Ann Arbor Bridges project underway(pictured above, Michigan Department of Transportation Director Kirk Steudle addresses the crowd at the Ann Arbor Bridges groundbreaking event) The groundbreaking ceremony for the Ann Arbor Bridges Project took place on Monday, Nov. 21, 2011, by the bridge overpass on South State Street. Celebrating the federal TIGER II grant support for the Ann Arbor Bridges Reconstruction Project, Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje was joined by Michigan Congressman John Dingel, Michigan Department of Transportation Director Kirk Steudle, and Federal Highway Administration, Regional Administrator Russell Jorgensen. 
Building services and parking referees return to Larcom City HallVisitors to the Ann Arbor Municipal Center will see many signs that construction has neared completion. The pedestrian bridge in the Ann Arbor Municipal Center plaza opened to the public on Nov. 2. The bridge spans through the plaza’s rain garden on the building’s south side. The Herbert Dreiseitl-designed water feature sculpture, which integrates storm water reuse from the site, is situated adjacent to the rain garden and bridge. At this time, the water feature has not been turned on, but when in operation, it will allow water to travel down a path heading back into the rain garden. The water path is shallow and has movable parts that visitors can use to adjust the flow of the water. The north parking lot (entrance on Ann Street) opened Nov. 1 to serve short-term visitors to Larcom City Hall and/or the Ann Arbor Justice Center and features half-hour parking meters. In addition, the north entrance to the Larcom City Hall atrium is open, providing access directly from the new north parking lot and the street parking on Ann Street. The new entrance is a convenient entryway to City Hall, and can serve as an easily accessible walkthrough to the neighboring Justice Center, on the south (Huron Street) side of the municipal center site. With the expansion of onsite parking, the city’s building services and the parking referees divisions have returned to Larcom City Hall. The parking referee offices have relocated back to the fifth floor of City Hall. Building services is now located on the first floor of City Hall. Winter taxes dueWinter property taxes are due this month. Taxes may be paid online, by mail, at the City of Ann Arbor Customer Service Center (now located on the first floor of Larcom City Hall at 301 E. Huron St.) or at several local banks. TCF Bank, Bank of Ann Arbor, Michigan Commerce Bank, Fidelity Bank, Citizens Bank and Ann Arbor State Bank will accept tax payments in December only. Online payments can also be made. Due to the holiday, payments will be accepted through Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012, without penalty. 
Kids: Talk to Santa live on CTN!He’s making a list, he’s checking it twice … and just in time, kids (naughty or nice) can share their holiday wishes and questions directly with Santa himself. Community Television Network A2TV, Public Access Channel 17 (on Comcast Cable), will telecast the Santa Satellite Network LIVE from Santa’s home in the North Pole Thursday, Dec. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. An annual tradition, boys and girls are invited to watch and call in to the CTN studio hotline at 734.794.6155 to talk with Santa, Mrs. Claus and their helpful elf, Audrey. (Kids, ask your parents before making the call.) Encore presentations of "Santa Live" will be telecast Christmas Day, Sunday, Dec. 25 on Channel 17 (Comcast Cable) at 7 a.m., 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. For more information about CTN, visit the website or call CTN at 734.794.6150. For additional CTN news, follow on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook. Close of curbside compost/yard waste collectionThe seasonal curbside pickups of yard waste and compostable materials will end for the season on Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Ann Arbor’s compost collection is extended into December to provide additional time to collect fall leaves and other yard debris. Residents should put these materials in paper lawn bags or compost carts or tie brush into bundles and place on their lawn extensions near the curb, as described at www.a2gov.org/compost. The city’s curbside compost collection service will resume Monday, April 2, 2012. For 24-hour information on the city’s solid waste services, please call 99.GREEN (734.994.7336) or consult the city’s website at www.a2gov.org/recycle. Details on the city’s fall leaf-management programs are posted at www.a2gov.org/leaves. 
Christmas tree disposalWhile many residents are just beginning to deck their halls for the holidays, others, like those heading out of town for the season, may already be wondering what to do with their Christmas trees before they leave. Undecorated Christmas trees may be dropped off — free and 24/7 — in the parking lot adjacent to the Drop-off Station at 2950 E. Ellsworth Thursday, Dec. 15 through Tuesday, Jan. 31. Please note that curbside collection of Christmas trees was discontinued as of last season. Therefore, residents should plan to dispose of their trees either outside of the Drop-off Station during the posted collection timeframe; or residents may cut and tie their trees into bundles and reserve for the beginning of compost-collection season, the first Monday in April. Go online for additional details. 
Give the gift of recreationWhat’s fun, healthy and would make a great gift? Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation gift certificates! A table will be set up at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market (315 Detroit Street) to sell this unique gift on the following days: Saturday, Dec. 3; Wednesday, Dec. 7; Saturday, Dec. 10; Wednesday, Dec. 14; Saturday, Dec. 17; and Wednesday, Dec. 21. While you’re at the Farmers Market, be sure to pick up the latest parks and recreation brochures and the 2011 – 2012 fall/winter Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Activities Guide. Can’t make it to the market? Call the parks and recreation customer service office, and order gift certificate in any amount. The number to call, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., is 734.794.6230. The gift certificate will be mailed to you. Have a happy — and healthy — holiday season, from Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation! Single stream recycling, one year laterOver the last year, Ann Arbor’s recycling rates have increased by 24 percent, and trash tonnages have been reduced by 10 percent. In July 2010, the City of Ann Arbor’s recycling system underwent a transformation to a single-stream operation, and other enhancements were made. Now, the city is looking back over the first year of the upgraded recycling program. Go online to learn more details about recycling — then and now — in Ann Arbor.  | In this issue: Ann Arbor Bridges project * Building services and parking referees to Larcom City Hall * Santa Live on CTN Dec. 8 * Compost collection ends Dec. 16 * Christmas tree disposal * Parks and recreation gifts certificates on sale now * Single-stream recycling recap * Winter parks and rec fun * Snow removal in A2 * Holiday safety tips * HUD Sustainable Community Grant * West Park tennis courts * Kudos * December calendar
Winter parks and rec fun
Snow-removal resources and remindersWant to know — from the warmth and comfort of your home — if specific neighborhood streets have been de-iced or plowed? When there is a significant snow event in Ann Arbor, with 4 or more inches of accumulated snow, the city activates a Web page that posts the status of plow activity to clear the streets. For up-to-date snow information, please visit the general city snow page, www.a2gov.org/snow. Sign up for an automatic email announcement whenever the snow plow Web page is activated. Click on the red envelope in the corner of the “snow” Web page at www.a2gov.org/snow. In addition, the city is dependent upon its citizens for providing sidewalk snow removal. The city reminds property owners or occupants that: - Immediately after the accumulation of ice, sidewalks must be treated with sand, salt or other substance to prevent it from being slippery and the ice removed within 24 hours after accumulation.
- Within 24 hours after the end of each accumulation of snow greater than 1 inch, the owner or occupant of every residentially zoned property must remove the accumulation from the adjacent public sidewalk and ramps leading to a crosswalk. The accumulation may be from any source including precipitation and drifting.
Holiday safety tipsAmong the stacks of wrapped presents, festive candles and dry Christmas tree needles, an elevated risk for fires exists during the holidays. Ann Arbor fire services is providing safety tips to keep in mind to help keep the season merry. 
Washtenaw County earns Sustainable Community Grant(pictured above, holding check, is HUD Midwest Regional Administrator Antonio Riley, left, and City of Ann Arbor Councilman Tony Derezinski, right; leaders from throughout the county look on) Today, 64 percent of the residents in Washtenaw County live in the urban core which runs from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti, connected by Washtenaw Avenue. This corridor is the busiest road in the county, yet few housing options presently exist directly on the corridor, with mostly low-density neighborhoods in their place. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced a $3,000,000 grant will be awarded to Washtenaw County for the Washtenaw County Sustainable Community project. The goal of this project is to remove barriers and create a coordinated approach to affordable and energy-efficient housing, as well as to connect these affordable housing options to job centers and healthy food via an enhanced multimodal transportation corridor. The City of Ann Arbor and several other agencies and municipalities will work together on this initiative. 
West Park tennis courts updateThe paving of the West Park tennis courts is being delayed until spring 2012 due to rainy weather this fall. The construction will resume as soon as weather permits next spring. 
KudosAnn Arbor has recently been recognized in the following ways: - For the fourth year in a row, the City of Ann Arbor has been recognized by e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government and Digital Communities magazine for its use of technology to create a seamless environment between local government and citizens. The annual survey focused on results achieved by cities, via the use of technology, in operating efficiencies and realizing strategic objectives despite current fiscal constraints. The City of Ann Arbor is listed at No. 5 in the 2011 Digital Cities Survey rankings (in the 75,000 to 124,999 population category). Learn about the initiatives that helped Ann Arbor earn Digital-city status on the city’s website.
- USAA and Military.com have named Ann Arbor in their 2011 list of Best Places for Military Retirement: Second Careers. Among the factors earning Ann Arbor this recognition are its: employment opportunities and sectors that align with military skills sets, and the overall jobs climate based on unemployment rate and number of small businesses; proximity to a military base and a VA hospital or clinic, base amenities and state taxation on military pensions; and general quality of life and pocketbook issues, such as affordability, housing costs, crime rate, sales taxes and climate.
- Ann Arbor is being touted as the No. 1 “smartest big city” according to a list issued bybizjournals.com. Ann Arbor; Cambridge, Mass.; and Berkeley, Calif., hold the top three places in the analysis of educational attainment in 269 communities with more than 100,000 residents. Seventy-two percent of all adults (25 or older) hold bachelor's degrees in Ann Arbor.
December dates to rememberCity of Ann Arbor government offices will be closed at the following times during the holidays. Have a safe and peaceful season. - Fridays, Dec. 23 and Dec. 30: City government offices close at noon. No delay in trash/recycling collection.
- Mondays, Dec. 26, 2011, and Jan. 2, 2012: Christmas New Year’s Day observed — City government offices are closed. There is no trash or recycling collection on these holiday Mondays. Pickups resume one day later, Tuesday through Saturday.
|
