January Around Town e-Newsletter

AROUND TOWN MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 2022

Stay Connected INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Join the Citywide Email List at

IN THIS ISSUE LATEST NEWS

www.bhamgov.org/citywideemail.

CUSTOM UPDATES FOR YOUR TOPICS OF INTEREST

Select topics of interest at bit.ly/bhamnews.

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

EMERGENCY ALERTS & CRIMEDAR

For Nixle emergency alerts directly from Birmingham Police and Fire, register at www.nixle.com or text "48009" to "888777". View and track crime at Crimedar.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow us for the latest City news and events.

Please forward this e-newsletter to your family and friends!

WINTER SPORTS

JANUARY 2022

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER

LATEST NEWS

The City of Birmingham wishes you and your family health and happiness in 2022!

YEAR IN REVIEW We introduced our new public engagement platform, Engage Birmingham, in April of last year. Since then, the community has enjoyed the opportunity to share thoughts on city projects wherever and whenever they want. Check out these quick stats from our first 9 months with Engage Birmingham: Project Pages: 18 Participants: 1,447 Hottest Topics: Food Trucks, Outdoor Dining, Pickleball, S. Eton Bikeway What will be our hottest topics in 2022? Register today and find out for yourself by participating throughout the year at engage.bhamgov.org.

MEET THE STAFF LEAH BLIZINSKI, CITY PLANNER Follow this link to learn about our new City Planner, Leah Blizinski!

JANUARY 2022

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER

CITY OFFICES & MEETINGS UPDATES CITY OFFICES The City Hall lobby remains accessible to the public through the Martin Street entrance on the north side of City Hall during regular business hours, Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Oakland County remains classified as a high transmission area, and we ask the public to wear a mask while in the building. Main floor services including the Clerk’s and Treasurer's offices are accessible. Necessary in-person meetings between City Hall employees and the public take place at a designated location on the main floor of City Hall. Social distancing of six feet should be maintained during all in-person meetings. The Police Department lobby entrance on the east side of City Hall on Pierce Street continues to operate as the point of contact for all off-hour requests. Visit www.bhamgov.org/contacts to view a list of department contact numbers for services needed.

CITY MEETINGS City Commission and other city boards meet in-person with a virtual option available to the public. The virtual option is provided to help reduce the volume of people inside meeting rooms at any given time. Individuals who would like to attend meetings in person can access City Hall from the Martin Street entrance during normal business hours, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. For meetings that occur after hours, visitors can access City Hall through the Police Department lobby entrance on Pierce Street.

Members of the public who prefer to attend meetings virtually may learn how to participate at www.bhamgov.org/participate. You may also watch many City meetings on your local cable access channel and by web streaming on the City's Vimeo channel.

CITY MANAGER'S REPORT Looking for the inside scoop at City Hall? Download the City Manager's Report prepared for the City Commission each month. Birmingham City Manager Tom Markus provides the latest updates from city departments and a sneak peek at upcoming events, staffing changes, developments and more.

JANUARY 2022

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER

NEWS FROM THE CLERK'S OFFICE County Commissioner Districts Change Newly redrawn Oakland County Commission district boundaries will split Birmingham into two county commission districts in 2022. Voters in precincts 3 and 9, the city’s easternmost precincts, become part of Oakland County Commission district 1. Birmingham’s other precincts become part of county district 19.

In November, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners approved the new commission district map for 2022-2031, which decreases the total number of county districts from 21 to 19.

The map was redrawn to reflect population changes documented in the final 2020 U.S. Census data. State law requires the county’s reapportionment committee to redraw district lines every 10 years within 60 days after publication of the final census numbers. Learn more about this here.

Updated Voter ID Cards The clerk’s office will print and mail updated voter ID cards reflecting the new county districts to all of Birmingham’s nearly 18,700 voters in the spring of 2022.

Passport Renewal by Mail - Easy & Efficient While the city’s passport services remain suspended, adult residents can and should renew their passports by mail – even if an existing passport has expired. The U.S. Department of State prefers that all renewals be handled via mail when possible to reserve the “very limited” in-person appointments for applicants who need them for urgent travel, or for children. If you can answer “yes” to all five questions below, click here to start the renewal process or for more information.

If you answered “no” to one or more questions, get the most current instructions for applying in person here, or call 1-877-487-2778 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding federal holidays).

JANUARY 2022

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER

GET INVOLVED! Help form your community by getting involved in your city. This can be as easy as exercising your right to vote in elections, working at a city election or volunteering to be on a city board!

Updated board openings can be found on the city website at www.bhamgov.org/boardopportunities.

CLERK'S OFFICE SERVICES Visit us in the office or utilize our online forms and payment options on our website. All of our applications for licenses and permits are available at www.bhamgov.org/formsandpayments. Residents may use our drop box located in the parking lot behind City Hall to turn in any forms.

SECOND DRAFT REVIEW - CITYWIDE MASTER PLAN Join the Planning Board as they review the second draft of the Citywide Master Plan for 2040 at the following meetings: - January 12th, 2022 – Chapter 3 (Retain Neighborhood Quality) - February 9th, 2022 – Chapter 4 (Support Mixed-Use Districts) & Chapter 5 (Advance Sustainability Practices) Information about how to participate in upcoming Planning Board meetings can be found on the City's website at www.bhamgov.org/participate. After the Planning Board review process, a joint meeting of the City Commission and Planning Board will be held to finalize the second draft and authorize distribution of the plan for review by entities required by state planning law.

We want to hear your opinion, preferences, and vision for the community’s future. You are encouraged to review the plan and share your feedback at www.thebirminghamplan.com. The site includes relevant data, surveys, documents and an email communication option to send comments directly to the planning team.

PARKS & RECREATION BOARD MEETING Learn and ask questions about Parks and Recreation Bond projects at the Parks and Recreation Board meeting on Tuesday, January 11 at 6:30 p.m. Attend in person or learn how to participate via Zoom at www.bhamgov.org/participate. Find more information about Parks & Recreation bond projects at www.bhamgov.org/parksbond.

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 2022

SENIOR SERVICES Did you know seniors enjoy a wide variety of services all throughout the Birmingham community? From special events and activities to exclusive discounts and assistance, seniors have many special opportunities in Birmingham. Learn more at www.bhamgov.org/seniorservices.

SOUTH OLD WOODWARD RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT Downtown

infrastructure

improvements

will

continue this year with the South Old Woodward Reconstruction Phase 3 project between Brown and Landon. It is a continuation of the work completed in 2018 on other areas along Old Woodward,

and

reconstruction

in

2020

project

on

will

Maple.

result

in

The new

underground infrastructure and new streetscape between Brown and Landon.

The final design stage is ongoing. Power supply locations are being finalized and visual elements are being selected.

Residents and businesses are encouraged to sign up for the South Old Woodward Reconstruction Phase 3 Constant Contact group at bit.ly/bhamnews to receive updates throughout the project. The city’s public engagement platform, Engage Birmingham, offers the community an opportunity to share feedback about their experiences as a pedestrian and driver on the previous phases of the project. Download frequently asked questions regarding the

project

here.

More

information

about

the

project

can

also

www.bhamgov.org/oldwoodwardphase3.

HOLIDAY TREE COLLECTION Christmas trees are being collected through Friday, January 28. A separate service is used for disposal of holiday trees, so collection will not necessarily be at the same time your rubbish is picked up. The trees are ground into wood chips for recycling, so please remove all lights, ornaments, stands, etc.

If you used a bag to contain the needles while removing the tree from your house, please remove it and dispose of it in your regular garbage. For more information call the Birmingham Department of Public Services (DPS) at (248) 530-1700.

be

found

at

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2022

JOIN US FOR LONG RANGE PLANNING SATURDAY, JANUARY 22 AT 8:30 A.M.

Please join us on Saturday, January 22 at 8:30 a.m. for the city's 2022 Long Range Planning meeting. This meeting is open to the public (attend in person or via Zoom)

and

designed

to

give

City

leaders

and

residents an overview of financial projections for short-term and long-term projects across Birmingham, and discuss a framework for project planning over the next

five

years.

Learn

how

www.bhamgov.org/participate.

Commission

meeting

to

participate Download

agendas

notices

at City at

www.bhamgov.org/commissionagendas.

UNDERSTANDING THE SNOW ORDINANCE Take measures to ensure you don't find yourself in violation of the ordinance regarding snow removal and snow parking bans. Here are the two most important requirements: 1) You are required to clear snow and ice on sidewalks that abut your property. If the snow stops falling during the day, your sidewalks must be cleared by no more than 12 hours later. If the snow stops falling during the night, all sidewalks must be cleared by 6 p.m. the following day. Sidewalks that are not cleared of snow and ice will be shoveled by the city and the property owner will be fined.

2) When a Snow Emergency is declared, residents must remove their cars from city streets so the snow plows can get through. Cars in violation of this ordinance will be ticketed.

View more information about snow removal at www.bhamgov.org/snowremoval.

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2022

NEWS FROM THE ICE SPORTS ARENA PUBLIC OPEN SKATE: FUN FOR ALL AGES!

LEARN TO SKATE CLASSES For class information and schedules, please visit https://play.bhamgov.org/.

On-Line Registration Starts at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 15, 2022.

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2022

NEWS FROM THE ICE SPORTS ARENA HOST YOUR BIRTHDAY PARTY AT THE ICE ARENA!

The Birmingham Ice Sports Arena is located at 2300 East Lincoln in Birmingham. Contact the arena at 248.530.1642

JANUARY 2022

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER

NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY COOL WINTER PROGRAMS! In January we'll continue our series with the Birmingham Museum, offer students and parents help with ACT/SAT prep, host Oakland Literacy Council as they talk about volunteering, hear the history of Londinium: Roman London, get outside for storytime, teach teens about comic book drawing, and learn how Jazz impacted the Civil Rights Movement. Plus, we've got computer classes on a variety of topics. It's going to be a great month at BPL!

WINTER READING CHALLENGE Pick up a bookmark from the Youth or Adult Department, or a Bingo Sheet for Teens, and partake in our Winter Challenge for the chance to win a giveaway! Complete and submit your challenge through January 31, 2022.

The Baldwin Public Library is located at 300 W. Merrill Street in Birmingham. For more information visit baldwinlib.org or call (248) 647-1700. The Library is closed Saturday, January 1 in observance of New Year's Day and Monday, January 17 in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

NEWS FROM THE MUSEUM JANUARY 6 HISTORICAL LECTURE AT BALDWIN LIBRARY TO FOCUS ON BATTLING THE COLD IN EARLY BIRMINGHAM Are you tired of winter yet? Imagine what it would have been like 200 years ago! Museum staff Caitlin Donnelly will explore and entertain audiences January 6 at 7 PM at the Baldwin Library, when she takes a look at how early Birminghamsters stayed warm and avoided cabin fever (…or did they?) The free presentation

will

be

Zoomed

by

the

library

(registration

required) or watch the video at the museum’s YouTube channel.

The monthly lectures are held on the first Thursday of the month at 7 PM at the Baldwin Public Library (currently virtually only), and feature topics of local cultural and historical interest. To see a listing of upcoming talks, visit www.bhamgov.org/museumprograms.

The Birmingham Museum is currently open Tuesday – Friday from 1 to 4 p.m., with our current exhibit, “Beyond Suffrage: Empowering Birmingham’s Women” and guided tours of the John West Hunter House, the oldest house in Oakland County. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and children 5 and under and Friends members are free.

Contact museum staff at 248-530-1928 or museum@bhamgov.org for more information or for help with your questions. To see what we’ve been up to, check us out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube!

JANUARY 2022

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER

NEWS FROM NEXT MIXED MEDIA: COLLAGE ASSEMBLAGE MONDAYS, JAN. 10 - FEB. 28, 5:00 - 7:00 PM Next welcomes mixed-media artist and instructor Marat Paransky whose

studio

practice

includes

sculpture,

painting,

drawing,

photography and other media. Marat’s artwork falls into one of several themed projects including research-based work on social issues, text pieces about the art world, and more spontaneous assemblies of found materials. This class will cover the techniques and thinking behind 2D collage, 3D assemblage and everything in between. There will be technical instruction through demos, discussion of examples in books and slideshows and studio time to work on projects. Students will need to scavenge for their own raw materials and purchase some basic supplies. All skill levels welcome and a supply list is available in the Next office. Click here to register.

DETROIT HISTORICAL MUSEUM THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 10:30 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Enjoy the bus ride and a two-hour self-guided tour of our treasured Detroit Historical Museum. The “Hudson’s

Holidays”

exhibit

celebrating

and

showcasing the company’s long history in Detroit will be a feature, as well as cobblestone streets, 19th century stores, an auto assembly line, toy trains and a fur trading post from the 1700s. For over ninety years, the Museum has chronicled the life and times of the region, safeguarding its rich history. A new year, an opportunity to re-invest in our city’s magnificence! Visit Next's website to register.

Next proudly serves the growing 50 plus population in our community. Next is located at 2121 Midvale Street in Birmingham. Contact Next at (248) 203-5273, visit www.BirminghamNext.org or like us on Facebook

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2022

BIRMINGHAM GREEN ARTICLE BY NICHOLAS J. DUPUIS, PLANNING DIRECTOR When it comes to the environment, sometimes the devil is in the details. When the true, unabashed Michigan weather hits the City and the snow begins to fall, there are some important things to consider in terms of your environmental footprint. A key effort that can be undertaken to work toward a more mindful approach to the environment is to shovel snow before it turns into ice. Once snow becomes compacted, or when snow partially melts then freezes again, it turns to ice. Not only does ice pose a safety hazard for pedestrians (and pets), but getting rid of ice causes its own set of problems. One such problem is the de-icing process. The U.S. Department of Energy and Environment describes improper salt use as an additional hazard to children, pets and the environment due to its chemical composition and tendency for over-use. As snow and ice accumulate, it becomes contaminated with salt and other pollutants, which during the spring thaw are washed away and can contaminate local waterbodies, such as the vastly important Rouge River. Always remember, great things are done by a series of small things brought together (Vincent Van Gogh).

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 2022

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

BIRMINGHAM SHOPPING DISTRICT RESTAURANT WEEK WEEKDAYS, JANUARY 24 - 28 AND JANUARY 31 - FEBRUARY 4 The 2022 Birmingham Restaurant Week returns weekdays, January 24 - 28 and January 31 February 4! Enjoy the flavors of Birmingham's finest restaurants during this highly anticipated event! Enjoy free 2-hour parking in structures downtown. We look forward to seeing you this winter!

Visit www.ALLINBirmingham.com/restaurantweek for information. Follow the Birmingham Shopping District on Facebook and Instagram for the latest on what's happening downtown!

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 2022

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

WINTER ACTIVITIES IN BIRMINGHAM PARKS BUNDLE UP AND ENJOY THE OUTDOORS THIS WINTER! Residents and visitors are encouraged to take advantage of all that Birmingham has to offer this winter season. With 26 parks covering 230 acres, there are many options to satisfy every outdoor enthusiast. For park locations and amenities, visit www.bhamgov.org/parks.

VISIT THE PARKS & ROUGE RIVER TRAIL SYSTEM Each of Birmingham’s 26 parks is unique and amenities include play structures, hiking trails, sports fields, tennis courts and more. Again this year, the tennis nets will remain in place for visitors to enjoy throughout the winter months, weather permitting. Tennis courts are available at Crestview, Kenning, W. Lincoln, Pembroke, Poppleton, Quarton and St. James parks.

Nature lovers can access over two miles of beautiful Rouge River trails right here in Birmingham. For the trail map, visit www.bhamgov.org/rougetrails.

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 2022

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

WINTER ACTIVITIES IN BIRMINGHAM PARKS SLEDDING AND WINTER SPORTS Bring your sleds and enthusiasm for some fast-paced fun on the hills! When the snow flies, sledding is offered at Lincoln Hills Golf Course, Booth Park and the Birmingham Museum. Lincoln Hills Golf Course is also a great location for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Rental equipment is not provided, but visitors are welcome to bring their own skis and snowshoes and enjoy the peaceful, yet challenging course. Residents should call Lincoln Hills at (248) 530-1670 before visiting.

OUTDOOR ICE SKATING Later this season, once temperatures are consistently cold enough, the outdoor ice rink at Barnum Park will be available (weather permitting). City crews work hard to maintain the rink, however users are welcome to shovel any snow accumulation, to clear an area for skating. Keep an eye on future communications from the City regarding an official opening date. For more on outdoor skating at Barnum Park, visit www.bhamgov.org/outdoorskating.

JANUARY 2022

AROUND TOWN E-NEWSLETTER

Photo Credit:Chris Cook Instagram: @jchriscook