A plan to create affordable space for artists, arts organizations and nonprofits in East Dearborn inched another step forward on Wednesday.

The East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority (EDDDA), in partnership with the City of Dearborn, tells us that an artist market survey will go out to artists in a 50 mile radius of Dearborn. This survey will be conducted by Artspace, the nation’s leading nonprofit real estate developer for the arts. The EDDDA is working with Artspace to explore a new and creative way to a potential economic development project in East Dearborn.

“The reason they (Artspace) are contacting artists outside of Dearborn is to more fully understand how many artists are interested in space and if they would move to Dearborn if affordable space were accessible here,” said Melissa Kania of the EDDDA. “The survey will provide Artspace with statistical information including such things as: artist housing needs, affordability ranges, rental vs. ownership preferences, artist studio-only needs, location preferences, design requirements based on household sizes and arts disciplines, and arts organization space needs.”

This is where many of us can help this project. Dearborn and Artspace need our help in collecting the names and email addresses of as many artists as possible in and outside of Dearborn (50 mile radius) to actually take the survey. Artspace will be kicking off this survey phase of the study with a public meeting Nov. 9 in the Council Chambers at Dearborn City Hall. The short survey launches Nov. 9 and runs through January 14, 2011.

Some of you may recall that Artspace was in Dearborn June 22 and 23, 2010 to begin the process of building community support for the creation of affordable space for artists, entrepreneurs and arts organizations.

They explored five areas of consideration: project concept, artist market need, site suitability, potential to fund and sustain a project and local leadership. A public meeting was held to determine community support and inform the public of Artspace’s work. The Prefeasibility Visit is the first step in the process that can lead to an Artspace project.

Interested artists can visit: www.artspacedearborn.org to register for the survey.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Brian Sullivan on Monday set a hearing date of Oct. 5 to determine whether to grant a Dearborn resident’s request to temporarily block the City of Dearborn’s Civil Service Commission from replacing Commissioner Marge Powell with a new member.

We wrote about the court fight on Monday (click HERE for that story).

The court papers filed by Dearborn attorney Morris Goodman make for some interesting reading. Goodman calls into question the May 21 letter Council President Tom Tafelski issued to the City Attorney’s office concerning Powell not taking the oath within 10 days of her May 2009 appointment. According to the court documents, attached to the letter were records of oaths previously taken by Powell and notarized by the City Clerk, which “are questionable.”

“The oath for the term ending June 30, 2009 and for the term ending June 30, 2003 were apparently taken and notarized on the same day — April 22, 2004,” according to the court documents. “It does not make sense that oaths for two different terms would be administered simultaneously. Furthermore, it is also unlikely that a term ending in June 2003 would be notarized in April 2004.”

A longtime Dearborn resident is seeking a court order to prevent the City of Dearborn’s Civil Service Commission from replacing Commissioner Marge Powell with a new member until a proper hearing can be held.

Powell’s status as a commissioner – a position she has held for 17 years – was called into question by Dearborn Council President Tom Tafelski last May. Tafelski discovered Powell had not taken an oath for her most recent four-year reappointment – a violation of Dearborn’s City Charter – one day after the Civil Service Commission by a 3-2 vote tabled a request from Tafelski to re-assign/classify an employee from the City Council office to the City Clerk’s office.

Powell, a former Dearborn councilwoman, was reappointed in May 2009 and had been serving for a full year before Tafelski’s “discovery.” The City Charter requires an oath of office take place within 10 days of an appointment. The Civil Service Commission oversees the hiring and appointment of persons to various city government positions and their salaries.

Morris Goodman

Dearborn resident Joanne Arrick, the plaintiff in this matter, and her attorney, Dearborn resident Morris Goodman, are seeking a temporary restraining order against the City of Dearborn to prevent the Civil Service Commission from appointing someone to the Commission until Powell can be sworn in or pending the Dearborn City Council voting on whether it will extend the time for Powell to take the oath of office for being a Dearborn Civil Service Commissioner, according to court documents filed in Wayne County Circuit Court.

“. . . There have been a number of Commissioners in the last 5 years or so on a number of Commissions who did not take their oath of office within 10 days of their appointment and were not deemed to have voided their office and were allowed, without city council being asked to extend the time for them to do so, to take their oath more than 10 days after they were appointed, including Commissioners on the Library and Planning Commission,” Goodman states in the court documents.  “The above fact, not conjecture, shows that, in this case, there is unlawful selective enforcement of a rule that has been violated with impunity by other Dearborn officials in similar situations.”

In fact, the court documents state that Dearborn’s acting fire chief was informed in January of 2010 by the City Attorney’s office that he “should have been sworn in three years previously, but although no oath was taken at that time, he was sworn in subsequently after the omission’s discovery in January of 2010.”

Arrick said she is taking this action because she feels there is a double standard on how the Powell matter was handled by Dearborn city leaders. At least three other people have been allowed to retain appointed city positions despite missing the 10 day window to take the oath of office.

“My concern is more about the process,” Arrick tells Deepsaidwhat.com. “I am not comfortable with how things have been worked with the matter. It doesn’t seem like the proper way to work. Government ought to work more fairly than what I saw.”

The case has been assigned to Wayne County Circuit Judge Brian Sullivan who is expected to issue a hearing date on Monday (9/27).

A high speed rail system in Michigan and the Midwest -– with a stop in Dearborn -– will boost the economy, create nearly 58,000 jobs and reduce highway and airport congestion, according to a new report issued this week by a non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization.

The new report – Connecting the Midwest – by the Public Interest Research Group in Michigan (PIRGIM), analyzes the potential of high-speed rail to the Midwest, and looks at benefits specific to eight Midwestern states, including Michigan.

Key findings of the report include:

• A completed Midwest high-speed rail network will create nearly 58,000 permanent jobs, and support 15,200 jobs during the 10 years it would take to construct the project. Improved passenger rail service would tap Michigan’s manufacturing base to supply equipment for high-speed rail.

• Traffic congestions costs major Midwest metropolitan areas more than $10 billion annually in lost economic output. Midwest high-speed rail will reduce air travel by 1.3 million trips and car travel by 5.1 million trips per year by 2020, curbing congestion.

• A high-speed rail connection between downtown Detroit and Chicago would feature 10 trains per day, and reduce travel time between the cities to 3 hours and 46 minutes — faster than driving, and competitive with air travel (with airport waiting time taken into account).

• Improved passenger rail service in Michigan is already making an impact: Improved controls allowed Amtrak to increase speeds along parts of the Detroit-Chicago corridor in 2002 and 2005. Amtrak ridership on Michigan trains increased 24 percent between fiscal year 2004 and fiscal year 2009, despite the economic downturn.

• High-speed rail will give consumers more transportation options. Fully 69 percent of Michigan residents would live within 15 miles of a high-speed rail station, and 71 percent of the state’s workforce would be employed within 15 miles of a station. Regionally, 58 percent of Midwesterners, or 35 million people, would live within 15 miles of a high-speed rail station; 17 million would live within five miles of a station. More than one out of every four jobs in the region would be within five miles of a station.

• An Amtrak passenger uses 30 percent less energy per passenger mile than a passenger car, reducing dependence on oil. The system would prevent 188,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year by replacing less efficient car and plane travel. The amount is equal to the annual emissions of 34,000 cars.

“As the saying goes, ‘you are either part of the problem, or part of the solution,” said Meghan Hess, PIRGIM program associate. “High-speed rail is a part of the solution – boosting our economy and creating jobs, modernizing our transportation system and helping to solve our nation’s oil dependency, worsening congestion, and pollution. High-speed rail gets us moving, in the right direction.”

In January, the Obama administration announced that 31 states will receive a portion of $8 billion in funding to build and plan for high-speed rail under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Midwest received funds totaling $2.7 billion for rail projects in six states. A $244 million Recovery Act grant will pay for new rail stations in Dearborn, Troy and Battle Creek, as well as track improvements that will assist commuter lines between Ann Arbor, Detroit and Howell.

“The proposal being presented today represents a realistic program to raise passenger train speeds on the Chicago-Detroit corridor,” said John DeLora, executive committee chair of the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers. “While it will not create true ‘bullet trains’ such as those running in Europe or Japan, it will create a program of incremental improvements, which will offer 100 mph train speeds over most of the route, dramatically shortening trip times.”

The report urges Congress to invest adequate resources in intercity rail and set performance standards to fully realize rail’s potential. It calls on the President and Congress to articulate a national vision for high-speed rail similar to the vision outlined by President Eisenhower for the Federal Highway system.

Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. also supports improvements in the local rail system.

“Dearborn is an integral part of multiple rail initiatives, encouraging more people to use trains for commuting to their jobs or college classes, and for attending special events and visitor attractions,” he said in a written statement. “We are also excited about our new intermodal passenger train station. We are in support of the Midwest High Speed Rail Initiative because it broadens the economic opportunities for our community and promotes even greater environmental benefits.”

The Public Interest Research Group in Michigan (PIRGIM) will release a new report Monday morning in Dearborn that outlines the economic and other benefits of bringing high-speed rail to Michigan and the Midwest.

PIRGIM says critics of adding a high-speed rail are ignoring the cost of inaction and the full range of benefits a new rail system could bring to Michigan and each state in the Midwest in both the short and long term.

The presentation for the new report will take place at 10:30 a.m.  Sept. 20 on the platform at the Dearborn Amtrak Station, located behind the Dearborn Police Station

Some 400 government leaders from cities and villages across the state will converge on Dearborn from Sept. 21-24 for the Michigan Municipal League’s 112th Annual Conference.

“It is a great honor for Dearborn to host this important convention,” said Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. “The League works hard to help cities do the best job they can to serve their citizens, and this annual convention is critical to that mission. It’s also a chance for our city to shine. Leaders from all over Michigan will see the best Dearborn has to offer and get a taste of our hometown hospitality They’ll become ambassadors for us throughout the state.”

The 2010 Michigan Municipal League Convention programming is centered on eight critical assets for vibrant communities that the League says will drive the change that is needed to achieve “Better Communities. Better Michigan.” The assets are: physical design; walkability; green initiatives; cultural economic development; entrepreneurship; multiculturalism; messaging & technology; transit and education

Ford Motor Company President & CEO Alan Mulally and Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb are among the speakers on the convention agenda.

Convention sessions include two mobile workshops in which the City of Dearborn will provide tours and information about two major projects currently underway in the city: the Combined Sewer Overflow Project and the Dearborn Town Center development at Schaefer and Michigan Ave.

To encourage MML convention goers to visit local businesses, the City of Dearborn has organized a Restaurant Romp, including transportation to restaurants that are offering dining discounts to participants. The event was organized with the cooperation of the East and West Dearborn Downtown Development authorities and the Chamber of Commerce.

“We appreciate the many fine restaurants and caterers from Dearborn that jumped in when we asked them to help welcome the Michigan Municipal League to Dearborn,” O’Reilly said. “Their support not only shows visitors how much Dearborn has to offer, it illustrates to residents that businesses have a deep commitment to our City.”

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Dearborn resident Andrew Angel, who contributed a column here in December about Dearborn Schools, sent on this news to us about an interesting Gospel singing workshop this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Dearborn’s Christ Episcopal Church at the corner of Military and Cherry Hill.

The workshop is being led by Dr. Kathy Bullock, Chair of the Department of Music, at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. You can check out Dr. Bullock’s MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/kathywbullock . Tickets for the workshop are $15 and include lunch.

Interim Rector/Pastor Bob Hart of Christ Episcopal Church, Dearborn, says the program “Singing in the Spirit, Sacred Singing the African American Tradition,” led by Bullock, is being held to learn and experience more of the vast and creative tradition of African American Church Music, in particular the Gospel music tradition.

“This form of church singing has been enormously influential in American church and cultural life,” Hart said. “Our purpose is to introduce Gospel music to the wider community, in some cases, and to learn more deeply from this type of singing and music. We feel this will benefit the worship life of our own congregation and that of many others.”

Founded in Dearborn in 1866, Hart says the church has held jazz and folk liturgies and just last spring hosted a Shape Note/Sacred Harmony workshop. All, he says, have been quite successful and have been ttended by a wide variety of people around metro Detroit.

For more information, call the church at 313-565-8450.

Taste of Dearborn East kicks off today and runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are just $25 in advance or $30 today at the door, a good price and great way to sample food from 16 restaurants throughout East Downtown Dearborn, along Warren Avenue, Schaefer Road, Dix Avenue and in the Fairlane Town Center.

Melissa Kania of the East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority (EDDDA) dropped us a note this week asking that we help get the word out and remind people of today’s event.

This inaugural annual Taste East event is put on by the EDDDA and the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this successful event that will showcase the diverse variety of flavors that our local restaurants have to offer,” Kania said.

Here is what you need to do. Register online www.tasteofdearborn.com or download the online registration form and fax to 313-584-9818. You can also purchase a ticket at the door. Tickets for groups of 10 or more are $20. Participants must be at least 21 to participate and will receive a wristband during the check-in process at 5:30 at the EDDDA office, 13750 Michigan Avenue, starting at 5:30 p.m.

The wristband is to be worn by all “tasters” so restaurant workers will be able to distinguish them from regular patrons. Tasters sample free appetizers, purchase drink specials if they choose, then catch one of the passenger vans available for transportation to the next participating restaurant of their choice. Transportation is available to participating restaurants until 10 p.m.

For more information, you can contact Peggy Richard at 313-584-6100 or Melissa Kania of the EDDDA at 313-943-3141.

Participating restaurants include:

1. Adonis Restaurant
2. Alcamo’s Italian Market
3. Amani’s
4. Avenue Bar & Grill
5. Bravo! Cucina Italiana
6. Country Restaurant
7. Fuddruckers at Fairlane
8. Fuego Mexican Grill
9. Habib’s Cuisine
10. Joe’s Top Dog
11. PF Chang’s China Bistro
12. Prestige Café
13. Roma Bakery (at check-in)
14. Roman Village Cucina Italiana
15. Schmoocheese Cheesecakes (at check-in)
16. Shelby’s On Warren

If you are traveling west on Michigan Avenue coming from Miller Road you might have noticed a large painting on the wall of Green Brain Comics, 13210 Michigan Ave.

Katie Merritt (left) and husband Dan, co-owners of Green Brain Comics, and Michelle Hauske of the Detroit Institute of Arts, stand in front of the 'Dragon of Marduk.'

For those wondering, Green Brain Comics is one of 40 local businesses that have been selected to display a Detroit Institute of Arts digital reproduction as part of the DIA’s community outreach program called Inside/Out.

The Inside/Out program is part of the institute’s 125 anniversary. The life-sized, waterproof, vinyl reproductions will be installed at 40 locations throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties.  Green Brain owner Dan Merritt says a big thanks goes out to the DIA, Dearborn City Hall and the East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority for helping make this happen.

Once all of the paintings are up, the DIA is planning to have an interactive map on its website that will point people to all of the different sites. The DIA also has a flickr site so people can post pictures of DIA art sightings.

The artwork adorning Green Brain is actually a detail from the much larger “Ishtar Gate” called the “Dragon of Marduk.”

For a detailed image, click HERE.

Green Brain Comics on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn will welcome writer Rob Worley to its store on Wednesday, Sept. 15 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for a signing of the first issue of the new mini-series called Scratch9.

Scratch9 is a kid-friendly comic book featuring the adventures of a rascally house cat who gains the ability to summon any of his 8 other lives to his side to aid him in his adventures. Scratch9 is illustrtated by Harvey Award nominated artist Jason T. Kruse, creator of the Saturday-morning cartoon “The World of Quest.”

Worley broke into writing comics with the kung fu and sorcery book “Young Ancient One”, published by Marvel in 2004.  Since then, he’s written for DC Comics, Actionopolis, Arcana, Image, Desperado, IDW and numerous other small press publishers.  His junior novel “Heir to Fire” bowed to critical acclaim, with a sequel book recently published on the Kindle platform. Scratch9 is his first creator-owned comic, published as part of Ape Entertainment’s new KiZoic line all-ages titles.

That same afternoon, Silver Lake Animal Rescue League will be on hand with a special guest cat. They will be accepting donations in return for a limited edition Scratch9 trading card.

Green Brain Comics is located at 13210 Michigan Ave. in East Downtown Dearborn. For more information, click HERE or call 313-582-9444