The League of Women Voters of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights will host a public forum on Monday, March 26 to discuss the results of Michigan’s 2011 redistricting and how to improve the process moving forward.

The program will feature presentations on the 2011 redistricting process and approaches used by other states, followed by a facilitated discussion about ideas for reform. The featured speaker is State Sen. Morris Hood III, who represents Dearborn and neighboring communities.

This event is the latest in a series of discussions hosted by local Leagues around the state to examine the different ways that states draw political districts and how voters’ interests are affected.

Where: Christ Episcopal Church, Room 213, 120 N. Military St., Dearborn

When: Monday, March 26, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Who: Event sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights

For more information, call Mary Bugeia at 313-278-6476

Henry Ford Community College will officially open its new Welcome Center in April.

Henry Ford Community College will open a new welcome and enrollment center for incoming students next month in a renovated building purchased from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers organization.

New signage on the building was recently installed and renovations to the interior of the building are nearly complete.

HFCC purchased the building from SME back in 2008. SME consolidated its business operations into one building on the 10-acre parcel of property at Ford Road and Evergreen, which is also owned by HFCC and located just behind the new community college welcome center. SME rents back about two-thirds of the building space from the college.

HFCC has been enjoying record enrollment thanks to the changing economy. Enrollment this fall was just over 18,000 students, up from 13,700 in 2006.

Responding to numerous traffic complaints at the onset of the spring season, Dearborn police on April 2-4 will be conducting a traffic enforcement initiative, targeting moving violations on major streets and around schools.

The Dearborn Police Department reminds citizens that safety on our roadways and around our schools is everyone’s responsibility. While Dearborn police are committed to improving safety by increasing compliance with traffic laws through education and enforcement, Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad says his department relies on the cooperation of the public to be aware of and to follow all traffic laws, whether as a pedestrian, bicyclist or motorist.

Chief Haddad reminds Dearborn citizens of the following:

• Please remember to drive safely and to wear seatbelts. State law allows police to stop a vehicle when the driver is observed not wearing a safety belt.

• Keep in mind that 20 percent of all injury traffic crashes are the result of distracted driving, especially while texting and talking on cell phones.

• State law requires vehicles to yield right-of-way to pedestrians in crosswalks.

• Forty percent of all crashes in the City of Dearborn are rear-end collisions. Keep your distance and don’t drive while distracted!

• Finally: please do not drink and drive!

“If our entire community works together to promote safe driving, we can ensure that Dearborn remains a safe place to live and work,” Haddad said.

Purchased in 1967 for $1.1 million, Dearborn sold its Florida apartment complex for $6.25 million.

Nearly two years after putting its Florida apartment building for retirees on the sales block, Dearborn has inked a deal to sell the 52-year old property for $6.25 million.

The sale of the apartment building, when final, will close a chapter in Dearborn’s history books.

It was the late Dearborn Mayor Orville Hubbard who led the charge to purchase the eight-story, 88-unit property back in 1967 for $1.1 million.

The purchase of the building, which Hubbard renamed Dearborn Towers, was billed as the first attempt by a U.S. city to own property outside the state.

The opportunity for Dearborn retirees to rent in Florida, at costs below market rates, for some or part of the year made Dearborn Towers immensely popular in the 1960s through the 1990s, and added to Dearborn’s reputation of providing one-of-a-kind services for its residents. A one mile walk from the beach, the complex included a heated pool, organized poker nights and other activities.

As times changed, so did Dearborn residents’ ideas about retirement, and the traditionally long waiting list to rent an apartment in Dearborn Towers disappeared.

The city put the Dearborn Towers on the sales block in May 2010, announcing it in a press release  that it was seeking buyers as a way to ease the city’s mounting financial challenges. The decision to put the Dearborn Towers on the sales block came nearly three years after voters approved a 2007 ballot measure to give elected city officials permission to do so.

Last week at a special meeting, the Dearborn city council approved the sale. But this time the city did not issue a press release that the Dearborn Towers had been sold.

In 2007, the 52-year-old Florida property was valued at between $8 million and $8.3 million, according to one informal appraisal. Another appraisal in March 2008 put the value of property at about $5.6 million.

So $6.25 million is a good price, considering today’s real estate market. The city in September 2010 said it had an offer for the apartments for $6.7  million but that deal never materialized.

The new winning bid was from Alchemy Management, via a broker the city hired in February. After brokerage fees, Dearborn will net just over $6 million from the sale when the deal closes, which is expected in about a month.

The apartment building is located near Clearwater Beach, which Dearborn says has consistently been named one of the best beaches in the country. The property sits on a 2-acre waterfront site on Clearwater Bay, and is near the Gulf of Mexico and downtown Clearwater. It has a private fishing dock, marina and pool.

Constructed in 1960, the apartment building has 40, one-bedroom and 48 two-bedroom units.

Public radio station WDET is inviting Dearborn residents to take part in a “community conversation” in Dearborn 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, March 21 at the Arab American National Museum.

The radio station is asking: What should metro Detroit know about Dearborn?

This community conversation will not be recorded.

Interested in participating? Visit HERE.

Starting March 20, classes are on the schedule for basic computer instruction and for assistance using e-books borrowed from the Dearborn Public Library’s Digital Catalogs.

All sessions will be at Henry Ford Centennial Library, 16301 Michigan Ave., in the First Floor Training Room.

Participants of e-reader sessions are asked to bring their charged devices and all connecting cables, along with their valid library card with them.

Call the Reference Desk at (313) 943-2330 to register for any of the following sessions during the week prior to the class (classes can fill quickly):

• Internet Basics: 10 a.m. – noon Tuesday, March 20 or 10 a.m. – noon Tuesday, April 10

• ebooks for non-Kindle (Nook, iPad, etc): 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 20 or 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, March 27

• eBooks for Kindle: 2-4 p.m. Thursday, March 22 or 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 10.

• Basic Computers: 10 a.m. – noon Tuesday, April 3.

• Tech Time (Any device and question): 6-8 p.m. Thursday, April 5.

It’s that time of year again.  Public Service Days in Dearborn begins again the week of April 2 and continues through Nov. 30, 2012.

During this time period, Dearborn provides critical services, such as street sweeping, tree-trimming, and sewer maintenance in neighborhoods on trash day.

To ensure these services are provided in a safe, effective manner, Dearborn city officials are warning residents not to park on the street from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on your trash day. Parked vehicles will be ticketed.

Dearborn officials also remind residents that parking across the sidewalk on Public Service Days is no longer permitted.

You must also keep your trash and recycle carts and yard waste containers off the street on your Public Service Days/trash days.

Additional information is available at www.cityofdearborn.org. For parking issues related to Public Service Days, call 943-2276.

The city of Dearborn is reminding Dearborn residents that for a limited time they can order affordable trees that will be planted on the easement in front of their homes this spring.

The City of Dearborn encourages the planting of trees as a way to keep neighborhoods attractive, reduce energy consumption and support a healthier environment.

The annual spring tree planting program is open to Dearborn residents only.

2012 trees cost $175 each, and the supply of trees for the program is limited. Trees range in size from 8 – 10 feet in height and are sold on a first come, first served basis through Dearborn’s Department of Public Works.

Residents can choose from an assortment of trees. Each species offered meets American Association of Nurserymen standards and is zone hardy.

To place an order or to request a selection guide, residents can call 943.2317 or visit www.cityofdearborn.org.

This year’s selections include: “Ivory Silk” Japanese Tree Lilac, Corktree, Celebration Maple, American Hornbeam, Golden Rain Tree, Corzam or Corinthian Linden, American Yellowwood, Ginkgo Tree/Maidenhair Tree, “Lustre” Allegheny Serviceberry and Sugar Maple “Legacy”.

Homeowners can suggest an easement planting location and city personnel will have final approval.

The area between resident’s sidewalk and curb must be a minimum of 4 feet wide to accommodate a tree. Public Works officials will decide if there is adequate space in the easement of a property owner’s home for a tree. Multiple trees may be ordered if correct spacing is available.

Trees will be planted by a contractor and have a one-year warranty. Planting usually takes place in late April and should be complete by June 1. The contractor is responsible for planting, mulching, staking, pruning, watering and clean up at the time of planting.

At the end of the first year, the contractor will provide a final inspection and remove tree stakes and bracing.

Residents, who are responsible for maintaining the health of the tree through regular watering, will be billed by the City of Dearborn after tree planting is complete, usually in late June or July.

Richard Miller

Congrats to Dearborn Fire Chief Richard W. Miller who today was appointed state fire marshal by Gov. Rick Snyder.

The state fire marshal leads the Michigan Bureau of Fire Services within the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, and also serves as a member, or ex-officio member, of the State Fire Safety Board, Fire Fighters Training Council and State Board of Mechanical Rules.

“Richard Miller is a great fit for this post,” said Snyder. “He brings extensive training and more than 30 years of experience, and I am confident he will continue to ensure utmost quality and efficiency when it comes to safeguarding Michigan citizens and property from fire related emergencies.”

Miller has served as Dearborn’s fire chief since 2010. He began his career as a firefighter with the Dearborn Fire Department. He has held several positions with the department, including fire inspector, fire lieutenant, fire captain and senior battalion chief. Miller holds professional certifications for driver’s training, tactical and pump operations, hazardous materials, fire officer I, II and III and others from Michigan’s Fire Fighters Training Council. He has served on the Michigan State Fire Safety Board since August 2011.

He received an associate degree in fire science from Henry Ford Community College, a bachelor’s degree in fire science and occupational safety and health from Madonna University and attended Eastern Michigan University’s School of Fire Staff and Command. Miller replaces Ronald Farr, who resigned in 2011.

Miller will serve at the pleasure of the governor and his appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

Dearborn’s curbside yard waste program is set to kick off for the 2012 season on March 12 and last through December 14.

Beginning the week of March 12, residents can put yard waste in properly marked containers at the curb on their trash collection day, weather permitting.

Residents are reminded to place the yard waste materials in the proper containers at least three feet away from their trash cart and recycling cart. Do not set yard waste in the street.

Containers can be yard waste paper bags or your own 20 – 32 gallon container that is clearly marked with a yard waste sticker. These are available for free at Dearborn Public Libraries, the Public Works Yard and the Mayor’s office.

The city is reminding residents to not put yard waste into plastic bags or cardboard boxes as it will not be picked up.

This convenient nine-month service provides residents the opportunity to get a jump on spring cleanup and dispose of materials left over from the fall.

Yard waste includes grass clippings, weeds, leaves, shrubs and brush trimmings.

Before placing yard waste into containers, remove dirt from the roots and remove root balls from shrubs. Brush and shrubs must be less than three inches in diameter, be four feet or less in length, tied with a heavy cord or rope and weigh no more than 35 pounds.

Do not mix fruit, vegetables or animal droppings with yard waste. Remember sod and dirt are not yard waste and will not be collected.

To arrange for a special pickup of unbundled or improperly bundled brush or for more information, call the Department of Public Works at 313.943.2085.