Dearborn’s Ritz hotel will now be known as the Henry hotel, according to media reports.
We’re not sure how The Henry Ford feels about having a hotel that sounds an awful lot like their museum but the new sign at the hotel is expected to go up today.
For one of several stories written about this, you can click HERE.
Searching for a more visible location, AT&T plans to open a retail store at the corner of Telegraph and Oxford, a city official confirms to Deepsaidwhat.com
The location was the former home of a muffler shop that was recently razed.
AT&T currently operates a store in the small strip mall (near CVS) on the east side of Telegraph that is accessible to northbound Telegraph traffic but that location doesn’t offer the company the kind of visibility they would like to have to attract customers.
It isn’t clear whether AT&T will keep both locations or simply close the store in the strip mall once the new location is built.
Separately, work is fast underway to transform the former golf store on Telegraph, just north of Cherry Hill, into a new medical office building. Half of the building was demolished and a new face has been bricked in already, revealing what looks to be much more attractive structure in that location.
Dearborn Memorial Day parade-watchers.
Dearborn’s Memorial Day Parade, Michigan’s oldest continuous tribute to America’s fallen, marks its 86th year today with a special ceremonial funeral procession beginning at 9:30 a.m.
This first-of-its-kind funeral procession ceremony in Michigan, to honor forgotten servicemen, is the result of work by the Dearborn Allied War Veterans’ Council (DAWVC). You can view a city of Dearborn video that helps tell the story by clicking HERE.
Forgotten for generations, the unclaimed cremated remains of U.S. military veterans sit on shelves of funeral homes and state hospitals across the United States.
Mostly men, some were indigent or homeless; some outlived their families and friends. They ended up missing in America.
In Dearborn, 26 veteran cremains were found at local funeral homes. They will be buried with dignity by the DAWVC.
At 9:30 a.m. today, the DAWVC will pay final respects to the veterans who served in WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
They expect to set a new standard for transferring the cremains, including a WWI veteran who had been languishing at funeral home since 1938.
The public is invited to line Michigan Avenue and watch a horse-drawn caisson carry a flag-draped coffin with the remains of the servicemen make its way along Michigan Avenue from the Dearborn Police Department near Greenfield, east to Dearborn City Hall at Schaefer.
An honor guard and military chaplains will accompany the caisson for the 1.25-mile funeral procession made possible by a recent change in state law. State Rep. Gino Polidori (D-Dearborn) sponsored the bill that gives funeral homes the right to properly bury unclaimed veterans. A companion bill absolves funeral homes of any liability.
The new law allows funeral directors to compile and release the names of unclaimed cremated remains to a federally chartered veterans service group to confirm whether the deceased is eligible for proper burial at a veterans cemetery. Funeral directors will send a written notice to the veterans’ last known contact, notifying them of the plans to make a proper burial at a veterans cemetery. If the remains continue to go unclaimed, funeral directors are now permitted to make arrangements.
Dearborn’s Memorial Day parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. today, paying tribute to those who have given their lives while serving in America’s armed forces, and recognizes the sacrifices made by all military personnel and their families.
This year, the Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council has chosen five outstanding men with connections to Dearborn, and representing all branches of the military, to be the grand marshals. They illustrate the DAWVC’s chosen theme of “Hometown Heroes.”
They are Col. Joseph M. Martin, commander of the U.S. Army’s 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team; Major Robert Seeley, 127th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron of the Michigan Air National Guard and a U.S. Air Force veteran; Marvin Steigerwald, Marine Corps veteran; Ron Blas, a U.S. Navy veteran and retired Navy reservist; and Matt Post, a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard.
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.
Say goodbye to the structure once known as the Dearborn Theater.
The former site of Wendy's Hamburgers (foreground) was razed earlier this year for a yet-to-be-built Sonic burgers. Demolition of the Dearborn Theater (background) is now underway.
The building that was once home to first-run motion picture films on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn is in the process of being demolished to make way for a Hampton Inn hotel, if all goes according to plan.
Progress? Yes, considering the economic climate. And perhaps having two quality hotels within a block of each other (a new Holiday Inn Express, just west of the proposed Hampton, appears to be on the homestretch towards completion) might put some pressure on the Red Roof Inn, on the north side of Michigan, to upgrade its facility.
Growing up here, Dearborn Theater was one of the two key theaters on Michigan Avenue we visited as kids. The other was the Calvin Theater (my personal favorite), which was torn down long ago after a fire ripped through it only to be replaced with Buddy’s Pizzeria.
We have lost track of how many years it has been since downtown west Dearborn has been without a movie house or any other kind of non-eating or drinking entertainment venue (we aren’t counting the mega AMC Star at Fairlane). My father’s unsolicited assessment of our downtown, which he provides to me each time I drive him down Michigan Avenue, probably sums it up best: “It’s a shame.”
Dearborn developer Hakim Fakhoury did present plans several years ago to our City Council and Mayor for a theater to go into the space currently occupied by the decaying white brick building that once housed a Vic Tanny. For a host of reasons, those plans never took root. But as Dearborn talked and talked about it, nearby Royal Oak did it, landing an Emagine Entertainment near the corner of 11 Mile and Main Street, on the north edge of Royal Oak’s popular downtown area. (See earlier story, HERE.)
By the end of this summer, a new Sonic burgers will go in at the corner of Michigan and Telegraph. With the demolition of the Dearborn Theater, the burger joint will get a lot more visibility. Just when construction on a Hampton Inn might take place is anyone’s guess. The developer for the proposed Hampton Inn is Ned Hakim and right now he has his hands full getting his Holiday Inn Express readied for travelers.
From a field of more than 400 nominations, three Dearborn teachers on Wednesday were presented with the 2009-10 Alberta Muirhead Teacher of the Year Award and a $1,000 cash prize for their dedication and passion for teaching.
The awards are sponsored by Alberta Muirhead and coordinated by the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce.
The winning teachers for 2010 are:
Ms. Jilrae Greco, Haigh Elementary School
Ms. Diane Solomon, Bryant Middle School
Ms. Jennifer Gorsline, Dearborn Center for Math, Science & Technology (DCMST)
The city of Dearborn’s decision to be more “compassionate” with residents in relation to exterior property maintenance codes in these trying economic times isn’t working, according to an article in the Dearborn Times Herald.
Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., appears to acknowledge his policy adjustment isn’t working and hints that changes are coming.
“I realize that it isn’t always easy to stay on top of (maintenance), but it became clear that we need to re-examine things,” O’Reilly told the Times-Herald.
We agree with some of the assertions made by Dearborn community leaders quoted in the Times Herald story. Many readers of DeepsaidWhat.com apparently do, as well. Several readers sent links to the Times-Herald story that was written by J. Patrick Pepper.
“This is an important issue and needs the widest possible dissemination so that the residents of our city know and understand the direction the administration is taking us and why our city is looking more and more like Detroit and other blighted areas around us,” one reader said in an e-mail to DeepsaidWhat. “If the Times Herald thought enough of this story’s importance to put it on the front page above the fold, I would think you would attach a similar importance to it as well, so that the widest possible discussion is made possible. I know a great many of our city leaders and employees read your blog daily, and they need to see this and the comments it will generate.”
As the Times-Herald article points out, part of the change in how some neighborhoods look is the result of relaxed city enforcement. Another cause that can’t be overlooked is the simple elimination of city workers whose job it was to regularly patrol neighborhoods. Cuts in the city budget have eliminated some of those dedicated resources.
The good news is that residents do have a phone number to call in the city if they spot something in their neighborhood.
The Residential Services phone number for neighborhood complaints is 313-943-2161. Of course, you can always call the director of Residential Services, Nick Siroskey. A lifelong resident, Mr. Siroskey came to this city position from Ford in July 2009 as part of a comprehensive restructuring of the functions of Dearborn’s Building & Safety Department, developed by O’Reilly, as a way to enhance customer service.
To read the full Times-Herald article, click HERE.
Here is a nice touch for the summer season in downtown West Dearborn. The “Friday Nite in the Park Concert Series”, sponsored by the West Dearborn Downtown Development Authority (WDDDA), returns again this year beginning June 18 with the band the “Sun Messengers.” The classic rock band begins playing at 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
All concerts will be held in the Muirhead Plaza, located between Buddy’s restaurant and the Bryant Library. If it rains, the WDDDA says the concerts will move to the Henry Ford Centennial Library Auditorium.
The concert schedule is as follows:
June 18 “Sun Messengers” – Classic Rock 6:30pm – 9:00pm
July 2 “Beat Club” – Beatles Tribute Band 6:30pm – 9:00pm
July 16 “Brian Cleary” – Jazz Quartet 7:00pm – 8:30pm
July 30 “Crush” – Classic Rock and More 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Aug 13 “Carl Cafanga” – Smooth Jazz 6:30pm – 9:00pm
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.
Dearborn Public Schools and Singers Of United Lands (S.O.U.L.) will co-host the final performance of the S.O.U.L. 2010 tour on May 27 at 7:00 p.m. at Stout Middle School, 18500 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn. The free performance is open to the public and is sure to be an entertaining event for all.
Singers Of United Lands is a touring trio of professional singers, each from a different continent. S.O.U.L.’s mission is to develop international and cultural relationships through vocal music from around the world. S.O.U.L. provides workshops, presentations, performances, and lessons for audiences of all ages during a 5-month tour throughout the United States and Canada. The singers focus on international vocal music, world history, and linguistics from their respective native countries.
The performance will be a culmination of the group’s tour as well as a culminating performance of a weeklong visit to several Dearborn Public Schools. For more information on S.O.U.L. visit their website at: www.singersofunitedlands.org or contact Marcus LaPratt at (517) 388-1316.