Vacuum

Music for city council deliberation of 413 E Huron St development: Yuppies in the Sky

Tom Paxton singing "Yuppies in the Sky".

Condos for sale / condos to buy / Yuppies in the sky

Georgetown Mall nearing demolition? Heavy equipment from 21st Century Salvage

John Hritz spotted this heavy equipment in front of the decrepit Georgetown Mall; the markings on the side of the middle bulldozer say "21st Century Salvage".

Juneberry season is on its way - trees are in bloom

Ben from Damn Arbor notes that the juneberries in town are in bloom, which means that it shouldn't be more than about a month before they are ready for street-side snacking. 

The forager in me always welcomes street trees that provide impromptu nutrition. Arborwiki has a brief list of some of the places where you can find juneberries downtown; surprisingly, the municipal parking lots on the west side of downtown are ringed with these trees. Keep your eyes open and get to them before the birds do.

a2geeks 2013 annual meeting, Thursday May 16 2013, 5:30 p.m. at Ann Arbor SPARK

From the Facebook event announcement:

a2geeks' third annual meeting is a gathering-of-the-geeks - inventors and innovators, makers and hackers, students and grandparents, town and gown. This event will also kick-off the A2Geeks Civic Apps Contest. Food and fun galore.

The event starts at 5:30 p.m. I'll be there pitching the Civic Apps contest, which I've been working on for a while now to organize. See you there!

E. Stadium Bridges Dedication Ceremony is Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 10 a.m.

Press release from the City of Ann Arbor

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E. Stadium Bridges Dedication Ceremony is Tuesday, May 14, 10 a.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 11, 2013 — A brief dedication ceremony for the City of Ann Arbor’s E. Stadium Bridges Replacement Project will be held at 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 14, 2013 near 1501 S. State Street, next to the E. Stadium Boulevard Bridge over S. State Street. Congressman John Dingell will be joined with representatives from the national Department of Transportation, as well as officials from MDOT, Washtenaw County, City of Ann Arbor, project contractors, neighbors, and the general public. Temporary public parking will be available on the UM Red Lot adjacent to the bridge over S. State Street.

Within 12 months, the E. Stadium Bridges Reconstruction Project built two new bridges, on-street bike lanes, a new sidewalk on the south side--and a widened sidewalk along the north side--of E. Stadium Boulevard, a new sidewalk along the west side of S. State Street with a signalized pedestrian crossing of the railroad tracks, two staircases connecting E. Stadium Boulevard to S. State Street, ADA-compliant facilities with an accessible path between S. State Street and E. Stadium Boulevard, storm water quality
improvements, new water mains, improvements to Rose-White Park, landscaping, and many other features.

The City of Ann Arbor received funding from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) for $13.9 million in TIGER II Discretionary Grant Funding, and about $1.67 million and $1.20 million, respectively, in Local Bridge Program and Transportation Enhancement Funding. All told, the City received about $16.8 million (or about 73 percent of the total estimated project costs) in state and federal funds to complete the project. The remaining 27 percent of the project was funded via various city sources including the Ann Arbor voter-approved Street and Bridge Resurfacing & Reconstruction Millage as the required local-match for the grants. Public notifications of developments in the E. Stadium Bridges project have been posted at www.annarborbridges.org.

The previous E. Stadium Bridges were built in 1928. The bridges carry more than 24,000 vehicles per day.

Visit the Ann Arbor Bridges website: http://www.annarborbridges.org
Follow project updates on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/AnnArborBridges
Become a fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AnnArborBridges

Walking on water

I was out for a walk along the Huron River, and Runtastic mapped it as though I was actually in the middle of the river.

There's actually a path in the "middle" of the river, a berm that separates the Argo Cascades city park from the Huron River per se. Microsoft and Nokia don't appear to know about that path, just illustrating some of the perils of computing walking directions in an urban environment.

Ann Arbor Nerd Nite, Wednesday April 17, 2013

Ann Arbor's monthly Nerd Nite is coming Wednesday, April 17; doors open at 6:30pm for a 7:00pm event. Here's a bit from the Ann Arbor Nerd Nite web site which also has more in the way of details about the speakers and the format.

Wham! W00t! Wednesday!

What up, A2nerds? We’re mixing things up a bit this month by bringing the nerdery to Wednesday. For those of you that are new to the fold, Nerd Nite is a monthly social event where nerds of all disciplines give 18-21 minute funny and informative talks while the audience drinks along and asks questions. We’ve heard good things about this shindig. So, what will we be learning about this time?

W is for Water: David Trossman will channel his inner Steve Zissou and guide us through Voyages of the Neo-Voyeurs: How They Observe Motion in the Ocean.

W is for Writing: Amy Wilson would Do Anything for Love and she’ll explain to us Why, in fact, Good Pop Music is Good Writing.

W is for Whiskey: Michelle Kydd, in Eau Whiskey, will help us see that whiskey isn’t just for drinking, but for smelling, too.

 

When: Wednesday, April 17 Doors at 6:30 Event at 7
Where: The Last Word, 301 W. Huron St.
Wage: $5 Buy online! or at the door (cash/credit)

National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16, 2013

Thanks to Merilynne Rush for notice of this event.

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National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16.

Join with other Americans across the country completing Advance Directives documents at an Advanced Directives Party at the Center for the Childbearing Year, 722 Brooks St., Ann Arbor

6:30 Drinks and hors d’oeuvres
7:00 Presentation and Q & A
8:00 Small Group discussion and filling out documents

Cost: $15 per person or $20 per family

For more information and to RSVP, visit After Death Home Care (dot) com or call 734-395-9660

Now that the taxes are done, do the other paperwork you’ve been putting off!

National Healthcare Decisions Day highlights the importance of advance healthcare decision-making. As a participating organization, After Death Home Care is providing information and tools for the public to talk about their wishes with family, friends and healthcare providers, and execute written advance directives in accordance with Michigan laws.

Specifically, on April 16, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, After Death Home Care is welcoming the public with information about advance care planning and advance directive forms. Merilynne Rush, RN, Natural Burial Specialist is joined by Patricia Lyndale, UM Hospital Chaplain, and John Erdevig, Attorney, to answer questions.

National Healthcare Decisions Day encourages people in our community to have thoughtful conversations about their healthcare decisions and to complete reliable advance directives to make their wishes known. As a result, more people will plan ahead before a health crisis, fewer families and healthcare providers will have to struggle with making difficult decisions when a patient can no longer do so, and more families will be able to honor their loved ones wishes.

For more information about the party, please visit After Death Home Care (dot) com. For more information about National Healthcare Decisions Day, please visit www.nhdd.org.

Media Contact: Merilynne Rush, After Death Home Care, 734-395-9660, mrush@afterdeathhomecare.com

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Michigan Football spring game 2013: parking restrictions in effect

Michigan Football has its spring football game on Saturday, April 13, 2013. The following map shows restricted parking areas near the stadium for the event. Move your car - or the city will move it for you.

Ann Arbor Public Schools superintendent Patricia Green resigns

Patricia Green, superintendent of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, has resigned effective 90 days from April 10, 2013. Her letter of resignation, which was distributed by electronic mail to AAPS parents, follows.

Ruth from A2 Schools Muse has insightful commentary.

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April 11, 2013

Dear Colleagues and AAPS Families:

Last evening, I gave President Deb Mexicotte a letter in which I asked her to accept my resignation as Superintendent of Schools of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, effective 90 days from yesterday. I shared with her that I plan to retire during the summer after 43 years as a professional educator in public education. I have been blessed to have truly enjoyed my 43-year career and I thanked her and the Board for the opportunity to serve the Ann Arbor community during these past two years.

To all my colleagues in Ann Arbor Public Schools, it has been a privilege to work with you and I wish you well as you continue to maintain the highest of standards for all of our children in the future. Ann Arbor is truly an outstanding school district with so many dedicated staff members who care enormously about children. Your commitment and dedication are beyond compare!

As I retire, I hope to do some reflective writing about my many experiences in education, do some traveling, and reconnect with family and friends who I have neglected over the years!

Thank you to you all!

Patricia P. Green, Ph.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Ann Arbor Public Schools