The station should be removed in a couple of weeks.

Demolition work has begun to remove a long-vacant service station at the corner of Military and Cherry Hill, clearing the way for construction of a new single story medical office building.

Owner Tarick Seifeddine says after the station comes down a rendering of the new building will go up as a way to advertise the new one-story office facililty that will be built there. Construction on the new building is expected to begin in the first half of next year. 

A rendering of the new office building planned at the corner of Cherry Hill and Military.

One of the challenges at the site involved AT&T’s decision to install its refrigerator-sized new video boxes (known as U-verse boxes) in the middle of Seifeddine’s planned parking lot driveway entrance to the new building.

Following an earlier article on Deepsaidwhat about the boxes, AT&T contacted Seifeddine to determine if something could be worked out.   

“We had some progress with AT&T, including the involvement of city lawyers,” Seifeddine said. “An issue came up that if we were to pursue a forceful and court approved relocation of the boxes that after is all is said and done it could take about 18 plus months to actually have it happen and that is something we simply cannot do.”

AT&T has relocated boxes on some occasions following court orders, including one location in Dearborn, but as Seifeddine says, the process is a long one.

Instead, Seifeddine said the new building will move about four feet towards Military, which still meets city ordinances, and will provide even more landscaping to neighbors.  The design of the driveway closest to the boxes will now become one-way, he said.

The demolition of the gas station will certainly improve the aesthetics of the neighborhood. The gas station has been closed since October 1997. For that earlier story, click HERE.

This members-only tradition kicks off the holiday season with Santa’s grand entrance in Henry Ford Museum, the lighting of the towering Christmas Tree and plenty of holiday activities!

Clocktower doors open at 5:30 pm, and festivities commence at 6 pm as Santa makes his grand entrance into Henry Ford Museum to light the towering Christmas tree. After Santa’s arrival, holiday fun continues with plenty of seasonal activities until 9 pm.

Program Highlights

• Complimentary light refreshments

• Storytelling

• New LEGO® train display

• Classic TV Holiday specials in the Drive-In Theater

• Make-and-take activities

• Live musical entertainment

• Visit Santa and have your picture taken. You’ll receive your photo and a souvenir frame as a memento of your visit.

• Classic Holiday movies in the Drive In Theater

• Test your innovative building skills in our Holiday Construction Zone

• Meet author Philip Handleman from Birmingham, Michigan, who’ll sign his book A Dream of Pilots. Delight the older children on your Christmas list with inspiring stories about the icons of flight, from the Wright brothers to astronaut Alan Shepard.

• Have a snack or a meal at the Michigan Café

• Visit our Genius at Play store to discover innovative, educational, fun merchandise for your young genius.

• Door prizes

Also, don’t miss the opportunity for a special viewing of our limited-time exhibit LEGO® Castle Adventure! Step into a fanciful LEGO® kingdom where everything is made of — what else? — LEGO® bricks. Tour the kingdom and enjoy story-telling and hands-on activities.

MEMBERS ONLY, $10 PER PERSON

CHILDREN 4 & under are free

See you there!

Photographer John Sobczak captures a year in the life of his hometown, Detroit, in his new book, “Motor City Year”. A book signing for members of The Henry Ford will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 1-3 p.m. in the Henry Ford Museum during Member Shopping Days

This is a great opportunity to pick up the perfect holiday gift for the Detroit enthusiast! Museum members receive an exclusive 20% discount on this product November 7

Much of John Sobczak’s career has been spent photographing for corporate clients such as Lear and the U.S. Postal Service. But at some point, John turned his camera in different directions. Instead of creating photos to sell a product, he began making works that were more intimate, more illuminating.

His special love? America’s great cities. His newest book “A Motor City Year” offers a loving, but honest, portrayal of a year in the life of his hometown, Detroit.

To learn more about John, click HERE.

Faced with the task of reducing expenses by $12 million for the 2009/10 school year, Dearborn school officials are considering cutting as many as 250 staff jobs, reducing salaries or a combination of both, according to School Supt. Brian J. Whiston.

The rush by the district to reduce expenses is caused by the most recent cuts from the state at the hands of Gov. Granholm who vetoed money the Dearborn district receives under section 20j of the school aid fund. Section 20j was created in 1999 to ensure equal funding increases to all school districts. The loss of 20j money will cost our school district $5 million. For an earlier story, click HERE.

As of October 26, Dearborn is looking at reducing the district’s expenses by $12 million from the current budget ($655 per student), which is above and beyond the $10.2 million already cut from the 2009/10 budget back in June.

“This loss of funding from the state, made when we are already a quarter way through the fiscal year, has caused an extreme financial crisis in our district,” Whiston said in a letter to the district.

“We must have a balanced budget plan in place by December 1 that addresses these most recent funding reductions from the state. The longer we wait to make cuts, the more cuts we will need to make. For example, cutting a person that cost $50,000 at the beginning of the year will only save $37,500 right now, one quarter of the way into the year. The same can be said when looking at cutting other expenses.”

Whiston and his administrative team are working on a plan that they will present to the school board on Nov. 9.

“This is not an easy task and will most definitely impact all staff members in the district,” Whiston said. “We are reviewing options that would include as many as 250 staff reductions, a reduction in compensation, or a combination of both.”

Whiston said a group of community and staff members were in Lansing this week to talk with state legislators to try and convince them that they need to work to restore school funding. “We will also be reminding lawmakers in Lansing that Dearborn is a donor district and sends $14 million more dollars to the state than the district gets back,” he said.

“There has never been a more pressing time when we need to come together and overcome these financial setbacks,” Whiston said. “Despite the economic challenges faced by schools across the state during the last eight years, Dearborn is still a very attractive district to parents. I feel the reason for this is that we have remained focused on providing a quality education for each child.”

With the Village Picture Frame and Art Gallery moving from its location on Monroe west two blocks to a new home on Michigan Avenue, we thought it was a good time to provide a brief update on other businesses opening, reopening or just plain stalled in downtown west Dearborn.

Let’s start with Ristorante Ciao. Closed since an April fire hit the popular Italian eatery, the restaurant’s owners told us this week that they plan to reopen this year. However, it may not reopen in the current location but in a new building located in west Dearborn. Challenges apparently remain over whose insurance company should cover damages to the building, the restaurant owner or the building landlord. Whatever the matter, we just hope they reopen soon. It has always been one of our favorite Italian restaurants in town.

Say goodbye to Parisian Bistro and hello to Bora Bora. The new restaurant and nightclub could open as early as Nov. 1, according to banners hanging outside the building that once housed the Salad Bar restaurant. The Dearborn location would be the second restaurant for this family-owned establishment. The first Bora Bora opened in Novi about two years ago and has been a huge success in that city. The owners tell us the restaurant/bar will be open for lunch and dinner beginning at 11 a.m. daily. On Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, the restaurant will feature a more nightclub atmosphere. We welcome the new restaurant to the neighborhood and wish them the best of luck.

A new martini bar also is said to be moving into the location that once housed Caribou Coffee in the West Village Commons development on Michigan Avenue. We don’t have full details yet, but the bar would join The Well pub and La Cigar in the Burton-Katzman project.

Finally, we have received dozens of emails asking for the outcome on the bench trial to settle a dispute between Caliente Grille restaurant co-owner Jeremy Sutton and Gateway Plaza developer Hakim Fakhoury. Dozens of hours of testimony have taken place so far over a period of nearly three months but there still is no resolution. We ran into Dearborn 19th District Court Judge Mark Somers the other day, who is hearing the case, and he tells us the trial will continue into November. In addition to this trial, Judge Somers has a full docket of other cases he must handle on a daily basis. Fakhoury is trying to evict the restaurant and its owners, claiming they failed to move forward with their restaurant. Sutton is countersuing, claiming breach of contract. The restaurant is located at Michigan and Military.

If you missed the Mayoral Candidate Forum, CDTV, the city of Dearborn’s government cable TV channel, is now airing it and will continue doing so through Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The forum is also available for viewing on the City of Dearborn website at www.cityofdearborn.org

The CDTV broadcast schedule is as follows:

Mayoral Candidates Forum:

• Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 6:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

• Tuesdays and Thursdays: 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

• Saturdays and Sundays: 12:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Ballot Proposal Explanations and School Board Candidates Forum:

• Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 7 a.m., 3 p.m. and 11 p.m.

• Tuesdays and Thursdays: Noon and 8 p.m.

• Saturdays and Sundays: 1 a.m., 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

City Council Candidates Forum:

• Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 2:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

• Tuesdays and Thursdays: 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

• Saturdays and Sundays: 4:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

CDTV can be found on WOW cable channel 10 and Comcast cable channel 12 in the City of Dearborn.

Hoping to attract more walk-by customers, one of Dearborn’s best known picture framing and art gallery stores is moving its operations into the West Village Commons on Michigan Avenue.

Tom Clark, owner of Village Picture Frame and Art Gallery, packs a trailer for his move from Monroe Street into the West Village Commons.

After 25 years at 1026 Monroe, just south of Michigan, Village Picture Frame and Art Gallery is packing up and moving into Burton-Katzman’s West Village Commons development, about two blocks west of its current location. Owner Tom Clark says his new Dearborn store location, next door to the closed Au Bon Pain, should be open in mid-November.

“Economics is what is prompting our move,” Clark said. “We lost a lot of workers from Ford. These were our customers. Then the restaurants around us went down one-by-one and we lost walk-by people. The bridal shop, Weight Watchers, the Salad Bar then Ciao, these businesses brought me customers, especially Ciao.”

In his new store, Clark says he is paying about half the rent of his former location and with better visibility. Businesses already in the West Village Commons includes The Well bar, a UPS store, Kabuki restaurant, La Cigar, Maestro’s Restaurant, Cold Stone Creamery and Sattva Yoga. A new martini bar also is said to be moving into the location that once housed Caribou Coffee.

It is a diverse group of businesses that will at least bring some foot traffic by Clark’s store. In turn, his new store could bring business to the other shops already there, too, and possibly attract other businesses to move into the development, which still has many vacancies.

Dearborn's Village Picture Frame and Art Gallery opens here in November.

“I hope to reopen by the middle of November,” said Clark, a 1969 Dearborn High School grad, who serves as a board member of the West Dearborn Downtown Development Authority and the Dearborn Animal Shelter. “We will be moving my workroom into my new location this week. I am still servicing my clients while the move is taking place.”

As for the parking situation, Clark says he plans to validate parking passes for his customers. Being as close as his new store will be to the city’s two paid parking decks and with paid meters directly outside his door, Clark sees it as an opportunity. “I’ll provide quarters to park if that’s what it takes.”

Clark’s previous location was tastefully decorated with a great selection of many one-of-a-kind pictures, jewelry and artwork. It is the kind of retail store that makes Dearborn feel special, just as Steven Bernard Jewelers, Nichols Ski and Patio, Dearborn Music, Nigosian’s oriental rugs and Bikesport, to name some, do along the stretch of Michigan between Brady and Military. Clark says his new store will continue in that same tradition.

Despite how bleak things look now, West Village Commons won’t stay vacant forever. In his new location, Clark will have a lot more foot traffic than he is seeing today. And with the right eye candy in the display window that even eastbound traffic on Michigan could see should mean more business, which would be a good thing for him and for Dearborn retail in general.

It is now up to the Dearborn City Council to determine whether to hold a special public hearing to get answers to the questions raised. According to the City Charter, just two council members need to sign a petition to begin such a process or a petition signed by at least 200 Dearborn voters would initiate a public hearing. With no city council meeting planned until after the election, it is doubtful Council will do much more.

The five-page document, which makes no recommendations nor draws any conclusions, was issued to the City Council and Mayor two weeks after resident Nancy Siwik asked the Dearborn City Council to investigate whether Mr. Thomas was a Dearborn resident or Florida, where his wife lives and works full-time.  (Click here for the earlier story.)

The investigation did uncover that nearly $12,000 in property taxes for 511 Elmwood in Dearborn, where Thomas lives, have not been paid. The amount owed is $6,855.16 for 2008 and $5,130.70 for 2009. While the Dearborn City Charter does not allow any elected or appointed person to hold office if they are in default to the city, the deed to the home where Thomas lives isn’t in his name. The only name on the deed is his wife, Jane Valentine.

Contacted Thursday evening, Thomas tells us that his wife has “scraped up some money” and the taxes will be paid either Friday or Monday. Asked why the taxes weren’t paid earlier, Thomas said like the rest of America his “retirement stocks have taken a hell of licking.”

As for the investigation into his residency, Thomas called the entire episode “the epitome of political stuff.”

“I have nothing to hide,” he tells us. “The taxes are in her (Jane’s) name. My name is not on the deed. So where are they coming from? This is nothing but a smear. The city doesn’t have a leg to stand on that issue and no leg to stand on my residency. I have been taking political hits for 21 years on council. I have been though a lot in my years. . . ”

“I have contacted my lawyer regarding whether to pursue legal action against Siwik for defamation of character, false information and trying to impact the election, which is proved by her own timing.”

Here is what the report says about his Florida home:

• “Thomas and his wife have a Principal Residence Exemption on a condominium they purchased in 2004 in Bonita Springs, Florida. The Florida homestead exemption was applied for and granted in 2008.” However, the report goes on to say that the State of Florida did recently contact Thomas and his wife informing them that “the Florida homestead exemption will be retroactively removed for tax years 2008 and 2009 because they were also receiving a homestead exemption in Michigan during the same period.” Thomas may now face penalties and interest may be assessed when the corrected Florida tax bill is issued, the report states.

In their report, City Attorney Debra Walling and City Clerk Kathleen Buda, who visited the residence of Thomas, say they did not ask questions that could be perceived to invade the privacy of Thomas or intrude upon City Council’s authority to hold a special public hearing on the matter, if the council so decided. If a hearing were to be held, the city attorney and clerk laid out the following questions in their report that “may be relevant to the determination” of residency. They include a series of questions, which Thomas answered for us, including:

• Why are the 2008 and 2009 taxes on the Dearborn house delinquent, while the taxes on both of his houses in Bonita Springs, Florida are paid? Thomas: the taxes are in my wife’s name and they are being paid.

• Why were there homestead exemptions – one in Michigan and one in Florida? Thomas: my wife was told by council members in Bonita Springs that she should homestead because she was a resident there.

• If he is a Michigan resident, why is his wife registered to vote in Bonita, Springs, Florida? Thomas: She is a resident of Florida and owns a home there.

• Does he have another vehicle or vehicles registered to him in Florida? Thomas: Yes. She has a two seat convertible and I have a Mercury Milan in my name.

• Is his attendance at Council meetings reflective of Michigan or Florida residency? Thomas: It is reflective of my Michigan residency.

• Since the house at 511 Elmwood is for sale, where does Councilman Thomas “intend to return to” in Dearborn if the house is sold? Thomas: I have many options. I can rent or move in with my daughter.

• Does Councilman Thomas have an ownership interest in the property at 511 Elmwood? Jane Valentine is the only name appears on the deed on file in the Department of Assessment. Thomas: No. Jane brought it from her father in 1995.

• Inasmuch as the house at 511 Elmwood is sparsely furnished, were most of his personal belongings and furniture moved to Florida? Thomas: I live in three rooms here. I have food and clothes here. My wife needed some furniture in Florida so some was moved there.

• If Councilman and Mrs. Thomas have established separate permanent residences, according to Florida law, they must be able to demonstrate that they are financially independent of each other. Are they able to demonstrate financial independence of each other? Thomas: Yes, we run out of three separate checkbooks. I take care of expenses here. She takes care of expenses down there.

With the election just weeks away, Thomas remains upbeat about his chances for reelection. He says he only has about six signs up for his candidacy because he says after 21 years on council people should know who he is by now.

Asked what he would do if he isn’t elected, Thomas said he would work to get term limits put on the ballot for Dearborn.

“I do want to stick around to perhaps put term limits in place,” he said. “My parting thing I could do for the city is get term limits in place for this city.”

We all can use a little laughter after a day’s work.  You’ll get a good dose of smiles simply by stopping by the Fordson High School auditorium tonight at 7 p.m. for the Dearborn Rotarians Lip Sync fundraiser.

The event has the makings of a fun night with both city and school officials taking part in lip syncing their favorite song all in the name of raising money to benefit the nearly 20 scholarships that the Rotary Club awards each year to graduating seniors from private and public schools in Dearborn.

Scheduled acts include Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., Dearborn City Councilman and Rotarian George Darany, Dearborn Councilmen Bob Abraham and Mark Shooshanian (the new Beetles?), Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, Debbie Dingell, City, Dearborn Public Schools Supt. Brian Whiston and members of his cabinet (is that the Blues Brothers up there?) along with Joe Shannon of Fordson High School, Dan Blessing and Barbara McAuliff of Edsel Ford High School, Oussama Baydoun and Martha Burch of Dearborn High School, and Librarian Serge Danielson-Francois of Divine Child. Renault Arseneau, neighborhood services coordinator with the City of Dearborn, is expected to reveal his theatrical talents along with Dearborn residents Jacqui Rivait, Sharon Dulmage (we heard a Dolly Parton song from the former school board member and council candidate) and Dearborn Lawyer Morris Goodman.

“Captain” Dennis Neubacher, a Dearborn native and pilot of the WXYZ-TV’s News Chopper 7, has volunteered to emcee the fundraiser.

“We have an outstanding line-up of performers who are giving it their all to be hilariously entertaining,” said Amy Bazzy, event chair and “lip sync” performer. “Only the audience reaction will affirm whether any of us should plan to give up our day jobs and become professional entertainers.”

Tickets to attend the anticipated sell-out event are $10 each for adults and $7 for seniors and students. Tickets will be available for purchase at the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce, Massage Green, Fishers Flowers, Spectrum Signs and the law offices of Dagher Goodman Dagher in Dearborn.

For more information, please email Amy Bazzy at ajbazzy@comcast.net

With additional cuts of $5 million in funding for Dearborn Schools, the district is asking all of us to get involved by contacting Gov. Granholm’s office to voice our opinion and ask that all school districts across the state be cut the same per-pupil amount.

As many of us know by now, Gov. Granholm signed the state bill but vetoed the Dearborn School District’s 20J money, created in 1999 to ensure equal funding increases to all school districts. The loss of 20J will cost Dearborn $5 million. The total loss from the state aid cuts for 2009-2010 school year will be $9.5 million, equal to a $527 per student cut which looks like this:

• Foundation allowance per pupil: $3,000,000

• 31a at risk funds: $1,500,000

• 20j funds: $5,000,000

In an open letter to the district, Dearborn Schools Supt. Brian J. Whiston says that with the governor’s veto total cuts for the 2009-10 year will be $20.9 million, $9.5 million of which is attributed to the above state funding loss.

“Please remember, we are already a donor district and send $14M more to the state than the district gets back,” he says in his letter. “We are fortunate that we still are a very attractive district drawing over 400 additional students into our schools this year alone to bring us to 18,444, fourth largest in the State of Michigan. We cannot afford though to take the brunt end of this hit disproportionally more than most all other districts.”

As a bit of background, the district provided this synopsis for why the veto took place: Gov. Granholm has vetoed 20j funding as a strategy to get Senator Mike Bishop to agree to increases of revenue from specific taxes so to be able to fund this year’s state aid package which was most recently passed. Senator Bishop is a supporter of 20j funding, which goes to 43 districts, benefiting approximately 200,000 students.

So we really need to address letters to both Gov. Granholm and Sen. Bishop, urging them to do the right thing for the greater benefit of students and their education in Michigan.

You can call Gov. Granholm at 517-373-3400, fax her at 517-335-6863 and/or write her at:

Governor Jennifer Granholm, P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, MI 48909

You can call Sen. Mike Bishop at 517-373-2417, fax him at 517-373-2694 and/or write him at:

Senator Mike Bishop, P.O. Box 30036, Lansing, MI 48909