the evening raised more than $200,000 for JARC’s residences and programs that serve nearly 200 people with disabilities.

Child Safe Detroit Legends Ball With music by Jordan Broder and his NUCLASSICA musicians in the air, the 2016 Child Safe legends - Al Kaline, Mickey Redmond, Rick Mahorn, Geoffrey Fieger and David DiChiera – all chatted comfortably during the VIP reception preceding the gala. They also spoke sincerely and briefly during their moment in the program spotlight. But the crowd of 330 gathered in the Townsend Hotel ballroom reserved their most vigorous applause for Karen Homer who started, “I’m not famous. I’m a single mother who works full time.” She then shared some of the horrific stories that caused her foster kids night terrors and thanked Child Safe for its mentoring programs. Her poignant stories inspired munificent live auction bidding ($65,200) and dedicated giving pledges ($40,800). Thanks also to generous sponsors, the party raised $410,000 to support Child Safe’s foster care, adoption and mentoring programs.

Ladies of Charity Spring Benefit The dining room at Bloomfield Open Hunt was happily crowded as 08.16

170 ladies ($50, $100 tickets) worked their way around it to view the 22 designer tables all set for the Chari-Tea chaired by Marianne McBrearty and Denise Dinan Panico. Some also bought raffle tickets for the handmade, cream-colored quilt donated for the cause and for Kathleen McInerney’s painting that was also the event invitation art. A champagne toast to the Ladies of Charity’s service to the poor was followed by brief descriptions of their work by the four program chairs. “I have a sign-up sheet,” quipped Lynn Martin, when she concluded her pitch for the LoC food and clothes pantry, which last year served 20,000 needy Oakland County residents. When all had served themselves at the bountiful tea buffet, artist Julie Dawson regaled them with tales of her travels, collections and writings.

Starfish Family Services Great Hearts Gala Lauren and Phillip Fisher, Allan Gilmour and Eric Jirgens and Lois and Gail Warden were the honorary chairs of Starfish Family Services' fifth annual benefit gala. Lisa Widner chaired the planning committee of the event that attracted more than 350 guests to Eastern Market to socialize, dine, dance and celebrate families During the cocktail hour, some people added their touch to a commemorative art mosaic. When complete, the artwork will be installed at the Detroit office of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

During the dinner program, the foundation and its longtime President Mariam C. Noland received Starfish’s 2016 Great Hearts Award. Since its founding in 1984, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan has distributed more than $800 million to more than 190 non-profit organizations throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, St. Clair, and Livingston counties. Since 1991, Starfish has received more than $3.6 million from various CFSEM funds. The program also featured the debut of a moving video depicting a family’s triumph over struggles commonly faced by Starfish’ families. The gala evening raised $540,000 to help fund programs like Starfish University – an initiative designed to empower parents to serve as their child’s best teacher, role model and advocate.

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

Child Safe Detroit Legends Ball

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1. Elizabeth Brazilian (center) of Birmingham, Louise & Al Kaline of Franklin. 2. Sonia & Keith Pomeroy of Birmingham. 3. Keenie (left), Geoffrey, Aidan and Julian Fieger of Bloomfield. 4. Bobby Levenson (left), Susu Sosnick and Christine & David Colman of Birmingham.

5. Amanda Fisher (left) & Ben Hubert with Hannah & Adam Kessler of Birmingham. 6. Brian Manoogian (left) of Birmingham, Joseph Saker of Bloomfield. 7. Duane (right) & Lenora Hardy-Foster of Rochester Hills.

8. Rick Mahorn (left) of Rochester Hills, Katie & Sam Valenti of Bloomfield. 9. Allie Sherman (center) of Bloomfield, Katie Kantor and Kelsey Ross of Birmingham. 10. Marty & Ruthie Seltzer of Birmingham.

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Ladies of Charity Spring Benefit

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1. Marianne McBrearty (left) of Bloomfield, Denny Dinan-Panico of Troy. 2. Mary Ottmey (left) and Avonelle Jones of Beverly Hills, Julie Dawson of Birmingham. 3. Liz Okoniewski (left) of Oxford, Kathi Tauscher of Troy, Mary Eichenberg of Bloomfield. 4. Artist Kathleen McInerney of Birmingham with her invitation art. 5. Kay Browne (left) of Bloomfield, Mary Jo Johnston of Birmingham. 6. Barbara Balow (left) and Carolyn Levin of Bloomfield.

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Starfish Family Services Great Hearts Gala

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1. Eric (left) & Lisa Widner of Birmingham and Ella Patrona and Thomas Widner. 2. Lauren Fisher (left) of Bloomfield, Mariam Noland of Grosse Pointe, Debbie Dingell of Dearborn. 3. Eric Jirgens & Allan Gilmour of Birmingham. 4. Rebecca Boylan & Thomas Sidlik of Ann Arbor, Ron Sollish of Huntington Woods.

5. Mariam Noland (left) of Grosse Pointe, Ann Kalass (left) of Northville.

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ENDNOTE

Be wary of offering business tax abatements

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ocal municipalities considering granting financial incentives to companies looking to expand operations in their communities need to look for other ways to attract and retain business before jumping on the tax abatement bandwagon.

The ability for local governments to offer businesses large tax breaks on industrial property taxes was granted more than 40 years by the state legislature. Under the law, up to half of a company's personal property tax â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that's taxes paid on buildings, machinery and equipment, rather than the value of the land itself â&#x20AC;&#x201C; can be exempt for new construction of facilities. Tax on property purchased for renovation of older facilities may be 100 percent exempt. With each industrial tax exemption available for up to 12 years, such incentives have the potential to save companies millions of dollars on investments.

Such tax abatements act as a powerful economic development tool. Take for example a recently approved tax abatement by Rochester Hills for the German-based technology company Jenoptik, which plans to expand its North American operations at a soon-to-be-built facility in the city. While already operating in the city for the past eight years, Jenoptik plans on spending more than $12 million by the end of 2017 to build a new facility in Rochester Hills, bringing with it dozens of new jobs.

In return, the company will save about $312,000 in tax payments over the next 12 years, per approval from the city.

On the surface, such tax exemptions seem to offer a win-win agreement between industrial businesses and local municipalities. However, there

are several underlying factors that should cause local governments to give pause before granting tax abatements as an assumed policy.

Once considered an option to attract businesses, tax abatements have become more of an expectation from businesses looking to move or expand operations. As such, some businesses will shop various communities to find the best deal.

However, when tax abatements expire after a dozen or so years, the same businesses may uproot operations for a new community offering new incentives. The process has the potential to leave communities high and dry when they can no longer offer tax breaks.

The system has also given an unfair advantage to newer communities with more land available for development. We have already seen dozens of major corporations relocate facilities in the past from Detroit to suburban Oakland County communities.

The expectation that those same companies won't one day uproot operations in favor of more savings is unrealistic and foolish.

While we can't blame businesses for doing their due diligence in order to maximize their investments, we have and will continue to philosophically oppose the use of tax abatements to attract new businesses in newer communities. We believe they should be reserved as an economic incentive for older communities which need reinvestment, and we would like to see lawmakers limit the use of tax abatements to older communities that are struggling to retain businesses due to a lack of development space.

In cases where tax abatements are granted, we'd

like local governments to track the number of jobs actually created by the company, and not just moved from another location, as required by state law.

Under the agreement between Rochester Hills and Jenoptik, the company must provide an annual report on the number of jobs created in the community. With eight years of operation in the city, city council members say they believe Jenoptik has a history of meeting and exceeding projections on personnel. Long-term plans by the company suggest the company will stay in Rochester Hills well after the abatement expires. So, while we don't support the use of tax abatements as a way to retain local business, we recognize the decision to partner with Jenoptik will be an overall benefit to the city.

We are further encouraged by the city's other efforts to attract new businesses through zoning proposals, which don't require a financial incentive.

For instance, a city-initiated zoning ordinance up for final approval this month will allow for more targeted and enhanced uses in the area of M-59 and Crooks Road. The ordinance will not only allow for additional business uses not permitted in the area now, it is intended to establish a gateway to the city as a regional employment center. Likewise, a council-approved study in January will look for ways to incentivize redevelopment in the city's Auburn Road corridor by means of rezoning.

Such efforts, we feel, are a more appropriate way to attract and retain business. Valuing a community for its residents, character and governing philosophy, rather than temporary financial incentives, is the key to creating long-term economic stability.

Everyone must contribute on parking costs

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he city of Rochester has prepared for much of its growth in a wise and methodical fashion, recognizing that managed growth and development can be a sign of a mature and growing community. The opposite is decline and a withering of a community.

Over the last decade, the city has withstood the reconstruction of Main Street, expanding it and updating with new infrastructure. After a difficult period, including the economic downturn, shoppers and diners are back in force, new stores have filled vacancies, and the city's Principal Shopping District (PSD) and Downtown Development Authority (DDA) have figured out how to coordinate their efforts in order to best serve businesses, commercial owners and residents, as well as creating vibrant events around festivals and holidays that entice visitors to flock to Rochester.

To accommodate those working and visiting the city, staff and the DDA built two new parking decks, for a cost of $12 million. The parking platforms,

which opened last fall, provide an additional 550 parking spots. Rochester now has more than 3,000 street and lot parking spaces around the downtown area. To pay for the new parking decks, Rochester City Council approved a special assessment district (SAD) in which 141 downtown properties will contribute a total of $255,000. The DDA, PSD and city of Rochester also provide funding.

To pay off the remainder of the funding, users of the system must use the lots and pay for them.

And therein lies the problem.

Residents have been coming to city council, as recently as July 25, requesting residential parking permits for the spaces in front of their homes near the downtown area, as business owners and employees have opted for parking on residential streets rather than shelling out money to purchase a monthly parking permit for the new parking decks or flat lots. Residents described accidents caused on their streets, broken bottles on lawns after bar nights, people on their porches and other incidents

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; clearly an invasion of private neighborhoods, and an inexcusable effort to get out of paying for maintenance of their own city.

Since the two lots officially opened last fall, monthly passes have been $40 a month. To incentivize the purchase of passes, at an April special meeting of council, the permit cost was reduced from $40 to $20, with the reduced monthly permit rate change going into effect on July 1.

We feel this was a mistake. Rather than lowering the monthly passes in an effort to placate some, enforcement of parking in the neighborhoods and outside the lots, or at expired meters, should be stepped up. Get a few parking tickets and suddenly the cost of the parking pass won't be quite so high.

The parking lots are an excellent, long-term asset to the city of Rochester. Those who work and shop in Rochester must contribute to paying for them, and help shoulder the success along with the city and businesses.

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