Birmingham/Bloomfield

ENDNOTE: VOTE NO ON BIRMINGHAM CHARTER CHANGE QUESTION J. MARCH: PAGE 139 • SOCIAL LIGHTS: PAGE 142 • FRONT/BACK: PAGE 136

MARCH 2016

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DOWNTOWN03.16

50

What's below the surface: hazardous pipelines in Oakland Four interstate hazardous liquid transmission pipelines bisect Oakland County. One carrying ethane – a hazardous gas in liquid form – cuts through Bloomfield and Birmingham. Just how safe are residents?

FROM THE PUBLISHER

18

Quick notes on what factors led to the suburban sprawl that engulfed the metro Detroit area and continues to this day as Oakland County celebrates the announcement that $1 billion will be spent on the expansion of the I-75 expressway.

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

27

We unveil in this issue a periodic gossip/news column about politics and government in Oakland County, starting with the latest info on what may take place on the local campaign front during 2016.

CRIME LOCATOR

33

A recap of select categories of crime occurring in the past month in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills, presented in map format.

MUNICIPAL

105

Election officials no longer will turn treasurer case over to prosecutor; early results from W. Maple Road narrowing trial run; update on Villages of Bloomfield brownfield issue; design/construction drawing funding for Baldwin Library; plus more.

FRONT/BACK

136

Katie Deska gives us the the latest on what’s happening in the front and the back of the house in metro Detroit area restaurants with a series of short takes on the latest news and gossip for the industry.

THE COVER The Big Rock Chophouse on Eton Street in Birmingham, which was first opened in 1931 as the Birmingham Grand Trunk and Western Railroad Depot on the Detroit to Pontiac rail line. Closed in 1978, the building was opened as Norman's Eton Street Station restaurant in 1984 by Norm and Bonnie LePage and with partners Ray and Mary Nicholson was renamed in 1997 as Big Rock Chophouse.

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ERIC PERNIE ABOOD LAW FIRM IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT ERIC PERNIE HAS JOINED THE FIRM AS AN ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY WITH OUR BIRMINGHAM OFFICE! Eric has a history of public service in the Oakland County area as he was employed as a police officer with the Bloomfield Township Police Department for nearly 11 years. He has shown a dedication to hard work by not only working full time as a police officer, but also earning a Juris Doctorate degree from Cooley Law School.

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The local lead threat While lead levels in Flint water have brought the issue to the forefront, there has been a decades-long battle to control other sources of lead in the environment.

59 Airbnb in Oakland County The “shared economy� housing Airbnb has over 300 listings in Oakland and local communities, which may have rental restrictions.

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AT THE TABLE

139

Dave Mancini, noted for his Supino Pizza in Eastern Market, has opened La Rodinella and J. March says the food is good, price points are spot on and the space is inviting for repeat visits.

SOCIAL LIGHTS

142

Society reporter Sally Gerak provides the latest news from the society and nonprofit circuit as she covers recent major events.

ENDNOTE

150

For those Birmingham residents heading to the polls in March, we revisit our earlier editorial position of why they must vote No on the proposed amendment to the city charter. We also issue a word of caution to Birmingham officials relative to the push for funding on plans for renovating the Baldwin Library.

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PUBLISHER David Hohendorf NEWS EDITOR Lisa Brody NEWS STAFF/CONTRIBUTORS Allison Batdorff | Rachel Bechard | Hillary Brody Katie Deska | Kevin Elliott | Sally Gerak | Austen Hohendorf J. March | Kathleen Meisner | Bill Seklar PHOTOGRAPHY/CONTRIBUTORS Jean Lannen | Laurie Tennent Laurie Tennent Studio VIDEO PRODUCTION/CONTRIBUTOR Garrett Hohendorf Giant Slayer ADVERTISING DIRECTOR David Hohendorf ADVERTISING SALES Mark Grablowski GRAPHICS/IT MANAGER Chris Grammer OFFICE 124 W. Maple Birmingham MI 48009 248.792.6464 DISTRIBUTION/SUBSCRIPTIONS Mailed monthly at no charge to most homes in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills. Additional free copies distributed at high foot-traffic locations in downtown Birmingham.

For those not receiving a free mail copy, paid subscriptions are available for a $12 annual charge. To secure a paid subscription, go to our website (downtownpublications.com) and click on “subscriptions” in the top index and place your order online or scan the QR Code here.

INCOMING/READER FEEDBACK We welcome feedback on both our publication and general issues of concern in the Birmingham/Bloomfield community. The traditional “letters to the editor” in Downtown are published in our Incoming section and can include written letters or electronic communication.

Opinions can be sent via e-mail to news@downtownpublications.com or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 W. Maple Road, Birmingham MI 48009.

If you are using the mail option, you must include a phone number for verification purposes.

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FROM THE PUBLISHER ittle did anyone know, I am sure, in 1941 that the first real effort at creating a highway in Michigan – to bring workers to a bomber plant during World War II with the Willow Run Expressway – would be the start of a series of infrastructure undertakings that would some 10-20 years later contribute to the mass exodus from the city of Detroit and the decline of what was once considered one of the premier cities in the country.

L

The Willow Run Expressway was followed a decade later with the Edsel Ford Expressway and then a series of other major thoroughfares that allowed workers in Detroit to exit for what we now know as the suburbs. Easy access to their places of employment while living outside of the city limits. Eventually, the companies that employed people in Detroit moved to what was the near-in newer communities, and years later, to the farther suburban reaches as the auto companies decentralized their production facilities.

It was almost the classic chicken-and-egg question at first: whether relocated companies drew the population out of the city or simply moved to where they saw the population centers of the future. It really doesn't matter. The workforce, mostly white, left Detroit, including our family who in the mid-50's was drawn to a Macomb County farmland area (now Sterling Heights) to be closer to the General Motors Technical Center in Warren that now held the job my father had for years at the Fisher building in midtown Detroit.

The decision was made all the easier with the start of the decline of the educational system in the city. As decision makers, many parents asked themselves if they wanted less time commuting to work, an improved educational system for their children, a less onerous tax load and the opportunity at affordable, new housing. It wasn't, as some would have it, always just a race question, but that no doubt also played into the decisions of some, especially following the Detroit riots in 1967.

Very quickly the farmlands disappeared, the subdivisions sprouted and the resident numbers for Detroit showed a steady and noticeable decline.

Add to those factors the short-sighted urban planning by more than one administration in Detroit to view the young suburbs as a source of revenue by extending sewer and water lines out from the city, which only sped up the exodus. As a result, today 40 percent of the state's population is now on the Detroit water system, which realizes about 75 percent of its total revenue from the suburbs. A full 30 percent of the state's population relies on the Detroit sewerage system, where 50 percent of the operating money is derived from the suburbs.

The sprawl continued. The suburbs grew in strength, and so did their political power. Suburban leaders responded to the demands of their new and growing populations with the amenities to which

they were accustomed – bigger and better schools, parks and recreation, retail centers, and improved road systems, including expanded highways.

The pattern for sprawl was complete. For the most part, irreversible, no matter how many from the Millennial generation move back into the Detroit urban core in the coming years.

And that simplified “CliffsNotes” on Detroit history brings us to February of 2016 and the announcement by Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson that the $1 billion widening of I-75 in the northern reaches will begin this year.

Bittersweet for a project that has been on the drawing board for 16 years.

Modern-day traffic engineers know that adding more lanes to I-75 will undoubtedly only draw more traffic and over an extended period will still leave us with a choked up interstate highway in the morning and evening rush hours. About the only true benefit from this project may be improvements to the Square Lake Road interchange, a treacherous section that generates what seems like daily major accidents.

So what's been gained in the past 50-60 years in terms of putting a halt to the incentives we give to others to continue with the steady march of sprawl? Not much.

Over 30 years ago, I called for putting the brakes on the practice of continuing to push further into what comparatively could be called virgin territory with infrastructure and, in some cases, economic incentives that only drew more development to the northern and western areas of southeast Michigan – repeating the vicious cycle.

It was considered heresy in the western Oakland lakes area where I resided at the time, and I certainly understood the parochial concerns of those in office.

My thought then was that all economic incentives – like extended tax breaks to businesses – should be reserved for the older established communities – be it Detroit or portions of southeast Oakland County, for example, and other similar aging suburban areas. Consider levying impact fees on large companies who wanted to locate in undeveloped “small town” communities. Take the pressure or demand off the outer reaches of the suburban area.

Rebuild the communities already in existence. Revitalize the infrastructure in those communities to retain existing populations – rather than extending the road and water/sewer lines further out – and become a draw for future generations, which we are now realizing may not have the same suburban dreams of my parents' generation.

I was only one of many voices on this issue. But no one was listening.

David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@downtownpublications.com

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INCOMING Charter change opposition I am writing this letter to express my concern over the proposed charter amendment which has been placed on the ballot for March 8. I have reviewed the proposed amendment as well as the underlying Home Rule Act upon which the amendment is based. While I support public involvement in all types of government and while I am not an expert on the Home Rule Act , I believe the proposed amendment is not what was intended by our state legislature when the Home Rule Act was adopted. My concerns are based upon the following: First, although Article 117.4(h) allows a city charter to control the "use, regulation, improvement of the surface of its streets, alleys and public ways," the act does not allow the residents of a city to amend the charter and limit or extinguish the city commission's ability to make decisions which affect the "public peace, health and safety of persons and property" living there. Section 117.3(J). The main objective of the proposed changes to West Maple Road were specifically conditioned upon repeated concerns raised over the safety of that roadway and the health and safety of those persons using it. These proposed changes have been under consideration by the city for years. It is my conclusion that the proposed amendment is not in compliance with the act.

Second, I also have real concerns over the manner in which this proposed amendment made its way on to the ballot. For example, the petition which was circulated on my street in Quarton Lake Estates was being done so without the mention that the city charter was going to be changed, but rather that it was a vote for the citizens to decide whether West Maple should be a four versus a three-lane road. There was no mention of the charter being amended or the effect of same. I believe many of the signatures collected were done so without folks realizing what they were signing.

Third, an amendment such as this opens the door to limitless possible future charter amendments which may erode the city commission's ability to act in the best interests of the city and its residents. Further, this is essentially the city's constitution, and to amend it to govern the lines on a 10-block portion of Maple Road is ridiculous.

Finally, I also believe there is a good chance that if the amendment passes, it may well be challenged in court as unenforceable, causing the city to incur additional costs, downtownpublications.com

SPEAK OUT We welcome your opinion on issues facing the Birmingham/Bloomfield communities.

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Opinions can be sent via e-mail to news@downtownpublications.com or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 West Maple Road, Birmingham MI 48009.

legal expenses, etc. Whether you favor the changes to Maple Road or are opposed to them, the proposed charter amendment is bad for our residents, businesses, city government and bad for Birmingham.

For these reasons I oppose the charter amendment and hope those reading this feel the same way.

Michael S. Clawson Birmingham

NO on charter change I'm writing to oppose the charter amendment that is on the March Birmingham ballot, which requires Maple Road to return to its former configuration of two lanes in each direction between Cranbrook and Southfield Road.

Although I believe the city charter is an inappropriate place for designating lane configurations of city streets, my major concern is that the typical low turnout at March elections will allow a small, determined, well organized group to highjack the vote on this issue.

When the proposal to convert Maple to its current configuration was made, the reaction of many citizens was skeptical. I shared many of their concerns. The trial period approved by the city council was to allow time to assess the actual impact of these changes, so that a decision to make them permanent could be made based on actual results and facts, rather than speculation and worry of the unknown.

My concern is that the many people who actually use Maple and have concluded that the new lane configuration is an improvement will fail to vote against the amendment.

Don't assume that the proposal will automatically fail due to broad objection. The small, but vocal, group who collected the signatures to put the charter amendment on the ballot DOWNTOWN

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before the trial period even began cling to the belief that any change is worse than the old configuration.

They will vote.

I live on Linden Road, which enters Maple from the south. I travel Maple several times a day, every day.

My experience appears to be similar to others who I have talked to: speeds are down, yet transit time from Cranbrook to Southfield appears to be the same, turning onto and from Maple is safer, and cut through traffic on side roads is no worse than before.

If you like the current road configuration, as I do, be sure to let your opinion count. Vote no.

Remember that if the ballot proposal goes through, the only way any future changes can be made is through a new ballot proposal. The city commission cannot override it, even if the facts collected during the trial re-striping of Maple Road support keeping the existing traffic pattern.

Joe Pallischeck Birmingham

True objective reviewer I always enjoy J. March's restaurant reviews because, frankly, I find J. to be the only true objective reviewer.

I know Sylvia Rector has been an icon in this area for many years but her last years were nothing but a praise fest for whatever restaurant she dined in that week.

J. March is not shy about being honest, something most restaurants might not welcome. But when J. gives a positive review, you can bet that place is worth a visit. And when J. writes the truth about why a place isn't "as advertised,� you can bet it is right on.

The latest review of Forest is an excellent example. We live very close to Forest and so looked forward to the re-open as we stopped visiting several years before (Brian) Polcyn moved on.

But our visit to the newly opened restaurant mirrored J.'s experience.

The menu continued to be strange; the food was not even average and our uninterested bartender ( a new female) poured at best a half martini for my husband. I am not sure I will ever get my husband back unless there is a totally revamped, improved choice of food and at least a martini glass that is full when served.

Thank you J. March for having the courage to objectively review our restaurants. It would be wonderful if they were all great, but unfortunately that is not the case.

Sharon Tunstall Birmingham downtownpublications.com

J. March joy to read I love your publication. My wife and I devour it every month.

The first thing we always turn to is J. March's restaurant review. Wonderfully written and perfectly perceptive. An absolute joy to read, and almost always spot on, if one knows food and restaurants.

Name withheld upon request Bloomfield Hills

Ill-conceived amendment Kudos to Downtown Birmingham/ Bloomfield for your editorial opposing the proposed Birmingham charter amendment which would remove changes in West Maple Road from the purview of the city commission and return the street to its former four-lane configuration. Also thanks for publishing the letter from four former Birmingham mayors opposing this ill-conceived charter amendment.

I have lived on Pilgrim near Maple since 1972, and I currently drive on West Maple several times nearly every day. In my opinion, the threelane trial configuration is a great improvement. It is much safer, and traffic flows more smoothly with fewer delays. In recent years I have personally observed and photographed several severe injury accidents, and many near misses, resulting from the lack of a left turn lane and excessive speeds. I would be pleased to e-mail pictures of the accidents to anyone interested.

The left turn hazard has been pretty much eliminated by the trial threelane configuration, and merge issues at the Southfield intersection have been eliminated also.

Finally, aside from the merits of the issue, the (charter petition) campaign from the beginning has been riddled with unsupported assertions and halftruths. This misleading approach was reflected in the proposal's signature solicitation process. I spoke with three individuals who solicited my signature whose comprehension of the significance of the proposal was lacking. Their solicitation was simply "residents should have a say on the issue."

They were surprised when I pointed out the actual effect of the proposal, as you and the former mayors explained. Also, several friends and neighbors like the new configuration and have expressed regret for signing the charter proposal.

In my opinion, your publication is providing a valuable service to our community.

Ralph Deeds Birmingham DOWNTOWN

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03.16

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL Oakland Confidential is a periodic column of political/government news and gossip items, both on and off-the-record, compiled by staff members of Downtown. Possible items for this column can be sent to OaklandConfidential@DowntownPublications.com.

GILDED WARRIOR: Former state representative (2006-2012) – county commissioner (2000-2006) – Birmingham commissioner (1997-2000) Chuck Moss has announced his run in the GOP primary this August for the Oakland County Commission 12th District seat currently held by fellow Republican Shelley Goodman Taub. While Moss said Taub has done an “adequate” job, he thinks he can bring more to the table. To show he’s serious, Moss has dumped $100,000 of his own money into his campaign, which one political insider called “don’t run against me money.” Taub’s war chest – which included a $100-donation from Moss in her last run – MOSS is a little more than a tenth of Moss’s own contributions. Taub has confirmed she is running for reelection. “For sure,” she responded when asked, although she acknowledged being surprised Moss would run against her.

“I don’t bluff,” Moss said about his self-funded cash infusion. “I wouldn’t expect Shelley, who is a seasoned warrior, to be put off by this. But I don’t bluff.”

Currently a part-time columnist for Dome magazine and a member of the regional transportation authority, Moss has spent much of the past year traveling the world. In 2013, Moss TAUB served as an adjunct professor for a few classes at Oakland University. He ran for the state senate in 2014, taking just 20 percent of the primary vote, behind fellow Republicans Marty Knollenberg (now the anointed incumbent) and perennial candidate Rocky Raczkowski.

Moss’s financial flex has some in the county’s GOP scratching their heads. One state representative said, “I don’t get it. I think he’s bored. He told me, ‘Look out, here I come.’ He said ‘Shelley’s been doing it a long time and it’s time for me.’ I hope he spends all his money and loses. The Oakland County Republican Party is quietly going to back her. Any race he has ever won, he didn’t have any competition.”

Taub, who served in the state house from 2003 to 2006, and bit the bullet for the Republican Party in 2006 when they asked her to step aside, despite having almost $250,000 in contributions, for John Pappageorge, in the state senate race (he went on to win the seat), has more than a decade on the county commission board. She has dominated her Democratic opponents in general elections, but hasn’t faced such stiff competition in primaries in recent years. Currently, she is first vice president of the Michigan Association of Counties, and will become president of the organization, the counties’ voice in the state legislature, in September.

GROWING PAINS: With four newly elected commissioners, the Birmingham City Commission is finding the adjustment period a little more difficult than expected, with two of the new commissioners, in particular, having trouble melding with the other commissioners, and respecting the board process. Surprisingly, the two had a history of previous city board experience, but seem to focus on their own agendas rather than on the big picture. “They all come in with their preconceived agendas, and the challenge is getting them all on the same page, and understanding will be an ongoing challenging,” said one Birmingham insider. “It’s a learning process.”

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POSSIBLE MOVE: State Rep. Mike McCready (R-Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills) is in the middle of his second term, but may be contemplating what comes next. House members are term-limited after three terms, and while “I don’t want to think about it until I run the next time (in 2016),” he acknowledged he has his eye on a state Senate run in District 12, currently occupied by Sen. Jim Marleau (R), who will be term-limited. Just one thing. McCready, a former Bloomfield MCCREADY Hills city commissioner, lives in Bloomfield Hills, and District 12 is comprised of Bloomfield Township, Franklin, Beverly Hills, Bingham downtownpublications.com

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27

RENEE LOSSIA ACHO EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN AGENT AND AN EXPERT

2015 Hall & Hunter Realtors’ Top Producer Birmingham’s Top Selling Agent 2013-2015

NEW LISTING

BUILD TO SUIT

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 5537 Orchard Ridge Magnificent French Normandy estate on 4+ acres of lush landscape and picturesque pond views 14,046 SF | 6 BR | 6 Full, 3 Half Baths $5,990,000

BLOOMFIELD HILLS 55 Orchard Lane Custom Tudor masterpiece on nearly 2 acres in heart of Bloomfield 5500 SF | 5 BR | 3 Full, 1 Half Baths $2,750,000 | Lot available for $895,000

AVAILABLE SUMMER 2016

BUILD TO SUIT

BIRMINGHAM 187 S. Glenhurst Elegant & modern residence in Midvale neighborhood. Opportunity to add your own design 4300 SF | 4 BR | 4 Full, 2 Half Baths $1,599,000

AVAILABLE FALL/WINTER 2016 BLOOMFIELD 5741 Snowshoe Circle Spectacular sprawling ranch on nearly 1 acre in sought-after neighborhood near Oakland Hills CC 5000 SF | 4 BR | 3 Full, 2 Half Baths $1,750,000

BIRMINGHAM Oak Street Stunning home boasts luxury and lifestyle just steps from town in Holy Name neighborhood 4800 SF | 4 BR | 3 Full, 1 Half Baths $1,599,000

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 251 Barden Road First-floor master suite Cape Cod on 3/4 acre near Cranbrook grounds 4,704 SF | 4 BR | 5 Full, 2 Half Baths $999,000

BLOOMFIELD HILLS 3830 Columbia Drive Comtemporary gem in Wabeek with optimal floor plan on 1/2+ acre of pristine landscape 4,812 SF | 4 BR | 4 Full, 2 Half Baths $799,000

BLOOMFIELD HILLS Charing Cross Road Cutstanding opportunity to build in this fantastic location situated on 2+ acre lot 236’ x 237’ x 136’ x 473’ $299,000

NEW LISTING BLOOMFIELD HILLS 3746 Darlington Road N Stylish Colonial on 1/2 acre hilltop setting near Oakland Hills Country Club 4,080 SF | 4 BR | 3 Full, 2 Half Baths $869,000

248.310.1414 Renee@ReneeAcho.com | ReneeAcho.com

442 S. Old Woodward Ave. | Birmingham, MI

Farms, Addison Township, Auburn Hills, Independence Township, Keego Harbor, Sylvan Lake, Pontiac, Clarkston, Oakland Township, Oxford and Orion Township.

“Eventually if I want to run for Marleau’s seat, I’d have to move into Bloomfield Township in the next year,” McCready said. “But right now, I’ve got to focus on what I’m doing in the House, and on the next House race. I’m focusing on Detroit, and on the schools. My opinion is to get the state completely out of it, and let the locals run it.”

BULLARD/BARTON: Former Oakland County Clerk Bill Bullard (R) is taking the high road in his bid to be returned to the county office he lost in 2012, basing his campaign to date against incumbent clerk Democrat Lisa Brown. But he has primary opposition from Rochester Hills Clerk Tina Barton, who did a 16-year stint in the clerk’s office in Bloomfield Township.

Here’s how the dollars stacked up at the end of the year.

Bullard had on hand $33,387 in his candidate account, BULLARD according to a year-end filing. Barton, who held her first fundraiser in late January, last made a required filing in late October which showed about $8,000 on hand. Barton says she will be “keeping pace” with Bullard when it comes to raising money, estimated by most people to cost $100,000 per candidate in the primary and twice that in the general election to be successful. Incumbent Brown had about $5,000 on hand but most campaigns are just beginning serious fund raising and year-end reports on campaign funds are no longer required. Bullard, who has held one elected office or another for decades, could have two BARTON things going against him in the election – one, the general sentiment nationally and in some GOP quarters locally that the old order has to change and, two, the gender factor in this race which will definitely have some impact.

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RETURN CHALLENGE: The hottest rumor making the rounds has 20012012 Oakland Water Resources Commissioner John McCulloch (R) taking a run for his former post which he lost to incumbent Jim Nash (D) by 7,400 votes in the 2012 November election. It was a surprise victory for many when at the top of the ticket President Obama carried over 50 percent of the votes in the county. Prior to the water resources spot, McCulloch, accountant and lawyer, spent 10 years on the Oakland County MCCULLOCH board of commissioners, including a stint as chairman. After his election loss he spent two years as director of the Huron Clinton Metropolitan Authority, a position from which he was dismissed. At one point in time, McCulloch was considered a likely contender for the position of Oakland County Executive when L. Brooks Patterson gives up the post.

What’s fueling the current rumor? A pile of money, about $350,000 in campaign funds that McCulloch has on hand since his 2012 loss. At the start of this year, Nash was holding $96,000 in election funds. No word from McCulloch by press time. Filing deadline is in April.

MOVING SALE EVERYTHING 25% off and discounts up to 60%

ALL IN THE FAMILY: In the early phase of the presidential primary election, 358 families nationwide had accounted for close to one half of all money given to presidential campaigns, thanks to the Citizens United court decision five years ago. So says the New York Times in a piece last October by reporters Nicholas Confessore, Sarah Cohen and Karen Yourish. Two hundred families gave more than $100,000, while 158 families or their companies gave amounts above $250,000.

Here’s a few names familiar to Oakland residents in the above-$250,00 category: Dan Gilbert, founder of Quicken Loans, $750,000; Peter Karmanos, co-founder of Compuware, $500,000; the Kojaian family, from the Kojaian Management Corporation, $321,223; Manuel (Matty) Moroun, of Ambassador Bridge fame, $300,000; Roger Penske, Penske Corporation, $250,000.

Dede & Jim Taylor Antiques 251 Merrill, Suite 205 - Birmingham

248-594-8330 Of the families or their companies donating, 138 backed Republicans and 20 back Democrats.

NEW ADDRESS STARTING MARCH 15, 2016 205 Pierce St. - Birmingham (with Crimson Rose Antiques)

downtownpublications.com

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Easter Worship Services Holy Week & Easter Palm Sunday - March 20 9:00 & 11:00 AM Sanctuary Service Rev. Troy Hauser Brydon 7:30 PM Concert with excerpts from Messiah Chancel Choir & Orchestra

Maundy Thursday - March 24 7:00 PM Communion in the Sanctuary Rev. Tres Adams

Good Friday - March 25 1:00 PM Good Friday Service in the Sanctuary Rev. Troy Hauser Brydon 7:30 PM A Choral Meditation on the Passion of Christ Chancel Choir

Easter Sunday - March 27 7:00, 9:00 & 11:00 AM Sanctuary Festival Service Rev. Bob Sheldon

Join Us! 1340 West Long Lake Road Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302 (248) 626-2515

kirkinthehills.org

Kirk in the Hills

EASTER AT BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH

COME WORSHIP WITH US MAUNDY THURSDAY MARCH 24 – 7:00 PM SERVICE (Communion offered)

GOOD FRIDAY MARCH 25 – 12:00 PM & 7:00 PM SERVICE

EASTER VIGIL SATURDAY MARCH 26 – 7:00 PM SERVICE (Communion offered)

EASTER SUNDAY MARCH 27

Community Egg Hunt at 10:00 on March 26

9:00 AM TRADITIONAL SERVICE 10:00 AM CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST 11:15 AM CONTEMPORARY SERVICE (Communion offered at both services)

BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH 5631 NORTH ADAMS ROAD | BLOOMFIELD HILLS MI 48304 | (248) 646-5041 | WWW.BSLCMI.ORG

REGULAR WORSHIP HOURS: Saturdays at 5:30 pm traditional; PROFESSIONALLY STAFFED NURSERY CARE Sundays at 9 am traditional and 11:15 am contemporary

Easter Worship Services Holy Week and Easter at

Christ Church Cranbrook

Palm Sunday

Saturday, March 19 at 5:00 PM Sunday, March 20 at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Sunday, March 20 at 6:00 PM Evensong Holy Week Monday March 21 at 7:00 PM Tuesday, March 22 at 7:00 PM Wednesday, March 23 at 6:00 PM Maundy Thursday, March 24 at 7:00 PM Good Friday, March 25 at 12:00 PM and 7:00 PM Choral Stations of the Cross at 7:00 PM

Holy Saturday, March 26 at 7:00 PM Easter Vigil

Easter Day Sunday, March 27 7:00 AM in Resurrection Chapel

9:00 AM and 11:15 AM

with full choir and brass accompaniments.

Nursery Care at 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM There will be an Easter Egg Hunt for children at 10:30 AM (Between the 9:00 AM and the 11:15 AM services.)

All are Welcome!

470 Church Road ◆ȹ •˜˜–ꎕÂ?Čą Â’Â•Â•ÂœÇ°Čą Čąâ—† 48304 On the corner of Lone Pine and Cranbrook Roads 248-644-5210 â—†ČąČąÂŒÂ‘Â›Â’ÂœÂ?ÂŒÂ‘ÂžÂ›ÂŒÂ‘ÂŒÂ›ÂŠÂ—Â‹Â›Â˜Â˜Â”ÇŻÂ˜Â›Â?

MAX BROOCK BIRMINGHAM... ADVANTAGE YOUR SALE 2200

2000

1800

Market Share**

38% 1720

1600

1400

2015

1200

19%

1000

925 800

18% 868

15% 707

12%

600

570 400

200

0

MAX BROOCK BIRMINGHAM Market share: 38% Total: $619,572,560

HALL & HUNTER

Market Share: 19% Total: $453,053,571

COLDWELL BANKER WEIR MANUAL - BIRM

Market Share: 18% Total: $302,215,103

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HWWB

Market share: 15% Total: $224,029,447

SIGNATURE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

Market share: 12% Total: $242,373,898

TOTAL HOMES SOLD IN OAKLAND COUNTY*

275 S Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham

*All data gathered from Brokermetrics for units sold for the last 12 months as of 1/8/16. **Respective market share for the 5 companies listed in graph.

CRIME LOCATOR

NORTH

Map key

Sexual assault

Assault

Murder

Robbery

Breaking/entering

Larceny

Larceny from vehicle

Vehicle theft

Vandalism

Drug offenses

Arson

These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills through February 12, 2016.

Placement of codes is approximate.

FACES Nannette Mazich or any non-profit, reaching the milestone of its 25th anniversary is quite an accomplishment. For Eisenhower Dance it feels particularly sweet, having grown from a small ensemble of dancers to a professional dance troupe traveling the world, with three local dance schools and an operating budget just shy of $1 million. And Birmingham resident Nannette Mazich, Eisenhower Dance's executive director, is having a blast sharing the contemporary dance company's work.

Eisenhower Dance is a contemporary dance company first begun by dancer and choreographer Laurie Eisenhower in the summer of 1991. “When Laurie started, is was a small group of dancers,” Mazich said. “Today, we have seven professional dancers, and five apprentices. Our dancers come from Illinois, Texas, Ohio, Connecticut, Missouri. Our apprentices perform if someone is injured, or sometimes if the choreography incorporates more dancers.”

Mazich, who is a Michigan native and attended the University of Michigan, has lived all over the United States. “My husband's job has taken us all over the country,” she said. They returned to Birmingham about five years ago, by way of Delaware, where she worked as a realtor. “I worked at Ford Motor Company, I was a realtor, I've painted, and I've done wearable arts with my own company. I've always had my hand in the arts, and I've had a passion for the arts and non-profits. Giving back is important to me, and when you get involved with Eisenhower, it's really a family.”

Mazich, who became executive director in January 2014, has worked with the company as it has toured both domestically and internationally.

“They've performed in New York City, New Jersey, Florida, Santa Barbara, California, St. Louis, Illinois, Baltimore, Arizona, New Mexico, Poland, and as far as St. Petersburg, Russia,” she said. The dancers do a variety of performances, she said, often choosing from a variety of pieces initially choreographed by Eisenhower.

“When you work with a theater, or whoever invites you in, that can determine the choreographed pieces,” Mazich explained.

“They can request the pieces.”

“Motown in Motion” choreographed dances to Motown music, she said, is some of their most requested pieces, and last year, they paired lighting designers with choreographers to perform a light show at the Detroit Opera House.

“It's incredible. The professional dancers, who tour all over the world, come back and then teach our students and take them under their wings. They just have a passion for it,” Mazich marveled. In addition to the professional dance company, Eisenhower has three dance studios, in Rochester, Birmingham and Franklin, where they teach up to 450 students, from newborns in music classes to adults. The professional dancers rehearse out of the Rochester studio.

Two years in, Mazich is even more mesmerized by the dance troupe and her job than when she began. “It's wonderful to see how talented they are,” she said.

Looking forward, she is committed to helping those who may not have the resources to take lessons, and connecting with those in the community who do, to help dancers who may not be able to dance without their assistance.

“I love my job, from the foundations to the board members who share my passion, to the three year old who is dancing in the recital at the end of the year,” she said.

F

Story: Lisa Brody

Photo: Laurie Tennent

Ginny Fisher Realtor

248.593.0518 GFisher@HallandHunter.com

BLOOMFIELD HILLS 1772 Heron Ridge Drive | $1,699,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 7,385 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 216005341

Pristine executive retreat in private gated enclave on gorgeous ravine setting. Renovated Millennium cherry kitchen opens to family room. Beautifully finished walkout lower level with possible 5th bedroom. Lower paver terraces and expansive decks. 4-car garage.

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 1000 Bretton Lane | $699,900 4 Bedrooms 4 Full Baths 5,994 Total Sq Ft. MLS# 215125143

California-styled custom contemporary on almost 2 private, wooded acres! Vaulted great room has expansive windows for gorgeous views. Walkout lower level features unique professional kitchen & possible 5th BR for entertaining/apartment area.

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 245 Chestnut Circle | $777,000 3 Bedrooms 3 Full, 2 Half Baths 3,823 Square Feet MLS# 215109669

Classic Tudor on 3/4-acre elevated site in prestigious Chestnut Hills. Paneled library with fireplace and builtin bookcases. Expansive great room leads to back gardens. Island kitchen with dual cook tops. Spacious master suite. Lovely setting in desired neighborhood!

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 1111 Kensington Road | $425,000 4 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,754 Square Feet MLS# 215107960

Wooded, private 1-acre setting with amazing views from every room. Eat-in kitchen. Master with spacious walk-in closet & deck access. Lower level offers family room, office/library, full bath & 4th bedroom. Property would make great build site–also listed as vacant land.

For more information, visit GinnyFisherHomes.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Pam Stoler, CRS, GRI Associate Broker

248.840.0044 PStoler@HallandHunter.com

NEW PRICE

NEW LISTING

BIRMINGHAM 1286 Willow Lane | $1,499,000 5 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 4,377 Square Feet MLS# 216005353

Distinctive architecture in prestigious Quarton Lake Estates! Gourmet kitchen with Downsview cabinetry and premium appliances. Sunlit oval sun room opens to back patio and stunning 3/4 acre park-like lot. Master suite with fireplace and Juliet balcony. Walk to town!

NEW PRICE

BIRMINGHAM 485 Park Street | $949,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 4,136 Square Feet MLS# 216014925

Custom 3-story home in “Little San Francisco” area!

2-story sunlit foyer. Beautiful kitchen with premium appliances & breakfast room leading to patio. Master suite offers gas fireplace, luxury bath and airy loft – perfect for library, sitting/exercise room. Private yard.

NEW PRICE

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE 968 Yarmouth Road | $924,900 5 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 3,200 Square Feet MLS# 215082247

Gracious Village home privately set on .63 acres.

Spacious living room opens to formal dining room.

Family room with access to patio and gorgeous garden views. Remodeled granite kitchen with breakfast room.

Master bedroom with private balcony. Partially fin. LL.

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE 2622 Indian Mound S. | $799,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 3 Half Baths 4,605 Square Feet MLS# 215090680

Ageless Colonial offers 2-story foyer with marble floor leading to huge sunlit living room. Lovely eat-in kitchen opens to family room with 2-sided, gas stone fireplace.

Master offers huge dressing area and bath. 2nd floor laundry. Part. finished basement. Private, fenced yard.

For more information, visit PamStoler.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Julie and Frank Flynn 248.835.4222 JFlynn@HallandHunter.com

248.835.4150 FFlynn@HallandHunter.com

TROY 4929 Adams Pointe Court | $1,149,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 2 Half Baths 5,092 Square Feet MLS# 216011403

Tringali-designed home inspired by classics and exquisitely attuned to today’s way of living. Custom African mahogany front door welcomes you to a beautiful grand entry with Brazilian cherry hardwood floors. Private study, spacious dining room & great room with floor-to-ceiling windows & 2-way fireplace. Chef’s island kitchen featuring custom stone, Lafata cabinets & skylights, opens to family room with fireplace and wet bar. 1st floor master suite with fireplace, spa bath and French doors to patio. Full daylight basement prepped for bath. Security and sound systems, plus central vac. 3-car garage. Bloomfield Hills schools.

BIRMINGHAM 1346 Washington Boulevard | $949,900 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 3,507 Square Feet MLS# 216009469

Walk to town from this beautiful 3500+ square foot newer build that’s move-in ready! The open-concept floor plan offers scraped walnut floors and custom millwork. Enjoy professional grade appliances and extra large granite peninsula in cook’s kitchen that opens to great room with fireplace and large dining room. Private library with French doors and coffered ceiling. Spacious master suite features fireplace and spa bath with Euro shower and jetted tub. Convenient 2nd floor laundry and 3rd floor suite and/or guest quarters.

Finished lower level with full bath and daylight windows. Lovely yard with Trex® deck for relaxing and entertaining.

For more information, visit HallandHunter.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Lynn Baker & Deby Gannes 248.379.3000 LBaker@HallandHunter.com

248.379.3003 DGannes@HallandHunter.com

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 1450 Silverbell Road | $1,699,000

WEST BLOOMFIELD 4711 Cove Road | $1,899,900 5 Bedrooms 6 Full, 1 Half Baths 8,294 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 215123335

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 3102 Royal Berkshire Lane | $719,900 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 5,072 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 216000438

Truly a designer showcase home!

Better than new construction.

Fabulous master. Amazing patio & deck with built-in BBQ kitchen & firepit. Finished walkout LL.

WEST BLOOMFIELD 3332 Pine Estates Drive | $555,000 3 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,260 Square Feet MLS# 2160009974

4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 4,500 Square Feet MLS# 216014260

Gated 2.3 acres with 226’ lakefront & dock/beach on all-sports Walnut Lake. 1st floor master.

Walkout LL with spa/workout room, family room, BR/2 baths.

Quiet street with Pine Lake access and dock at end of street.

Volume ceilings and lots of light.

Updated kitchen and baths. 4th bedroom in finished lower level.

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Extraordinary opportunity to build on a private 10.61 acre estate nestled on your own spring-fed pond & “Billion Dollar Mile.”

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FRANKLIN VILLAGE 25301 Franklin Park Drive | $699,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full Baths 3,814 Square Feet MLS# 215114545

Estate section on private, wooded 1.33 acres surrounded by multimillion dollar homes.

Panoramic views of nature.

Upper level balcony. Greenhouse.

MILFORD VILLAGE 469 John R | $529,900 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 3,747 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 216012328

Amazing Huron Riverfront home!

Kayak to Kensington Metro Park & Proud Lake. Walls of windows overlooking yard & river. Walkout LL with BR/bath, bar & family room.

Visit LynnandDeby.com or Like Us on Facebook at Lynn and Deby - Hall & Hunter Realtors 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

442 South Old Woodward Avenue Birmingham, Michigan 48009

248.644.3500 Erin Keating DeWald Realtor

Amy Zimmer & Tiffany Glime 248.469.6430

248.259.3544

AZimmer@HallandHunter.com

248.930.5656

Erin@erinkdewald.com

TGlime@HallandHunter.com

BIRMINGHAM 492 Larchlea Drive | $1,699,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 4,580 Square Feet MLS# 215111910

Custom home built by Lewand Builders & designed

by Alex Bogaerts. Open floor plan. Impressive kitchen with butlers pantry & walk-in pantry. Elegant master. suite. Huge 2nd floor bonus room. Covered outdoor terrace/patio with fireplace. Finished LL with theater.

BIRMINGHAM 1976 Shipman Boulevard | $899,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 2 Half Baths 3,104 Square Feet MLS# 216011677

Spectacular in-town custom built home by Lewand Builders. Uncompromised quality and detail with premium appliances in gourmet island kitchen overlooking living room. Stunning master with dual vanities & dream closet. Finished LL with full bath.

BIRMINGHAM | $629,000 1751 S. Bates St. | 1751Bates.epropertysites.com 5 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Bath 2,467 Square Feet MLS# 216001146

This custom brick home is an incredible opportunity to live in walking distance to downtown! Openconcept design. 2-story living room. Epicurean island kitchen. 1st floor bedroom. Upper laundry. Deck and covered porch. 2-car garage with guest house.

For more information, visit HallandHunter.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

THE LEAD THREAT MORE THAN JUST WATER SOURCE FOR POISONING

BY KEVIN ELLIOTT ealth and environmental experts have been warning people for decades about the health risks associated with exposure to lead. But, as with many health issues, there is often little thought given to potential hazards until a health crisis presents itself.

With much of the nation's attention currently focused on Flint's water crisis, health and infrastructure officials are facing a deluge of questions regarding the potential of lead contaminated drinking water. However, those with such concerns may be overlooking more commonplace sources of lead poisoning.

In Flint, lead water lines were the source of contamination that resulted in a water crisis in the city.

Throughout suburban Oakland County, older lead lines remain intact and are being used to some degree. However, water and health officials say anti-corrosive measures taken by the Great Lakes Water Authority – formerly the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department – have kept lead levels well below maximum limits for decades, a claim that can be supported by local water quality testing reports.

H

NEW LISTING

116 ENDICOTT roaD I BLOOMFIELD hills I $1,555,000 Amazing 5-bed, 6.1 bath on 1.9 acres with exquisite views to a pristinely manicured backyard from the moment you enter. Live in the exclusive Endicott Lake Community, nestled on a secluded street but just minutes from downtown Birmingham. Enjoy luxe bonus features like 5,000 sq. ft. of entertaining space, a Theater Room and a Nanny Suite.

NEW LISTING

3 2 2 0 7 a u b u r n r o a D I b e v e r ly h i l l s I $ 4 5 9 , 9 0 0

Wonderfully updated Cape Cod in the heart of East Beverly Hills on a beautiful corner lot. Bright white kitchen with granite countertops and a breakfast bar with an adjoining family room. Just a quick walk or short drive to downtown Birmingham.

With over 30 years as a Birmingham resident plus over 25 years in the real estate business, Michael Sbrocca is your local expert whether you’re buying or selling. His wealth of knowledge will be able to provide you with the tools and expertise to achieve the best results for your situation.

Michael Sbrocca Assoc iate Broke r 248.709.9119 msbrocca@maxbroock.com sbroccarealty.com 275 S. Old Woodward Avenue Birmingham, Michigan 48009

"That was a unique situation from a water source," said Oakland County Environmental Health Services Administrator Anthony Drautz. "The water here is typically purchased from Detroit, or is well water. I don't think the two can be compared that way. It's a different situation in Flint than in Oakland County. We are using water from Detroit, and there is corrosion control."

Still, Drautz said local residents have expressed concern about lead contamination in their drinking water.

"We are answering calls specific to lead. That's more of a situation because of what is going on in Flint," he said. "The lead we are used to being asked to look into is dust in homes, mostly in homes with lead paint. Now it's about drinking water."

Across Oakland County, the main sources of lead exposure in suburban communities are dust and lead-based paint particles that deteriorate and flake off inside older homes. Outside soils also may be contaminated by lead-based exterior paints and exhaust from lead-fueled vehicles of the 20th century, which is why nationally higher lead levels are often detected in more densely populated areas where vehicle traffic is heavier or there are more highways. The lead component in vehicle fuel is heavier and will often just fall to the ground or be carried up against buildings and then fall to the

WE ARE ANSWERING CALLS SPECIFIC TO LEAD…THE LEAD WE ARE USED TO BEING ASKED TO LOOK INTO IS DUST IN HOMES, MOSTLY IN HOMES WITH LEAD PAINT. NOW IT'S ABOUT DRINKING WATER.

ground and mix with the soil.

The effects of lead exposure have been evident since ancient times, and in the United States since the 1920s, when leaded gasoline began to fuel automobiles. It wasn't until the 1970s in America that the government took meaningful steps to limit the use of lead in paint, and until 1995 when leaded gasoline was phased out in the United States.

Despite the ban on lead-based products in this country, potential exposure to lead products remains.

Concerns about the use of leaded fuels were raised in the early development of the additives. At the time, car companies were looking for a way to improve engine performance. Engineers with General Motors and Standard Oil Company discovered the addition of tetraethyl lead, or TEL, worked near miracles on engine performance. They also discovered exposure to the product could result in horrific death. In 1924, five men exposed to the additive became "raving mad" and were confined to straight jackets before they died, according to news archives. The incidents earned the fuel the nickname "loony gas," and resulted in a temporary ban of the product in New Jersey, New York City and Philadelphia.

"Using leaded gasoline will produce chronic lead poisoning on a large scale in the population cities," Yale University professor Yandell Henderson said in a

1925 New York Times article. He went on to say that the use of lead in fuel would likely cause "a vast number of the population to suffer from slow lead poisoning."

While lead is naturally found in the ground at low levels, soil with levels of lead at 400 parts per billion (ppb) are of particular concern, according to the EPA. However, a soil sample study conducted by the Detroit Free Press in 2003 throughout Metro Detroit's tri-county area found soil samples as high as 800 ppb in Rochester Hills, which had a median of only 11 ppb at 19 sites.

While the effects of lead exposure were suspected in the 1920s, industry-funded research concluded early on that lead was only a minor health risk. It wasn't until 1975, when automakers began equipping cars with catalytic converters – which are destroyed by leaded gas – that an alternative to leaded gasoline was sought. About 40 percent of all gas sales were that of leaded fuel in 1985, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. A final phase out of leaded gasoline in the United States didn't occur until 1995.

Children are the most susceptible to lead exposure. Because their bodies are growing, they absorb more lead than adults do, and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the effects of lead. Babies and young children are at particular risk of exposure because they are more likely to put their hands and other items exposed to lead dust or soil into their mouths. Lead-based paint was banned for interior use in 1978.

Even low levels of lead in the blood of children can result in behavior and learning problems, lower IQ and hyperactivity, slowed growth, hearing problems and anemia. In rare cases, ingestion of lead can cause seizures, coma and even death. Lead that's ingested or inhaled doesn't exit the body.

Instead, it is stored in bones along with calcium.

That makes it a particular concern for pregnant women, because lead can be released from the bones to the fetus. Lead exposure to adults can lead to cardiovascular issues, decreased kidney function and reproductive issues.

The health effects of lead exposure have been widely documented recently by local and national news reports covering Flint's water crisis. It has also caused some local communities to reassure residents about the quality of local drinking water.

"With recent water quality concerns in Flint, it is important for residents to understand the water quality standards in their community. Birmingham publishes an annual report on water quality which show the sources of water, lists the results of our tests and contains important information about the city's water and public health," the city said in a missive issued on its website. "These annual reports continually show Birmingham's water quality standards surpass the water quality standards mandated by the EPA and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality."

Local water quality reports measure lead levels in parts per billion, or ppb. Under federal water quality requirements, water showing lead levels higher than 15 ppb must take actions to lower the levels.

Reports also list a "90th percentile value," which represents the micrograms per liter concentration that 90 percent of the taps tested were at or below.

If the 90th percentile value is above the action level, additional requirements must be met.

According to results from Birmingham's 2014

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water quality report – the most recent available – no samples in the city were over the action level. The city also had a 90 percent value of 0 micrograms per liter, with no violations in the system. Water quality reports from Bloomfield Hills and Bloomfield Township also listed no samples above the action level, and included a 90th percentile value of 0. The communities receive drinking water from the Great Lakes Water Authority's (GLWA) system, previously administered by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD).

The majority of Oakland County residents receive drinking water from the Great Lakes Water Authority. Others, including a portion of Rochester residents, receive drinking water from local municipal or individual wells. For those hooked into the regional system, water comes from two main sources. Residents living north of 14 Mile Road receive their water from the utility's Lake Huron Water Treatment plant. Those south of 14 Mile Road receive water from the Springwells treatment plant, along the Detroit River.

"Several of our customer communities brought to my attention that they are receiving calls from residents concerned that the water quality issues in Flint may be affecting the water quality in their community. I want to clarify the issue and provide assurance that what is in the press daily regarding

SOILS ALSO MAY BE CONTAMINATED BY LEAD-BASED EXTERIOR PAINTS AND EXHAUST FROM LEAD FUELED VEHICLES OF THE 20TH CENTURY WHERE VEHICLE TRAFFIC IS HEAVIER OR HIGHWAYS EXIST.

Flint is an unfortunate circumstance, limited solely to the homes and businesses served by Flint," said Great Lakes Water Authority CEO Sue McCormick.

McCormick said issues in Flint occurred after the city failed to take steps to manage water chemistry, leading corrosive water from the Flint River to remove protective coatings in the pipes that come in contact with treated water. This caused the lead to leach from service lines and home plumbing – lead that ended up in the water out of the taps. She said Flint has switched back to the Great Lakes Water Authority and improvement in the quality at the tap is being seen.

"We have worked to achieve and maintain optimal corrosion control in our treatment of water," McCormick said. "Federal regulations acknowledge that this treatment technique is the best approach to minimize exposure to lead in drinking water – establishing that protective coating – and minimizing the ability of lead or other materials from the service lines or plumbing fixtures in homes we serve to leach into the water. ... To our knowledge, no community consistently served by GLWA, formerly DWSD, has reported any lead issues."

In Rochester, the western portion of the city, west of the water tower, is supplied by groundwater, while portions east of the water tower are supplied by Utica, by way of the Great Lakes Water Authority.

Regardless of where they receive water, Rochester

Public Works Director David Anason said residents should be secure about lead levels.

"The Clean Water Act guides where and how often we test, and lead is one of the many things we test for," he said. “We have a very low levels, and there is no action required. We continue to produce superior water. (Residents) shouldn't be concerned.

Anason said drinking water in the city is tested at two different locations.

"One is at the source, and the Great Lakes Water Authority tests there and produces the documentation. We also do that in Rochester for our well field," he said. "We also have to test at the distribution system, and we take random samples at multiple locations. We test in multiple private businesses and around town.

"There are some houses that have lead pipes and some older transmission lines that have lead solder, but there is nothing in the water that would cause it to leach."

None of the samples of drinking water from ground wells or the GLWA system in Rochester in 2014 tested above the action level set by the EPA. The city's 90th percentile level was 3.4 micrograms per liter for the city's water wells and .75 micrograms per liter for water from the GLWA. In Rochester Hills, drinking water is supplied by the GLWA. The most recent water quality reports indicate 0 homes tested above the EPA's action level, and a 90th percentile value of 0.

While local water quality reports offer residents a snapshot of water quality, a blood testing for lead levels of children in a community are conducted across the state and reported by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. In total, the department states about 70 percent of the state's children are tested for lead in their first few years.

Under state guidelines, all children enrolled in Medicaid must be blood lead tested at 12 and 24 months of age, or between 36 and 72 months if not previously tested.

The federal Centers for Disease Control uses a reference level of 5 micrograms per deciliter (ug/dL) to identify children with blood lead levels that are higher than most children's levels, down from 10 micrograms per deciliter. The CDC said the new level is based on the US population of children ages 1 to 5 years who are in the highest 2.5 percent of children when tested for lead in their blood. Until recently, children were identified as having a blood lead "level of concern" if the test result is 10 or more micrograms per deciliter of blood. Previously, blood lead level testing below 10 micrograms per deciliter may or may not have been reported to parents.

While the reference level has changed, the CDC has and continues to recommend medical treatment for children with blood lead levels equal or greater to 45 micrograms per deciliter.

According to 2012 state data, about 5,734 children less than six years of age had blood lead levels between 5 ug/dL and 9 ug/dL. The data, which is sorted by zip codes, indicates some of the highest percentage of children with elevated lead blood levels are in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, and Holland.

Statewide, about 4.5 percent of children tested had elevated blood lead levels. State data from 2012 shows about 1.9 percent of the 13,701 children tested in Oakland County had elevated blood levels, with 254 having levels of 5 ug/dL or more, and 24 higher than 10 ug/dL. Meanwhile, in Detroit, 8.5

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percent of the 27,298 children tested had elevated blood levels.

In the Birmingham/Bloomfield and Rochester/Rochester Hills areas, the percentage of children tested who have elevated blood lead levels is low, but still existent, according to 2012 and 2013 data released by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Data for 2014 – the department's most current – suppressed figures if the number of positive results within a zip code fell below 6.

In 2012, 3 of 240 children (1.3 percent) in Birmingham's 48009 zip code had levels of 5 ug/dL or more. None tested were positive in 2013. Positive results in 2014 were less than six.

Two of the three zip codes in Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills had children with elevated blood levels in 2012 or 2013. In 48301, 2 of 104 (1.9 percent) children tested had elevated levels in 2012. In 48304, 1 of 77 (1.3 percent) of children tested in 2012, and 3 of 80 (3.8 percent) had elevated levels in 2013. Positive results in 2014 were less than six.

All three zip codes in the Rochester/Rochester Hills area included children with elevated blood lead levels in 2012 or 2013. In 48306, 1 of 78 (1.3 percent) in 2012 and 1 of 120 (.8 percent) of children tested had elevated blood levels. In 48307, 5 of 299 (1.7 percent) in 2012 and 7 of 277 (2.5 percent) of

WHILE LOCAL WATER QUALITY REPORTS OFFER RESIDENTS A SNAPSHOT, BLOOD TESTING FOR LEAD LEVELS OF CHILDREN ARE CONDUCTED ACROSS THE STATE AND REPORTED BY STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS.

children tested had elevated blood levels. In 48309, 2 of 163 (1.2 percent) children tested in 2013 had elevated blood levels.

Despite the recent focus of blood lead levels associated with exposure to contaminated drinking water, the most common exposure to lead is from lead paint in houses built before 1978, and lead in dust and soil. Old painted toys and furniture, as well as some imported items, may also contain lead in the materials or paint. Products that adults and children handle eery day are potential lead sources, but paint from homes that have not been updated, renovated or remodeled is the primary source for lead exposure. Lead-based paint inside a home can chip off of window frames, walls and doors and can be ingested or inhaled.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services includes data on housing stock in its annual blood lead level report. In Oakland County – where about 1.9 percent of children tested in 2012 had elevated blood lead levels – about 60.5 percent of homes were constructed before 1978, with 14.7 percent of homes built prior to 1950. In Detroit – where about 8.5 percent of children tested in 2012 had elevated blood lead levels – more than 93 percent of homes were built before 1978, and about 62 percent before 1950.

All zip codes in the Birmingham/Bloomfield and Rochester/Rochester Hills areas, except one, have

less than 12 percent of its total homes built prior to 1950. In Birmingham, about 39.8 percent of homes were built prior to 1950. Likewise, the 48069 zip code of Pleasant Ridge has a high percentage (79.6 percent) of pre-1950 housing, but zero cases of elevated blood levels in 2013. However, the Highland Park/Detroit zip code of 48203 – where 11.8 percent of children tested had elevated blood lead levels – has more than 60 percent of its homes constructed before 1950. The differences are likely due to the prominence of fully renovated homes in the two older Oakland County communities.

The state's health department offers assistance to residents through its Lead Safe Homes program, which provides testing and hazard control assistance to qualifying families through grants.

Those who may qualify include families with a child under 6 years old or a pregnant female; low-tomoderate income families; and those living in homes built before 1978. Additional information and resources may be found at the department's website.

Michigan's Department of Community Health maintains a Lead Safe Housing Registry, which can be accessed online. The site is a listing of singlefamily homes, duplexes, apartments and daycare homes and centers that have received professional lead service. Such services may have been to identify lead paint or remove paint hazards. The services must have been performed by a state certified lead professional or company.

According to data at the registry, about 223 properties in Oakland County have received lead services, including one in Birmingham; two in Bloomfield Township; two in Bloomfield Hills; one in Rochester; and four in Rochester Hills.

Rashard Montgomery, owner of RSM Lead Inspections in Southfield, is a certified inspector who has conducted inspections in Bloomfield Township. In addition to private lead inspectors, Oakland County's health and housing departments maintain several certified lead inspectors.

"Typically, it depends on what the client would need one for. It could be if a child is poisoned, if a homeowner is selling a home, or if someone is looking to purchase," Montgomery said of inspections he conducts, which include interior/exterior home inspections, as well as elevated blood level tests. "Certain cities and insurance companies require inspections for rental properties. If renovation work or whatever kind of work is being done on a home that is older, and children are there, best practice is to have it done."

Montgomery said he often analyzes 200 to 500 different components of a building during an inspection, keeping in mind how adults and children may be exposed. "Usually, kids would get it from ingestion, and adults usually from inhalation," he said. "Lead is sweet (tasting), so a child could be drawn back to it."

Lead-based paint became popular because of its speedy drying and increased durability. While banned for interior home use in 1978, lead-based paint was still popular for outdoor uses, and is still available and in utilized today.

"The state still uses it as road paint. They use it everywhere. They used it on other components, like fire hydrants and old playgrounds," Montgomery said. "It's still used. People don't always realize it's lead paint. They use it in marinas for boats or to whitewash decks because it lasts longer. It lasts a long time, but when it goes bad, it goes real bad."

FACES

Emma Darvick eferencing a contemporary sign of true friendship, a greeting card from Happy Hour & Co. reads, ‘I’d give you my aunt’s, next door neighbor’s, HBO Go password.’

“Humor has been really important to me, and that’s something I try to carry forward,” said Birmingham native, and now Brooklyn dweller, Emma Darvick, 28. “I enjoy pushing the boundaries a bit.” Launched in 2013, the greeting card company was a spin off from Darvick’s passion for doodling, drawing and creating.

Darvick met her business partner Brianne Golden at ShootDigital, a photo studio in Brooklyn, where she worked for five years after graduating in 2009 with a bachelors of arts in painting from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

“Because I’m creative and I love doing fun things, it became my unofficial job to make birthday cards for the staff,” said Darvick. “My coworker, best friend, and now business partner and I, would joke about having a greeting card company. We brainstormed so many ideas for cards,” said Darvick. “One day, we said, ‘We can do this,’ and the next day we started doing it.

We came up with a name, and started making different cards and branding. It didn’t feel like we were starting a business at first because we were just making art. Then we started completing the cards and looking at where to get them printed. It all came together naturally.”

Attracted to the clean, bold lines available through Adobe Illustrator, which reminded her of the acrylic paints she used for years, Darvick explored the computer program, excelling in making digital art. Inspired by popular culture, Darvick has used Illustrator to create painting-like depictions of celebrities including Miley Cyrus, Angelina Jolie, and Christopher Meloni.

Putting her own spin on the emogi craze, Darvick developed her own collection of digital icons. “I started with some pretty things – they are so quick and simple for me. I try to do one a day,” she said. “When I really want to go shopping, and I see a shirt or glasses, and I just… I just can’t shop, I just draw it.”

Darvick’s icons include a lava lamp, a can of spray paint, and a bottle of Colt 45.

Showcasing her work online, Darvick posted her work on Instagram and was soon contacted by Elizabeth Rees, founder of Chasing Paper, a boutique company specializing in removable wallpaper designed by various artists. Today, Darvick has her own line of wallpaper, and is thrilled to see her work printed on a large scale.

“The wallpaper has been really wonderful for me, and I want to do more of that. I’m really focused on textiles and home products. I see so many areas where there’s room for illustration – plates, shower curtains, I want to do it all. This has opened the floodgates for me.”

As a child, Darvick gravitated towards the arts and remembers lying on the floor, drawing away.

“I just considered myself an artist. I knew I would get there,” she said. “My parents have always been very supportive, though, it was a little scary for them when I was like, ‘I want to be an art major, and move to New York.’”

R

Story: Katie Deska

Photo: Nathan West

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BELOW THE SURFACE? HAZARDOUS PIPELINES IN OAKLAND COUNTY

BY KATIE DESKA

W

eaving under streets, yards, intersections, between miles of water mains, cables and a network of natural gas lines, four interstate hazardous liquid transmission pipelines bisect Oakland County.

Of those, two carry crude oil; one carries refined petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, and heating oil; and the fourth, ethane.

The companies which operate these potentially hazardous liquid transmission lines running through Oakland County include Enbridge Energy, Sunoco Pipe Line Company and Buckeye Partners. The vast majority of pipelines are gas distributions lines, which typically carry gas composed primarily of methane. Hazardous liquid lines include crude oil, petroleum products and other substances.

Enbridge operates Line 6B, which transmits crude oil through northern Oakland County, including the townships of Addison, Oxford, Brandon, Groveland and Holly. Line 6B continues west through Marshall, Michigan, where, in 2010, a damaged pipe caused the largest inland spill in U.S. history, according to the Michigan Petroleum Pipe Line Task Force.

A second crude oil line in Oakland County, the Marysville-Toledo segment operated by Sunoco Pipeline, runs through the southeast corner of the county, with a route that approximately traverses Troy, Royal Oak, and Southfield. It travels from Marysville, Michigan, near Port Huron, carrying crude oil to Toledo, where it is then distributed to regional refineries.

Sunocoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ethane line, the Mariner West project, is a third hazardous liquid transmission line which goes directly through Oakland County. It stretches from the liquid-rich Marcellus Shale processing and fractionation areas in western Pennsylvania through Ohio and Michigan, en route to Sarnia, Ontario, destined to serve the petrochemical market. Ethane, a hazardous gas compressed into a liquid state for shipping, is used in the manufacturing of many plastics and other goods. The InksterSarnia segment of the Mariner West project snakes through the communities of Bloomfield Township, Birmingham and the greater Rochester area.

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Sunoco’s ethane line, the Mariner West project, is a third hazardous liquid transmission line which goes directly through Oakland County…The Inkster-Sarnia segment of the Mariner West project snakes through the communities of Bloomfield Township, Birmingham and the greater Rochester area.

Ethane, at standard temperature and pressure, is a colorless, odorless gas, which is isolated on an industrial scale from natural gas and is byproduct from petroleum refining. When exposed to oxygen, it becomes a gas, and at room temperature, it is extremely flammable.

Buckeye Partners operates an 8-inch diameter line in Oakland County, which ships petroleum products for other companies. It runs north along Haggerty Road, between the communities of West Bloomfield and Walled Lake, and approximately through Waterford, Clarkston, Groveland Township, and Ortonville.

Pipeline transport of gas and hazardous liquid – including, oil, petroleum products and ethane – is viewed as the safest, most efficient and environmentally-sane method of shipment currently available, and is preferred by the oil and gas industry and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) rather than by tanker trucks or railcar.

Pipelines are regulated by a consortium of government agencies, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the Coast Guard, if it threatens surface water; the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA); and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Pipeline operators must report to PHMSA on incidents that meet certain criteria. For the system of hazardous liquids, between 1996 and 2015 in the United States and the offshore areas beyond state lines, over 6,000 accidents were reported. Of those, 2,720 were considered significant, which includes accidents that cause death or hospitalization; cost more than $50,000; release five or more barrels of highly volatile liquid; and/or cause an unintentional fire. The number of significant accidents in a single year for all states and offshore areas combined peaked at 174, which occurred in 1996 and 2015.

The cost over the last two decades tallied nearly $4 billion, of which 24 percent, or roughly $964 million, was attributed to the 36 significant accidents that took place in Michigan. Approximately 1.78 million gallons, or 42,412 barrels, spilled in the Great Lakes state, resulting in a net loss of 9,065 barrels of hazardous liquid after cleanup efforts.

Local fire departments and hazmat teams are the first responders, often after residents call 911, noted Bloomfield Township Fire Department Lieutenant William Fritz. “If there were a leak or a rupture, we would probably get calls from citizens before we'd ever get calls from the company,” which then notifies the federal agencies, Fritz said. “We would move in as the fire department first, because our first

concern is people's safety. There's always an explosion risk, and then follow up with our hazmat team. There are four or five guys that are trained and on the Oakland County Hazmat team. We would utilize our assets.”

Despite the high rate of hazard of the materials carried in these pipelines, PHMSA is only required to inspect interstate pipelines in locations deemed by the PHMSA to be “highconsequence areas,” such as highly populated or environmentally sensitive areas. “For transmission pipelines within highconsequence areas, for gas, they must be inspected every seven years, and for hazardous liquid, every five years at least,” said Samya Lutz, outreach coordinator for the Pipeline Safety Trust, a non-profit established in Olympia, Washington after three boys were killed in a 1999 explosion caused from a leak in a pipeline carrying gasoline.

However, Fritz said Sunoco, by law, prepares and inspects their pipeline on both a weekly and annual basis. The line cuts right through the heart of Bloomfield Township, along Long Lake Road, with a pump station at Groton and Long Lake, on a former single-family site, which was built in late 2013, after Sunoco did a pipeline upgrade and switched its transport from a general transport pipeline to one which only transports ethane.

There are also pump stations in Rochester Hills, on Dequindre, near Yates Cider Mill, and in Troy at Arlund and Square Lake Roads, one block east of Adams.

Fritz said that, by federal law, Sunoco has to fly over the entire pipeline and inspect it once a week. “You can see a Cessna plane saying 'pipeline' flying low over the area once a week,” he said. In addition, Sunoco is required to walk the whole pipeline once a year to inspect for leaks or cracks.

PHMSA employs 243 individuals who make up the agency’s pipeline inspection and enforcement staff. The group “includes engineers, transportation specialists, lawyers, and others that support inspection and enforcement activities,” stated Darius Kirkwood, public affairs specialist for PHMSA. “We also rely on more than 500 state inspectors who carry out the majority of pipeline inspections for state agencies.”

Like most states, Michigan participates in the federal/state cooperative gas program, which certifies the Michigan Public Service Commission to inspect, and enforce intrastate natural gas pipeline safety statutes. Michigan is also one of a handful of states that acts as an interstate agent for interstate natural gas lines, enabling the Michigan Public Service

Commission to operate as an agent for the federal authority.

“Inspections are done on an ongoing basis.

For calendar year 2015, (Michigan Public Service Commission) safety engineers inspected all jurisdictional natural gas pipeline operators as required, achieving a total of 791 inspection days,” said Judy Palnau, media and public information specialist for the Michigan Agency for Energy and Michigan Public Service Commission.

On the other hand, Michigan does not participate as an agent on behalf of the federal regulatory body for the hazardous liquid pipeline state or interstate safety program. To qualify for certification, as Michigan has in the case of natural gas lines, a state must “provide for injunctive and monetary sanctions substantially the same as those authorized by the federal pipeline safety statutes,” and, according to the PHMSA website, the state must “encourage and promote the establishment of a program designed to prevent damage by demolition, excavation, tunneling, or construction activity to the pipeline facilities to which the certification applies, that subjects persons who violate the application requirements of that program to civil penalties and other enforcement actions.” These plans are then “characterized,” or evaluated, by PHMSA officials. Any probable violations are relayed to the federal Office of Public Safety. For intrastate lines, those which do not cross state borders, a state may set stricter regulations, but those laws must meet minimum federal safety standards.

Various methods of inspection are available, and technology has improved to make its inspections more reliable. However, the method of inspection is not specified in the federal code, Lutz of the Pipeline Safety Trust, noted.

“Throughout these pipeline safety regulations, there are types of references that aren’t prescriptive by nature. It’s like having a speed limit sign that says ‘drive safely’ with a smiley face, but doesn’t list a number. That’s the case in a lot of these pipeline safety regulations.

They don’t call out prescriptive standards in many places. There are a few prescriptive standards, there’s an example when they talk about how deep a pipe needs to be buried, that it must (meet that standard) at the time of construction, but no where does (the code) say that it must be maintained over time.”

Last October, PHMSA released proposed new safety regulations for hazardous liquid pipelines, which “addressed four congressional mandates, two National Transportation Safety Board recommendations, and a Government

Despite the high rate of hazard of the materials carried in these pipelines, PHMSA is only required to inspect interstate pipelines in locations deemed by PHMSA to be “high-consequence areas,” such as highly populated or environmentally sensitive areas every five to seven years at least.

Accountability Office recommendation that PHMSA gather information and incident history for onshore hazardous liquid gathering lines to determine if stronger regulations are needed,” according to a press release published by the agency. One of the proposed rules “would require that all hazardous liquid pipelines have a system for detecting leaks and establish a timeline for inspections of affected pipelines following an extreme weather event or natural disaster.”

A Buckeye Pipe Line Company representative who is located in Michigan and works on the company’s flagship midwest north-south line along Haggerty Road said, “They do a lot of field inspection, and look at the tanks, (but) the tanks aren’t ours. They look at the manifold piping, how we do things. They compare our policies and procedures with what we're doing in the field. (An inspector) came last year. They come once every three to five years, maybe.”

That line runs from Toledo or Lima, Ohio to the Detroit area, on to Flint. The pipe Buckeye operates transports gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and other refined petroleum products. “We’re like UPS or FedEx. Anyone – Marathon, Sunoco, the shippers on those lines – we're just the transportation mechanism,” he said. He noted that one of the line’s largest shippers is Marathon, and a substantial number of barrels are piped to and from the Marathon refinery located in southwest Detroit.

While a portion of the commodities shipped do reach buyers in the state, many barrels are destined to cross state lines or international borders, such as Sunoco’s ethane line headed to Canada, which began shipping ethane in December of 2013. The Inkster-Sarnia segment of the project enters Oakland County at 8 Mile Road, and runs north along Inkster Road, jogs east at 14 Mile Road, and continues north along Franklin Road, passing the boundaries of Birmingham and Bloomfield Township, where it hooks east again at Long Lake Road, to connect to Telegraph Road. Northbound, it reaches Square Lake Road, and travels east to Livernois Road. The line goes on to bisect M-59, where it then crosses northeast into Rochester Hills and Rochester, exiting the county at Dequindre Road, just north of Avon Road, at Cut Crystal Lane.

The Mariner West line was designed to ship 50,000 barrels of ethane a day, and the website notes the line can accommodate higher volumes.

“Ethane is an essential feedstock for the production of ethylene, from which plastics, textiles, coatings, flooring, detergents, and

many other materials are produced. Ethane can also be burned as fuel, including for power generation, though it is not widely used for that purpose in the U.S.,” said Jeff Shields, communication manager for Sunoco Logistics.

“The original (Mariner West pipeline) was installed in 1950. Some sections were replaced in 2013,” said Shields.

Both pipes operated by Sunoco are made of carbon steel, which has less carbon content than iron, a hard but comparatively brittle metal susceptible to damage and used in older pipes.

Cast iron pipes are troubling to safety regulating agencies, such as PHMSA, because of the increased potential for breaks, and subsequent leaks. According to an American Petroleum Institute report prepared in 2001, “By the late 1960s, manufacturers began to use low alloy or low carbon steels exclusively, in tougher grades, resulting in steel with few defects.”

However, cast iron pipes remain underground both nationally and locally, and the USDOT stated there are still “about 36,000 miles of cast iron main (natural) gas distribution lines in the U.S.” Five states hold 80 percent of those, one of which is Michigan.

When a leak occurs in a pipe transporting ethane, the hazardous liquid, the pressure will decrease and vapor will escape. As ethane is heavier than air, the extremely flammable gas will typically spread close to the ground.

“Ethane is a highly volatile liquid,” said Lutz of the Pipeline Safety Trust. “Generally (highly volatile liquids) are liquid at ambient temperature and pressures less than 1000 (pounds per square inch).” When a leak occurs, “it flows around the ground and can gather, and if not ignited, can be an asphyxiation danger, or if ignited, it can be a fireball that doesn’t disperse quickly.”

Like other hazardous liquid leaks, crude oil spills can be detrimental to the watershed, the environment and its species, and cause undue hardship for the landowners in the spill zone.

Enbridge Energy had to rebuild Line 6B, alongside the former line, after the 30-inch diameter pipe ruptured in a wetlands in Marshall, Michigan, about 120 miles west of Birmingham. The incident caused an estimated 843,000 gallons of heavy crude oil to be dumped into Talmadge Creek and, subsequently, the Kalamazoo River. According to the accident report prepared by the National Transportation Safety Board, the rupture “occurred in the final minute of a planned shutdown” and “was not discovered or addressed for over 17 hours.

During the time lapse, Enbridge twice pumped additional oil (81 percent of the total release) into Line 6B during two startups... About 320

people reported symptoms consistent with crude oil exposure. No fatalities were reported.”

At the time of the break, the commodity being shipped was a sticky fossil fuel, called diluted bitumen, a substance too thick to travel by pipe without dilution via lighter grade oil.

Had it migrated an additional 80 river miles, it would have reached Lake Michigan, according to the EPA, the federal agency charged with leading the cleanup of the disaster.

Regarding the Line 6B spill, “Clearly water is impacted,” said Ralph Dollhoph, federal onscene coordinator for Region 5 of the EPA. “We are immediately the lead agency. It's our responsibility to manage and oversee, and in some cases, direct the cleanup of responsible parties. That to-do list can be transmitted to them in different ways. Sometimes we issue an administrative order (as with Enbridge), that requires them to do X, Y, Z. “I was the on-scene federal coordinator that was charged with overseeing the cleanup response of that (Line 6B spill) back in 2010,” he said. “When it comes to oil or petroleum pipelines, those are predominantly what the EPA responds to. Our marching orders, our objectives, are to get as much of the oil recovered as we can until we get to the point when there is more environmental harm being caused by clean up activities than the environmental benefits. We call that a net environmental analysis.” Dollhoph gave the example of when there’s “highly valued aquatic plants or highly valued aquatic animals, whose environment would be destroyed by clean up activity.” In that case, he said, using excavation equipment to tear up the wetland “may be more detrimental that letting it naturally biodegrade over time – heal, if you will.”

Who paid for the Enbridge spill and clean up? Costs incurred by Enbridge exceeded $1 billion. “Funding for the incident like Enbridge on the Kalamazoo River, that funding for the cleanup predominantly comes from responsible parties, however, there are costs associated with government involvement in government oversight. Those monies come from what’s called an oil spill liability trust fund,” said Dollhopf. “Our government costs exceeded $60 million. However, once clean up is done, or before it’s done, the government seeks reimbursement for those costs from the responsible parties.” Meaning, Enbridge.

Locally, Oakland County has a Hazardous Materials Response Team, part of a statewide response team and the Michigan State Police Regional Response Team, designed and prepared to react in case of a hazardous leak or spill. “Membership (in the county’s response

There is also a certain air of mystery surrounding what is contained in the pipes running through communities. What is transported in those pipelines is not necessarily communicated to – nor regulated by – state or local officials. The exact location of pipelines is also not information that’s readily available to the public. team) includes 40 hazmat technicians, specialists, and officers from multiple participating fire departments, police departments, and public safety agencies,” according to its website.

If there is a leak, “the pipeline company would have to come in and stop the leak – they're high-priced distribution lines,” said Sean Canto, chief of fire and emergency services for Rochester Hills. “Our dispatch system also has the information on which company to contact.

We can also contact MDEQ and the Department of Homeland secretary to get people rolling.”

Birmingham Fire Chief John Connaughton explained potential signs of leaks. “The vegetation starts to turn brown, like a 20-foot area turns brown. That's an alert that there is a leak. Or there could be standing liquid where it shouldn't be and another indicator that there is a broken pipe. We don't have a lot of lines in Birmingham. But we're absolutely prepared.”

Bloomfield Township's Lt. Fritz disagreed.

“Really, there's no way to prepare for it. While a small leak could be contained, like a having a natural gas leak if it's caught early. But otherwise, anything else would be pretty devastating,” he said. “Anything else could be a complete rupture of the line, and the potential is there.

“It doesn't happen often,” Fritz noted. “Only two to three times a decade. The lines are pretty safe. But our biggest concern is the age of the lines, and how often they are inspected.”

“Multiple commodity lines do transport substances through pipelines. None go through Bloomfield Hills, but do go through Bloomfield Township,” said David Hendrickson, chief of public safety for Bloomfield Hills. “We're actually more concerned about tanker accidents and tanker spills, sulfur dioxide spills and noxious gas spills on the track because we have train tracks along Kensington Road.”

Ironically, the federal agency that responds to the spill, the EPA, does not partake in setting safety regulations.

“I’m not aware of any role that the EPA has when it comes to advising PHMSA on regulations. That is strictly a DOT (Department of Transportaton)i jurisdiction. The EPA’s role is to respond to pipeline and hazardous material incidents. Similarly, PHMSA is not a response agency. Only the EPA and Coast Guard can do that,” Dollhoph said. “PHMSA also has a role when it comes to ensuring pipeline companies had adequate contingency planning in place, for spills of pipelines. PHMSA is charged with the responsibility to oversee the pipeline company’s facility response plan.”

There is also a certain air of mystery that

surrounds what is contained in the pipes running through communities. What is transported in those pipelines is not necessarily communicated to – nor regulated by – state or local officials.

“We do not keep records, or have knowledge of what (the companies) transfer,” said Dave Chislea, manager of gas safety operations for the Michigan Public Service Commission.

“PHMSA doesn’t keep that information. We wouldn’t know what specific products they’re transferring. From a practical standpoint, whether it’s a heavy crude or light crude, I don’t think there’s a need for a regulator to know that. From a pipeline safety perspective it doesn’t matter if it’s crude or light. Products within the pipe, it doesn’t affect the design.”

“As a pipeline company, we transport what the customers request to transport,” said Sunoco's Shields. “There are no separate regulations for the type or grade of crude oil,” which the industry classifies as light, medium, heavy, or extra heavy, according to the American Petroleum Institute Gravity Index.

The exact location of pipelines is also not information that’s readily available to the public. A vague route of an interstate hazardous liquid line or gas distribution line can be found online through the National Pipeline Mapping System. The non-specific nature of the mapping system is intentional in an effort to protect against security threats to the energy industry.

“The Public Map Viewer must not be used to identify exact location of pipelines,” the site states. “The (National Pipeline Mapping System) does in fact provide data for inter- and intrastate hazardous liquid pipeline systems,” said Kirkwood of PHMSA. “The only types of lines that are not included in (the system) are unregulated pipeline systems or those we do not collect data for, such as distribution or gathering lines.”

Currently there’s a bill before the Michigan House of Representatives that would further prevent public access to the location of the pipelines. House Bill 4540 would amend two sections of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to allow a public body “to exempt from disclosure information that is presumed to be critical energy infrastructure information… The presumption continues until determined otherwise by the Michigan Agency for Energy.”

“There are already protections in the law for property data that can be exempted with existing FOIA rules, and in (the Pipeline Safety Trust’s) opinion, that is plenty of protection, and there’s no need for Michigan to go above and beyond that,” said Lutz. “It’s so important for the public to access this information. The

regulators need public attention to do their job well, and when it’s difficult for the public to access information, then we can’t help them stay accountable for what they do. The citizens have a big role to play to keep (the pipelines) safe, and keeping this out of the hands of the citizens is really a disservice to the whole goal of pipeline safety.”

Lastly, while many pipelines have been in place for years, there are periodic requests for new lines. The state Crude Oil and Petroleum Act of 1929 gives the Michigan Public Service Commission the authority to approve the construction of new crude oil and petroleum pipelines within Michigan. The act specifically outlines the key role that eminent domain plays in siting new pipelines, stating that an authorized entity “is granted the right to condemn property by eminent domain and the use of the highways in this state to acquire necessary rights-of-way” in order to transport crude oil, petroleum, or carbon dioxide substances.

Although different types of commodities can cause various degrees of harm if improperly transported, the Michigan Public Service Commission doesn’t take into account what is being pushed through the line when it approves a line. “To acquire eminent domain, the interstate pipeline has to have Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval,” said Bloomfield Hills attorney Alan Ackerman.

In a rare, and successful, effort to keep a new line out of northern Oakland County when a section of the 700-plus mile ET Rover natural gas pipeline was slated to traverse Oakland County, neighbors and Oakland County commissioners Robert ‘Bob’ Hoffman and Michael Spisz recently mobilized their community to fight it.

“Rover was not about being on my property,” Hoffman said. “But I represent Highland, Springfield, Holly and Groveland townships.” In some cases, the route was “too close to residents, like the front porch, like really close,” said Hoffman. “It would impact someone’s residential properties and might hurt the value – that would impact the value of your home, you can’t add on, you can't do any construction on the easement because they don’t want the chance of hitting it. A group got together, and commissioner Mike Spiz, representing Brandon, played a hand also, to try to convince them there might be a better route. For whatever reasons, probably a certain amount of pressure, I’m convinced, they found a better route. I know they did because they moved it.”

The Rover pipeline was re-routed to Genesee and Lapeer counties.

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FACES Todd A. Kessler efore writer and producer Todd A. Kessler was working on shows like "The Sopranos," "Damages" and "Bloodline," he was writing his own plays at Cranbrook Kingswood High School and Harvard University.

"My dog was named Birmingham. I saw a lot of plays at Village Players theater," said Kessler, who spent much of his life in the area. "My parents were from Queens, and moved back in 1994.

My two older brothers were born in New York. They live in Los Angeles, and I live in Brooklyn. I haven't been back in eight or nine years. It's been a while."

Kessler has recently been spending much of his time in the Florida Keys, where he is producing the second season of "Bloodline" for Netflix. Created by Todd, his older brother Glenn, and their longtime friend Daniel Zelman, the show focuses on a family whose secrets are revealed when their black sheep brother returns home. It's the second show created and written by the trio.

"We wanted to explore family dynamics. It centers around the roles we all play in our families. Sometimes they are assigned at a young age and it's hard to break free of those roles," Kessler said. "The notion of a black sheep in the family and what that is â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sometimes people have a relative that it's easier to have them not show up, but if you don't look deeper into why they are the way they are, you're missing an opportunity to learn about one's own self, and your family."

Prior to "Bloodline," Zelman and the brothers created "Damages," starring Glenn Close which ran for five seasons.

Kessler also wrote and/or produced several seasons of "The Sopranos," "Robbery Homicide Division," and "Providence."

"Writing was something I always enjoyed doing," Kessler said. "I had teachers who were very supportive."

That support led Kessler in his senior year at Cranbrook to write a play of his own. He followed that up with another play for his thesis at Harvard. "At the time, Harvard wasn't supportive of that, so I had to create my own major to write and direct a play."

When American film icon Spike Lee was visiting Harvard for a class, Kessler, then 22 years old, got lucky and was able to get Lee to take a look at his work. Lee liked it and had Kessler write a screenplay based on his thesis. While the movie was never able to be made, it provided a huge opportunity for Kessler to launch his career.

"It's not just getting lucky once," he said. "You have to be willing to do the work â&#x20AC;&#x201C; staying longer and working longer hours.

There's a lot of sacrifice in your personal life. It's extremely competitive, and there are a lot of people interested in being writers and directors."

With little television experience, Kessler later wrote a spec script of his then favorite show, "NYPD Blue," which led to two television writing jobs, which led to his third job, writing episodes of "The Sopranos" for creator David Chase.

"That really changed my life in the television world. The only show I was a fan of was NYPD Blue, and I was unhappy in writing for TV. Then The Sopranos came along and brought me back to New York. It showed me you could do writing in a series that is deeply personal."

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Birmingham

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Stately red brick colonial, built in the 20's, sitting on nearly one acre of beautiful grounds in Bloomfield Village. Newer kitchen with Wolf stove and Sub Zero fridge. Four bdrms, 2.2 baths. Two car side entry garage. Tremendous character and charm throughout.

Quarton Lake Estates 1939 built tudor on a nice corner lot.

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Birmingham

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Wonderful 4 bedroom 3.1 bath home in desirable Birmingham Estates neighborhood. Beautiful newer kitchen with granite tops, center island and SS appls. Gorgeous 80 ft wide lot. Walking distance to town.

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Hard to find spacious condo in the city of Bloomfield Hills with a first floor master suite. Two car attached garage and first floor laundry. 3 bedrooms, 3.1 baths with a main floor den. Finished basement.

1023 Chester

Birmingham

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Newer build 3 bedroom, 2.2 bath colonial just blocks from town.

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1298 Brookwood

Birmingham

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Well maintained Quarton Lake colonial on a 105 foot wide lot. White eat-in kitchen with corian counters and Sub-zero ref. Gas fireplaces in LR and FR. Spacious master suite with 2 WIC’s and master bath.

Finished rec room in basement. Private fenced yard.

25812 Hersheyvale

Franklin

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At the end of a cul-de-sac on over an acre of beautiful grounds. This quad-level home is spacious with a nice floor plan. 4 bedrooms, 2.2 baths. Two car attached side entry garage. In an area of multi-million dollar homes. Great lot value as well.

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AIRBNB ITS EFFECT ON THE LOCAL RENTAL ECONOMY

BY LISA BRODY

F

or two and a half years, Donald (not his real name), a Birmingham attorney, let people from all over the world come and stay at his house, for a night or two, and up to a week at a time. Sometimes he was at home while they were there, and other times, he left a key, instructions on how to maneuver around his home and the downtown Birmingham area, and he took off. He never personally knew any of the people who stayed in his house prior to their arriving, and yet he had no qualms about their sleeping under his roof, using his kitchen, and being sure he would receive payment for their stay.

The transactions between Donald and those lodging at his Birmingham home were conducted through Airbnb, a website for people to list, find and rent lodging in 34,000 cities and 190 countries around the world. Some consider it a Craigslist-like site for travelers. It was founded in October 2007, by Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia not long after the two moved to San Francisco, when they had difficulty affording the rent for their loft. To pay for it they made their living room into a bed and breakfast by hosting up to three people on air mattresses and providing them with a homemade breakfast.

H

aving success with that model, they took it a step further. Chesky, Gebbia, and a third friend, Nathan Blecharczyk, began to focus on high profile events in San Francisco where there was a shortage of available rooms to stay, and they launched Airbedandbreakfast.com in August 2008. By March 2009, the name was shortened to Airbnb.com, and according to Details magazine, the site's content had quickly expanded from air beds and shared spaces to a wide variety of properties, including everything from entire homes and apartments, private rooms in homes and apartments, castles, boats, manors, tree houses, tipis, igloos, and even private islands.

Today, there are approximately 1.5 million listings available, including over 300 listings in Birmingham, Bloomfield, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Royal Oak, West Bloomfield, and other Oakland County locations. They range from a “room for a medical student,” to more lavish homes and large lakefront houses. Some rentals are inexpensive $20 overnight stays, and locally they can range all the way up to $300 for a night. There are also opportunities for long-term rental stays, which can be convenient for business and educational travelers.

Airbnb is part of what is referred to as “shared economy” services like Uber. Edith Ramirez, head of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in a speech in October 2015, warned that while some targeted regulations may be needed for these services, imposing “legacy regulations on new business models can stifle competition and ultimately leave consumers worse off,” although protection of consumers must be upheld in areas of health, safety and privacy.

“We must allow competition and innovation in the form of these new peer-to-peer business models to flourish,” Ramirez said. “At the same time, where necessary, targeted regulatory measures may be needed to ensure these new business models have appropriate consumer protections; but they should be no greater than necessary to address those concerns.”

She noted that new regulations might be better coming from agencies other than the FTC. Donald, who said he has been very selective about who he has let stay in his house in Birmingham, found the experience of renting through Airbnb a 100 percent positive one. “Overall, it was a great experience,” he said, recently taking his home off the site only because he got engaged. “Airbnb was great. I always got my money, and honestly, I never worried about any of the people who came to my home.”

Donald first became a host in August 2014, when he heard about Airbnb from a friend in Brooklyn. “He was using it for his own business travels, and was renting out his own apartment,” he said. “When I first heard about it, I thought that sounds weird, but you'd be surprised at the quality you get.”

He said he had a wide variety of guests stay with him, from

“venture capital folks, one from Virginia, others from Brazil and France. I had German pop stars who came here wanting to shoot a music video at the Pontiac Silverdome, and Harvard PhD's, as well as police officers who came here for a fellow officer's funeral.

I also had law professors who came for a Cranbrook reunion.

They were all very highly educated.”

An interesting guest stay was a family of doctors from Romania, who came here “trying to raise money to to build an oncology institute in Transylvania.” While he's not sure if they were successful in raising the funds they sought, he said they were pleasant, friendly and considerate, and enjoyed the Birmingham area.

In Birmingham, under current zoning ordinances, there is nothing prohibiting Donald, or other Birmingham residents, from participating in Airbnb as hosts.

“Nothing currently governs Airbnbs under Birmingham's ordinances,” confirmed Birmingham City Manager Joe Valentine.

An ordinance for rooming houses prohibits “renting or leasing a room in a rooming house until either a temporary or annual license has been issued by the building official,” but as Valentine noted, there currently aren't any rooming houses in Birmingham, and that ordinance is only for rooming houses. “That refers to a specific category of building.”

V

alentine said the city has not had any complaints from neighbors in areas where people are Airbnb hosts. “They're typically private arrangements.

From a public health and safety concern, when money is being exchanged, we always want to maintain strong public health and safety,” he said. “There has been some discussions on the state level regarding regulating them on the state level, but nothing has been adopted or evolved from those discussions. But currently there is no legislation in effect to regulate it.”

According to state Rep. Mike McCready (R-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township), there is nothing currently being worked on to regulate Airbnb, nor has there been any legislation prohibiting it, although some individual communities are enacting zoning ordinances.

“We had an issue with one a few weeks ago, and it was a zoning ordinance violation,” said Jay Cravens, Bloomfield Hills city manager. “It was straight and simple. Single family homes are defined as a single family unit by our own Bloomfield Hills ordinances.” In this instance, he said, “a couple bought a substantial home in the city and was using rental income to augment their income, and that is prohibited.”

Cravens said he had been alerted by a city commissioner that there was an advertisement for the Bloomfield Hills residence on Airbnb's website.

“I typed in Bloomfield Hills, and sure enough, there was a picture of the home. With Google Maps, I could identify the house,” he said, getting the address. “I sent out a violation notice and the number of days for them to comply. Typically, we give 30 days to comply. I received a response back from the property owner that they would take themselves off the site. However, they want the city commission to revise our ordinance to reflect modern times to permit this kind of use. I have no intention of bringing it before the city commission.

“I cannot imagine any community permitting this for any of their residential properties,” he said.

Yet, like Birmingham, many municipalities do not have any

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Sotheby’s International Realty® 2016 MaRketIng Plan JAN

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I N T E G R AT E D PA R T N E R S H I P S NYTIMES.COM VIDEO INTEGRATION NYTIMES.COM HERO CAROUSEL IN REAL ESTATE: FIND A HOME NYTIMES.COM SPONSORED PROPERTY IN REAL ESTATE SEARCH SALES NYTIMES.COM MOBILE IN-STREAM FEATURED PROPERTY NYTIMES.COM CROSS-PLATFORM REAL ESTATE SLIDESHOW SPONSORSHIP NYTIMES.COM INTERNATIONAL HOME PAGE REAL ESTATE MODULE NYTIMES.COM PROPERTY LISTINGS NYTIMES.COM MOBILE FLEX FRAME WSJ.COM EXCLUSIVE FRIDAY REAL ESTATE OWNERSHIP WSJ.COM IPAD MANSION EXCLUSIVE SPONSORSHIP WSJ.COM CUSTOM VIDEO SERIES “HOUSE GUEST” WSJDN.COM GLOBAL NETWORK VIDEO MANSIONGLOBAL.COM EXCLUSIVE FRIDAY HOMEPAGE OWNERSHIP MANSIONGLOBAL.COM LIFESTYLE SEARCH OWNERSHIP MANSIONGLOBAL.COM HOMEPAGE FEATURED PROPERTIES MODULE MANSIONGLOBAL.COM HOMEPAGE HERO UNIT FT CO-BRANDED PROPERTY PRINT PROMOTION 18X 1/4 PAGE FT.COM DISTINCTIVE LIVING CO-BRANDED BANNERS FT.COM LAUNCH LISTINGS SPONSORSHIP BLOOMBERG.COM LIVE TV AND VOD PRE-ROLL VIDEO BLOOMBERG.COM HIGH NET & LUXURY CONSUMER INDIVIDUAL AUDIENCE TARGETING AD.COM EXCLUSIVE HOMEPAGE TAKEOVER AD.COM E-NEWSLETTER INTEGRATION AD.COM EXCLUSIVE SPONSORSHIP OF CELEBRITY HOMES FOR SALE AD.COM OWNERSHIP OF REAL ESTATE INDEX PAGE AD.COM OWNERSHIP OF REAL ESTATE SUBCHANNEL AD.COM NATIVE SLIDESHOW DWELL.COM CUSTOM SPONSORED POSTS W/PROPERTY SLIDESHOW DWELL.COM NATIVE POSTS W/VIDEO + SOCIAL PROMOTION DWELL.COM SPONSORED COLLABORATIVE COLLECTION (5 ARTICLES) DWELL.COM FIXED SEARCH TERM SPONSORSHIP DWELL.COM SOCIAL PROMOTION (2X FB, 2X TWITTER) DWELL.COM PINTEREST BOARD COLLABORATION DWELL.COM LISTINGS PAGE DWELL.COM REAL ESTATE PARTNER EXCLUSIVITY JAMESEDITION.COM CUSTOM PROPERTY LISTINGS LUXURYESTATE.COM LISTINGS LUXURYESTATE.COM EDITORIAL PROPGOLUXURY LISTINGS PROPGOLUXURY EDITORIAL NEWS FEATURE ELLE DÉCOR PROPERTY GALLERIES DESTINATION (LISTINGS) ELLE DÉCOR CROSS PLATFORM CONTENT ROADBLOCK ELLE DÉCOR CUSTOM HERO UNIT ELLE DÉCOR NATIVE TOUT ELLE DÉCOR CONTENT IGNITION ELLE DÉCOR HOMEPAGE SPONSORSHIP ELLE DÉCOR CUSTOM MARQUEE ELLE DÉCOR CELEBRITY HOMES SPONSORSHIP

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Sothebyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Global Exposure THE NEW YORK TIMES

Our 2015 advertising program with The

New York Times is a continuation of years prior and is structured to fetch nearly 300 million media impressions through branding and listing exposure elements, utilizing local ownership advertising opportunities and fixed positioning on various New York Times channels. This long-term plan features exclusivity and dominance in both print and digital marketing opportunities, designed to attract a diverse worldwide audience to more than

and maximize our reach

40 million unique

NYT monthly readers.

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Sothebyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Global Exposure THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

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The Wall Street Journal offers an array of opportunities to showcase the homes represented by our network to the global audience that turns to this media icon for their daily source of insights into both micro and macro financial and economic landscapes. Designed to deliver 170 million impressions, this marketing strategy is comprised of a worldwide, multi-faceted program providing our brand with

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Sothebyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Global Exposure ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST Every day, Architectural Digest inspires millions of affluent home enthusiasts to redesign and refresh their lives through a multi-platform presence that includes print and digital connections. Our alignment with AD will deliver an anticipated 14 million media impressions and encompasses an integrated online partnership through a commanding presence on

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architecturaldigest.com. Recently redesigned and re-engineered, architecturaldigest.com ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST Every day, Architectural Digest MRWTMVIW QMPPMSRW SJ EJžYIRX LSQI IRXLYWMEWXW

attracts toonredesign average moretheir than unique monthly consuming about 10 and refresh lives900,000 through a multi-platform presencevisitors, that includes print and digital connections.

Our alignment with AD will deliver an anticipated 8 million media impressions and encompasses an pages per visit and the perfect environment to uniquely showcase the Recently homesredesigned we integrated onlineispartnership through a commanding presence on architecturaldigest.com.

O and re-engineered, architecturaldigest.com attracts on average more than 900,000 unique represent. monthly visitors, consuming about 10 pages per visit and is the perfect environment to uniquely showcase the homes we represent.

8

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248.644.7000

10

1.4

17,515

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Bloomfield Hills $12,700,000 Premier custom built home located on Bloomfield Hills Country Club Golf Course. 215096375

6

8.5

13,347

4

6.2

6406

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Turtle Lake Frontage $12,000,000

Bloomfield $1,495,000

Stunning Waterfront Estate set on over 7 acres-original estate.

216006993 co-listor Jaime Rae Turnbull

Wonderful Private Estate on 1.44 acres featuring pool and cabana.

215013035

Ronni Keating

signaturesothebys.com

248.644.7000

RECENTLY REDUCED

6

6.2

6302

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Birmingham $1,849,000 Stunning Colonial in prime Birmingham will enchant you with its beautiful brick and stone facade, lovely lush grounds, private outdoor spaces, and exquisite details inside and out. 216013036

3

3.1

2820

3

3.1

2320

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Birmingham $949,000

Birmingham $615,000

Custom built home by Town Building Company located on Birminghamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only boulevard street. 215095489

Impeccably maintained Colonial is a charmer.

216008124

Dan Gutfreund

signaturesothebys.com

248.644.7000

5

4.2

7100

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Lake Angelus Frontage $2,695,000 Spectacular views from every room in this truly unique 8+ acre property reminiscent of the older Estates on the East Coast. 215108844

4

5.3

6423

3

3

4500

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Metamora $1,350,000

Lake Angelus Frontage $1,225,000

Fabulous French Country Estate on 52 acres with private all sports spring fed 20 acre lake.

216010509

Completely remodeled in the past 7 years with beautiful landscaping.

215113393

Lee Embrey

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5

5.1

5243

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Bloomfield Village $1,599,000 Magnificent Colonial completely renovated by David Force Building Company. 216010973

4

5.1

3053

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Birmingham $1,130,000 Spectacular updated Colonial located on one of the most desirable streets in Birmingham. 216008975

John & Bridget Apap

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248.644.7000

4

4.1

3500

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Birmingham $1,649,000 Exquisite in town Tudor freshly completed and move-in ready. 216011400

4

3.2

5276

3

3

1725

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Troy $1,024,999

Troy $289,000

Beach Forest Classic beautiful Colonial with attention to detail.

215122665 Co-listor Pat Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill

Cheerful and light filled condo located in desirable Manor Homes of Troy.

216009698

Christine Drinkwater

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248.644.7000

5

6

7150

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

North Branch $2,900,000 Luxury European Tudor Country Estate on private 38 acres.

6

5.2

5356

4

3.3

4356

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Grosse Pointe Shores Village $1,300,000

Bloomfield Hills $1,289,000

Designed for today's living just a few steps to Lake St. Clair.

216008636

Newer Nantucket style Colonial on large and secluded lot at the end of cul-de-sac.

216012321

Mia Bardy Kathy Manoogian Silvia Stan

signaturesothebys.com

248.644.7000

7

6

7000

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Williamstown Township $4,800,000 Luxury Equestrian Estate with over 200 rolling acres and newly built 11,000 sq ft arena. 215038178 Presented by Donna Barlow

5

7.1

11,200

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Plymouth $1,999,900 Your own private retreat on 3.3 beautiful acres. 216004864 Presented by Michelle Yurich

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A l p i ne, Wyomin g | Jac kson Hole Sot h e by ’s I nte r na tio na l Rea lty | +1 3 07 73 3 9 0 0 9 © MMXV Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. All Rights Reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered) service marks licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliate LLC.

fly-in fly-out

YOUR SEARCH...RE-DEFINED. i m m e r s e yo u r s e l f i n s i r.c o m

5

4.1

5535

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Lake Huron Frontage $1,900,000 Log home living said..."This is one of the most impressive lodges on the Great Lakes." Nestled on 368 feet of the finest sugar sand beach in Northeast Michigan. 216006867 Presented by Candice Cuyler

3

4

4000

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Lake St. Helen Frontage $1,739,000 Ultra custom log cabin boats the most exquisite views. Located on 85 1/2 acres and close to Forest Dunes Golf Course. 215129739 Presented by Jennifer Valenti

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4

4.2

4715

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Birmingham $1,799,000 La Marco Homes designed and built with innovative "European Transitional" interior designs. 215131674 Presented by Courtney Monigold

3

3.1

3000

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Birmingham $1,500,000 Luxury newer townhome with superb downtown location. 215118306 Presented by Justyna Slabosz

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248.644.7000

5

4.2

4830

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Milford $1,300,000 A luxurious haven unlike any you will find situated on 2+ wooded acres. 215118827 Presented by Michelle Payne

5

4.1

3867

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Woodland Lake Frontage $1,299,000 Your personal paradise with over 66 feet of waterfront property and no wetlands. 216003202 Presented by Dylan Tent & Dan Gutfreund

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VACANT LAND Bloomfield Hills $1,000,000 Build your Dream Home on this private and serene 3.82 acres in the gated community of Barrington Park. 216011378 Presented by Kathy Lyons

4

3.1

5448

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Lake St. Clair Frontage $949,900 Lakefront living at its finest! Enjoy the million dollar view of Lake St. Clair waterfront plus boat slip for your private yacht. 215128542 Presented by Donna Barlow

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4

3.2

3600

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Birmingham $924,900 Looking directly upon Pembroke Park and completely reimagined from top to bottom. 215108946 Presented by Tony Ray

4

4.1

4881

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Oakland Township $799,999 Gorgeous all brick Colonial located on over 10 acres of privacy. 215044344 Presented by Susan Johnson

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4

4.1

3611

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

West Bloomfield $749,000 Gorgeous California Classic-style home on 1.25 secluded acres. 215111195 Presented by Lorraine Yalman

4

3.1

2501

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Birmingham $625,000 Fabulous newer construction featuring an open floor plan. 216009017 Presented by Wendi Miller

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4

3.1

2727

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Franklin Village $599,000 Majestic 1.4 acres overlooking towering hundred year old oak trees. 215131102 Presented by Eva Morrow

6

3.1

3258

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Bloomfield Hills $574,900 Incredible home located in the heart of Bloomfield Crossing. 216008085 Presented by Brandon Curry

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3

2.1

2408

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Birmingham $549,900 Impeccable condition with quality custom features. 216008708 Presented by Sue Lozano

4

3.1

2991

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Bloomfield $525,000 Beautifully updated Colonial in a premiere location within Bloomfield Hills School District. 215130645 Presented by Nusrat Hussain

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I NV E ST ME NT

YOUR HOME IS YOUR MOST VALUABLE ASSET FOR MORE REASONS THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE. Historically, real estate has provided homeowners with their greatest return on investments, an appreciation in value that has been at times both short and long term. It is difficult to put a price on something of such significance, whether it is primary, secondary or vacation home. At the Sothebyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International RealtyÂŽ brand, we firmly believe in the inherent value of home and helping our clients realize their investment goals by offering unrivalled accesss to qualified people and distinctive properties around the world.

415 S. Old Woodward | Birmingham, MI 48009 | signaturesothebys.com

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131308

4

2.1

2995

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Troy $445,000 Charming family home nestled in a great neighborhood with private, wooded, & picturesque backyard. Bloomfield Hills schools. 216003218 Presented by Tania Marougi

3

3.1

2536

4

2.1

3498

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Northville Township $430,000

Rochester Hills $399,900

Beautiful end unit condo in the prestigious Villas of Northville Hills. 216007058 Presented by Tamiko Ball

Desirable Colonial sitting on over-sized lot in sought-after Thornridge Subdivision. 216000632 Presented by Ann Greenberg

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3

2

2350

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Rochester $365,000 Renovated from top to bottom nestled in a great neighborhood. 216010980 Presented by Debbie Weiss

2

2

1631

2

2

1864

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Auburn Hills $299,900

Grand Blanc $296,900

Under construction only 2 months to completion. 216010113 Presented by Carmen Mollicone

Wonderful open floor plan to be built in Woodfield Development. 216007961 Presented by Lisa Masters

signaturesothebys.com

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5

1.1

1500

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Metamora $284,900 Gorgeous Ranch sits on a beautifully landscaped 5 acres. 215113475 Presented by Renee Willetts

5

3

2367

4

3

1773

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

West Bloomfield $275,000

Troy $261,000

Completely updated with award winning Bloomfield Hills schools. 216006720 Presented by Rosa Lau

Great location with Birmingham schools and Troy taxes! 216011583 Presented by Kathy Lyons

signaturesothebys.com

248.644.7000

3

2

1877

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Dearborn $249,900 Spacious home situated on 3 lots. 215127392 Presented by Felicia Scappaticci

3

3.1

1260

3

3

1851

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

BEDS

BATHS

SQ. FT.

Novi $239,900

Oxford $230,500

Well maintained detached-free standing condo in quiet golf community. 216000039 Presented by Anne Morrell

Gorgeous Ranch located in subdivision with 6 lakes, golf course & banquet hall. 215123344 Presented by Shawn Arnaout

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248.644.7000

near or far

A Full Service Relocation Department with Distinguished Connections Helping our clients navigate the world of real estate is what sets us apart.

We are unmatched in our ability to connect buyers and sellers globally.

As a primary real estate brokerage for Cartus Relocation, a global leader in the relocation industry, Signature Sotheby's International Realty participates in servicing relocation buyers coming into our area and sellers moving out of the area every day.

This is our world.

Because a homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appeal extends far beyond what is near.

EXPERIENCE A WORLD OF CONNECTIONS With 825 offices in 61 countries, we are all encompassing. From the enchanting beauty of France to the age-old country that is Thailand.

Our locations may be abounding, but our unique-ness remains perfectly constant.

Susan Bailey susan.bailey@sothebysrealty.com f nf s@s bsc800.458.7356 m m m24 . 2.44 . 740.

415 S. Old38Woodward E M Ave. RoBirmingham, o Bi dm gMichigan hm 48009 c i gai4808098

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Lara J. Forte Loan Officer NMLS # 1169665 T: 248-912-9031 C: 248-284-5178

John & Bridget Apap Fine Homes Specialists - Top 1% Nationally

Cell 248.225.9858 japap@signaturesothebys.com

41820 Six Mile Road Northville MI 48168

LForte@mbmortgage.com

415 S. Old Woodward | Birmingham, MI 48009

Featured Listings

200 Woodland Villa Court

1031 Ardmoor Drive

Birmingham | $2,100,000 | Stunning Woodland Villa enclave with private terrace

Bloomfield Hills | $1,599,000 | Magnificent stone exterior with large back yard

1100 Birmingham Boulevard

6626 Country Club Lane

Birmingham | $1,399,000 | Exquisite Newer Construction in the Heart of Downtown

West Bloomfield | $1,199,000 | Spectacular DesRosier designed multi-level contemporary

on

g

So

in

m Co

1721 Stanley Boulevard

6595 Crest Top Drive

Birmingham | $999,900 | Stunning New Construction

West Bloomfield | $750,000 | Beautifully updated and professionally decorated

John & Bridget Apap Fine Homes Specialists - Top 1% Nationally

Cell 248.225.9858 japap@signaturesothebys.com

415 S. Old Woodward | Birmingham, MI 48009

Lynn Wiand Senior Mortgage Lender NMLS ID 39420

lwiand@talmerbank.com Office 248-244-4805 Cell 248.228.4805

2301 W. Big Beaver Rd, Suite 525 Troy, MI 48084

220 N Glengarry Road

6976 Woodbank Drive

700 Emmons Avenue

Bloomfield Village | $799,000

Bloomfield Hills | $599,000

Birmingham | $575,000

151 N Glengarry Road

1331 Tulberry Circle

792 Foxhall Road

Bloomfield Village | $539,900

Rochester | $439,000

Bloomfield Hills | $374,900

Call us for a Complimentary Market Analysis Extraordinary Homes

Redding

Vinewood

1291 Suffield

Covington Place

395 Berwyn

Winthrop

New Construction

New Construction

New Construction

New Construction

New Construction

Quarton Lake - $2,395,000 -5900 sf, 5 bedrooms, 6.5 baths, 4 garage, finished lower level, oversized lot

Quarton Lake - $2,295,000 5400 sf, 5 bedrooms 6.5 baths, 3 car garage, finished lower level

Bloomfield Village - $1,699,000 4,200 sf, 4 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, 3 car garage, finished lower level

Birmingham - $1,340,000 - 4216 sf, 5 bedrooms, 5.1 baths, 2 car garage, finished lower level

Quarton Lake - $1,195,000 3,600 sf, 4 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, finished lower level

John & Bridget Apap Ken Mascia NMLS #135323 Prime Capital Mortgage Corp.

36400 Woodward Ave, Suite 122 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304

Fine Homes Specialists - Top 1% Nationally

Cell 248.225.9858 japap@signaturesothebys.com

kmascia@primecapitalmortgage.com

248-644-1200 248-644-1201 (f)

415 S. Old Woodward | Birmingham, MI 48009

Sotheby's is Proud to Present One of its Finest Gems 345 Woodridge Road Bloomfield Hills | $2,499,000

Please call John or Bridget @ 248-225-9858 for a private showing.

Two Beautiful Lake Huron Waterfront Homesâ&#x20AC;Ś Luxurious Lakefront Living All Year Long

799 US 23 - $1,900,000 Log Home Living Magazine said..."It is one of the most impressive lodges on the Great Lakes." This 5 acre property is made up of three lots that can be sold individually as residential or commercial property.

5535 Sq Ft - 5 BR - 4.1 BA. 216006867

725 S Lake Huron Shore - $924,000 Luxurious Ranch nestled on a private road. Outstanding open floor plan with a wall of windows facing a spectacular view of Lake Huron plus 100' of the best sugar sand beach in northern Michigan.

4200 Sq Ft - 4 BR - 5 BA. 216012603

Candice Cuyler 415 S. Old Woodward | Birmingham, MI 48009

ccuyler@signaturesothebys.com 248.390.5829

NEAR COMPLETION

118 Waterfall - Quarton Lake Frontage - Offered at $4,995,000 Imagine owning your very own private, new construction, luxury resort, nestled on the only remaining lot in Quarton Lake with views of the waterfall, lake, park & river. Beyond the electric gated entrance with camera and alarm system, sits this exceptional private estate. Generous open floor plan. Stunning great room perfect for entertaining shares a dual sided fireplace with elegant study. Cooks kitchen with top of the line stainless steel appliances, rich exotic wood cabinetry, walk-in pantry and command center. Master suite features a fireplace and its own private patio, spacious spa like master bath with freestanding tub, walk-in shower and beautiful custom closet/dressing areas. Approximately 8000 sq ft of finished living space, walkout lower level with climate controlled wine room, full bar area and spa/sauna. Handcrafted mill work, impeccable materials and gorgeous architectural details throughout. Luxurious Infinity Pool.

Rochester Hills $1,999,000 Frank Lloyd Wright inspired masterpiece designed by Young & Young and meticulously crafted and constructed by Joseph P. Craig Custom Homes.

3800 Sq Ft 4 BR, 4.2 BA 3 Car Attached Garage

All Star

Birmingham $1,799,000 Extraordinary New Construction Ready December 2015 4100 Sq Ft 4 BR 4.2 BA 3 Car Attached Garage

Birmingham $1,649,000 Exquisite New Construction in town Tudor 3500 Sq Ft 4 BR, 4.1 BA 2 Car Detached Garage

Troy $1,024,999 Luxurious Colonial on Corner Lot 5276 Sq Ft 4 BR 3.2 BA 3 Car Attached Garage co-listor Pat O'Neill

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zoning ordinances prohibiting the temporary rental situations or the hosting of private property.

“We don't have any ordinances prohibiting it, and we haven't had any complaints,” said Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett, who wasn't aware that there were hosting sites in his city, although he could understand why there might be. “It's like Uber.

I can't imagine going to Washington DC and not using Uber. The site was so easy to use – when you can save 50 percent or more, why not?”

At this time, he said it was possibly symbolic of where things are headed with brick and mortar lodging. “They're virtual hoteliers,” Barnett said. “It hasn't come up here, and no one has brought it to our attention, so there are no prohibitions in our community.”

Patti Voelker, Bloomfield Township director of planning, building and ordinances, said Bloomfield Township does not have any rental housing ordinances or inspection programs. “In the township, rental housing and premises are expected to be maintained at the same level as owner occupied homes,” Voelker said.

Rochester is beginning to crack down on Airbnb rentals, which Nik Banda, Rochester economic and community development director, notes is distinctly different from bed and breakfasts in the city.

“I didn't know about Airbnb until about two months ago when some residents brought it to our attention,” Banda said. “In one of our neighborhoods, we got a complaint of people coming and going with suitcases at all times. The neighbors thought it was a drug house. We checked into it, and discovered it was an Airbnb.”

R

ochester has an ordinance zoning bed and breakfast homes as principal permitted uses in the central business district, in zoned office districts, and in certain residential areas where they have gone before the planning commission and met specific standards, notably, “on residentially zoned properties that have frontage on and driveway access to N. Main Street or W. University,” the ordinance reads. It further states, “Bed and breakfast homes shall be confined to the dwelling unit, which is the principal dwelling unit on the property.”

In an interesting twist, Banda said The Carriage House, “a real bed and breakfast in our downtown, where our fire chief wanted to book a room, was recently so full, they kicked them down to an Airbnb (in the area). We had no idea. So we sent them a letter that they weren't permitted. We recently went to court on it, because he (the homeowner) is fighting it, and it's going to trial.”

Banda said, according to his reading of the ordinance, “to be legal, it has to be a bed and breakfast, and if it's going to be a bed and breakfast, then it has to go through the zoning process and be approved as a licensed one. It's illegal to be a bed and breakfast unless it's in a certain zoning classification.”

He noted there are rental apartments as Airbnb rentals, which comply to their ordinances, because they fit within a different zoning category. “Our stance is, rentals by the room is not ok.

Rentals in rental areas are fine if they are zoned that way,” Banda clarified. “It doesn't mean by the day or by the room. Having people come in with suitcases every night is not ok.”

He continued, “No one contemplated this. These issues have popped up suddenly, and we're having to catch up. Our planners

are looking at it as it exists across the country. We're going to deal with this in the next six months” with new zoning ordinances.

A Rochester small business owner with an apartment building in the city has had great success using Airbnb as he rents an apartment for executives and educators who travel into the city and are looking for a different experience than a hotel.

“I used to be an auto executive and traveled a lot,” the business owner said. “I found hotels to be unsatisfactory. I purchased a business in Buffalo (New York), and I rented shortterm rentals there, and it was a dynamic experience.”

H

e had the epiphany to recreate a similar situation in Rochester, for people seeking a homelike environment. In a small apartment building he purchased in the city, he completely furnished and set up a unit for long-term rentals, that is ideal, he said, for one, two, three, or six-month rentals. He does not do nightly rentals. “It's not viable for me, because that's a hotel's job.”

Initially, he rented the apartments in a more traditional way, with long-term leases because he couldn't find people to rent short-term. “When I learned about Airbnb, now I had an avenue to access these short-term rentals. What it lets me do is run a calendar and make it available to travelers. But most importantly, it has a vetting process. Airbnb allows me to look at their rental history, their feedback on Airbnb, and their reviews, and make sure that their rental history and scores are compatible with what I'm expecting.”

Airbnb makes it very easy to set up an account, and once that is done, the site recommends users look at profiles and reviews of potential hosts and guests, and advise guests to read the listing descriptions closely. “It's a good idea to read everything hosts have posted about their listings in the description, the amenities, and the house rules so there won't be any surprises,” they state on their website. “After learning more about your host's Airbnb history, start a conversation with them about your plans and what you can expect. Trust your intuition: if you don't feel right about a reservation, don't book it!”

Similarly, hosts are encouraged to read the feedback and reviews on serial guests in order to protect themselves.

As protection for both the host and guest, the site strongly recommends going through them for payment and communications. “Paying or communicating outside Airbnb makes it harder for us to protect your information and puts you at greater risk of fraud and other security issues. That's why we prohibit paying outside our website in our terms of service and strongly encourage you to communicate using our messaging system.”

“It (the apartment) was furnished and set up for this model of business travelers – but I had no access to them,” the Rochester businessman said. “Then I learned about Airbnb through my kids.”

Like Donald, the Birmingham attorney, he has never had a problem with his renters nor with Airbnb. “Airbnb handles the credit cards, cleaning fee and the security deposit. I've had professional people come and stay here, from the business manager for Ringling Bros. Circus, to people from Rochester who want to come back and visit family, and now I have

someone with a six-month contract for business in the Rochester area, which is what I want,” he said. “In December, I got about 10 to 15 calls from people looking for short-term three-month rentals from medical students at the Oakland University medical school, and from visiting professors at Oakland University looking for a furnished place to stay.”

He has no interaction with any of the guests. “I just provide them with the keys, and do a walk through. I'm more like a bellman. I usually have a bottle of wine for them, I have a Keurig for coffee for them, and a book of Rochester for where the restaurants are for them.”

Y

et, not everyone who uses Airbnb has no complaints. Nationwide, there have been horror stories – of out of control parties that have trashed host homes and other safety issues.

While the Rochester neighbors Banda recalled disliked people traipsing through their neighborhood at all times of the day and night with suitcases, assuming it was a drug house, there have been serious problems arising from some rental situations, and Airbnb rentals have no required follow up on health and safety regulations.

While there are no reports of unfortunate incidents from Oakland County, that is not the case in some other places. In 2013, a Canadian woman visiting Taiwan with friends died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a leaking water heater and the failure of proper ventilation in an Airbnb rental. California freelance writer Zak Stone has reported that at Thanksgiving 2013, he and his family rented out an Airbnb, and the property had a rope swing attached to a tree. His father got on the swing, and was then killed with a large piece of the trunk broke, falling on his head.

On New Year's Eve 2015, in Oakland, California, an Airbnb host family had their home completely trashed when their guest decided to throw himself an 18th birthday party by inviting 200 teenagers. According to a local news station who reported on the incident, “The renter cleared out most of the furniture and put in in other bedrooms or in the back yard. The furniture that was left inside was stepped on and dirty. There was even blood on the wall.”

The homeowner said she had used Airbnb about a dozen times before, and never had a problem before. “She thought she was renting to an adult man who was visiting from Chicago,” ABC 7 News reported.

Airbnb reported they had banned the guest from their website, and police arrested the teenager and charged him with vandalism.

As for the other incidents, Airbnb disclaims responsibility for accidents that happen at properties booked through them.

According to an investigation by Inc., “In general, its safety policies are meager in the extreme: The company offers liability insurance for landlords and homeowners; it offers free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to hosts in the U.S.; after the death of Stone's father, it began requiring new hosts to view safety tips during onboarding.”

Both Stone and Inc. recognize that severe incidents are rare, but with the possibility of anything happening, Stone, in particular, feels Airbnb should prepare for them. “If Google can photograph every surface of the earth and the U.S. Government can conduct a census, couldn't Airbnb peek inside 1 million

properties if it would make its 'community' safer?” he asked in Inc. That, however, could potentially make Airbnb open to massive liability claims. By just providing a hosting site, it attempts to stay neutral in lodging negotiations.

And Airbnb has no friends in the hotel industry, which looks at it as a penny-pinching interloper, a business that swoops into a community at often lower prices, and one that does not contribute back to the local economy by paying state corporate business taxes, as hoteliers do.

In a recent FTC executive summary, it states, “Sharing our homes has been commonplace for as long as there have been spare rooms and comfortable couches...Airbnb changes this basic formula. By incentivizing the large-scale conversion of residential units into tourist accommodations, Airbnb forces neighborhoods and cities to bear the costs of its business model.

Residents must adapt to a tighter housing model. Increased tourist traffic alters neighborhood character while introducing new safety risks. Cities lose out on revenue that could have been invested in improving the basic quality of life for its residents. Jobs are lost and wages are lowered in the hospitality industry...Airbnb rentals...are largely illegal.”

“As a business person, you're always looking for a level playing field. If you're competing with a hotel, and you're not required to do all the same health and safety precautions, the field is not level,” noted Steven Kalczynski, managing director, Townsend Hotel in Birmingham. “Airbnb has a distinct advantage because they don't have to do that. They don't have to pay taxes, they don't have to comply with city or federal ordinances, fire department testing, or health inspections, which are all there to protect the consumer.”

T

he hotel industry, looking at their loss of revenue, is beginning to fight back. According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, they are not trying to kill Airbnb, but to fight illegal, unregulated businesses.

“This proliferation of illegal hotels is compromising consumer safety and endangering the character and security of residential neighborhoods, while these entities are also avoiding regulatory and tax obligations,” Vanessa Sinders, senior vice president of government affairs for the American Hotel & Lodging Association, told Fortune. She said the association welcomes the competition from Airbnb – as long as they play, and pay, by the same rules.

“Hotels are paying commercial taxes, so these Airbnbs are taking money away from us,” Rochester's Banda said. “Hotels are in commercial districts, they're not in neighborhoods. Plain and simple, our ordinances do not allow this. You have to have appropriate zoning for appropriate uses.”

But it can be hard to put the genie back in the bottle. Since the Rochester apartment owner began using Airbnb for shortterm rentals, “I have earned 50 percent to 150 percent more than with a traditional lease.”

He has been in regular communications with Rochester City Hall, and said he is complying with their regulations.

“I will continue to do this because I am a registered business in Rochester, and I pay taxes so Rochester allows the apartment to be rented month-to-month,” he said. “It's a good thing. You bring people to your city who would not normally stay there. It's a positive for the local economy.”

FACES Sophia Washer urrently working on her second studio album, Sophia Washer, a freshman at Bloomfield Hills High School, has been singing since she could talk, and reading music since age four, when she learned to play the violin.

“I’ve never been afraid of being on the stage,” said Washer, known as Sofi K to her fans. “I almost feel more comfortable on stage than talking one-on-one. The stage has been my home.”

A childhood of musical theater led Washer to Kate Hart, awarding-winning singer and voice coach, who she’s been taking lessons with for five years. As a middle school student, Washer was introduced to producer Bryce Harding, a graduate of Groves High School.

“I started working with Bryce when I was 12, the summer of my sixth grade year, going into seventh. It took us a while to figure out each other’s styles and work ethic, and now we’re the same, like the same person. He’s basically like my older brother,” she said.

Wanting to do something special for her best friend’s bat mitzvah, Washer decided to write her a song. “I wrote one to try it, then wrote more and more, then I had a bunch of material, and Bryce wanted to meet with me to see if he could produce it.”

In January of 2015, Sofi K released her debut single, ‘One Way Ticket,’ followed by her second single, ‘Stars,’ out this past November. Three days later, on November 6, Washer was on stage at the Royal Oak Music Theater, launching her first album, LoveHate.

“We were trying to think of a way for me to release LoveHate, the album that was in the works for two years, and originally came up with doing a private party. Then we decided, why don’t we go further, and have an actual show, and thought a concert was a way better idea to spread my music. I was so excited to play the room, it was a big honor. It was an amazing night.”

Washer takes inspiration from artists including English singersongwriter Ed Sheehan, Welsh singer-songwriter Duffy, and the late artists Dinah Washington and Amy Winehouse.

Last summer, Washer performed at the Traverse City Film Festival, playing a set before the screening of ‘Amy,’ a biographical account of the Grammy award-winning singer’s rise to stardom and fall to substance abuse.

“LoveHate was kind of all pop, pop rock, pop jazz, pop techno. The second is leaning more towards pop and pop jazz,” said Washer. “It will show that I’ve grown up.” So far she’s written 16 songs that may appear on the album. “I write all the lyrics by myself, then Bryce, my producer and I, co-write the instrumental music together. I started developing an ear when I was young, and I’m good at hearing a note and naming it.”

When Washer isn’t in the studio, she participates on the varsity forensics team, volunteers and enjoys her teenage years.

“Besides all this, I’m actually pretty normal,” she said, with a laugh. “I like to hang out with my friends and go shopping. My whole family is really into skiing, and I do a lot of things with my family,” including her mother, Linda, who doubles as her manager.

C

Story: Katie Deska

Photo: Laurie Tennent

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MUNICIPAL Treasurer Devine pays back fund

Baldwin can move forward with drawings

By Lisa Brody

By Lisa Brody

After being issued an error and omission notice from Oakland election officials for the illegal transfer of campaign funds into a legal defense fund, Bloomfield Township Treasurer Dan Devine has repaid the full amount he had transferred to his legal defense fund back to his candidate campaign fund.

Joe Rozelle, director of Oakland County's Election Division, said he had issued an error and omission notice in late January to Devine, due to violation of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act, and that Devine had until Monday, February 8, to repay $17,937.72 to his candidate campaign fund, or the Oakland County Election Division would have forwarded a letter to the Oakland County prosecutor and the state attorney general.

Devine amended his last quarterly campaign finance statement and his annual 2015 candidate filing statements on February 1, 2016, “as per notice from Oakland County Clerk's office elections division,” with two checks from the Daniel Devine Legal Defense Fund, one for $10,937.72, and the other for $7,000.

“We issued an error and omission notice on January 26, 2016, related to the October quarterly statement (quarterly campaign finance statement), informing him that he was required to transfer all of the funds he transferred from his campaign funds to his legal defense fund back to his campaign fund,” Rozelle said.

Compliance is mandatory, Rozelle emphasized, and if Devine did not return the funds within the time frame established, the election office was prepared to forward a letter to both the state attorney general's office and the Oakland County Prosecutor's office.

“If he's already spent the money, he will have to use personal funds or raise contributions to pay the funds back,” Rozelle said.

According to Michigan Campaign Finance Act, it is illegal to move candidate campaign funds to a legal defense fund. The Legal Defense Fund Act was passed in 2008 to regulate and require reports for contributions and expenditures made to assist officials in defending themselves against a criminal, civil or administrative action arising directly downtownpublications.com

$162,920 proposal for design development and construction drawings for the first phase of a proposed renovation project for Baldwin Public Library, which will be funded from the library budget, received unanimous approval from the Birmingham City Commission on Monday, January 25.

Baldwin Library director Doug Koschik told commissioners he was “asking for approval for architectural services with Luckenbach Ziegelman Gardner for the proposed renovation of the adult services section of Baldwin Public Library.”

He noted that a little over a year before, the library had issued a request for proposal (RFP) for the project, and after receiving five bids, awarded the contract to Luckenbach Ziegelman Gardner for conceptual drawings. Koschik said they have done good work for the library, come up with a strong plan, and attended many meetings with both the library board and residents.

After a request from the city commission in December, the library issued an RFP for the two other conceptual phases they believe will be needed for the library, which were presented at the city's long-range planning meeting on January 16.

“We would encourage the commission to approve the agreement with Luckenbach Ziegelman Gardner for architectural services of the project, and then we can proceed with design development and construction drawings,” Koschik said. “The library will pay for that from its budget,” which he said, including consultants and other costs, will amount to about $162,920.

“There is definitely an expectation that this project will move ahead in the near future, that a funding mechanism will be found so the project can move forward,” he continued.

“I was totally on board until you said there was an expectation of funding,” commissioner Stuart Sherman said. “I don't think that's a fair statement, because we've said that we have to work through our budget.

I don't mean it's not going to happen, but it may not happen on the time frame you've worked out. We'll try to make it happen. I think it's an intention to make it one of the capital projects of the city.”

The city of Birmingham owns the library.

“I think it's important to move forward on this,” said commissioner Carroll DeWeese.

“We're not talking about the plan, we're talking about the funding right now,” pointed out mayor Rackeline Hoff.

A

out of the conduct of the elected official's governmental duties.

However, the website for the secretary of state expressly states that the “Michigan Campaign Finance Act limits the use of (campaign) funds which does not include funding a legal defense fund.”

Devine changed his campaign fund to a legal defense fund with the Michigan Secretary of State on July 22, citing “legal action to defend against removal from public office and relating to action taken on July 13, 2015 by Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees in resolution to censure township trustee Devine for 'official misconduct.'”

Devine established a legal defense fund to underwrite a lawsuit he filed

against Bloomfield Township and supervisor Leo Savoie, alleging they had subjected him to retaliation because he reported suspected violations of law to public authorities, who ruled against Devine's allegations. Devine's lawsuit hinged on the claim that he was an employee of the township, but an Oakland County Circuit Court judge in December of last year dismissed the case, ruling that Devine was an elected official, not an employee of Bloomfield Township. In January, Devine filed to appeal the court's decision.

Fred Woodhams, spokesperson for the Michigan Secretary of State's office, said in late October, “The state Campaign Finance Act does not

DOWNTOWN

permit campaign funds (to be used).

The money must be raised separately and paid back.”

The Secretary of State's office sent Devine a notice that he must repay the funds, but Devine objected.

Woodhams has declined to comment further, but has not denied they are looking into further action.

According to Devine's quarterly campaign filing statements, the “Vote for Dan Devine For Bloomfield Township Treasurer” committee filed a report on October 20, 2015, stating it had transferred $7,000 from the candidate committee to a legal defense fund with the Michigan Secretary of State, leaving a balance of $10,937.72; and on January 29, 2016, for the fourth quarter of 2015, he filed a committee report noting a disbursement of $10,937.72.

“That ends it with our office,” Rozelle said. “The rest is with him and the secretary of state.”

According to itemized expenditures for Devine's Legal Defense Fund quarterly filing with the Secretary of State's office on January 25, he stated he had contributions of $35,943.72, and spent $30,648.37. That money was spent on attorney fees to Sommers Schwartz, PC, on three separate dates: on October 22, for $11,348.60; on December 16, for $14,150.57; and on December 18, for $5,149.20.

W. Maple trial run showing promise The conversion of W. Maple Road between Cranbrook and Southfield roads from a four-lane road to a threelane road is showing favorable results, based on six criteria used in an interim report given by Birmingham Deputy Chief of Police Mark Clemence and traffic engineer Mark Labadie with Fleis and Vandenbrink to the Birmingham City Commission.

“Back in 2015, in June, the previous commission approved a temporary reconfiguration from four lanes to three, and that reconfiguration took place on October 3,” Clemence said.

The decision to reconfigure W. Maple began after a study by the city's multi-modal transportation committee in anticipation of a resurfacing of the roadway in 2016.

Three separate traffic consultant engineers recommended 105

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reconfiguring the roadway as threelanes, with one lane of traffic in each direction and a center turn lane.

Commissioners agreed in order to see if traffic congestion could be improved, speeds could be lowered, accidents reduced, and the road could become a more functional street for all users.

Labadie reported that, since the lane change, average speed on eastbound W. Maple, where the speed limit is 35 miles per hour, has fallen from 41 miles per hour to 37 miles per hour, and on westbound from 45 miles per hour to 37 miles per hour.

The daily average of volume of traffic has decreased from 27,190 to 22,643 cars, and cut through traffic has fallen from 389 vehicles cutting through neighborhoods prior to the switch to 308 currently. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The crash rates in the corridor dropped from a three-month average of 11.7 crashes to four crashes. The crashes that occurred in the interim analysis period were all rear-end type crashes,â&#x20AC;? Labadie wrote in his report.

The only area which saw an increase in area traffic was Oak

Street, Labadie noted, which was improved last summer. He also said travel times are consistent with previous travel times in the corridor.

Commissioner Stuart Sherman said cut through traffic was being measured both before and after the lane configuration change by putting individuals in place to watch turning cars and track license plates by where they travelled and were turning through the neighborhoods. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It's very labor intensive,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Drop in police calls for Birmingham Birmingham Police Chief Don Studt presented his 2015 annual report, which showed a continuation of the decline in police calls in the last year, with only incidents of fraud showing a significant spike in crime.

For all of 2015, there were 16,771 calls to Birmingham police, compared to 17,678 calls in 2014, and 18,372 calls to police 2013. There was an additional officer added to the police roster in 2015, upping their

number to 31 after several years of having 30 sworn officers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Crime data remains relatively consistent over the past three years,â&#x20AC;?

Studt said in his report. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Burglary incidents continue at unprecedented lows considering there are over 10,000 residential, commercial, and industrial properties in the city. On the other side, fraud reports have doubled in the last two years. These cases involve credit card, Internet scams and other financial transactions and transcend local boundaries.â&#x20AC;?

Studt reported there were 389 adult arrests and 16 juvenile arrests in 2015, compared to 2014, when there were 524 adult arrests and 28 youths arrested.

As in the past several years, there were no homicides in the city. There were two incidents of criminal sexual conduct, consistent with the year before. There were three robberies; three robberies were recorded in 2014, as well, while there were six robberies in the city in 2013.

Fraud, a national and regional problem, was also problem in the city

of Birmingham in 2015. Birmingham police had 181 fraud incidents in 2015, compared to 105 in 2014, and 84 in 2013.

In comparison, Studt showed there were only three fraudulent incidents reported in the city in 1965, Larcenies remained fairly steady, year-to-year, with 158 in 2015 versus 156 in 2014. There were 46 incidents of vandalism, down from 57 the year before. Both years saw 13 vehicles stolen in the city.

There were 23 burglaries in 2015, slightly down from the 26 in 2014.

And driving with under the influence continued about the same as previous years, with 107 incidents, versus 110 in each of the two prior years.

In completing his report, Studt noted this was his final report, as he is retiring in May after 42 years with the Birmingham Police Department.

As a result, there is a restructuring going on in the command structure, with the patrol division being divided into four teams working 12-hour shifts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This will provide for a supervisor on duty at all times and

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By Lisa Brody

increase the number of patrol cars on duty at any given time.”

Administratively, he said, “the deputy chief position will be eliminated in favor of a chief /three commander structure. A commander will be responsible for each of the department’s three divisions: operations, investigative, and services.”

Deputy Chief Mark Clemence is scheduled to become chief when Studt retires.

Heartwear Designs, other store closings

By Lisa Brody

Downtown Birmingham is facing three vacancies in the S. Old Woodward portion of the retail shopping district.

Heartwear Designs, located at 235 S. Old Woodward, has announced it will be closing at the end of February after over 11 years in downtown Birmingham. Owned by Marcy and Michael Feldman, the jewelry store and gallery carries the work of Marcy, an artist who uses gold, platinum and gemstones to create one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces, as well as other jewelry and glass artists.

Michael, who also creates jewelry designs, said the decision to close their store and sell their designs on their website and on their Etsy.com shop came about because “Our daughter, son-in-law and baby moved back, and we never thought that would ever happen. They moved three blocks from us, so Marcy is with them a lot. We've been so tied down here, we couldn't enjoy our family.

Now, we'll be working by appointment only, and via our website and Etsy store.”

Until they close their store, all gold jewelry is 50 percent off (other than estate jewelry), and everything else in the store is 25 percent off.

“It's just time,” Michael said, noting they had a great run in Birmingham. “We're told that next year (2017) there will be a big (Old Woodward) construction project. I can't even imagine how that will impact businesses.”

In addition to the announced closure, The Fleur Detroit shop at 217 S. Old Woodward, next to the Birmingham Theater, suddenly closed in late January, noting on its website that “Due to ongoing parking issues we have closed our Birmingham shop while we scout out a new location.

Please visit or call our original Bloomfield Hills location.”

According to neighboring stores, Fleur Detroit closed up shop on Monday, February 1. The other Fleur Detroit location is at 1507 S. Old Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Township.

Another retailer also closed unexpectedly in the same time period. Schubot Jewellers, run by third-generation jeweler Brian Schubot, closed its doors on Saturday, January 30, after having been located at 230 E. Merrill in Birmingham, next to Rojo Mexican restaurant.

Schubot, who may have moved to Florida, could not be reached for comment on the closure. He was previously president of Jules R. Schubot Jewelers, a family-owned firm, prior to liquidation in 2010.

Birmingham Shopping District (BSD) Executive Director John Heiney said he is not concerned about the vacancies, which add to the planned turnover of other retail space in the downtown area in coming months.

“What's different from 2008 is we now have a leasing program which means we are aware of some of these vacancies well in advance, and put deals together to benefit the city, so these spaces do not sit vacant too long,” Heiney said. “We didn't have that sophistication before.”

According to Heiney, well over 75 percent of the square footage from upcoming retail space vacancies is nearing the final stages of being leased out. The BSD for a number of years has developed and funded a program that contracts with a leasing agent who works with local, regional and national retailers interested in locating to downtown Birmingham.

BluArch, bec & sam close their doors Two boutiques on W. Maple Road in Birmingham, BluArch and bec & sam's, have called it quits after several years in the downtown Birmingham business community.

BluArch, a Birmingham gallery and gift store located at 142 W. Maple, closed its brick and mortar store at the beginning of February and expanded its online offerings.

“I have an existing website that I'll be expanding,” said owner Chuck Krause. “Everything will be online.

Over the years, I've built that up, and I'm going to have everything on the

hile Bloomfield Township Clerk Jan Roncelli thought adding additional trustees to the Retired Employees' Health Care Benefits Trust would provide back up assistance and a layer of checks and balances, treasurer Dan Devine viewed it as a power grab and threat to his control as manager of the township's funds, leading to a verbal brawl amongst the board of trustees before the resolution was finally approved, adding finance director Jason Theis and trustee Brian Kepes as co-trustees, by a vote of 4-2.

A resident in the audience, repeatedly screaming “tsar” at supervisor Leo Savoie during the discussion, was removed by police.

Roncelli proposed the resolution at the board of trustees meeting on Monday, January 25, after Kepes had brought up adding additional trustees to the benefits trust at meetings last summer and in December 2015. At the December 14 board of trustees meeting, Bloomfield Township attorney Bill Hampton stated that the board could add additional trustees to the trust at any time without amending the trust.

“It gives us checks and balances if the treasurer is not here, there are two other people able to handle the business,” Roncelli said in introducing the resolution. “It sets parameters when someone else takes office. It's to give the treasurer support, and I think it gives us good checks and balances. It's always been available to us.”

“I think this provides us with additional safety,” said trustee Neal Barnett.

“I'm surprised we didn't do this years ago. It provides residents extra protection on their financial security.”

Devine didn't see it the same way. “I don't know what the rush is on this, but we have to take into account how this came about – it's entirely contrary to checks and balances. It will be people favorable to the supervisor, and the financial director reports to the supervisor, so the supervisor controls this. Now, along with the water and sewer funds, he wants to have complete control of the complete health care fund.”

“You were very disingenuous when you said the money for the health care was taken out and you were unaware of it,” Savoie responded. “I would not have a checking account at home without someone else on it, or without someone having access with power of attorney. Right now, you are the sole trustee on our health care. I agree with Jan.” “I do not know of any business without a backup for a 401K plan or a business account,” Roncelli said. She became incensed at Devine when he asserted that she and Savoie would not handle the health care account responsibly. “And the next time you speak about my health care plan, you better get the facts right. Do not ever misspeak again. We're running this with one person – we need two or three, and the board of trustees is responsible, not you. And if we wanted to exclude you, it says a treasurer or trustees – we could completely exclude you. Just remember, it's a seven-member board, not one person. Not me, not Leo Savoie, and not you.”

Devine threw aspersions on the ability of Hampton to prepare the resolution, which did not sit well with other board members. He also stated that it was a “constitutional” requirement as township treasurer for him to be the sole trustee of the health care benefits trust.

According to the Michigan Constitution and the Charter Township Act: “The Township Treasurer shall receive and take charge of money belonging to the township, or that is by law required to be paid into the township treasury, and shall pay over and account for the money, according to the order of the township board, or the authorized officers of the township.”

Barnett told Devine he was “sick of these conspiracy theories, and I'm tired of you impugning the integrity of everyone else on the board.”

Kepes asserted that the “rush” was that “Last month, you recall, you recommended investing the money into a fund getting one basis point – that's like one percent. That's like earning a penny. I'm a CPA. I'm a hard-working business person. And you're asking what's the rush. We can't afford that kind of decision making. The residents need greater transparency in their decision making. I can't believe anyone wouldn't want this, and I'm shocked you wouldn't be in support of this. It's not your responsibility over these funds – it's ours. It would be malpractice to let us continue this any further.”

“You people keep trying to take my job away. I'm here for the people. That's why we can't have someone without knowledge of the finances manage the finances,” Devine said.

However, his fellow trustees disagreed, voting 6-2, with Corinne Khederian not in attendance, and Dave Buckley voting with Devine in opposition, to appoint finance director Jason Theis and Kepes as co-trustees on the fund.

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MUNICIPAL website, including many of the items I design and create.”

He also said he has been expanding his website, bluarchcollection.com, where he will have extensive selections of many of his most popular lines, including Playforever race cars, glass cherries, LED lamps, subway cuffs which feature subway maps engraved on cuffs, and jewelry from local artists.

“I design and create my own items, such as the About clock, which I will have, as well as many more clocks,” Krause said. “I'll also have many Michigan artists, including one that has cast bronze and aluminum racing cars, robot bank, and other funky stuff.”

Prices on items at the online BluArch range from a few dollars, to several hundred dollars for specially designed and made artwork.

Closing at the end of February is bec & sam's, at 146 W. Maple, next to BluArch. Owner Julie Grippo announced on Facebook that after 15 years of owning the store, named for her two children, she is closing the children's store, offering savings of up to 70 percent on girls and boys' clothing, layettes, christening gowns, flower girl dresses, and other special occasion wear as well as baby gifts and accessories.

“Now it's time for me to move to my next career,” Grippo said.

The bec & sam's closing was rumored for several months and there have been rumors that the space has already been leased out thanks to the program maintained by the Birmingham Business District which for years has retained a leasing consultant to work with landlords.

Update on Villages of Bloomfield given Patti Voelker, Bloomfield Township Planning, Building and Ordinance Director, presented an update on the status of the Villages of Bloomfield, formerly the vacant Bloomfield Park property, at the Monday, January 25, board of trustees meeting, where she said demolition is beginning while planning for the future development is continuing.

Voelker said that at the most recent meeting, on Wednesday, January 20, of the Joint Development Council, which oversees management of the site, Ken Till, senior vice president of Redico, which downtownpublications.com

Looking to build or remodel? now owns the Villages of Bloomfield, reported that most of the existing structures will be removed. Some parking structures may be adapted and reused, notably one they are currently calling Building D, which may have first floor retail or retail with food, along with office on the upper stories. That building is currently within the city of Pontiac's footprint.

The city of Pontiac controls the majority of the Village of Pontiac, about 78 acres, while Bloomfield Township controls about 5 acres.

Currently, they have eight proposed buildings along with numerous multifamily residential units, which Voelker said they expect to be rental.

“They're looking at a mix of different types of rental units, and they (Redico) are exploring...different layouts,” she said. She said Redico is meeting with different residential developers on the project, but there is currently no timeline.

In addition to the residential, she said they are currently projecting a large anchor tenant for the most north location, which would possibly also utilize an existing building; a building of retailers; a hotel; a restaurant for a new building to be built along Telegraph, in Bloomfield Township; a theater, also for Bloomfield Township; a senior living facility; and another building for retail.

Treasurer Dan Devine said, “As treasurer, I'm putting the developer on notice that I expect to be included in any brownfield discussions. When I was on the Joint Development Commission (he declined to be appointed to the current council), I made it clear there was no point in giving our tax money away.”

“It is my number one priority to get this finished so it is an asset to both Bloomfield Township and Pontiac,” said supervisor Leo Savoie, the township's representative on the Joint Development Council. “We need to get rid of that eyesore and get rid of that blight. They have not proposed anything to the commission, to us, to you. I don't like to put out fires when there aren't any there. When the time is right, I agree, we will go after the money. This is preliminary. They have not submitted anything to us. Other than speculation, there has been no submission for anything for tax abatements.”

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MUNICIPAL Brownfield update for Bloomfield Park Dennis Cowan, the Oakland County representative on the Joint Development Council for the former Bloomfield Park, now to be known as the Villages of Bloomfield, provided an update to the Bloomfield Township board of trustees at their meeting on Monday, February 8, on development plans and a clarification on rumored brownfield remediation on the land, located on Telegraph Road between Square Lake and Orchard Lake roads.

“I'm here to set the stage for a positive 2016,” Cowan said, noting that Redico, the Southfield-based developer which purchased the Villages of Bloomfield out of foreclosure, is concentrating development on five different areas. He said they are looking at a national home improvement retailer; a large area of residential; other retail space; a hotel; and a theater.

The city of Pontiac controls the majority of the Villages of Bloomfield – about 78 acres; while Bloomfield Township controls about 5 acres.

“What we're trying to do is get the

two staffs together, where it will be developed in Bloomfield Township, and where in Pontiac,” Cowan said. “The developer said they're having serious conversations with several users for each entity, and then we'll have the requisite public hearings. It will all depend on the permits, and how they proceed. Redico has said there is serious interest by several national components.

All of us see serious improvements, and look forward to permits being submitted.”

Cowan said that while nothing has yet been discussed between Oakland County, the municipalities, the Joint Development Council, and the developer, “It's possible the developer will go before Oakland County for future brownfield development. Our board has had no discussions about this. It's never been discussed. Because it's a new developer, they would have to submit anything new.”

A brownfield is a property which could potentially be complicated by the presence of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants. Bloomfield Park was partially developed when the site was abandoned in 2008 when the economy crashed.

Township treasurer Dan Devine, who previously was the township representative on the Joint Development Council said, “There's a conceptual brownfield plan that was accepted. It was available online, and it no longer is. When we met with Oakland County many years ago, I made them aware of what Bloomfield Township's requirements, which is 3 mills, and it was a surprise to many developers.” He said that Pontiac had ceded their tax mills to Oakland County, but that Bloomfield Township was still entitled to their 3 mills, and hoped that Redico would know that, and not attempt to have it abrogated.

“We're still entitled to our $8.9 million, regardless of what Pontiac gives up,” Devine said. He said that with the previous developer, the township was ready to litigate to obtain the mills, “but the previous supervisor (Dave Payne) chose not to litigate. Then the previous emergency manager in Pontiac cancelled all the brownfield. Now I understand they want them. If they get them, we would be wiped out for $8.9 million.”

“So I understand this board could still litigate if the board so desires?”

asked supervisor Leo Savoie.

“That's a question as it's developed.

I'm trying to work with this body, Pontiac, and the developer,” Cowan said.

“Then all the other issues will fall into place. Redico is conducting themselves very well, and that bodes itself very well for everyone involved.”

Dates set for annual waste drop off events Bloomfield Township's annual e-waste, paper shredding, medication disposal, and household hazard waste drop off days had its dates set for the public at the township's board of trustees meeting on Monday, January 25.

Trustees approved Saturday, April 16, for the event, by a vote of 6-0, with Corinne Khederian absent, along with clean sweep for the weekend of Saturday, April 16, and Sunday, April 17.

The township's household hazardous waste days are always held on the first Saturdays of May and October. For 2016, those dates are Saturday, May 7, and Saturday, October 1.

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FACES Steve McMahon iven his first Kodak at age eight, Steve McMahon, is honored to have his photography inducted into the permanent collection of the George Eastman House, a photography museum “where anybody and everybody who’s a photo artist,” he said, “would love to have their work.”

Located in Rochester, New York, the Eastman House is in McMahon’s native city, where he began shooting and, as a teenager, developed film in his homemade darkroom.

Through college, McMahon made friends with his first quality 35-millimeter camera. “I still have that. That will never leave me.

That’s a Nikon F, the only film camera I still have. I don’t really use it anymore, but we’re kinda partners. That camera took me through (The Rochester Institute of Technology),” from which he earned his bachelor’s of fine arts in photography in 1975.

By 1980, McMahon moved across the county to Hollywood, where he opened a 7,500-square foot studio, and specialized in automotive photography. “Back in 1980, everything was still film,” he said. “I had to get cars into (the studio). I had a full cycloroma – no right angles. It’s like the inside of an eggshell,” preventing corners from disrupting the sleek shot destined for national ads and brochures.

As an independent photographer, McMahon was hired to capture the stunning images of American auto manufacturers, “as well as a lot of Japanese work, Mercedes, Ferrari, Porsche. I had a full lab. We processed all our own film,” he said. “Most of the work done then was on 8x10 sheet film. It’s not a print; it’s like a transparency. It was all very specialized equipment for the type of work we were doing. It was a lot of fun and interesting, but as film went away, there was not use for those, and now everything I shoot is digital.”

McMahon operated his California studio for over a decade, but as the film industry changed, so did his career.

“My whole family is in medicine, and I saw the demise of film.

I was in the advertising business and so I went to (the University of Michigan), studied pre-med, and graduated with a masters in toxicology. I worked the better part of 15 years as a consultant for the pharmacology industry, doing medical research. But, photography never left me,” he said.

As of two years ago, McMahon left the medical field and rededicated himself to his craft, going fully digital. “I do fine art, no commercial work any longer, and I’m exhibiting in galleries,” including Ann Arbor’s WSG Gallery, where he’ll be rotating his work throughout the year.

“I have a whole series on railroad personalities, including one shot called Gandy Dancer – 20th century slang referring to a railroad worker. Gandy was the boss, and they were the dancers. I like the shot. You can feel the emotion,” McMahon said of the black and white photo featuring the man walking along the tracks with his head hung in fatigue.

A resident of Birmingham for the last two decades, McMahon has no trouble finding beauty locally.

“The Great Lakes, it’s an extraordinary place to do photography. There’s a lot of rocky interesting areas. I grew up in Rochester, New York, so I’ve been around them all my life. I missed them when I lived in California, even though I was close to the ocean.”

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Story: Katie Deska

Photo: Steve McMahon

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FACES

Randy Fenton he Belle Isle Aquarium has long held a special place in Randy Fenton's heart, but something was missing when the Bloomfield Village resident visited the historic building with his grandson in 2014.

"I have a long history with Belle Isle. My dad worked for a concessionaire there and rented bicycles on Belle Isle. I went as a kid with my grandmother. It's one of those things you have a connection with as a result," said Fenton, whose family moved out from Detroit after the 1967 riots to Southfield. "In 2014, I went with my grandson, who was about 3 or 4 at the time. We saw how dark it was in there, and I noticed the skylights were closed off. Literally, it had a lot of different meaning to me for many reasons â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I had lost my son, and with what was going on in the city â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and I said, 'We have to let the light back in this place.'"

Designed by famed Detroit architect Albert Kahn and opened in 1904, the Belle Isle Aquarium was the oldest continually operated aquarium in North America until it was closed in 2005 as a cost-savings measure by the city of Detroit. The skylights, which were designed to shine sunlight into the viewing area to give visitors a sense that they were underwater, had been roofed over for nearly six decades. While volunteers with the Belle Isle Conservancy re-opened the aquarium in 2012, the structure was a shadow of its former being.

"There are certain things you can replace and certain things you can't," Fenton said. "This is irreplaceable. It's special. It has a uniqueness to it."

Fenton's son, Aaron, died on October 7, 2013 at the age of 35. He was the owner and operator of Ashtanga Yoga Room in Birmingham.

"We both loved architecture. He was an artist and very visual. So was

T

I," said Fenton, the former owner of an insurance reconstruction company. "He loved the city and loved Belle Isle. It struck a lot of chords for me in a lot of different ways."

Fenton called on other family and friends to begin the process of restoring the building and uncovering the skylights. Initially hoping to open two of the four existing skylights, today three are already complete.

A donation from the family also enabled the renovation of 11 tank exhibits in the aquarium alcove. The renovations also required repairs to the roof. Glass tiles have been restored, and repairs have been made to the front foyer. Pendent lighting has recently been added, as well.

In addition to a substantial donation by Trayce and Randy Fenton, others hoping to see the project through contributed through fundraising and events.

"Friends and family helped. We did a yoga event there, and others helped do fundraising to help put the skylights back," Fenton said. "The people who really saved the aquarium are the volunteers with the conservancy."

While Fenton said there is still work to be done at the whole conservancy, the skylights were opened to the public and dedicated in February of 2014. A dedication plaque that was placed inside the aquarium honors his son, Aaron Elliot Fenton.

"Your light will continue to shine through forever in our hearts," the plaque reads before a quote by Victor Hugo. "To love beauty is to see light."

"It's an incredible building," Fenton said, "with an incredible story."

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Laurie Tennent

Not the usual suspect.

速

Anthony Gargaro Live. Sleep. Breathe. Real Estate.

248.388.2444 Anthony@YourMiRealtor.com www.YourMiRealtor.com

BUSINESS MATTERS Laurie Tennent work Photographer Laurie Tennent of Birmingham Rail District’s Laurie Tennent Studio, 929 S. Eton Street, is having a very big 2016. While a renowned studio and wedding photographer whose work is shown internationally, Tennent’s passion for striking botanical images is taking her to new heights. On February 2, two of her botanical photographs on aluminum, “Oriental Poppy” and “Desmanthus,” were installed on Detroit’s Riverfront, right off of the General Motors Plaza, where they will reside for the next three years, with the Detroit River as its backdrop in all kinds of weather. On April 9, a show of Tennent’s botanical work, which are dramatic images of unique flowers, such as orchids, sheaves of wheat and other floral pieces set against a black background and then transferred to aluminum, will open in

Antiques Garden & Designs Show.

“That opening weekend, they will have about 10,000 people attending.

There are antique dealers, interior designers, landscape designers, from all over the country exhibiting during those four days,” she said.

Theatre renovates The iconic Birmingham 8 Theatre in downtown Birmingham is in the midst of a renovation, according to Janet Lekas of Oak Management Corporation, owner of the theater located at 211 S. Old Woodward.

Lekas said they are currently redoing the three main theaters on the main floor, theaters one, two and three, reducing the seating capacity from 625 down to just under 300 seats; changing the carpets; repainting; and installing luxury seats. “We’re installing a different kind of seats in the Birmingham 8 from other theaters,” Lekas said. “The headrests and the foot stools will operate independently, allowing you to adjust them for your comfort.” Theaters two and three will be completed in midMarch; the remainder of the main floor, including the marquee theater one, will be completely finished in May. The five smaller theaters on the upper level are anticipated for a redo in 2017, Lekas said.

Antique dealer moves Birmingham’s Robert Kidd Gallery, located at 107 Townsend Street. Her work pushes the boundaries between photography and painting, revealing in striking detail the architecture of plant life. Her large-scale photographs –up to seven feet –expose nature’s innate beauty and delicate sensuality. The show runs through May 10. And to top this year off – so far – “The biggest event of the year is to be the featured headliner for the Chicago Botanic Gardens in Glencoe, Illinois,” Tennent said. Located north of the city of Chicago, Tennent will have 20 pieces of her botanicals in the gardens at the entrance to the Botanic Gardens, “right before you go into the greenhouse, and it will be up all summer,” she said, through September 25. It is the first of a national touring of her work, Tennent said. The show, titled, “Botanicals: An Intimate Portrait,” opens with a black tie opening on Thursday, April 14, in conjunction with the Gardens’ biggest event of their year, the downtownpublications.com

Longtime antique dealers Dede and Jim Taylor of Dede and Jim Taylor Antiques are moving from their current location on the second floor of the Merrillwood Building in downtown Birmingham, at 251 Merrill Street, Suite 205. Known for their extensive collection of silver, copper, brass, art, glassware, staffordshire and porcelain, Dede said they are holding a 25-60 percent off sale through mid-March. They will then be moving to new digs – right around the corner, joining Crimson Rose Antiques at 205 Pierce Street in Birmingham. “We’ve been at our current location for close to 20 years, and we’re just ready for a change,” Dede said. “We want to have a little more walk-in traffic.

When we started, we had a lot of antique shops (in the Merrillwood Building), and they all moved out except us. So we now have a lot of retail and we thought we would get in on the first floor.” Currently, their shop is chock full of American, European and Continental period antiques and art, from small items to large pieces of furniture, and their new location inside Crimson Rose

will be smaller, which is why they are having the inventory-reduction sale, Dede said. She expects to be on Pierce Street in mid-March.

Rail District gym A new athletic training facility is moving full steam ahead in Birmingham’s Rail District with the opening of Motor City Muscle Gym, 515 S. Eton, Birmingham. The gym, which bills itself as “Detroit’s premier personal training studio,” couples high-end facilities with “the area’s finest trainers.” The gym allows users to book studio time with trainers in a facility with “raw functionality and opulence.” Coowner Michael Fishman said the gym’s four trainers have more than 100 years of combined experience.

The goal of opening the gym, he said, was to bring in great trainers and provide them with a quality place to train clients. “We wanted to do something different,” Fishman said of himself and co-owner John Stein. “We wanted something we were both involved in that we loved to do. It’s a boutique place. We made it the nicest place you can find.”

Fishman, an attorney who has more than 20 years of basketball experience with the Pan-American Maccabi Games Masters Men’s Basketball Team, said he wanted to create the kind of space where he wanted to workout. The gym facilities include “everything you need for an active workout,” from a full range of free weights to ropes and kettle balls. The gym offers different training styles and personalized routines for customers.

“We wanted to put together a facility that trains the way we want to train,” he said.

1701 Bespoke expands Men’s custom clothiers Tom Daguanno and Max Schmidt have expanded their Birmingham tailoring shop 1701 Bespoke into Detroit’s Midtown area with the opening of a new store on the third floor of 4160 Woodward Avenue, next to the Majestic Theater. The 2,500-square foot space will serve as the flagship location for the company, which first started as a pop-up in the city, before opening its Birmingham location at 139 W. Maple, Suite A. In 2013, Daguanno and Schmidt opened a pop-up location near Campus Martius, and later moved to the Chrysler House. The two longtime friends opened 1701 Bespoke’s Birmingham location in mid-2015,

DOWNTOWN

and started building out their Midtown location in Detroit in September. As clothiers, Daguanno and Schmidt take about 20 measurements for clients to create patterns for suits, overcoats, ties and shoes, and then help with the selection of fabrics. Target clientele are men who are ready to move from off-the-rack suits and desire to become more discerning about how suits fit, and those who want luxurious Italian fabrics. Two-piece suits start at $720, but average suits range from $1,100 to $1,500. The new location has required the addition of another clothier at the Detroit location. Daguanno said they will continue to operate in Birmingham and hopes to expand the local space in the future.

20 years of pizza Brooklyn Pizza, 111 Henrietta Street in Birmingham, celebrated 20 years of making fire-roasted fresh pizzas with a fundraiser for Birmingham Public Schools on January 24.

Brooklyn takes pride in baking each pizza in their brick oven with real wood, using fresh and natural ingredients. Sam Abdelfatah, store owner, said the most popular pizzas are the Margherita and Buffalo Chicken, and while they’ve added other items over years, including salads, sandwiches and homemade gelato, “pizza is definitely the most popular thing we serve.” They have a second location on Crooks in Troy.

Celebration of service Manresa Jesuit Retreat House in Bloomfield Hills is celebrating its 90th year of service in Detroit.

Founded in 1926, it has enjoyed the good will and moral support of the leaders of the church in Detroit from Bishop Michael Gallagher at Manresa’s first beginnings to Archbishop Allen Vigneron today, a Manresa spokesman said. Manresa on April 23, will hold a leadership banquet at the Oakland Hills Country Club with Archbishop Allen Vigneron, who will be the guest of honor. The mission of Manresa Jesuit Retreat House is to help men and women grow spiritually through prayer, reflection, guidance and teaching according to the tradition of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Business Matters for the Birmingham Bloomfield area are reported by Kevin Elliott. Send items for consideration to KevinElliott@downtownpublications.com.

Items should be received three weeks prior to publication.

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FACES Stephen Eisenhard rom singing in church as a child to his career as a professional opera singer, Stephen Eisenhard's voice has taken him around the world and back. Now his passion for music has brought him to Birmingham, where he is revamping a classical concert series for the First United Methodist Church.

"I grew up in Pennsylvania, and started in a church there. I wasn't thinking of singing as a career," Eisenhard said about the early beginnings of his singing career.

However, that changed when one of his teachers sent a tape of his singing to the Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati without his knowledge, which invited him to attend the University of Cincinnati, where he believed he would begin choral studies.

"I didn't know I was going to be an opera singer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I didn't know anything about it," he said. "They said my voice was too big, and they sent me to the opera department."

Later, when Eisenhard said he intended to enter the San Francisco Opera Center's young artist program, his teacher told him they wouldn't take him because he was too young. He was wrong. From there, Eisenhard went on a worldwide opera tour involving 45 different states and China.

"That was the beginning of my career. It was an interesting, fun start," he said. "Then I got lucky, and kept getting jobs.â&#x20AC;?

Eisenhard has performed with numerous opera companies, including Nevada Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Sarasota Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Connecticut Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera Carolina, Cincinnati Opera, Lyric Opera in Cleveland, Opera de Puerto Rico, Edmonton Opera, El Paso Opera, Nashville Opera, The New York City National Opera Company, and others.

As a bass-baritone opera singer, Eisenhard has performed both dramatic and popular buffo, or comic, roles. He has performed as Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro; as La Boheme's two old fools, Benoit and Alcindoro; Mustafa in The Italian Girl of Algiers; and as Frank in Die Fledermaus.

In 2006, Eisenhard sang as a featured recitalist for the "Live at First" concert series at the First United Methodist Church in Birmingham. In September of 2015, he and his wife moved to Birmingham, where Eisenhard now directs the concert series for the church. In May, he will again perform for the series in the basso buffo role in La Boheme.

"I will be singing two smaller roles in La Boheme," he said. "My career has been in those roles. There are two smaller buffo roles.

There's no announcement of the cast yet, but there will be a couple of local singers in the cast, as well."

While singing has been the focus of Eisenhard's career, he said one of his goals is to work as an artistic director. His position at the church, he said, allows him to take on management and some stage directing as well as performing. He is also using his connections in the performance world to bring in new acts to the Live at First series and help to return its classical element, which includes shows like the Detroit Chamber Winds in March and Cordova Quartet in April.

"It's the first time I've been in that position, and I'm enjoying it," he said. "There is some stage directing, and I've enjoyed doing that as well. It's kind of an extension of my career. I'm really interested in the administrative-artistic aspect. It's kind of an adventure."

F

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Laurie Tennent

PLACES TO EAT

Not to b bee explained. exp explained . To be be exp experienced.

B The Places To Eat for Downtown is a quick reference source to establishments offering a place for dining, either breakfast, lunch or dinner. The listings include nearly all dining establishments with seating in the Birmingham/Bloomfield area, and then some select restaurants outside the immediate area served by Downtown. The complete Places To Eat is available at downtownpublications.com and in an optimized format for your smart phone (downtownpublications.com/mobile), where you can actually map out locations and automatically dial a restaurant from our Places To Eat.

Birmingham/Bloomfield 220: American. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 220 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.646.2220.

5th Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 2262 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9607.

Andiamo: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 6676 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301.

248.865.9300.

Arthur Avenue: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 260 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009.

248.480.0768.

Au Cochon: French. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 260 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009.

248.792.7795.

Bagger Dave's Legendary Burger Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301.

248.792.3579.

Bangkok Thai Bistro: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 42805 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Township, 48304.

248.499.6867.

Beau's: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 4108 W. Maple, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.626.2630.

Bella Piatti: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

167 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.494.7110.

Beverly Hills Grill: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor. No reservations. 31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, 48025. 248.642.2355.

Beyond Juice: Contemporary. Breakfast & Lunch daily; Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

No reservations. 270 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.7078.

Big Rock Chophouse: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 245 South Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.7774.

Bill's: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Daily. Reservations, lunch only.

Liquor. 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.646.9000.

Birmingham Sushi Cafe: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.8880.

Bistro Joe’s Kitchen: Global. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Sunday brunch. Liquor.

Reservations. 34244 Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.0984.

Bloomfield Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 71 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.645.6879.

Brooklyn Pizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. 111 Henrietta Street,

downtownpublications.com

Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6690.

Café ML: New American. Dinner, daily.

Liquor. Call ahead. 3607 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township.

248.642.4000.

Cafe Via: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 310 East Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.644.8800.

Cameron’s Steakhouse: American.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 115 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.723.1700.

China Village: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 1655 Opdyke, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.758.1221.

Churchill's Bistro & Cigar Bar: Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 116 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.4555.

Cityscape Deli: Deli. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Beer.

877 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.540.7220.

Commonwealth: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 300 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009.

248.792.9766.

Cosi: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & wine. 101 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.203.9200.

Dick O’Dow’s: Irish. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 160 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.642.1135.

Eddie Merlot's: Steak & seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.712.4095.

Einstein Bros. Bagels: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 176 South Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.9888. Also 4089 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

248.258.9939.

Elie’s Mediterranean Cuisine: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 263 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.647.2420.

Embers Deli & Restaurant: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 3598 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.645.1033.

Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 323 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.723.0134.

Forest: European. Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham 48009. 248.258.9400 Greek Island Coney Restaurant: Greek.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 221 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.1222.

Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American.

Dinner, Tuesday-Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday and Sunday. No Reservations.

Liquor. 575 S. Eton Street, Birmingham.

248.712.4050.v Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, daily. No reservations. 3633 W. Maple Rd, Bloomfield, MI 48301. 248.203.9111.

Hunter House Hamburgers: American.

Breakfast, Monday-Saturday; Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 35075 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.646.7121.

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 201 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009.

248.594.4369.

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NOW OPEN FOR

LUNCH TUESDAY-FRIDAY 11 A.M. - 4 P.M.

HAPPY HOUR MONDAY THRU SATURDAY Reduced pricing on food and cocktails 4 P.M. - 7 P.M.

34977 Woodward Ave, Birmingham

248.220.4237 Reservations Accepted thestandbistro.com th hestandbistro.com m

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B I R MING H AM BLOOMFI ELD SYMPHONY OR C HE S T R A

Mozart in Glass AN ALL MOZART EVENING John Thomas Dodson, conductor Nancy Ambrose King, oboe

Music Director John Thomas Dodson

Wednesday, April 6, 2016 8:00 pm Planterra West Bloomfield Nancy Ambrose King, oboe

Friday, April 8, 2016 8:00 pm Grosse Pointe War Memorial Grosse Pointe Farms

AN ALL MOZART PROGRAM

Divertimento No. 11 in D Major, K. 251 (1776) Concerto in C Major for Oboe and Orchestra, K.314 (1778) Overture to La finta giardiniera, K. 196 (1775) Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K.201 (1774)

FOR TICKETS: 248.352.BBSO

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(2276)

www.BBSO.org

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www.facebook.com/BBSO.LIVE Like us on

03.16

IHOP: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2187 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301. 248.333.7522.

Ironwood Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, 6 or more. Liquor.

290 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009.

248.385.0506.

Kerby’s Koney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

2160 N. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.333.1166.

La Marsa: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner daily. Reservations. 43259 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.5800.

La Strada Dolci e Caffe: Italian. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 243 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.480.0492.

Leo’s Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

154 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.9707.

Also 6527 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.646.8568.

Little Daddy’s Parthenon: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 39500 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.647.3400.

Luxe Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily; Late Night, 9 p.m.-closing. No reservations. Liquor. 525 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009.

248.792.6051.

Mad Hatter Cafe: Tea Room. Brunch, Lunch & Dinner. No reservations. Liquor.

185 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.540.0000 Mandaloun Bistro: Lebanese. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, Daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 30100 Telegraph Rd., Suite 130, Bingham Farms, 48025.

248.723.7960.

Market North End: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations.

Liquor. 474 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.712.4953.

MEX Mexican Bistro & Tequila Bar: Mexican. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Liquor. 6675 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301.

248.723.0800.

Mitchell’s Fish Market: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 117 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.646.3663.

Mountain King: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 469 South Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.644.2913.

New Bangkok Thai Bistro: Thai. Breakfast, Monday-Thursday; Lunch, Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily. No reservations. 183 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.2181.

Nippon Sushi Bar: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2079 S. Telegraph, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9581.

Nosh & Rye: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily.

No reservations. 39495 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.646.7923.

Olga’s Kitchen: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2075 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302.

248.451.0500.

Original Pancake House: American.

Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 33703 South Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.642.5775.

Panera Bread: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 100 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.203.7966.

Also 2125 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.253.9877.

Peabody’s: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 34965 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.5222.

downtownpublications.com

Phoenicia: Middle Eastern. Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

588 South Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.3122.

Pita Cafe: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 239 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.645.6999.

Qdoba: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 795 East Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.988.8941.

Also 42967 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48304.

248.874.1876 Roadside B & G: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

1727 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7270.

Rojo Mexican Bistro: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 250 Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.792.6200.

Salvatore Scallopini: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 505 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.8977.

Sanders: American. Lunch, daily. No reservations. 167 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.3215.

Social Kitchen & Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, parties of 5 or more. Liquor. 225 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.4200.

Stacked Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Delivery available. No reservations. 233 North Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.5300.

Steve’s Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6646 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48301.

248.932.0800.

Streetside Seafood: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily.

Reservations, Lunch only. Liquor. 273 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.645.9123.

Sushi Hana: Japanese. Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. 42656 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.333.3887.

Sy Thai Cafe: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. 315 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.9830.

Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro: American.

Dinner. Monday-Saturday. Sunday brunch.

Reservations. Liquor. 55 S. Bates Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.731.7066.

The Corner Bar: American. Dinner.

Wednesday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 100 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.2958.

The Bird & The Bread: Brasserie. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 210 S. Old Woodard, Birmingham, 48009.

248.203.6600.

The Franklin Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 32760 Franklin Rd, Franklin, 48025. 248.865.6600.

The Gallery Restaurant: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & wine. 6683 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

248.851.0313.

The Moose Preserve Bar & Grill: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 2395 S. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7688.

The Rugby Grille: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 100 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.5999.

The Stand: Euro-American. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 34977 Woodward, Birmingham, 48009.

248.220.4237.

Toast: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 203 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6278.

Touch of India: Indian. Lunch & Dinner,

MARCH TASTING EVENTS Somm's Selection Tour and Taste Tuesday, March 1, 2016 | 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. $25 inclusive of tax and tip.

St. Patrick's Day at Big Rock Chophouse Ryan Patrick Wine Dinner with special guest speaker.

Receive 10% off if you wear green!

Thursday, March 17, 2016 | 6:30 p.m. $65 inclusive of tax and tip.

Somm's Selection Tour and Taste Tuesday, March 29, 2016 | 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. $25 inclusive of tax and tip.

For more information or to make reservations, visit bigrockchophouse.com.

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135

FRONT/BACK Front/Back is a monthly column devoted to news stories, tidbits and gossip items about what's happening in both the front of the house and back of the house in the restaurants in the metro Detroit area.

24-hour diner Daily Dinette opened for business on Wednesday, February 10, at 280 W. Nine Mile Road in Ferndale. The 24-hour diner is slingin’ burgers, breakfast sandwiches, hot dogs, “beautifully decorated donuts and cider mill-style donuts, hot out of the fryer anytime,” said Beth Hussey, vice president of operations for Kramer Restaurant Group. Daily Dinette inhabits the space that was formerly Buffalo Wild Wings. Chef Emmele Herrold, of Ferndale’s One-Eyed Betty’s, oversees the kitchens of both restaurants, and in March, will add Pop’s for Italian to her resume, the newest project of restaurateur Brian Kramer. Pop’s will share the building with Daily Dinette.

Bloomfield restaurant closing After 40 years, the iconic Hogan’s restaurant of Bloomfield Township has closed. “The timing was right. They approached me (to buy it). It was never on the market,” said Rick Bochenak, owner of the long-time establishment.

Bochenak said he who sold it to the Barbat Organization of Bloomfield Township. “For me, it’s kinda sad. My dad bought it from Howard Johnson’s in 1961, and turned it into Hogan’s in 1975. It was a staple in the area for three generations.” Hogan’s was known for its burgers, steaks, sandwiches, and salads in a neighborhood environment. In its place, a new retail establishment will be erected.

Brewery expansion Birmingham’s Griffin Claw Brewing Company, 575 S. Eton Street, is expanding into Rochester Hills. Griffin Claw Brewery will open a new 8,000square foot location on the property formerly occupied by East Side Mario’s, 2273 Crooks Road in Rochester Hills, which recently closed. The LePage family has ownership over Griffin Claw, the now-shuttered East Side Mario’s, Big Rock Chophouse, 245 S. Eton Street in Birmingham, and Clubhouse BFD (beer, food, drink), at 2265 Crooks Road in Rochester Hills.

“We’re thinking more along the experimental lines, essentially a facility for increased production,” said a representative from Clubhouse BFD, neighbor to the upcoming location of what’s being called the Griffin Claw Brewing Company ThinkTank and Test Kitchen. To commemorate Buddy Pizza’s 70th anniversary, the brewery has created new American wheat ale, the Buddy Brew, available on tap at all eight full-service Detroit-area locations.

“It’s a permanent addition to Buddy’s,” said Wes Pikula, vice president of operations. “We knew Scott (LePage) and brew master Dan (Rogers). We tried to pair something that worked great with the pizzas. It’s soft and smooth, with coriander and grapefruit peel.”

Sous vide causal dining Slated to open in Ferndale within the month at 310 W. Nine Mile Road, The Conserva, will offer a unique dining experience that involves sous vide cooking, glass jars, and crunchy bread. A project of chef Matthew Baldridge, formerly of Cliff Bells and the Rattlesnake Club, and his fiancé, Janna Coumoundouros, the concept behind The Conserva “is like a more creative Lunchable,” said Baldridge, “you just build your own.” Using a time and temperature controlled water bath to cook various proteins, the food is then removed from its vacuum-sealed bag, marinated, and sealed in a jar, “like you would do at home, canning,” he said. “You can imagine different pickled products from fruits to vegetables to proteins in different marinades—tuna collar, tuna belly, oxtail, rabbit, different types of charcuterie applications.

Everything is shelf-stable.” Baldridge gave an example, “oxtail with apple kimchi, with this type of mustard, with a poached egg. You pick it, and we’ll bring it to you with a crunchy, toasted baguette and you make your own.”

The couple spent the last few years hosting the Dinner Club Pop Up in Ferndale’s Front Street Gallery and other local venues.

Fried chicken adventure A new venture from Zack Sklar and partners is Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. It will be opening in Midtown Detroit at Third and Alexandrine, “Likely in at least six months,” said James Henry, executive chef at Sklar’s Birmingham restaurant Social Kitchen & Bar. The new space will necessitate a complete buildout. The franchise started in Memphis, and currently has 13 locations in seven states, including Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Georgia, Texas, and Illinois, with a handful more on the way. Behind

daily. No reservations. 297 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009.

248.593.7881.

Townhouse: American. Brunch, Saturday, Sunday. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 180 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.5241.

Triple Nickel Restaurant and Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor.

Reservations. 555 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009. 248.480.4951.

Village Coney Island: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 653 S. Adams.

Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.7964.

Whistle Stop Diner: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; No reservations. 501 S. Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.566.3566.

Royal Oak/Ferndale Ale Mary's: American. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 316 South Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.268.1917 Anita’s Kitchen: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 22651 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.548.0680.

Andiamo Restaurants: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 129 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.582.0999.

Assaggi Bistro: Italian. Lunch, TuesdayFriday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 330 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.584.3499.

Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 711 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067.

Bistro 82: French. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 401 S. Lafayette Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.542.0082.

The Blue Nile: Ethiopian. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 545 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220.

248.547.6699.

Bspot Burgers: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 310 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.268.1621.

Cafe Muse: French. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 418 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.544.4749.

Cork Wine Pub: American. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 23810 Woodward Ave., Pleasant Ridge, 48069.

248.544.2675.

D’Amato’s: Italian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

222 Sherman Dr., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.584.7400.

Due Venti: Italian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

220 S. Main St., Clawson, 48017.

248.288.0220.

The Fly Trap: Diner. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 22950 Woodward Ave., 48220. 248.399.5150.

GreenSpace Cafe: Vegan. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. No reservations.

Liquor. 215. W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.206.7510.

Howe’s Bayou: Cajun. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 22949 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.691.7145.

Inn Season Cafe: Vegetarian. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. No reservations. 500 E. Fourth St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.547.7916.

Inyo Restaurant Lounge: Asian Fusion.

Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 22871 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220.

248.543.9500.

KouZina: Greek. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No

reservations. 121 N. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.629.6500.

Lily’s Seafood: Seafood. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 410 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.591.5459.

Local Kitchen and Bar: American.

Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 344 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220.

248.291.5650.

Lockhart’s BBQ: Barbeque. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 202 E. Third St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.584.4227.

Oak City Grille: American. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 212 W. 6th St, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.556.0947.

One-Eyed Betty: American. Weekend Breakfast. Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 175 W. Troy St., Ferndale, 48220. 248.808.6633.

Pronto!: American. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 608 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.7900.

Public House: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 241 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220.

248.850.7420.

Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

31542 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, 48073. 248.549.0300.

Ronin: Japanese. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 326 W. 4th St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.546.0888.

Royal Oak Brewery: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

215 E. 4th St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.544.1141.

Strada: Italian. Dinner, Wednesday Sunday. Liquor. No reservations. 376 N. Main Street. Royal Oak, 48067.

248.607.3127.

Toast, A Breakfast and Lunch Joint: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 23144 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.398.0444.

Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 318 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.541.1186.

Town Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 116 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.544.7300/ Trattoria Da Luigi: Italian. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 415 S, Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.542.4444.

Twisted Tavern: American. Dinner, daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 22901 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220.

248.545,6750.

Vinsetta Garage: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

27799 Woodward Ave., Berkley, 48072.

248.548.7711.

Troy/Rochester Bspot Burgers: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 176 N. Adams Rd, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.218.6001.

Capital Grille: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2800 West Big Beaver Rd., Somerset Collection, Troy, 48084. 248.649.5300.

Cafe Sushi: Pan-Asian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1933 W. Maple Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.280.1831.

Ganbei Chinese Restaurant and Bar: Chinese. Lunch, Monday-Saturday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 227 S. Main St, Rochester, 48307.

248.266.6687.

O’Connor’s Irish Public House: Irish.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 324 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.608.2537.

Kona Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 30 E. Big

Beaver Rd., Troy, 48083. 248.619.9060.

Kruse & Muer on Main: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 327 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.652.9400.

Lakes: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 5500 Crooks Rd., Troy, 48098. 248.646.7900.

McCormick & Schmick’s: Steak & Seafood.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. Somerset Collection, 2850 Coolidge Hwy, Troy, 48084.

248.637.6400.

The Meeting House: American. Weekend Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 301 S. Main St, Rochester, 48307. 248.759.4825.

Miguel’s Cantina: Mexican. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 870 S. Rochester Rd, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.453.5371.

Mon Jin Lau: Asian. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1515 E. Maple Rd, Troy, 48083.

248.689.2332.

Morton’s, The Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 888 W. Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.404.9845.

NM Café: American. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 2705 W. Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48084.

248.816.3424.

Oceania Inn: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Village of Rochester Hills, 3176 Walton Blvd, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.375.9200.

Ocean Prime: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2915 Coolidge Hwy., Troy, 48084. 248.458.0500.

Orchid Café: Thai. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. 3303 Rochester Rd., Troy, 48085.

248.524.1944.

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

Somerset Collection, 2801 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084. 248.816.8000.

Rochester Chop House: Steak & Seafood.

Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 306 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.651.2266.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 755 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084. 248.269.8424.

Silver Spoon: Italian. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 6830 N. Rochester Rd., Rochester, 48306.

248.652.4500.

Steelhouse Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1129 E. Long Lake Rd., Troy, 48085.

248.817.2980.

Tre Monti Ristorante: Italian. Lunch, Thursdays. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 1695 E. Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48083. 248.680.1100.

West Bloomfield/Southfield Bacco: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 29410 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.356.6600.

Beans and Cornbread: Southern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 29508 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.208.1680.

Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 29110 Franklin Road, Southfield, 48034.

Maria’s Restaurant: Italian. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2080 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323.

248.851.2500.

The Bombay Grille: Indian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 29200 Orchard Lake Rd, Farmington Hills, 48334.

248.626.2982.

The Fiddler: Russian. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Thursday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 6676 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322.

248.851.8782.

The Lark: American. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 6430 Farmington Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.661.4466.

Mene Sushi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 6239 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.538.7081.

Meriwether’s: Seafood. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 25485 Telegraph Rd, Southfield, 48034. 248.358.1310.

Pickles & Rye: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6724 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.737.3890.

Prime29 Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6545 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.7463.

Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor.

6745 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.865.0500.

Shangri-La: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. Orchard Mall Shopping Center, 6407 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322.

248.626.8585.

Sposita’s Ristorante: Italian. Friday Lunch.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 33210 W. Fourteen Mile Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248. 538.8954.

Stage Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

6873 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.855.6622.

Sweet Lorraine’s Café & Bar: American.

Weekend Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 29101 Greenfield Rd., Southfield, 48076.

248.559.5985.

Yotsuba: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 7365 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield, 48322.

248.737.8282.

West Oakland Gravity Bar & Grill: Mediterranean. Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday, Dinner.

Reservations. Liquor. 340 N. Main Street, Milford, 48381. 248.684.4223.

It's A Matter of Taste: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2323 Union Lake Road, Commerce, 48390.

248.360.4150.

The Root Restaurant & Bar: American.

Lunch & Dinner, Monday - Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 340 Town Center Blvd., White Lake, 48390.

248.698.2400.

Volare Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 48992 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.960.7771.

North Oakland Clarkston Union: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 54 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346.

248.620.6100.

Holly Hotel: American. Afternoon Tea, Monday – Saturday, Brunch, Sunday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 110 Battle Alley, Holly, 48442.

248.634.5208.

Kruse's Deer Lake Inn: Seafood. Lunch & dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7504 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346.

248.795.2077.

Via Bologna: Italian. Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 7071 Dixie Highway, Clarkston. 48346. 248.620.8500.

Union Woodshop: BBQ. Dinner, Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday – Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 18 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346.

248.625.5660

Detroit Angelina Italian Bistro: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor.

1565 Broadway St., Detroit, 48226.

313.962.1355.

Antietam: French. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

the upcoming Detroit eatery is Schmaltz Hospitality LLC, the newly formed restaurant group composed of Sklar and Jim Bellinson. The two partnered with Wendy McCrory, owner of Gus’s, after Sklar’s longtime friend Zach Goodman, introduced Sklar to the brand, said Jaimee Tepker, Sklar’s assistant. “The menu will be the same in all the restaurants. Wendy developed the recipes that they use, but the seasonings – you can’t quite tell what makes it a little spicy but perfect. It’s practically scientific,” said Tepker. “(The recipe) is about as secret as the chartreuse recipe and the monks that make it.”

Bye to Ann Arbor Katoi in Exile, as the Ann Arbor location of the Thai-inspired concept, Katoi, was affectionately called, has closed doors for good, as the focus shifts to its opening in Detroit. Partner Courtney Henriette expects the new restaurant, at 2445 Michigan Avenue in Detroit, to begin serving this month or next.

Lunch shifts Detroit’s Republic, 1942 Grand River Avenue in the G.A.R. Building has discontinued lunch service, while its sister restaurant, Parks and Rec Diner, located in the same building, has added lunch service. “We decided that instead of competing, we would just shut down the tavern lunch, and do a little more focused lunch menu in addition to our breakfast menu,” said Philip Kitchell, manager at Parks and Rec Diner. “(The diner has) a great brisket Reuben. We’re using the brisket that we have in the tavern for dinner, which is brined and smoked, with kraut, and house made Thousand Island (dressing). Our soups change every other day, are also from scratch and (we have) a couple sweet salads. We play with the lunch menu.” Chef Sarah Welch oversees both restaurants.

Second Social opening Zack Sklar’s Peas and Carrots Hospitality Group will open a second Social Kitchen & Bar in Grand Rapids this spring, said James Henry, executive chef at the Birmingham location, at 225 E. Maple. “The Grand Rapids location will have a few new features that Social in Birmingham doesn’t have. It will offer all the classics that we know and love at Social, and possibly some new menu twists.” Peas and Carrots also operates Birmingham’s Au Cochon and Arthur Avenue, along with Mex and Beau’s in Bloomfield Township.

Detroit street food 2941 Street Food, the Mediterranean restaurant that recently opened at 87 W. Auburn Road in Rochester Hills, is planning an expansion to Detroit this June.

Coming to 4219 Woodward Avenue at Willis, the Detroit location boasts a large outdoor patio. Jacques Van Staden and Joe Vicari, of Andiamo Restaurant Group, came together to develop a concept Van Staden considers “very fresh and wholesome – wholesome, honest chow.” He added that the Detroit restaurant has a liquor license, does catering, and will accommodate a high volume of delivery orders.

Servers donate tips to Flint To mark the second anniversary of Royal Oak’s Bistro 82, 401 S. Lafayette Avenue, all tips earned on the evening of February 11, were donated to The United Way of Genesee County’s Flint Water Fund. AFB Hospitality Group, the parent company, matched the staff’s donations, dollar for dollar, totaling $6,000. The fund covers filters, bottled water, emergency support services and more.

Cooking with style Cooking with Style, a monthly series of cooing classes and dinner nights, will be presented at The Townsend Hotel with Leslie Jacobs Associates, and will continue throughout the year. Jacobs said the informative cooking classes are held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the kitchen of the hotel, taught by chefs, and cost $125, including dinner. The lineup includes Foods of Spain, March 14; Best of New Orleans, April 11; Summer and Smoke-Grilling Secrets, July 11; Mediterranean Cuisine, August 18; Fall Starters, September 12; Thanksgiving Favorites, November 14. To sign up for a class, contact Leslie Jacobs Associates at cookingwithstyle3@gmail.com.

Front/Back is reported each month by Katie Deska. KatieDeska@DowntownPublications.com. We welcome news items or tips, on or off the record, about what's happening in the front or back of the house at metro area restaurants.

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1428 Gratiot Ave., Detroit, 48207.

313.782.4378.

Bucharest Grill: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2040 Park Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.965.3111.

Cliff Bell’s: American. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 2030 Park Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.961.2543.

Coach Insignia: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

100 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243.

313.567.2622.

Craft Work: American. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 8047 Agnes St., Detroit, 48214.

313.469.0976.

Cuisine: French. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 670 Lothrop Rd., Detroit, 48202. 313.872.5110.

The Detroit Seafood Market: Seafood.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 1435 Randolph St., Detroit, 48226. 313.962.4180.

El Barzon: Mexican. Lunch, Tuesday-Friday.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 3710 Junction St., Detroit, 48210. 313.894.2070.

Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café: Cajun.

Breakfast, daily. Sunday Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 400 Monroe Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.965.4600.

Giovanni’s Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 330 S. Oakwood Blvd., Detroit, 48217. 313.841.0122.

Green Dot Stables: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2200 W. Lafayette, Detroit, 48216.

313.962.5588.

Jefferson House: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 2 Washington Blvd., Detroit, 48226. 313.782.4318.

Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Lunch, Monday- Friday, Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243. 313.567.6837.

Johnny Noodle King: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2601 W. Fort St., Detroit, 48216.

313.309.7946.

Maccabees at Midtown: American.

Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

5057 Woodward Ave., Detroit, 48202.

313.831.9311.

Mario’s: Italian. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 4222 2nd Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.832.1616.

Midtown Shangri-la: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 4710 Cass Ave., Detroit, 48201.

313.974.7669.

Motor City Brewing Works: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Beer & Wine. 470 W. Canfield St., Detroit, 48201. 313.832.2700.

1917 American Bistro: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 19416 Livernois Ave., Detroit, 48221.

313.863.1917.

Prism: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 555 E. Lafayette St, Detroit, 48226.

313.309.2499.

Red Smoke Barbeque: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

Trappers Alley Shopping Center, 573 Monroe Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.962.2100.

Roma Café: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

3401 Riopelle St., Detroit, 48207.

313.831.5940.

Russell Street Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. 2465 Russell St, Detroit,

DOWNTOWN

48207. 313.567.2900.

Santorini Estiatorio: Greek. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 501 Monroe Ave, Detroit, 48226. 313.962.9366.

Selden Standard: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 3921 Second Ave., Detroit, 48201.

313.438.5055.

Sinbad’s: Seafood. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

100 St Clair St., Detroit, 48214.

313.822.8000.

Slows Bar BQ: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2138 Michigan Ave, Detroit, 48216.

313.962.9828.

Small Plates Detroit: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 1521 Broadway St., Detroit, 48226. 313.963.0702.

St. CeCe’s Pub: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 1426 Bagley Ave., Detroit, 48216.

313.962.2121.

Tap at MGM Grand: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 1777 Third Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.465.1234.

Taqueria Nuestra Familia: Mexican.

Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 7620 Vernor Hwy., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.5668.

The Block: American. Sunday Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 3919 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.0892.

Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 519 East Jefferson Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.964.4010.

Top of the Pontch: American. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservation. Liquor. 2 Washington Blvd, Detroit, 48226.

313.782.4313.

Traffic Jam & Snug: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

511 W. Canfield, Detroit, 48201.

313.831.9470.

24grille: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, 1114 Washington Blvd, Detroit, 48226.

313.964.3821.

Union Street: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 4145 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201.

313.831.3965.

Vince’s: Italian. Lunch, Tuesday-Friday.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 1341 Springwells St., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.4857.

Vivio’s Food & Spirits: American.

Saturday Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2460 Market St., Detroit, 48207.

313.393.1711.

The Whitney: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & High Tea, Monday-Friday. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, daily. Liquor.

Reservations. 4421 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.5700.

Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina: Italian. Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 1777 Third St, Detroit, 48226. 313.465.1646.

Wolfgang Puck Steak: Steak & Seafood.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1777 Third St, Detroit, 48226.

313.465.1411.

Wright & Co.: American. Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 1500 Woodward Ave Second Floor, Detroit, 48226. 313.962.7711.

03.16

AT THE TABLE Dave Mancini may have hit on his hands with La Rondinella

By J. March

astern Market is a really cool part of Detroit. As the largest historic public market district, it can furnish your house, feed your face, help develop your garden, and fill your soul. The shed that houses the market sees 45,000 visitors on any given Saturday. Surrounding the shed are shops and restaurants owned and operated by a diverse community of artists, artisans and business owners. It is here that Dave Mancini opened La Rondinella in January of this year.

Mancini, a native of Troy, ditched his physical therapy job and opened Supino Pizza in 2008. After much success there, he purchased the closed restaurant next door with the idea of running a casual, accessible, neighborhood eatery. Though it took awhile to come to fruition, that is exactly what La Rondinella is.

Zinc table tops, simple lighting, brick walls and an unassuming bar blend perfectly with the casual table settings, menu and service. Though the seating is tight, the atmosphere is conducive to conversation between neighboring tables and provides an overall warm, fuzzy, casual feeling.

After a lovely greeting at the door and the quote of a reasonable wait time, we headed back to the packed bar where the experience was not so great.

Three bartenders on duty, all of whom ignored our presence, desire for a cocktail, and even went so far as to tell us we could not stand on one side of the bar. Upon migration to the other end, we were then told by another bartender that we could not stand on that end either. Though what I wanted to tell them was that I would gladly stand outside if someone would just make me a drink, I instead shuffled to another spot and waited fifteen more minutes until I was acknowledged with the welcoming words of “Whatcha need?” What is the deal with bartenders these days? I get busy. I get that craft drinks don’t come from an Oasis Machine. What I don’t get is the inability to at least be greeted with an “I’ll be right with you,” or “Hi guys, how are you tonight?”It’s a turn off, and an awful way to start any experience.

Luckily, we were seated right as our 25-minute long wait cocktails came. Our server showed up and immediately went into what I was sure the same speech she had given every table before us and most likely every table after. I'm a fan of personality, but her knowledge was spot on so upon her suggestion we ordered the roasted fennel along with the anchovy crostini and the salt cod fritters. The fennel was drizzled in lemon vinaigrette with shaved parmesan and fennel frawns. It was acidic, salty, anise flavored goodness. The anchovy crostini was also perfectly balanced with the briny fish, nuttiness and brightness that came from an unnamed herb that tasted like parsley and mint. The salt cod fritters came with a house tartar that included lemon and dill. Nothing fancy about that, however, the

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Crespelle di Granchio: Crepes with bechamel, topped with marinara. Downtown photo: Esme McClear

crunchy, fried goodness can only be described as the island to the stream which consists of cold beer.

Our intermezzo consisted of earthy roasted mushrooms with creamy polenta and hints of sharp parmesan and swiss chard with lemon, garlic and a heavy handed portion of olive oil.

With much anticipation we ordered the gnocchi. Though listed as served with chicken, the server sheepishly told us it was came with duck that night and was that okay? Was that okay?

Does a foodie own a camera and two Instagram accounts? Hands down this dish was my favorite.

The gnocchi was perfectly constructed and cooked, which is no easy feat. The collards, pieces of perfectly roasted duck, and light broth had me, with zero shame, using my finger as a spatula.

The squid and potato stew that followed was a flavor bomb with the briny squid, hearty potatoes, a savory, rich brown broth, and the green flavors of kale and chard. The epitome of cold weather food and a great reason for six more weeks of winter.

Though they were out of the lamb that night, they did have a short rib prepared similarly. It was the emotional version of mom's pot roast and the culinary version of comfort food at its best. Tender, moist, rich in flavor with roasted root vegetables and polenta, I again felt lucky for the stray-fromthe-menu listed item.

It's obvious that I'm a fan of La Rondinella.

Forgetting the Stalinist bartenders, the space is inviting and warm. The menu is simple and affordable and, most importantly, executed to a tee.

It also goes to support my theory of less is more.

Smaller menus that are comprised of dishes with three to four ingredients offer up the opportunity for focus on execution night after night. Though I am most certainly not the first to know this, I can say that for as much as it sounds like common sense, it is sorely lacking in restaurants today.

On top of all of that, this neighborhood spot is somewhere you could patronize three or four times a month without any donation of plasma, body parts or first born. The price points are spot on and the space is somewhere that makes you want to hang out. Take your pick of reasons to go.

Just go. And if you don’t agree, go grab a slice next door.

La Rondinella, 2453 Russell Street, in Detroit's Eastern Market, 48207. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 5-10 p.m.. Closed Sunday and Monday. Street parking available. Handicap access. Website and phone number pending.

J. March has 25 years experience in the restaurant industry in southeast Michigan, including certification as a sommelier.

CHERYL KNOWS

REAL ESTATE Cheryl has been actively involved in the real estate industry since 1994, with a career background in the new construction and property management industries.

That knowledge and experience, along with her strong understanding of the local market, has contributed to her continued growth and success with Max Broock. She is proud to be part of Michigan’s most successful marketer of luxury real estate!

Striving to provide the very best service that exceeds clients’ expectations.

If you’re thinking of buying or selling, call Cheryl.

Cheryl knows real estate.

Cheryl A. Parisi-Realtor ABR SFR, BPOR ®

®

RELOCATION CERTIFIED SPECIALIST, CERTIFIED NEW HOME SPECIALIST RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION CERTIFIED

(248) 733-5806 CherylParisi@maxbroock.com

275 S. Old Woodward Downtown Birmingham

THE COMMUNITY HOUSE The Community House - SIP for a Cause On March 12, The Community House will host its first annual SIP Birmingham charity event and live auction at The Community House. The goal and vision of SIP Birmingham is to create a world-class signature fundraising event that will bring together aficionados of fine cuisine and extraordinary craft cocktails who want to share their interests and good fortune with others in a first-class setting for the benefit of children and adults served by The Community House.

Consistent with the theme of fine cuisine and extraordinary handcrafted cocktails, an array of southeast Michigan’s most creative culinary talent will join The Community House culinary team to inspire SIP guests with the best of local small plate flavor including Bacco Ristorante, Streetside Seafood Restaurant, Local Kitchen & Bar, Social Kitchen and Bar, Au Cochon, The Bird and the Bread, The Stand Gastro Bistro, Prime 29 Steakhouse and The Community House. SIP Birmingham promises to elevate the craft cocktail by tailoring every drink to each chef’s creation with harmonious flavor.

Our goal is to utilize Birmingham’s premier venue for a fabulous and fun new event that will raise awareness and funds for amazing initiatives that support local kids and families. During the strolling portion of the main event, SIP Birmingham guests will “sip” on craft Bill Seklar cocktails featuring luxury spirits Bruichladdich Scotch, Cointreau, Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, The Botanist Gin, Rémy Martin VSOP Cognac, and Rémy Martin V, Casamigos Tequila (to name a few!) while being serenaded by Motor City jazz crooner Ben Sharkey. The charitable highlight of the evening will include an exciting Live Auction conducted by renowned Birmingham auctioneer extraordinaire, Dan Stall.

Tickets are $250 for adults; $125 for young adults (21 years and older). The SIP festivities will also include a Remy “Night Cap” after hours event; entertainment, after dinner drinks by Remy Cointreau USA, small bites and a coffee bar from 9 p.m.midnight. Admission to SIP’s “Night Cap” after hours event is included in the overall SIP ticket price. To join in the fun – tickets may be purchased online now at tchserves.org or by calling The Community House at 248.644.5832.

Urban home

SIP Birmingham 2016 would not be made possible without vital corporate sponsorship support. Many thanks to SIP’s founding Presenting Sponsor, Bank of Birmingham, as well to SIP’s other founding corporate sponsors, Children’s Hospital of Michigan – Troy; SlipNOT Metal Safety Flooring; Clark Hill PLC; Remy Cointreau USA; Casamigos Tequila; Great Lakes Wine & Spirits; Tiffany Florist; Luxe Linen; and Hour Detroit magazine.

windsor FURNITURE & DESIGN STUDIO

Likewise, no successful event can take place without the support and talent of so many working so diligently behind the scenes. Our thanks go out to the 2016 SIP Birmingham Co-Chairs, Christina and Sean Metrose and Michelle and Eric Schwab, and to the 2016 SIP Host Committee – Laurie & Rob Farr, William & Susan Seklar, Jeffrey Imerman, Michael Melfi, Joanie Sacksteder, Paul Kadesch, Dana Sorensen and Matt Vanderhoef, and Live Auction Chair Betsy Reich.

4000 Sq Ft Showroom 3D Virtual Design Services Interior Design Packages

Special thanks as well to SIP Birmingham Food and Beverage Consultant, Master Sommelier, Author and Talk Show Host Ron Edwards, M.S., and to the hardworking team at The Community House. Look forward to seeing you at SIP Birmingham 2016. Cheers!

Happenings Around the House…

TCH Announces its 2016 Board Officers: The TCH Board of Directors recently announced its 2016 board officers: Rob Farr, Chair of the Board; Donald Kunz, Vice-Chair; Becky Walton, Treasurer; Ann Conrad, Member-At-Large; Gwen Schultz, Member-At-Large; Dan Quick; Member-At-Large; and William D. Seklar, President & CEO. The Community House was also pleased to announce its newest board members; Kevin Browett, Dominic DiMarco, Barbara Hertzler and Betsy Reich. We are humbled and honored by your willingness to serve.

Congratulations and welcome to all.

Farewell: The Community House’s Officers and Board of Directors bid a “fond farewell” to outgoing board members Brad Feldman, Renato Jamett, Debby Sloan, Michelle Schwab and Lisa Sampson. Thank you for your incredibly kind and generous service, leadership and support.

Jodi Mason Principal & Lead Design Consultant

www.urbanhomewindsor.com 4409 Seminole St., Windsor, On - 519-974-4663

William D. Seklar is President & CEO of The Community House in Birmingham. downtownpublications.com

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Here is the update on the recent social scene. Many more photos from each event appear online each week at downtownpublications.com where readers can sign up for an e-mail notice when the latest social scene column is posted. Past columns and photos are also archived at the website for Downtown.

Christ Child Society Home Tour

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Christ Child Society Home Tour Julie Hamaty and Ann Jordan chaired Christ Child Society’s 2015 Home Tour of six exceptional Bloomingham area homes. Most of the 600-plus Sally Gerak tourists stopped for brunch at Birmingham Country Club and to shop at the 20 boutiques set up there. The generous owners who decorated and opened their homes were Marianne and John Boukamp, Susan and Mark Davis, Jenny and Chris McCuiston, and Karen and Rick Williams. The tourists were unanimous in their praise of the homes. Kelly Martin, who toured with her interior design business partner Amy Fischer, said that “...all were festive and beautiful...especially (McQuistons’) modern farmhouse...that showcased today’s freshest design ideas and perspectives.” Carol Roney, Nora Hamill, and Lori Gothard coordinated the society members (10 house captains and 75 docents) who worked at the homes. Thanks also to sponsors and a raffle, the event raised an all time high $50,000-plus for CCS to help children at risk rebuild their lives.

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1. Ann Jordan (left) of Beverly Hills and Julie Hamaty of Birmingham. 2. Tina Stonisch (left) of Birmingham, Liz Lee of Bloomfield. 3. Katie Serda (left) of Grosse Pointe, Pam Surheigh of Bloomfield. 4. Julie Lunghamer Jenney (left) of Bloomfield, Mandy Lunghamer and Jeannie Lunghamer Petzold. 5. Janet Stenger (left), Sarah Stenger Dodge and Bev Stenger of Birmingham. 6. Dr. Virginia Graham (left), Diane Roelant and Janet Forgione of Bloomfield.

7. JoAnn Patterson (left) of Lake Orion, Mary Jo Dawson of Bloomfield.

Meadow Brook Hall Starlight Stroll Just before Meadow Brook Hall’s 44th annual Holiday Walk concluded, a sold out crowd of 280 ($75 ticket) flocked to the hall for the Starlight Stroll. Guests included MBH director Geoff Upward and his wife Suzanne, who had been married at the estate a year earlier. All the guests savored the butler-passed hors d’oeuvres, the open bar, a grand buffet dinner, dancing in the lower level ballroom to the Sheila Landis Trio and touring the hall. It had been decorated by floral designer Alice Waterous and her crew with a lot of preliminary help from the MBH volunteers and staffers. Originally, the Holiday Walk comprised three days, preceded by a black tie gala. It has grown to encompass, in addition to the cocktail dinner/dance, 27 days of self-guided tours by 16,950 tourists, teas for 94 guests each, Santa events for 115 guests each and private parties. About 100 volunteers work during the events. The 2015 walk raised approximately $160,000 for the ongoing preservation ($1,000 per day) and operation ($6,500 per day) of the National Historic Landmark that was built in the 1920s.

Meadow Brook Hall Starlight Stroll Cranbrook House & Gardens Auxiliary Holiday Splendor Randy Forrester and Dick Lilley co-chaired the Cranbrook House Auxiliary’s new project that replaced the auxiliary’s perennial Holiday Tables. It comprised about a dozen decorated trees and other holiday decor displayed throughout the historic house for viewing by tourists (three weekends) and guests at an elegant tea, a Santa Sighting event, a cocktail party and shopping in the Thistle Gift Shop. The new tradition got off to a good start, with more than 600 total visitors, including the 40 who attended the cocktail party, and it raised some $50,000 for the non-profit Cranbrook House & Gardens Auxiliary.

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Women’s Division Project HOPE’s Luncheon/Boutique Linda Juracek-Lipa chaired the Women’s Division for Project HOPE’s popular annual holiday gathering. It attracted 120 to Oakland Hills Country Club for socializing, shopping and dining. Alice Haidostian’s piano music accented the room before lunch. The program included remarks by Tracy Anderson, who came from PH headquarters in Virginia, and a preview of an historical PH Power Pointe. WD president Bettina Gregg thanked the committee members and honorary chairs Maggie Allesee and Brigitte Krawiec and introduced her board. The cheery event netted $11,000 for PH’s disaster relief and sustainable health care around the world.

1. Geoff (left) & Suzanne Upward of Bloomfield, Pat & Nadine Milostan of Rochester Hills, Tamare Burns and Gene Hopkins of Ann Arbor. 2. Helen & Dr. Neil Matthews of Rochester. 3. Katie Modelski (left) of Northville, Matt Affeld of Bloomfield, Laura & Steve Nastoski of Chesterfield, Christie & Brad Whitmer of Rochester Hills. 4. Carla & Bob Giddings of Rochester Hills. 5. Sandee Rellinger (left) of Rochester Hills, Sue May of Waterford.

Ronald McDonald House Snazzy & Jazzy Tea More than 90 people convened for tea and a fashion show at The Townsend to support the Ronald McDonald House of Detroit. The eighth annual event was chaired by new board members Treva Beckius and Charlene Mitchell and sponsored by Bricker-Tunis Furs. The furrier showcased its new Italian collection in a fashion show narrated by jazz singer Kimmie Horne. Music by jazz duo Mike and Mike (violinist Michael Saxon and keyboard player Michael Evans)

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accented the scene, which also included a silent auction, raffle and program emceed by Fox 2’s Deena Centofani. It included moving testimonials and a video highlighting the comforting environment a Ronald McDonald House provides families with a hospitalized child. A $10 daily fee is charged for a guest room and use of common areas – a kitchen, laundry room, playroom and entertainment areas – but no family who can’t pay is turned away. The tea raised nearly $10,000 which, according to executive director Jennifer Litomisky, will be earmarked for the Detroit Ronald McDonald House’s $3 million expansion campaign.

Detroit Historical Society Ball Trust the Detroit Historical Society to come up with a unique venue for its annual charity gala. The December party site wasn’t easy to find but more than 700 history buffs did find Rick Portwood’s Display Group warehouse tucked inside the old Packard Plant. The 475 who came for dinner were welcomed near the entrance by the three cochairs, Lena Epstein, Alicia Nicholson and Lisa Baruah, before trekking through the huge racks of event furnishings to the cocktail venue. There they socialized, savored passed hors d’oeuvres and signature cocktails around a red 1934 Packard convertible. The splendid dinner was served at long tables in a cavernous room with good video screens which helped all appreciate Nicole New’s performance and welcoming remarks by DHS president Tom Buhl. He noted that “…55,000 aircraft engines were made in this very space…and that Winston Churchill said this shortened the war effort.” The live auction of unique packages raised $66,500 and the Educational Initiatives garnered another $33,150 before afterglow guests (185plus) began arriving to dance to Nicole New & Band music and devour late night snacks. Thanks also to generous sponsors, the chic gala raised $507,000 for the Detroit Historical Society.

Angels’ Place Annual Dinner Supporters of the 20 Angels’ Place lifetime homes for people with developmental disabilities turned out en masse (660) for the Annual Dinner at The Henry. It was chaired by the Tim Dugans and the Jeff Hannigans. Both couples were among the 150 Patrons who started the evening at a reception with the very affable guest speaker/retired Buffalo Bills quarterback/NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly. Also in that crowd were honorary chairs Patti and Bob Koval, (Bob played one year for the Bills) and Mike Lodish, who played three years for the Bills, as well as Kelly’s teammate, Kent Hull’s sister Kristy Barratt. WXYZ’s Brad Galli emceed the dinner program that followed the socializing. Kelly used good humor to accent his personal story, even though it has been laced with the sadness of a battle with cancer and the death of his only son from Krabbe Disease. “I was mad at God,” he confessed, “I wanted a healthy son.” The subsequent birth of two healthy daughters changed his life.”Thank the Lord I did change,” Kelly concluded. The benediction by Angels’ Place resident Brian who spoke of the difference one person can make was a fitting conclusion to the program.

Thanks to the raffle ($39,000) and generous sponsors, the evening raised more than $305,000 for Angels’ Place.

Kidney Foundation of Michigan’s Kidney Ball Patrick Rugiero chaired the Kidney Ball which attracted more than 800 National Kidney Foundation supporters to the Motor City Casino Hotel. Before dinner they “shopped” the silent auction, especially the items displayed in the children’s toy room. They also applauded downtownpublications.com

Cranbrook House & Gardens Auxiliary Holiday Splendor

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1. Randy Forester (left) of Birmingham, Denise Acierno and Greg Schwartz of Bloomfield. 2. Beth & Dick Lilley of Birmingham. 3. Lauren & Tom Balames of Bloomfield. 4. Rachael Hubers (left) of Troy, Pat Pampreen and Ellen Dougherty of Bloomfield, Virginia Latimer of Beverly Hills.

5. DelMarie LaGrasso (left) and her son Joe of Rochester, Scarlett Shader of Waterford.

6. Lynn & Bharat Gandhi of Bloomfield.

7. Nancy Kulish of Southfield and Eric Francher of Rochester Hills. 8. Marilynn Rusche (left) and Janice Mies of Birmingham, Janet Cameron of Troy.

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Women’s Division Project HOPE’s Luncheon/Boutique

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1. Sherry Saginaw (left) of Bloomfield, Linda Juracek-Lipa of Birmingham. 2. Bettina Gregg (left) with Anita Hedeen of Bloomfield. 3. Mary Putinta of Bloomfield. 4. Laurie Balian Aiello (left) of Troy, Ellie Tholen of Birmingham. 5. Lidija Grahovac (left) and Tina Prevas of Bloomfield. 6. Serena Orsini (left) of Bloomfield, JoAnn Colliver of Birmingham.

7. Jean Azar (left) of Grosse Pointe, Alice Haidostian of Bloomfield.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Detroit Historical Society Ball

when honorary co-chair Ed Peper presented honorary co-chair Duane McLean with the Cynthia H. Shannon Award for his many years of dedication to the NKFM. Following a superb dinner, WDIV ’s Steve Garagiola emceed the program. It featured a live auction and pledging for NKFM Kids Programs ($92,000) followed by the Mars candy bar and dancing to the music of Fifty Amp Fuse. Thanks also to generous sponsors, the gala raised more than $640,000 for the NKFM’s many programs that help more than 900,000 Michigan residents living with chronic kidney disease.

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Kadima Film Discussion For more than 30 years, Kadima has provided residential, therapeutic and social services to people with mental health needs. Its executive director Eric Adelman and clinical director Jean Nemenzik conceived the idea to stage an outreach event based on a showing of the Academy Award-winning film “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” which was celebrating its 40th anniversary.

The evening attracted more than 150 people ($18 ticket) to The Maple Theater. The pre-party in Maple’s café, the movie and the following discussion moderated

by Elliot Wilhelm surely did promote conversation about how mental health services have changed in the years since Ken Kasey’s 1962 novel upon which the film is based. Discussion panelist Nemenzik noted that the mental hospital and the electroconvulsive therapy featured in the film look horrifying. Co-panelist psychiatrist Dr. Dan Guyer opined that “…the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction…our long term care is better but we have a long way to go.”

Nemenzik added, “The good news is today we have agencies like Kadima.” Kadima’s annual Healthy Body Healthy Mind brunch is 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Sunday, April 17 at The Townsend. For tickets, go to kadimacenter.org/healthybody.php or call 248-5598235.

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1. Alicia Nicholson (left) and Lisa Baruah of Grosse Pointe and Lena Epstein of Bloomfield. 2. Sarah & Chip McClure of Bloomfield. 3. Eric Medwed (left) and Margi & Don Epstein of Bloomfield. 4. Frank Ambrose of Bloomfield, Debbie Rowe of St. Clair Shores. 5. Mark Polega of Birmingham and Shelley Roth of Bloomfield. 6. Patricia Ellis & Dick Strowger (center) of Grosse Pointe with Bob & Maggie Allesee of Bloomfield. 7. Lisa Nowak (left) of Rochester, Mary Ann Bury of Grosse Pointe, Diane Farber of Bingham Farms. 8. James (left) & Kevin Cristbrook of Bloomfield. 9. Beatrice (left) & Pierre Boutrous and Sandi & Claude Reitelman of Birmingham. 10. Peggy Daitch (left) of Birmingham, Diane Schoenith and Bob Bury of Grosse Pointe.

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Angels’ Place Annual Dinner

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1. Tim (left) & Patty Dugan of Bloomfield, Jeff & Debby Hannigan of Birmingham.

2. Heather Van Arnem Chidiac (left) of Bloomfield, Jim Kelly, Kristy Hull Barratt of Birmingham. 3. Schuyler (left) & Nora Hamill of Bloomfield, Joe & Carolyn Love of Birmingham. 4. Nancy Strickland (left) of Bloomfield, Sally Mezey and Kelly Cash of Birmingham. 5. Kathleen (left) & Jack McInerney of Birmingham, Carol Chisholm of Bloomfield.

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DSO Volunteer Council Musical Feast Dreams of Lundi Gras dance in my head as I recall the Echoes of Holiday Splendor – the final event in the DSO Volunteer Council’s 2015 series of 18 Musical Feasts. It was hosted by Lucia Zurkowski in her vintage Bloomfield Hills Tudor and prepared by Doug Grech, aka celebrity Chef Duglass Duglass. (Lundi Gras was an annual benefit for the Archives of American Art that moved from the original London Chop House when it closed to Grech’s Restaurant Duglass in Southfield.) As he did for the Lundi Gras events, Grech showcased his consummately creative classicism.

First course selections were set up in the subterranean pub and accompanied by Russian vodka martinis shaken by a handsome hunk. The petite concert by DSO assistant concertmaster violinist Kimberly Kennedy that followed in the balconied and beamed living room did indeed, as Kennedy suggested, “…touch our souls.” The feast that followed featured scallops perched on golden beet pillows, Royal Osetra Petrossian caviar served with a warm blini and pheasant under glass, all paired with perfect pours, including Dom Perignon Champagne and Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1970. The dessert – a large, white chocolate, à la Fabergé egg filled with dark chocolate mousse and fresh raspberries – was so large that the thoughtful chef boxed each in a clear box to take home. Thanks to the 10 guests who 03.16

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK donated $1,000 each to attend the final 2015 feast, the 28th annual series raised more than $80,000.

Kidney Foundation of Michigan’s Kidney Ball

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1. Myra Moreland, center of Birmingham, with daughters Laynie Bryant (left) and Blair Rodriguez. 2. Dr. Jerry & Emilie Dancik of Birmingham. 3. David and Megan Maiuri of Bloomfield Hills. 4. Shelly Hurwitz of Novi, Laura Rosin of Birmingham. 5. Laynie & Josh Bryant of Birmingham.

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Kadima Film Discussion

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1. Eric Medwed (left) & Lena Epstein of Bloomfield and Lilly Epstein Stoltland & Alex Stoltland of Birmingham. 2. Margi & Don Epstein of Bloomfield. 3. Gail (left) & Robert Katz of W. Bloomfield, Julie Marx of Bloomfield. 4. Nancy Henderson (left) and Sally Marx of Bloomfield, Jo Bruce of Livonia.

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DSO Volunteer Council Musical Feast

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2 1. Chef Duglass of Birmingham, hostess Lucia Zurkowski of Bloomfield. 2. Eileen (left) & Keith Gifford of Rochester Hills, Katie Valenti of Bloomfield.

3. Susie Bluestein (left) of Bloomfield, Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy. 4. Sam Valenti (left) of Bloomfield, Dr. Robert Safian of W. Bloomfield.

5. Marlene Bihlmeyer and Bob Bluestein of Bloomfield.

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Henry Ford Hospital Centennial Celebration The first HFH Grand Ball celebrated the hospital’s 95th anniversary in 2010. It was the first of five trial runs, so to speak, for the finale of the hospital’s Centennial Celebration. That black tie gala attracted nearly 1,400 ($250, $500, $1,000 tickets) to Cobo Center’s Grand Riverview Ballroom just before the holidays. The sold out crowd included descendants of founders Henry & Clara Ford. They got rousing applause during the dinner program when they joined HFHS CEO Nancy Schlicting on stage and she thanked them for their “..bedrock of philanthropy.” Program speakers also included the new HFHS President Wright Lassiter (who noted that his bright blue bow tie represented a new initiative for hospital donors) and HFH President and CEO Dr. John Popovich. He thanked his wife Beth and HFHS’s Kim Streich for planning the stellar party before positing a vision for the hospital’s next 100 years “…with bold innovations for a better, healthier world.” The gala celebration raised more than $600,000 for the new, fivestory, 144,000-square-foot cancer center to be connected to HFH by a skywalk.

Cranbrook Music Guild Afterglow More than 60 music lovers gathered at Christ Church Cranbrook for Cranbrook Music Guild’s January concert. It featured pianist Hsiu-Jung Hou, holder of the guild’s Betty Brewster Scholarship, who is a master’s degree student at the University of Michigan. At the convivial reception sponsored by Camille and Don Breen following the concert, many people commented on Hou’s technique. “Her power is impressive (given her slight stature),” noted Bob Carrington. Two more concerts remain on the season’s schedule.

Go to CranbrookMusicGuild.org for details and tickets.

HAVEN Grand Opening The new HAVEN home, where sexual abuse victims find healing, is a far cry from the agency’s origins five decades ago. At that time, the victims’ safety was thought to require a secret location. However, with the grand opening of the new 36,000 square foot facility, domestic violence and sexual assault have come out of the shadows with safety concerns addressed during the design and building process. Two events – a VIP reception for some 150 supporters and a ribbon cutting the next morning for another 200, both with guided tours of the the new home – celebrated the culmination of the five-year “Seeds of Hope” capital campaign co-chaired by Sarah McClelland and Brad Simmons. It exceeded its $5 million goal thanks to nearly 700 individuals, 03.16

corporations and foundations from all over metro Detroit. The new HAVEN campus is located south of the Oakland County Complex east off Telegraph Road.

To quote executive director Beth Morrison, “It gives hope a voice.”

Cranbrook Schools Holiday Tea Exchange Mary Pat Rosen, Lori Thelen and Arlyce Siebert hosted the fifth annual social that attracted more than 70 parents to Cranbrook House. They brought a van-load of toys and food for the families served by Lighthouse of Oakland County whose Liz McLaughlan thanked them profusely. Following her moving expression of gratitude, the guests participated in a spirited exchange of gifts.

NAIAS The Gallery The Gallery officially kicked off the 2016 North American International Auto Show the Saturday night before press preview days. The swanky evening, coordinated by the Fulkerson Group and sponsored by the Robb Report, attracted 500 ($500 ticket) to the MGM Grand where most first convened in Ignite for some of Chef Wolfgang Puck’s personal culinary attention. They then strolled to the ballroom where 28 luxury cars worth $7.5 million (think Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, and Falcon) awaited their attention. When we asked NAIAS chair Paul Sabatini why the cars on display lacked any signage, he said with a smile, “Signage isn’t needed. These people know what’s what.” They also knew how to shop the Robb Report’s silent auction of 16 luxury packages exhibited around the room, paying $40,000 total to benefit the DADA Charitable Foundation. We learned later that approximately $2 million worth of those gorgeous cars sold at The Gallery.

The press and industry days that followed, accented as they were with car ice sculptures placed around downtown, were capped off by the black tie Charity Preview (13,075 attendees; $400 ticket) which raised $5.2 million for eight children’s charities. When the show closed, ticket counters tallied 815,575, which is nearing the show record of 838,066 set in 2003. No doubt about it, Detroit is on the comeback.

Children’s Hospital Big Shots, Little Stars The Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation, one of the eight children’s charities that benefits from the sale proceeds of the Charity Preview tickets, staged a donor appreciation event for preview guests.

Three hundred foundation supporters ($200 ticket) flocked to the MGM Grand for cocktails and shuttle service to and from Cobo.

Upon their return, most picked up a pair downtownpublications.com

Henry Ford Hospital Centennial Celebration

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1. Allan Gilmour (front) of Birmingham, Pam Theisen (left) & Nancy Schlichting of Bloomfield, Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom of Southfield.

2. Wright & Cathy Lassiter of Bloomfield. 3. Christina (left), John & Beth Popovich of Birmingham, Drew & Katie Popovich Knoechel of Chicago.

4. Dr. Brent & Karen Davidson of Bloomfield. 5. Roland Trombley (left) of Birmingham, Debra & Jim Berline of W. Bloomfield. 6. Mark (left) & Lisa Kraus of Bloomfield, Dona Goodnuff of Southgate. 7. Norm & Solange Messelian of Bloomfield. 8. Judy (left) & Frank Jonna and Jennifer Harmon of Bloomfield. 9. Dale Watchowski (left) of Birmingham, Ken Till of Beverly Hills. 10. Lisa & Bill Ford of Ann Arbor.

Cranbrook Music Guild Afterglow

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1. Hsiu-Jung Hou (center) of Ann Arbor, Don & Camille Breen of Bloomfield. 2. Rita-Ann (left) and Judy Lindstrom of Bloomfield.

3. Addison (left) & Arlene Brown and Margaret Ann Rendzipeis of Bloomfield. 4. Robert Carrington (left) Patricia Balbiano and Michel Erussard of Bloomfiled. 5. Phyllis Yelick (left) of Birmingham, Julie Yelick Miller of Bloomfield. 6. Alice Berberian Haidostian (left) of Bloomfield, Jeanette Keramedjian of Orchard Lake, Lisa Keramedjian Meer of W. Bloomfield.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK of comfy slippers and some queued up for complimentary foot and neck massages.

All were greeted by co-chairs Larry Gold and Pam Scott, Matt and Jodi Friedman, and Keith & Gretchen Pretty before passing by a handsome display of head-turning cars and proceeding to the Night Club or the Pub – two unique party sites within the ballroom. Each had its own ambiance, food stations, open bars, diversions and, yes, places to sit and rest one’s piggies after cruising the auto show floor. DJ Jared Sykes and his drummer kept the Night Club jumping while the Pub featured lower energy pursuits like billiards and a huge Operation game. Generous sponsors included Brinker/Barton Malow, DMC, Microsoft Store, RDM Associates, MGM Grand Detroit, Phoenix Innovate and Jaguar Land Rover.

HAVEN Grand Opening

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1. Beth Morrison (left) of Bloomfield, Sue Perlin of Novi.

2. Neal (left) & Mary Hicks of W. Bloomfield; Elaine Myers of Bloomfield, Kristina Petzer of Birmingham. 3. Jon & Jane Dady Bowman of Birmingham. 4.

Rachel Decker (left) of Birmingham, Camille Cherri of W. Bloomfield. 5. Nina Ramsey (left) of Rochester Hills, Carole Winnard Brumm of Bloomfield.

6. Oakland County Commissioner Shelley Goodman Taub (left), Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown, Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper, and Rep. Tim Griemel. Photos by Doug Ashley.

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Children’s Center NAIAS AutoGlow!

The Children’s Center’s 25th annual AutoGlow! attracted more than 900 Charity Preview guests ($275 and $325) to Ford Field where they boarded round trip shuttles to Cobo. Upon their return, Levy Restaurants ensured all a revolving menu of Michigan-themed hors d’oeuvres, entrees and desserts. They also danced until 1 a.m. to the band Nightline and had a surprise champagne toast and balloon drop at midnight. The soiree, which was hosted by Ford’s Lisa and Bill Ford and Jane and Mark Fields, netted nearly $300,000 for The Children’s Center.

NAIAS The Gallery

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1. George Milan (left) of Detroit, Rhonda & Paul Sabatini of Bloomfield. 2. Tavi Fulkerson & Bill Hampton of Bloomfield. 3. Rod & Tammi Alberts of Bloomfield. 4. Eva & Andrew Meade of Bloomfield.

5. Cole Wiand and his mother Lisa Bouchard of Birmingham. 6. Jason Verbrugghe (left) of Rochester, Jeff Lemke & Beth Stalker of Holly. 7. Amanda & Chance Richie of Bloomfield.

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1. Larry Gold (left) & Pam Scott of Bloomfield, Jodi & Matt Friedman of W. Bloomfield. 2. Nicole Gize (left) of St. Clair Shores, Dr. Keith & Gretchen Pretty of Midland. 3. Leslie Fleming (center) of Bloomfield and Kate Kesner (left) and Lynn Kaiafas of Grosse Pointe. 4. Dave (left) & Sandy Rozema of Grosse Pointe, Karen Fordham and Steve Zowrinsky of White Lake. 5. Jessie Beld-Elliott and GM’s Ed Welburn of Bloomfield.

Circle of Friends Preview Party

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1. Valerie & Brad Ahlgren of Bloomfield. 2. Maria & Bill Roberts of Bloomfield, Pat Rosen of Troy. 3. Anna Rea (left) of Bloomfield, Erin Merryn of Elgin, IL, Sarah Thewes of Bloomfield, Kappy Trott of Birmingham. 4. Paul Hoge (left) of Bloomfield, Diana & Steve Howard of Franklin, Sue Conway of Birmingham.

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Circle of Friends Preview Party For 20 years, the first notable charity event to follow the auto show hullabaloo has been the CARE House Circle of Friends luncheon featuring an expert speaking about child sexual abuse. In recent years a preview party, this year beautifully hosted by Valerie and Bruce Ahlgren, has offered guests an opportunity to chat intimately with the speaker. As 80 patrons ($150 & up) socialized and savored yummy comestibles like crab cakes and squash risotto from Bill Roberts’ six restaurants and sipped wine from Celani Family Vineyards, some did settle with buffet plates on laps to get acquainted with Erin Merryn. A sexual abuse victim, the author and activist has been on a crusade to get each state legislature to mandate age-appropriate, sexual abuse prevention education under the title Erin’s Law. Michigan was the sixth state of the 26 who have passed it. “I’m not going away (until all states pass it),” Merryn vowed passionately.

Send ideas for this column to Sally Gerak, 28 Barbour Lane, Bloomfield Hills, 48304; email samgerak@aol.com or call 248.646.6390.

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ENDNOTE

Vote NO on Birmingham charter change itizens run to be representatives of their local municipal governments for many reasons, chief amongst them the personal belief that they can offer something distinct and noteworthy to their community. Commissioners, council members, board of trustee members – whatever a community calls them – are relied upon as citizen leaders to study and learn the issues confronting them and then make a decision that benefits the community-at-large.

It's called representative government.

Sometimes, local leaders are confronted with making unpopular decisions based upon research and various facts they have which lots of others do not. These determinations are made for the good of the entire community – residential, business, commercial – and good leaders do not give more weight to the views of special interests, even if those special interests masquerade themselves as a representative majority. They can't. Because then those commissioners, council members, or trustees would be pandering to the loudest voices in the room rather than working for the good of the whole community.

Birmingham's city commission has a long history of working to make its city a strong, vibrant, flourishing municipality as it has evolved over the decades. Commissioners, who each only earn $5 per meeting, making it essentially a volunteer position, spend countless hours not only on the commission but on subcommittees and

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meetings with residents and businesses to learn and understand the issues confronting the city.

This year, commissioners and city staff were inundated with communication from residents and businesses who were concerned about a possible re-striping of W. Maple Road between Southfield and Cranbrook roads. A long-planned resurfacing of W. Maple in 2016 led to the city's Multi-Modal Transportation Board looking at the road for ways to make it accessible to more transportation users, as well as how to reduce speeds, the number and severity of accidents, and traffic volume on the road.

Three separate traffic engineering consultants hired by the city recommended redoing the fourlane street as a three-lane configuration, with W. Maple one way in each direction with a center turn lane, which former commissioner Scott Moore noted was “counterintuitive.” After numerous city meetings and careful study, city commissioners voted to test the three-lane configuration by restriping the road prior to resurfacing. The test began last October and, by almost all accounts, it would appear the new configuration may be working. The test continues through the spring, when traffic consultants will present their findings to the city commission for a final determination.

However, resident Jim Mirro wasn't having any of that. On July 4, he launched a charter petition drive to place a proposal on the March 8 election to inscribe in the city's charter that Maple Road

must always be a four-lane road, from both Southfield and Cranbrook roads and in the area from Woodward to Eton Street – no matter what city leaders and traffic engineers determine, and no matter what transportation needs are in the future.

We can't think of a worse idea when it comes to the city charter.

As we have said before, by definition, a city charter is a legal document establishing the laws by which the city is governed. It's essentially a city's constitution. A city can modify its charter, but it is not an endeavor that should be taken lightly.

A city charter is not the place for settling disputes over decisions that might be made in the future, such as the determination about W. Maple Road once the trial or test run on the three-lane configuration is over and the data is analyzed.

That is why we are urging voters to say NO on the Maple Road charter amendment.

We elect city commissioners to wade through the necessary information and make informed decisions. That is the basis of a representative government – it is not a government that plays only to the loudest special interest at a meeting.

So an end run around elected city leaders is just that – an end run to have the views of special interests placed ahead of the needs of the community-at-large. We can't think of a better reason for rejecting the charter change on the March ballot.

Don't expect immediate library funding aldwin Public Library in Birmingham, the building for which is owned by the city, recently received unanimous approval from the city commission for a $162,920 proposal for design development and construction drawings for the first phase of a proposed renovation project, which is intended to be done in three phases, for an estimated total of about $6.4 million.

Compared to previous grandiose plans, with an extravagant price tag of some $21.5 million, which Birmingham voters overwhelmingly rejected in May 2014, during this go around library officials are offering up a significantly more modest proposal, for which conceptual plans are in the midst of being drawn up.

In general terms, which is all anyone has offered at this point, the first phase includes a proposed renovation of the library's adult services area. Phase two would have the youth room renovated and expanded; new furniture and fixtures; and renovation of restrooms. Phase three would involve renovating the circulation area and commons area; developing a new entry area, which library officials would ideally like to have at street level with the addition of an elevator; and installation of a skylight to the 1927 building where it meets the 1960 and 1981 additions to provide natural light to the interior.

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The library, first built in 1927, may be in need of more than just some paint and new carpeting, but any talk of renovation needs much more discussion before library and/or city funds are allocated for actual construction.

The problem in 2014 was the library board and library director Doug Koschik got more than carried away with its plan to completely redesign the library, with a two-story glass front stretching the length of Merrill Street, and many suggested it didn't appropriately address some of the library's 21st century needs. And the bond to pay for it was excessive and found extreme by most residents.

The new plans, still under development, are more moderate, we are told. Hopefully the library is taking residents' financial concerns, as well as their desires for an improved library, under advisement.

But there have been some unsettling signs that perhaps the library board and some city commissioners may not have understood where voters were coming from when they rejected the last proposed project. That may explain why a few city commissioners, one of whom had been a library board member before the last city commission election, appear gung ho and outwardly supportive of the newly envisioned project, no matter how scant the details at this

point. Koschik himself raised the hairs on at least one commissioner's head – Stuart Sherman – along with ours, when he told the commission, “There is definitely an expectation that this project will move ahead in the near future, that a funding mechanism will be found.”

To that we say, hold everything. The library must understand the budgeting process, and that long-range projects can take three to five years to be fully financed – before they're approved to move forward, as was done with the new Chesterfield fire station, which is finally beginning construction this summer.

Equally important, while the library technically has a higher millage limit than currently is levied on city residents and businesses, no one should be thinking about raising tax rates to achieve a renovated library. There needs to be some spirited discussion of whether the 2014 ballot proposal, so soundly rejected, was just that – a vote on an excessive spending plan. Or was the defeat of the library plan a broader objection to any possible increased taxes, which raises a host of other issues?

Nice that the city commission approved the creation of construction drawings for the library project, but that should not mean that this undertaking is all systems go.

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