Water deal on the line

The deal to create a regional water authority for southeastern Michigan is in trouble, according to published news reports. The City of Detroit's bankruptcy plan called for such an authority to be created no later than June 14. Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel doesn't appear inclined to go along with it.

If Hackel doesn't like the deal, that's between him and the people of Macomb County. I'm okay with this deal falling apart.

If there is no deal on a regional water authority then there is nothing to prevent the City of Detroit to retain ownership of that portion of water system that is within its city limits but sell the suburban portion of it. Such a sale would not only remove the water system's debt from the City's books, it would likely also leave us with more than $1 billion in cash.

The cash from such a sale could then be used to pay down some of the other debt that Detroiters carry - either debt from the City of Detroit itself or from the Detroit Public Schools. Either way, paying down our debts would enable us to lower our property taxes.

And lower property taxes - either as reduction in debt service levied by the City of Detroit or a reduction in what the Detroit Public Schools levy - would be welcome in a city like Detroit which has the highest taxes in Michigan.

If Hackel isn't happy with the regional water deal, that's between him and the people of Macomb County. I simply hope that Mayor Mike Duggan, Councilman Gabe Leland, and the other members of the City Council use this opening as a chance to advance the interests of our residents.

Let the deal fall through, if Hackel continues to object.

Sell the portion of our water system that is in the suburbs to any number of private investors.

Use the proceeds from such a sale to pay down debts - for either the City of Detroit or the Detroit Public Schools.

Once the debt is paid down, lower the debt service levy on Detroiter's property taxes.

The choice is clear. The only question that remains is: what will Detroit's leadership do?

Friday Focus - Find your park

National parks | Stock photo by Free Photos/Pixabay

This past Tuesday the National Park Service publicly unveiled its Find Your Park campaign. The program is intended to encourage more Americans to discover their national parks. It also ties in with an initiative that President Barack Obama announced in February to offer every fourth-grader free admission to our national parks as a way to encourage more families to experience them.

The Find Your Park initiative part of a two-year celebration of the National Park Service's centennial anniversary in 2016. From the Motor Cities National Automotive Heritage Area to the Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Canyon, Statue of Liberty, and Mt. Rushmore, the NPS includes more than 400 parks that preserve landscapes, history, and culture for future generations.

I had a chance to talk with Michael Liang of the National Park Service recently. He is one of five Centennial Ambassadors and a native of the Detroit area. Liang is currently a ranger at the Santa Monica National Recreation Area in Topanga, California.

Find Your Park, he pointed out, allows people a better chance to discover all that national parks have to offer. The newly launched website enables visitors to see videos and photos of parks across the country as well as a link to individual parks that they intend to visit.

I asked him what a greater interest in national parks would mean for state and local parks, such as Rouge Park here in the Warrendale neighborhood. “I'm a firm believer that a rising tide lifts all boats,” he said. “As people discover the wonders that exist in their national parks, that can only translate into a greater interest and usage of local parks at home.”

More on Michael Liang and the Find Your Park campaign is below. The closest national park to Detroit is the River Raisin National Battlefield Memorial in Monroe.

St. Patrick's Day in America

St. Patrick's Day Parade in Detroit - Photo by Frank Nemecek

St. Patrick's Day.

Here in America, St. Patrick's Day has become a holiday where we celebrate Irish heritage - regardless of whether or not one is of Irish decent - with Czech and German beers as well as food first cooked by a Jewish guy. All of which is done on the feast day of a saint who was born in Scotland to Italian parents.

And that, I believe, says a lot about the Irish American experience.

It all started on the Emerald Island. However, it has been heavily influenced by everyone that the Irish have encountered along the way.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! As someone whose family traces its roots, at least in part, back to Ireland, I hope you have a blast no matter how you celebrate it or with whom.

Volunteers needed for Rouge Park water quality testing

The Friends of Rouge Park are looking for volunteers to assist in leading 4th-8th-grade students. No experience is necessary; all information will be provided.

The Greening of Detroit's Our LAND Program will take 10 Detroit Public School classes, grades 4th - 8th, to test water quality at Rouge Park.  

Field trips are from 9:30 am-1:30 pm for the dates below.  The first groups are a high priority because more help is needed. However, any and all dates that volunteers are available for will be extremely helpful.

The priority dates, with the highest need for volunteers, are:

• Friday, March 27;
• Monday, March 30;
• Tuesday, March 31; and
• Wednesday, April 1.

Volunteers are also needed on:

• Thursday, March 19;
• Friday, March 20;
• Tuesday, March 24;
• Wednesday, March 25; and
• Thursday, March 26.

Volunteers will need to be able to pass a background check.  Interested volunteers can contact Jac by emailing Jentringer [at] greeningofdetroit [dot] com. One may also leave a message at (313) 285-2253.

Warrendale Radio Patrol returns to duty

Warrendale Radio Patrol - Photo by Frank Nemecek

A group of concerned residents is resurrecting the long-dormant Warrendale Radio Patrol. This group of volunteers acts as the eyes and ears of the Detroit Police Department, patrolling the neighborhood and reporting what they see.

If you would like to help them protect our neighborhood, either as a volunteer or with a donation to cover their gas and other expenses, please reach out to them. They can be contacted via their Facebook page or by calling David Brierley at (734) 560-4953.

I appreciate the work that these volunteers are doing in our neighborhood. I wish them the best.

Champps to host benefit for Beaumont Children's Hospital

As part of this blog's Friday Focus series, Champps in West Bloomfield is teaming up with the Student Heart Check program at Beaumont Children’s Hospital  to support free heart checks for high school students.  Champps, located at 7410 Orchard Lake Road, will host a celebration to benefit Beaumont Student Heart Check on Thursday, February 26.

Champps will donate 10% of sales for the entire day and night of Thursday, February 26 to the Beaumont Student Heart Check program, which offers free heart checks to high school students to help detect young people who may be at risk for sudden cardiac arrest.

The party begins at 6 p.m., when guests are invited to enjoy a complimentary sampling of Champps’ signature dishes, including Champps Americana Chopped Salad, Chipotle Burger, Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna Tacos and Calamari Fritti.

Featured signature cocktails include Grand Sangria, Island Rum Punch and Champps Long Island Tea for $4 each; draft beer will be available for $2 each. In addition, Michigan’s own Latitude 42 Brewing Company will be hosting a “Tap Takeover,” where they will feature six of their beers on tap, including favorites Schoolhouse Honey Amber Ale and Lucifer's Cuvee-Double Chocolate Rye Stout.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Champps for their celebration event and are so grateful they have chosen to support our efforts,” said Jennifer Shea, Event Coordinator for Beaumont’s Student Heart Check program.  “We are looking forward to a fun and festive event.  We invite everyone to come and join us on February 26!"

Champps in West Bloomfield offers 31 High Definition TVs; nearly 50 kinds of beer, including 24 beers on tap, 15 of which are craft and 11 of which are local; and a deliciously crafted menu for sharing, snacking and dining.

Champps in West Bloomfield is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday – Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday – Saturday.   For more information, reservations or to book a private event, call Champps at (248) 538-6333, or visit us at www.champps.com on Facebook and Twitter.

The Friday Focus is an occasional feature to draw attention to stories outside of the Warrendale neighborhood that the publisher believes is worthy of an extra dose of attention.

Uber to deliver Paczki from Warrendale

Paczki - Photo by Leslie Seaton

The social media-driven ride sharing service Uber confirmed this morning that they will deliver paczki to customers across metropolitan Detroit who request them tomorrow. Their exclusive source for all of these paczki will be the West Warren Bakery (15708 W. Warren Ave.) in the Warrendale neighborhood of Detroit.

In order to get these paczki delivered, all that users need to do is open the Uber app on their smartphone starting at 7 a.m tomorrow and select "pazcki" from the far right side. Users can then:

• Set their delivery location and submit their request;
• Meet their driver outside upon arrival to pick up their tasty treats.
• No cash is needed. They'll charge the card on the users Uber account. 

I'm thrilled that Uber is turning to one of the bakeries in the Warrendale neighborhood as their source for paczki this year. I hope people across the Detroit region enjoy them.