The Dearborn City Council will review Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr.’s proposed Fiscal Year 2013 budget at a public hearing on May 14 at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at Dearborn City Hall.

The budget adoption meeting, also open to the public, is scheduled to be 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 22 in the Council Chambers.

Extensive documents relating to the budget proposed for Fiscal Year 2013, which begins July 1, 2012, are posted at the city’s website, www.cityofdearborn.org.

Additional information about the city’s overall finances, proposals for future budget years, and past spending can also be found at www.cityofdearborn.org.

Elena's Mexican Carry-out is now open for business. The restaurant is located at 24142 Michigan Ave.

Dearborn residents looking for a new place for authentic carry-out Mexican food can now visit Elena’s Mexican Carry-out in west Dearborn.

Elena’s is located at 24142 Michigan Ave., just west of Telegraph on the north side of Michigan Avenue. It is in the building that formerly housed a Thai food restaurant and before that a deli called Harley’s.

Alex Flores and his mother Phyllis are hopeful their new restaurant will prove to be more attractive to the taste buds of Dearbornites and nearby businesses. Judging from what is on the menu, it would appear Flores has the right stuff.

Flores says all of the recipes at Elena’s are from his grandmother. Everything is made fresh daily, right down to the salsa that his mother Phyllis makes each morning.

The restaurant opened last Wednesday and for now will be carry-out only. In the future, the restaurant could expand into the building next door should a dining option be needed, Flores said.

Hours are Monday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight. The restaurant is closed on Sunday. For now, Elena’s will not offer food delivery.

On Monday, the restaurant offers $1 deep fried beef tacos. Lunch specials are Monday-Friday until 2 p.m. For $7, patrons have the choice of either two tacos, flautas, enchiladas or tamales, along with rice, beans and a 12 oz. soda.

For more information you can call the restaurant at 313-768-5211.

Valerie Murphy-Goodrich

The Dearborn Civil Service Commission voted to remove Human Resources Administrator Valerie Murphy-Goodrich, a city employee for 18 years,  from her position with the City of Dearborn.

Under the Dearborn City Charter, the Human Resources administrator “serves at the pleasure of the Civil Service Commission.” Murphy-Goodrich had been head of the Human Resources Department since 1994.

Regular readers of Deepsaidwhat.com will recall that Murphy-Goodrich was at the center of the political controversy that involved Dearborn Civil Service Commissioner Marjorie Powell, a former City Council president. The Civil Services Commission wanted Powell out and Murphy-Goodrich was pushing to help Powell keep her position, which could have helped her keep her own position. Lawsuits were filed by Dearborn lawyer Morris Goodman to help keep Powell’s appointed position but those efforts failed.  We wouldn’t be surprised to see Goodman get involved in this latest matter.

So after nearly two years after the Powell controversy erupted, the Civil Service Commission on April 19, 2012 voted 3-0, with Commission Chair Margaret Schaefer and Commissioners James. C. Peitz and W. Robert Schneiders voting in favor of the removal.

Commissioner Mohamad I. Chehab, who was just appointed in March and was attending his first meeting, abstained and Commissioner Michael Berry was absent.

Schaefer, in a city issued press release provided to media on the same day as the Civil Service Commission vote, said the decision was a difficult one, but was necessary in order for the commission to proceed with improvements to the Human Resources Department, as recommended by an independent review dated February 2011.

The review was conducted under guidelines found in Section 11.6 b of the City Charter.

Consulting firm Plante Moran performed the review, which outlined serious deficiencies in the operation of the department and included seven recommendations and 11 action items.

A key recommendation was for the city to “re-engineer all core HR processes across the organization as a means to gain needed efficiency and standardize service delivery to all departments.”

Schaefer said one of the concerns of the commission was the lack of progress in the implementation of the reforms proposed by Plante Moran.

Among its implementation recommendations, the Plante Moran report identified the need for a more timely process for hiring and promoting employees, increased use of technology, department restructuring into specialist versus generalist roles, an evaluation of training offerings, and development of a performance management system for staff feedback and increased accountability.

Under the City Charter, the Civil Service Commission has the responsibility for selecting a new Human Resources Administrator.

Camp Dearborn will welcome RV campers early this season. The official camping season of Camp Dearborn, May 1 through October 31, will be altered this year by accepting RV campers beginning Friday, April 20.

Lee Morris, interim camp manager, made the decision in response to the many calls he receives from anxious campers.

“The warm weather in March woke up the campers and they are ready to go,” said Morris. “We’ve had plenty of RV owners calling about the start of the season. Now I see we’ll be ready by late April, so we will make the change.”

The camp office is accepting RV site reservations now, but tent and cabin rentals will remain within the traditional season of May through October. The camping season with full recreational service begins mid-June and runs through Labor Day Weekend.

Camp Dearborn offers 191 temporary RV sites, 118 tents, 30 rustic cabins and eight new resort cabins. Temporary sites are either full hook-up or electric only and can be reserved by calling either of the Camp offices: Dearborn Recreation Department at 313-943-2350 or Milford Camp Office at 248-684-6000.

In addition to the popular camping area, Camp Dearborn offers acres of picnic area equipped with tables and grills alongside a beautiful half-mile beach and swimming lake. The Camp is open to the public daily, 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.

Admission at the gate is $4 per car for residents of Dearborn or Milford, $6 per car for all others and $10 per car for all special event dates.

Season passes are available for frequent visitors at the rate of $25 for residents of Dearborn or Milford and $35 for the general public.

More information about Camp Dearborn and scheduled events can be found at www.campdearborn.com, the Camp Dearborn Official Page on Facebook, or by calling either of the Camp offices.

Hundreds of talented Dearborn students, ranging from kindergarten to high school, will perform, display, and demonstrate their arts during the 2012 Youth in Arts Festival and opening of the 2012 Dearborn Public Schools City Wide Art Show.

This free event is open to the public and will take place on Wednesday, April 25, from 4 to 8:30 pm, at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave., in Dearborn. The annual event is a cooperative project by the Dearborn Community Fund (DCF) and the Dearborn Public Schools. Honorary chairs for the evening are Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., DCF Chair Karen Nigosian, and Dearborn Public Schools Superintendent Brian Whiston.

Those attending the Youth in Arts Festival will enjoy the artwork of students participating in the all-school City Wide Art Show exhibit in the Padzieski Art Gallery. The Art Show runs from April 25 through May 28, 2012.

Two and three dimensional art will not be the only evidence of artistic ability on display. The Elementary Honors Choir, directed by Jim Walters, the Secondary Honors Choir, directed by Jennifer Pegouske, and the Dearborn High School Choir, directed by Carmelle Atkins will provide guests with outstanding vocal entertainment. In addition, the Henry Ford Community College Blue Fusion Vocal Jazz Ensemble under the direction of G. Kevin Dewey will take part in the evening’s showcase of local talent.

Rounding out this celebration of the arts will be instrumental performances by the Fordson Jazz Band conducted by Scott Guthre, the Edsel Ford High School Chamber Group conducted by Mike Kalasz, and the Maples Music Ensemble conducted by Catherine Odam-Prowse. Dearborn Youth Symphony ensemble will also perform in the theater lobby.

As a special treat, Dearborn High School Theater students will add a dramatic element to the program under the direction of Greg Viscomi, the 2011 winner of the Mayor’s Arts Award.

Dearborn’s popular L.A. Bistro has now officially moved to its new location and is now open for business.

L.A. Bistro owner Samih Johair moved his popular eatery into the Nichols Ski and Snowboard building, about one block east on Michigan Avenue from its original home. The ski shop shifted its current business over in their current space to make room for the restaurant.

Johair has done a fantastic job of renovating the space into an attractive and progressive setting, investing several hundred thousand dollars into the space. The official grand opening is still coming but the restaurant is now open for business.

The new location, 22018 Michigan Ave., nearly triples the size of the original L.A. Bistro. The location is much more picturesque and because it is located next to Cheli’s Chili Bar and Nichols will likely see a lot more traffic.

We wish L. A. Bistro the best of luck in its new home. It’s a great edition to downtown west Dearborn. For more info, call 313-277-5999.

A 12-year vision of expanded Michigan passenger rail options moved closer to reality on April 10 at a high-profile construction launch ceremony for the City of Dearborn’s new Intermodal Passenger Rail Station.

Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. welcomed 80 key leaders, including U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, Congressman John Dingell, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo, Michigan Department of Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle, and Amtrak Chairman of the Board Tom Carper, as well as transportation and industry officials.

The ceremony was hosted by Patricia E. Mooradian, President of The Henry Ford, where the event took place.

The ceremony celebrated the collaborative milestone marking the beginning of the construction of this $28.2 million federally-funded station, to be built at 20201 W. Michigan Avenue, west of the Southfield Freeway at the entrance to Dearborn’s west downtown.

The ceremony was held at Greenfield Village within The Henry Ford because the station will be built adjacent to this national Historic Landmark site and will provide improved access to the visitor attraction for passengers arriving by train.

At the April 10 launch, invited guests gathered at the historic Smiths Creek Depot inside Greenfield Village to hear details about the dramatic progress expected, and to receive thanks for their support.

A view of the new train station from Michigan Avenue.

The vision for an Intermodal Station

The pedestrian-friendly Dearborn Intermodal Passenger Rail Station will serve as a rail gateway to Dearborn and southeast Michigan.

The important transportation link will allow thousands of passengers per year to make connections to Amtrak’s Wolverine service that extends from Pontiac to Chicago; as well as to SMART, DDOT, Greyhound and charter buses; corporate and hotel shuttles; taxis and personal vehicles.

The station is positioned to support the eventual operation of the Detroit to Chicago High Speed Rail Corridor, which already has seen progress in western Michigan.

It will also serve the proposed Ann Arbor to Detroit commuter rail line. Eventually, the commuter rail line will allow easy bus connection to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

The station’s proximity to the Rouge River Gateway Trail on the north side of Michigan Avenue in Dearborn should prove popular to pedestrians and bicyclists and provide easy access to the campuses of the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Henry Ford Community College.

MDOT Director Kirk Steudle, Patricia Mooradian of The Henry Ford, Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, Congressman John Dingell, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo, and Amtrak Chairman Tom Carper unveil a drawing of the new Dearborn Intermodal Passenger Rail Station.

Construction timeline

Preliminary work began in March with utility alterations on the construction site and completion is expected by fall 2013.

As the construction progresses, people traveling down Michigan Avenue will see the intermodal station evolve from a bare footprint to a beautiful two-story brick and glass structure surrounded by ponds and appealing landscaping.

The 16,000-square-foot intermodal station will offer amenities like free WI-FI and bicycle racks.

Also incorporated inside will be exhibits by the City of Dearborn, Ford Motor Co., The Henry Ford, Pure Michigan and others.

The site at 20201 Michigan Avenue had been previously used for the storage of vehicles.

Jobs

It’s estimated that the intermodal station project will create 280 temporary construction trade positions and, when completed, potentially offer 25 permanent positions.

View of the new train station from The Henry Ford.

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In this rendering, all three buildings for University of Michigan-Dearborn student housing can be seen.

Construction is set to begin this June on a new student housing project that will serve students attending the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

However, the plan to actually open the housing project has been delayed a year and now will not open until August 2013. The campus housing project was originally set to open in August of this year. See earlier story HERE.

“It is going to take a little longer because of financing (challenges),” said Ed Bagale, Vice Chancellor for government relations at the UM-Dearborn.

The good news is that the project is moving forward very quickly. The plan now calls for 521 beds by using two existing buildings and three other structures. The first existing building will be renovated into a student union with eight student apartments. The second existing building will be modified for additional student apartments. The primary apartments will consist of three attached buildings.

To connect the apartments to the UM-Dearborn campus, a walkway will eventually be constructed over Evergreen Road. In the interim, a stoplight will be installed so students can cross.

One of the more interesting options to students who move to this new campus will be the availability of a nutritionist. Bagale tells Deepsaidwhat.com that when students move to UM-Dearborn the focus will be on their health. One of the first people students will meet with is a nutritionist who will map out a plan for healthy eating and living for the rest of their lives.

“It won’t just be a cool place to live,” Bagale said. “It will be place to improve the lives of students,  body, mind and spirit.”

The Dearborn City Plan Commission voted 5 to 4 Monday night and approved a request for a special land use from Goodwill Industries to open a second-hand thrift store in downtown West Dearborn.

The thrift store now heads to the zoning board to obtain final approval.

For earlier story, click HERE.

Jane Ford serves up a hot dog in the parking lot of ACO Hardware in Dearborn. The family had to pack up its second hot dog stand down the road at Westborn Mall at the request of the mall's owner.

After nearly two and a half years of selling hot dogs from her cart outside the Dearborn post office in the Westborn Mall, Anna Ford has been told by the mall’s owner to push on out.

Most Dearborn residents know Anna Ford from her more than 25 years of selling hot dogs from her cart outside of ACO on Michigan Avenue, just west of Military Street. Her Binky’s Hot Dog and Sausage stand has been selling Dearborn Sausage brand hot dogs and Detroit’s Better Made chips in the parking lot of the hardware store for seven days a week without incident.

But that apparently wasn’t the case in Westborn Mall. Anna Ford tells DeepsaidWhat.com that the owners of the recently opened Red Olive restaurant in the mall, who offer coney dogs on their menu, apparently viewed the hot dog stand as competition. Although Binky’s does not sell coney toppings for its hot dogs, the owner of Westborn Mall told them they had to leave, she said.

“I do wish the Red Olive well,” Anna Ford said. “It is tough to starting a new business. I have no animosity toward Westborn Mall or the Red Olive. I just think that some of the workers in the mall don’t have time to go out to a sit-down restaurant. Running to my stand is just easier for some of those people with limited time. I just wish it could have worked out for all of us. I don’t think our businesses compete.”

While Binky’s Hot Dog stand didn’t pay rent for sitting in Westborn Mall’s parking lot, it is hard to view the hot dog cart as competition for the restaurant, which offers a full menu that goes beyond hot dogs and chips.