Reacting to community leader complaints that the city needs to toughen its exterior property maintenance codes, the city of Dearborn on Tuesday will have four additional ordinance officers patrolling the city, the Dearborn Press & Guide reports.

The changes were prompted in part by community leaders who said the city’s decision to be more “compassionate” with residents in relation to property maintenance codes, primarily overgrown grass, wasn’t working. For earlier story, click HERE.

The officers have been hired on a temporary basis and will help patrol the city for about seven weeks, stepping up enforcement of Dearborn’s overgrown grass ordinance, documenting problems and issuing citations, according to the paper.

“We believe this is consistent with our policy of keeping a lean staff and adding more during crunch times,” Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., tells the Press & Guide.

The temp officers, selected from a pool of applicants who applied for summer grounds keeping jobs with the city, will help provide stricter enforcement of the city’s grass ordinance. O’Reilly says homes that have been cited before for overgrown grass will now have one day to cut it.

O’Reilly tells the Press & Guide that the change isn’t intended to punish homeowners but, instead, change the way people think.

“This is about changing behavior,” he told the paper. “We don’t want to punish people who don’t deserve it.

Faced with mounting financial challenges that could put more popular municipal services at risk, the city of Dearborn today announced it is actively seeking buyers for its Florida apartment building for retirees.

Dearborn is seeking buyers for its apartment building in Clearwater, Florida.

A city press release did not list how much money the building might fetch but as most homeowners in Dearborn know, this is a challenging time to be trying to fetch a good return for real estate.  The release only stated that the city had completed its appraisal work on the property.

In 2007, the 50-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.

In March of this year, the Dearborn Press & Guide reported that the Dearborn Towers property value had dropped to $2.8 million, according to the most recent appraisal. The value could climb to $5.8 million if rents in the building were raised to levels of surrounding buildings, the paper reported then.  (for earlier post, click here)

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.

The opportunity for Dearborn retirees to affordably live in Florida 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.

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

And, now, even though the apartment building is essentially self-supporting, the city of Dearborn in its press release says its resources need to be prioritized in a different way.

Residents of Dearborn Towers have leases that can be terminated with 30 days notice. Residents who may need accommodations following a sale are invited back to live in available units in the City’s five senior apartments in Dearborn.

Constructed in 1960, the apartment building has 40, one-bedroom and 48 two-bedroom units, with scenic views, screened terraces, electric kitchens and individually controlled air-conditioning.

Buyers interested in Dearborn Towers should call the City of Dearborn’s Legal Department at 313-943-2035.

Contrary to recent reports, Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., says the project to build a new Ann Arbor to Detroit commuter rail project has not been “indefinitely delayed.”

In a column in today’s edition of the Dearborn Press & Guide, O’Reilly says that while it is true that “due to insufficient project funding, a regular commuter service of four weekday and three weekend trains per day will not begin at the end of October 2010” it is moving along as part of a phased program.

Mayor John B. O'Reilly, Jr.

“The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) have been managing a complicated planning process on the Ann Arbor to Detroit line for several years due to Greater Detroit’s unproven record on passenger rail transit,” O’Reilly says in his column.

“A demonstration project for three years was conceived to determine if we could meet the requirements to eventually receive larger allocations of federal transit dollars through a program called “New Starts.”

“Thanks to our congressional delegation and our committed partners, more than $30 million has been raised toward beginning the service. This includes improving the rail lines, leasing locomotives, refurbishing commuter rail cars like those used in suburban Chicago, and improving the station infrastructure at five locations including Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Wayne/Westland (link to Metro Airport), Dearborn and Detroit.

“MDOT and SEMCOG have identified another $50 million needed to complete the commuter rail demonstration. So, it has to be a phased program that begins with special events, and grows to commuter service moving from four to eight to eventually fifteen trains per day.

“By building the service piece-by-piece the region will begin to see how rail transit can work as an alternative to private automobiles to meet some of our transportation needs. Studies and real life have proven that an auto only system is not a sustainable model for modern American cities.”

Mayor O’Reilly’s complete column in the Dearborn Press & Guide can be read by clicking  HERE

The Dearborn City Council is inviting residents to attend a public hearing this Thursday to get an overview on the city’s proposed fiscal year plan.

The May 13 meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall.

The administration is expected to present an overview of the proposed budget and members of the public will have a chance to provide input.

The adoption of the budget is scheduled to take place at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 17 in the Council Chambers.

The East Dearborn Development Authority (EDDDA) tells us it is partnering with the City of Dearborn to explore a new and creative approach to a potential economic development project with Artspace, the nation’s leading nonprofit real estate developer for the arts.

The next step, however, requires community input. That’s where Dearborn residents can help. An Artspace discussion will be held on April 28, 9 a.m. – noon, in the Dearborn City Council chambers. An Artspace representative will conduct a presentation and question and answer session with the city and residents.

The EDDDA tells us that the Artspace mission is to “create, foster and preserve affordable space that serves the needs of artists and arts organizations of all disciplines.” This in turn helps the continued growth of the arts in our community.

Dearborn has a distinct and vibrant marketplace of people, food and cultures as well as the $70 million mixed use development under construction at Michigan and Schaefer. So the EDDDA is well positioned to support an innovative and creative project such as the proposed Artspace.

Melissa Kania of the EDDDA says the arts and cultural industry is one of growth and has a direct economic impact on the community. She says nonprofit arts and cultural organizations support more jobs then other fields such as accountants, lawyers, public safety officers or teachers. And, she says, the arts and culture industry attracts audiences, increases tourism, spurs business development and generates revenue. That’s all good business.

To learn more about Artspace and its success in other communities, you can visit their website at www.artspace.org  The scope of this Dearborn project will require a solid strategy and community involvement from all sectors: financial, civic, arts and culture for this to be successful. So if you can join the meeting on April 28, please do so.

With the Dearborn City Council’s approval this week of a new seven year, $33 million contact with Republic Waste Services for residential trash service, recycling compost and leaf collection, we thought it would be a good idea to list out in a question and answer format what residents can expect. The 20 questions and answers below are from the City of Dearborn.

Dearborn’s new curbside trash/recycling program begins the week of July 5.

Q: Why is the City switching to this system?

A: The City believes a system using two large carts will encourage more recycling, reduce litter problems and concerns about rodents and pests, and give a more uniform appearance to neighborhoods on trash days. It also allows for an automated system for curbside collection, which will help to contain the cost for trash and recycling pickup.

Q: Will my trash collection day change?

A: No.

Q: Since curbside recycling is every other week, how will I know which week to place my recycling cart at the curbside?

A: Each household will receive a comprehensive information packet including a recycling schedule for their neighborhood when the cart is delivered.

Q: Should I put my address on my carts?

A: There is a spot on the lid for addresses. Please do not write on any other location on the cart.

Q: What should I do with my current trash cans?

A: You might want to keep them for yard waste containers or other purposes. If you want to dispose of them, please put a sign on them that says “Please pick up as trash” and Republic will dispose of them.

Q: What if I my 96-gallon trash cart is full and I still have more trash?

A: That is not a problem, if it occurs on an occasional basis. All qualified materials will be picked up at the curb, even items not in your 96-gallon cart.

Remember you must use your gray trash cart every week. But you may place excess trash on the easement behind the curb in an appropriate container or plastic bag. However, if you have more trash than can be contained in the cart on a regular basis, you may be asked to purchase an additional cart for a one time charge.

Q: What about bulky items that don’t fit in the trash cart?

A: The City will continue to offer curbside collection of bulky items, like furniture and appliances, as part of the regular collection service.

Note that special fees will still apply if a large number of items are left at the curbside following a move out.

Q: What do I do with my existing 18-gallon recycling bin?

A: You should no longer use it for curbside recycling. If you don’t want it for other household purposes, put it inside the new 96-gallon green cart and it will be recycled.

Q: Where do I store the carts?

A: Ideally, inside your garage, behind the garage or behind your house. If that is not possible, store them away from your neighbors’ houses as much as possible and try to keep them out of sight from the front sidewalk.

Q: Do I have to bag my trash before I put it in the cart?

A: Yes. Do not put loose trash in the cart. All trash should be in bags when it is placed in the carts.

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The Dearborn City Council last night approved a new seven year, $33 million contact with Republic Waste Services for residential trash service, recycling compost and leaf collection.

The approval, much to the dismay of some city leaders, means the end of work for Waste Management, whose contract expires June 30. Republic was the lowest bidder for the contact.

Below is the official press release from the City of Dearborn:

A new contract for the pick up of residential trash and recyclable materials will introduce a more efficient curbside collection system, encourage even more recycling, reduce blowing litter and improve the overall look of neighborhoods on “trash day”.

The City approved a seven-year contract with Republic Waste Services for curbside trash, recycling and yard waste collection on Monday. The contract and the new automated collection system are effective in July.

All materials currently picked up will still be collected at the curb under the new contract.

All Dearborn households will receive two containers: gray for trash, green for recycling.

And, as part of the improvements, all Dearborn households will receive two containers for the storage and curbside pickup of their trash and recyclable materials. The trash container will be gray and the recycling container will be dark green.

These 96-gallon containers, known as carts, have wheels and handles so they can be easily maneuvered from storage areas to the curbside and back. They also have attached hinged lids to keep out pests, reduce odors and prevent blowing litter.

These two carts will be delivered to every Dearborn households beginning in mid-May, with all households receiving them by the end of June. Delivery will be to about 1,000 homes a day and take six weeks.

(more…)

Dearborn city council tonight is expected to vote on whether to award a seven year contract to Republic Waste Services for residential trash service, recycling compost and leaf collection, a deal valued at more than $33 million.

The approval would mean the end of work for Waste Management, whose contract expires June 30, and the beginning of a new waste and recycle pickup service for Dearborn residents.

Council will vote on whether to spend $2.7 million to purchase new trash bins, such as the one pictured here, for residents citywide.

Council members also will vote on implementing a new trash and recycling program that would provide each home with one large container for trash and one large container for recycling. Providing two new containers to each home will cost the city $2.7 million, a contact that would be awarded to Cascade Engineering for the residential waste and recycling carts.

The city put in place a pilot program last year to test the new larger trash and recycle containers with homeowners in East Dearborn. Neighborhoods there saw a dramatic decrease in litter and residents were very pleased with the new trash containers. City leaders are hoping for similar results if the council approves going to the new trash collection system on a city-wide basis.

“It is hoped that we will be moving citywide to a system like the one in the pilot area, with one large container for trash and one large container for recycling,” a spokeswoman for the city told us earlier. “The pilot area has experienced a dramatic decrease in litter with this system.”

A near capacity crowd in the Dearborn Council chambers got a surprise tonight — Mayor John B. O’Reilly said all pools would remain open this year.

Many in attendance were expecting just the opposite.

O’Reilly discussed the proposal to close the six pools with the council ahead of the meeting. It appears each council member agreed it wasn’t the right thing to do, at least not this year. While the pools will remain open this year, O’Reilly cautioned those in attendance that he was not promising anything in the future because the funding problem for the pools wasn’t going to go away.

Dearborn Councilman George Darany says the city will have to find new ways to raise additional money down the road to properly maintain the city’s eight public pools. One source of revenue is through the purchase of pool tags. Residents fighting to save their pools can help by purchasing more pool tags and getting their neighbors to do the same. 

Another option to raise funding for the pools was to try and sell ad space along the fencing that rings each pool as well as selling ad space in the bottom of the pool. Darany says whatever the idea, “let’s explore all of the ideas until we exhaust them. We really need to come up with solutions.”

A lot of credit for changing the minds of the mayor and council go to 15-year-old Danielle Misovich and her sister Elizabeth who launched a Facebook group — Save Dearborn’s Small Pools — to let other pool supporters know what the city was proposing. Today the group is nearly 3,400 strong.

Thanks to their efforts, Dearborn residents will all be able to swim for another day.

So what else might be on the chopping block for the city of Dearborn as it wrestles to find a way to overcome a $10 to $20 million shortfall for the budget year that begins July 1?

In an interview this Sunday in the Dearborn Press & Guide, Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. says “we’re looking at everything”, including the potential sale/privatization of the following:

•Camp Dearborn

• Ford Community & Performing Arts Center

• Dearborn Ice Skating Center

•Dearborn Hills Golf Course

• Dearborn Towers in Clearwater, Fla.

• And the elimination of the city’s curbside leaf collection program, which we reported HERE earlier.

Other items discussed here earlier include the closure of six of the city’s public pools, which has generated significant controversy in several stories posted HERE.

City officials claim that closing the Crowley, Hemlock, Lapeer, Summer-Stephens, Ten Eyck and Whitmore-Bolles pools would save Dearborn $132,000 a year in operational costs. In addition, the city claims future savings of $3.8 million by not pursuing investments necessary to keep the pools in a safe and healthy condition.