New white paper now covers the front glass of the vacant Inca and Pier 1 buildings. Is it a sign of future progress or just paper?

We’re not quite sure what, if anything,  is going on with the long vacant Inca computer store building on Newman street in Dearborn but new white paper is now covering the store’s glass front.  

That’s usually a sign construction is taking place inside.  Unless, that is, it’s a property owned by Norm Newman. Then all bets are off because nothing is quite typical with a Newman-owned property.

And the Inca building is just that, a Newman property. So too is the adjoining and vacant Pier 1 store, which also has new white paper covering its glass front. We stopped to look inside (conveniently, there are carefully cut viewing squares in the white paper for passersby to look inside) and both buildings are just as deserted as they were when the white paper wasn’t taped to the glass. However, we are keeping our fingers crossed something might emerge.

We have heard all sorts of rumors about what might go into these two vacant buildings, including a new grocery store that would occupy both properties (including German store chain Aldi, who offers food at prices below Wal-Mart).  But without confirmation from Mr. Newman, it still is just that, a rumor. We haven’t yet been able to reach Newman to inquire what might be happening to these buildings — one of many vacant eyesores he owns in Dearborn — but when we do we will post it here.  Stay tuned . . .

At Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr.’s State of the City earlier this month, a video compilation of the highlights from the city in 2008 were played for the audience. As many may not have had a chance to view it yet, we thought it would be a good idea to post it here.

The entire video runs about 11 minutes and on a chilly day like today it’s a good way to spend some time. The video is nicely done and really captures a great deal of what took place in Dearborn in 2008 . . . and that’s a lot. Kudos to the CDTV team that produced this video!  A lot of hard work went into it and it shows.

If there was ever any doubt about the positive impact that Dearborn’s Operation Eyesore and Neighborhood Stabilization programs are having on city neighborhoods one need not look any further than these photos. 

A new home on Parker after Operation Eyesore.

Operation Eyesore, which started in 1960 was developed so Dearborn could acquire and remove buildings and then sell the land to private developers so new buildings can take their place. Operation Eyesore continues to work with owners of substandard homes and, in some cases, commercial properties in Dearborn.

Since Operation Eyesore was initiated, 1,288 buildings have been removed and 585 new dwellings have been constructed by private developers.

“The goal of the program is to keep the neighborhood at a higher level,” said John Nagy, Dearborn City Planner. “The importance of this is that there is a new interest in the neighborhood and it encourages improvements in existing homes.”

Dearborn’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program was launched by Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., in May 2008 and since then the city has been buying marginal or undervalued foreclosed homes with the intention of reusing the property in ways that bolster the surrounding area. To add even more strength to the program, Dearborn will receive $2.4 million in federal neighborhood stabilization funding in 2009.

The home on Parker Street before demolition.

“We’ve earned those dollars because we earned the trust and respect of local, state and federal officials with our vision, our progress, and our fiscal responsibility,” O’Reilly said. “We’ve made great strides, quickly becoming a respected and innovative leader in this area. We’ll continue to buy marginal homes and clear the land to assemble larger, more desirable lots for resale or split them to combine with adjoining homes.”

O’Reilly said the city is looking at renovating and reselling some of the better houses it purchases as a way to give the city a chance to welcome more first-time home buyers in Dearborn.

Some quick facts:

– Dearborn in 2008 purchased 67 properties through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Operation Eyesore and a special HUD program.

– Dearborn purchased all of the parcels for just 17 percent of their total value.

– Through Operation Eyesore, 22 marginal homes were demolished and nine modern ones built, including before and after photos here of a home on Parker Street.

Dearborn property owners who feel they may have a building that is not up to standards and would consider selling the property to Dearborn should contact the City Plan Department at 313-943-2170.

The Dearborn Area Board of Realtors and the American Arab Chamber of Commerce sponsor this seminar conducted by Jumana Judeh, a certified general appraiser.

The seminar will help attendees understand how property taxes are calculated on their home or business and many other questions on the topic. For more info: 313-278-2220.

Dearborn Public Schools Education Foundation is holding its annual Mardi Gras Party Fundraiser on Tuesday, Feb. 24, from 3:30 p.m. until midnight at the Dearborn Hills Golf Course, 1300 S. Telegraph. The event will include live music, dinner, soft drinks and party favors. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. For ticket information, call (313) 827-3006.

Dozens of you have written us over the last few days asking about the legitimacy of a telephone survey some residents have received in recent days.  Rest assured, the telephone survey is an official one.

The City of Dearborn has hired a company to conduct a phone survey of its residents to best determine what residents want and likely get an idea of what services it could scale back or cut altogether.

Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., mentioned the telephone survey in his State of the City speech Wednesday

Dearborn is conducting the phone survey to determine what services residents value most.

night, telling residents that the community survey was being conducted to help Dearborn better understand the priorities of its residents. The complete copy of that speech can be found at our earlier post on DeepSaidWhat by clicking HERE

“I know it’s hard to talk about pushing forward when facing such difficult conditions,” O’Reilly said in his speech. “But our brightest dreams are generally conceived in our darker hours. So now is a chance to dream and to plan and to position our city for a promising future.

“I want to make you an integral part of that process. That’s why we’re reaching out in a number of ways to get your input and feedback.”

The survey company, according to residents who have already received the calls, asks about city services and to rank them in order of importance.

Resident Mary Jo Durivage is reminding residents to not forgot the importance of keeping our libraries at the top of our minds, too. And, she is right.  Our libraries are even more important in these trying times.

“If you do receive a call, please tell them about the importance of keeping the libraries, including the branches (especially Bryant) open,” Durivage says. “During bad economic times, the library becomes even more important for a myriad of reasons — job searching, reading magazines we cannot afford to subscribe to, movies and music for some free entertainment, a place of respite, and computers. We all have our own reasons. Libraries are often the first to go on the chopping block.  Please express your support.”

The Journal Register Co., owner of the Dearborn Press & Guide, and more than a dozen other papers in Michigan, including the Oakland Press and the Macomb Daily, filed Saturday for bankruptcy protection from its creditors — the third newspaper publisher to do so since December.

While the company blamed a slump in advertising for its financial woes, the Dearborn Press & Guide, part of the Heritage paper chain, appeared to be in slightly better shape in terms of overall advertising.

The Journal Register said it would cancel its stock, which has been trading as a penny stock now for sometime, and become a closely held company, owned by its lenders, under a proposed reorganization plan filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York.

The Journal Register listed debt of as much as $1 billion and assets of between $100 million and $500 million in Chapter 11 documents.

The bankruptcy filing is not expected to impact the Dearborn Press & Guide delivery, at least not in the foreseeable future. The paper recently closed its Dearborn offices and moved to Heritage headquarters in Southgate as part of a cost cutting effort.

The Journal Register follows the Tribune Co., owner of the Los Angles Times and Chicago Tribune newspapers, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune into bankruptcy.

Newspapers around the country are struggling because of slumping advertising sales and subscriptions, accelerated in part in trying to compete with online search engines, where these very newspapers give away their stories for free. Newspapers have been unable so far to find a way to make money on the Internet.

“With the increased competition from other forms of media and slumping advertising revenues, the downward pressure on newspaper earnings will likely remain intense in the near term,” James Hall, Journal Register CEO, in court papers.

Starting February 20th – NetworkDearborn.com is excited to announce Hole #2 in The Dearborn Hills Chip & Win Flash Game. Take your best shot at the green again… This time fighting both the wind and rain. The closest shot to the pin through March 19th will snag a round of 9 holes for 2 at Dearborn Hills Golf Course!

Visit http://www.networkdearborn.com/games.html to get started.

Oakwood is encouraging its employees to spend their shopping dollars in the city they work.

It’s no secret Dearborn businesses are struggling. Hit any local restaurant or store at lunch hour and you can see it for yourself. But what if those who travel to Dearborn each day for work made a conscious decision to spend a portion of their shopping dollars in the very city they worked?

If you’re Oakwood Healthcare in Dearborn and your 6,000 employees and 1,300 physicians were encouraged to do just that we think the impact could be a positive one.

That’s exactly what Mary Zatina, senior vice president of government relations, corporate planning and communications at Oakwood Healthcare Inc., who works in Dearborn, is doing. She is encouraing Oakwood employees in Dearborn and at the company’s 37 other locations in metro Detroit to spend their lunch dollars or running errand dollars in the cities in which they work. That’s a total of 10,000 Oakwood employees, which is a lot of buying power.

“We want people to chose us (Oakwood) so we need to do the same,” Zatina said. “We need to spend our money where we earn our money. We need to give back to the community.”

We think it’s a great idea and one that many other companies with operations in Dearborn should adopt, too.

Oakwood employees are quietly telling areas businesses that they have their support by simply leaving behind their business cards in those glass bowls some restaurants keep near  the cash register that encourage patrons to drop their card off.

One of the labels on the back of an Oakwood business card.

On the backside of these Oakwood business cards are sticker labels that let the owner of the store or restaurant know Oakwood employees are trying to do their part to help during these trying economic times.

One label reads: “Times are tough, but we will survive this economic challenge together as a community — that’s why I chose to bring my business here.”

Another one reads:  “Consumers have choices, and I choose to spend my money in the community in which I make my money. We are stronger together.”

And still another reads: “I shop where I work! We’ll survive this economic crisis if we support our community together.”

The labels were the brainchild of Zatina who says they are now spreading like “wild fire” at Oakwood in just a month since it began.  “It is a little something to show the community that we care. We are in this together and we are going to make it together.”

Well said.

First the sad news:  after 54 years of serving Dearborn, Adray will close its store for good.

Now the good news:  Adray tells DeepSaidWhat.com it likely will reemerge but it just might not be in Dearborn, but more on that later.

Like everyone who has heard the news of Adray closing on all three television news stations Thursday night, we too are deeply saddened to see a Dearborn icon close its doors. Adray wasn’t just another store in Dearborn but one that sponsored little league baseball teams, hockey teams and provided scholarships to Henry Ford Community College. I played on dozens of Adray baseball teams as a kid and still have a few of my baseball hats with the famous “A” on them.

Adray was best known for its camera business.

Adray was and is probably best known for its camera selection and having the MOST knowledgeable and friendly staff anywhere. At one time, it also had one of the best stereo sound system selections, too, and a great staff to go with it.

But as the big box electronics stores moved in, Adray had to change and its offerings were pared down a bit, too. Part of that had to do with a fickle public, many who live in our city. 

Sure they will all say they want a local store and a friendly staff who remembers their name when they walk in the door, but these same people would toss that to the side to save $20 bucks on a purchase from Best Buy, Costco or Wal Mart.  Adray, who? they probably said as they slipped the Andrew Jackson into their pocket. That’s how some roll when it comes to supporting our own in this town. So sad.

The purchasing power of those big box stores was also something Adray couldn’t compete with any more. Where Adray might purchase 20 or 30 of the hotest new electronic gizmos or TVs or whatever, the big boxes were purchasing train car loads full of them. Now who do you think the manufacturer is going to give a better price to?

George Bednar, Adray vice president and general manager, tells DeepSaidWhat.com that it was a combination of those things along with “not being easy to find” and the high costs associated with keeping a 23,000 square foot building maintained.

“We gave it our best effort,” said Bednar, a 31-year employee of Adray. “The people have been wonderful. Many stopped in today just to tell us they would miss us. It has been very special.”

So in an e-mail blast to its e-mail customers Wednesday night, Adray let out the bad news. It would be “retiring” its Dearborn store, the note said.  All day Thursday, the store was packed full of people and right up until close, the camera counter was packed with customers. The same is expected over the weekend after full page advertisements in Friday’s Detroit News and Detroit Free Press announce the same, saying Adray is throwing a Retirement sale.

The “retirement” part is a key distinction here. This isn’t a going out of business sale. Saying that would make it legally more difficult to reopen again, which Adray will most likely do,  but with a smaller footprint.

“It’s a retirement sale. We are retiring the Dearborn store,” Bednar said. “You will probably see us reemerge but I can’t say when or where. We would like to continue in a smaller location. We may have an announcement before we close.”

Let’s hope so.