Southfield capitalizes on property improvement grants
Source: metromode, 11/5/2009
Façade and streetscape improvement grants
are the type of tools normally associated with traditional downtowns,
not a commuter-based suburb like Southfield. Think again.
The
Cornerstone Development Authority (Southfield's Downtown Development
Authority) has awarded a couple of $15,000 grants to the Greenfield
Plaza and Northland Towers as part of its Property Improvement Grant
program. The idea is to spruce up the aesthetics of the city's lower
southeast corner near the Northland Shopping Center commonly known as
the Cornerstone District.
"It will beautify the properties," says Mary Daley, interim director of the Cornerstone Development Authority.
"Right now the shrubs and trees are young but as they grow they will
add a lot of greenery to the property. It's better than looking at
concrete."
The program picks winners from its pool of applicants
twice a year. The winners work with the authority and a landscape
architect to improve their exteriors at the ground level. In the case
of both Greenfield Plaza and Northland Towers, new planting beds,
shrubs, flowers, and trees were installed to freshen up their entrances.
Source: Mary Daley, interim director of the Cornerstone Development Authority
Writer: Jon Zemke
Lawrence Tech talks sustainability at home, abroad
Source: metromode, 10/15/2009
Lawrence Technological University is
going short and long to drive home its point about using sustainable
practices in construction.
Faculty members are preaching the
merits of green building as far away as Asia and here at home. The
university will host a forum on the use of wood construction materials
as a preferred sustainable practice on Oct. 27.
"Wood: the More Sustainable Structural System" will be held at Lawrence Tech's
Southfield campus, 21000 West 10 Mile Road. It features a panel of
green building experts who will talk about how using wood, a carbon
neutral material, is more sustainable and energy efficient than
alternatives. The experts will also discuss its aesthetic values.
The
Detroit chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and the Canadian
Council of Forest Ministers will co-host the event with Lawrence Tech.
For information, contact Elana Shelef at eshelef@drc-usgbc.org or (248) 228-3190.
On
the other side of the world, Lawrence Tech Prof. Nabil Grace is leading
a study called "Life Cycle Assessment for Sustainable Materials for
Infrastructure." He is working with researchers from Stanford
University and Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan. They are
developing and testing methods for new alternative construction
materials that will increase the longevity for infrastructure like
bridges.
The research will show how spending a little more up
front will make for a much longer lifespan for such installations,
ultimately saving on materials and money for those tax payers.
Source: Lawrence Technological University
Writer: Jon Zemke
DTE launches free energy conservation programs
Source: metromode, 10/8/2009
Commercial energy efficiency is becoming a bigger and bigger cause these days in Metro Detroit.
DTE Energy
is launching two programs to help local businesses curtail their energy
usage. The first is through its subsidiary MichCon, which is offering
1,500 free programmable thermostats for local businesses, churches, and non-profits on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Such thermostats, already widely used in homes, allow for more efficient regulation of temperatures and thus energy consumption.
"Businesses
are just like homes in a sense," says Scott Simons, a spokesman for DTE
Energy. "Different measures can produce energy efficiencies."
For information, call (866) 796-0512 (Option 3) or send an e-mail to YourEnergySavings@kema.com or click here.
DTE
Energy will also hold a series of free energy efficiency seminars in
Metro Detroit for small- and medium-size companies. The idea is to
increase energy conservation by teaching some simple solutions, like
maintaining the building envelope or heating control systems.
Each
seminar will run from 8-11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8 at the Engineering
Society of Detroit's office in Southfield, 20700 Civic Center Drive,
and Wednesday, October 14 at Macomb Community College's University
Center Assembly Hall, 44575 Garfield in Clinton Township.
For information on the seminars, call (313) 235-1171 or click here.
Source: Scott Simons, a spokesman for DTE Energy
Writer: Jon Zemke
Lawrence Tech expands laboratory space
Source: metromode, 9/17/2009
Lawrence Technological University is expanding the laboratory space in its College of Engineering building in Southfield.
The
university expects to spend $400,000 converting recently vacated space
into new laboratories for everything from civil to chemical engineering. The human resources department moved its offices to make room for the expansion of the bio-medical program.
Five
new biomedical labs, expanded studying areas and prototyping space set
aside specifically for entrepreneurial projects will fill the area.
There is also a new conference room and offices for civil engineering.
So
far about half of the funds have been used to buy and install
equipment. Another $200,000 is needed to finish off the expansion,
which should take about another year.
"We're doing it in phases," says Devdas "Dave" Shetty, dean of the College of Engineering at Lawrence Technological University.
Source: Devdas "Dave" Shetty, dean of the College of Engineering at Lawrence Technological University
Writer: Jon Zemke
Oakland Comm College to expand campus building space by 75%
Source: metromode, 8/13/2009
Oakland Community College is breaking the bank to break ground on an expansion to its Southfield campus.
The
school broke ground on the $25.3 million project on Tuesday. The
development will add 69,350 square feet to the campus, located just
south of 9 Mile Road and east of the Southfield Freeway.
"It's the largest construction project in the college's history," says George Cartsonis, director of college communications for Oakland Community College. "This is the biggest."
And
it's happening at the college's smallest campus. The Southfield campus
is home to much of the college's health and science programs, including
health care administration, hospital pharmacy, nuclear medicine, and
surgical technology, among others.
The demand for healthcare
education has pumped up the enrollment in Southfield by 114 percent
over the last decade. That means 3,924 students are enrolled today at a
campus designed for 2,500. The expansion should ease overcrowding by
expanding its footprint 75 percent to serve another 2,000 students.
The
two-year project will upgrade the existing building's infrastructure,
create more space, and modernize the technology. For instance, gone is
the 27-year-old building's HVAC system. It will be replaced with a new,
more efficient system.
There will be eight new laboratories for
biology, anatomy, and physiology classes, a 25 percent bump in lab
space, and a new state-of-the-art surgical technology program lecture
lab that replicates a hospital operating room. The project will also
provide seven new double classrooms, bigger nursing labs for an
additional 100 students, and enhanced space and technology for the
respiratory therapy program.
And of course there will also be
the usual suspects of a new computer lab, study areas, testing center,
offices, children's center, extra space for tutoring and even room for
physical education, all being paid for by a 0.8-mill property tax
approved in 2001.
This will be the biggest project for Oakland
Community College for a while. There are plans to do a similar large
expansion at the Auburn Hills campus, specifically updating the
circa-1972 vocational education building. That is still at least a few
years away from becoming a reality.
Source: George Cartsonis, director of college communications for Oakland Community College
Writer: Jon Zemke
Oakland County workshop focuses on green downtowns
Source: metromode, 8/13/2009
The last of three workshops aimed at the revitalization of downtowns in Oakland County is set to go down on Friday, August 14.
The
"Lead Your Downtown from Brown to Green" workshop will focus on
tackling sustainability issues, such as historic preservation and
eco-friendly development.
"As the title says, we're trying to
take downtowns from brown to green by letting them (local stakeholders)
know what they can do in this economy," says Bob Donahue, executive
director of Main Street Oakland County.
A
number of topics, including how to make best use of brownfield sites,
effective historic preservation, and how to incorporate green-building
practices, such as LEED standards, will be covered. Other subjects will
include tapping into farmers markets, the cost-effectiveness of LED
lights, and how best to employ urban forestry.
Main Street
Oakland County is encouraging local architects, planners,
preservationists, developers, city officials, and community activists
to attend. The cost is $75 per person. The workshop will be held
between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the Oakland County Executive Office
Building Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, west of Telegraph,
in Waterford.
Source: Bob Donahue, executive director of Main Street Oakland County
Writer: Jon Zemke
Oakland County pushes for land bank to deal with foreclosures
Source: metromode, 7/30/2009
Oakland County is beginning to publish
its stock of foreclosed buildings electronically to prepare them for
auction. However, at least one Oakland County official would like to
see this process changed -- with a land bank.
Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner
sees a number of things wrong with the auction process. It's why he is
pushing for Oakland County to form a land bank, as many other Michigan
communities have done, to handle its problem properties.
"There are some perils with the auction approach," Meisner says.
For
instance, speculators are scooping up large batches of these homes and,
at best, turning them into rentals. More than people like to admit end
up falling further into blight and becoming eyesores, weakening what
were once otherwise strong neighborhoods. Meisner says this sort of
speculation is the junk food of the real estate market, supplying
short-term profits at the expense of long-term investment.
"We're rolling up our sleeves and trying to get families in those houses," Meisner says.
He
adds that a land bank gives local officials the power to package
parcels and sell them to a developer or even ensure that individual
buildings end up in the hands of local residents. Right now he is
trying to build up awareness about the idea, and hopes to begin a
legislative push for one later this year.
Source: Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner
Writer: Jon Zemke
Engineering Society of Detroit expands green building education
Source: metromode, 7/16/2009
The Engineering Society of Detroit is diving further into the green building pool by offering two new classes on sustainable construction this summer.
The
classes will focus on how to design or redesign buildings so they are
more energy efficient and structurally relevant. The two courses are
"Introduction to Sustainable Construction", to be held on Aug. 12 and
13 and Sept. 9 and 10, and a HVAC and Integrated Design course on Aug.
20 and Sept. 17. Both will be held at the Engineering Society of
Detroit's newly-constructed, energy-efficient headquarters in
Southfield.
"We’ve been getting more and more into green
construction," says Ron Smith, director of education and community
outreach for the Engineering Society of Detroit. "We're in a great
position to bring this education to our engineers."
The courses
will cover the history and background of the green building movement,
the impact of green/sustainable building practices on traditional
construction and design, and the certification process for LEED accreditation.
For information, call (248) 353-0735.
Source: Ron Smith, director of education and community outreach for the Engineering Society of Detroit
Writer: Jon Zemke