Community Development

Coverage of community groups bringing about changes, innovattions and solutions in their community.

Arab Film Fest opens January 24

By Newsroom

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January 10, 2013

From the press release: "Mideast Film Biz Forged in Cauldron" (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118063673/?refCatId=19) was the headline in the Dec. 17, 2012 edition of the entertainment journal Variety, on a report about the burgeoning Arab World film industry and how it’s being affected by the Arab Spring uprisings. Fans of Arabic-language movies and adventurous filmgoers seeking new perspectives can experience this phenomenon for themselves when recent films from Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar and UAE get rare U.S. screenings during the 2013 Arab Film Festival at the Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, Mich. Jan. 24-26, 2013. While most titles are in Arabic, all films include English subtitles, making them accessible to a general audience. Check out the film program and get tickets here.

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Art scavenger hunt comes to Detroit this Friday

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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January 10, 2013

Skidmore Studios is organizing an art scavenger hunt on the streets of Detroit. Twenty-finve pieces of art will be 'hidden' around the city as part of The international Free Art Friday event (organized by Free Art Friday Detroit). The event is intended to introduce Detroiters to the works of independent artists and is part of an international effort. Excerpt: "If you see a sculpture floating in a Detroit fountain Friday, or a painting perched on a statue, you may have stumbled onto the beginning of your own free art collection, and a surprising way to support the DIA. You'll have to check a social media site to see if it's one of the offerings of Free Art Friday Detroit (FAFDET), a cross between a scavenger hunt and free art auction where people leave their artwork around the city for seekers to find and keep each week. They'll post photographic clues to the FAFDET Facebook page or Twitter with the hashtag #fafdet." Get the skinny on how you can particpate here.

Solid Dudes Kitchen premieres new episode

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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January 10, 2013

The dudes are back! And this time they're making meat popsicles! On the last Sunday in January you can join the dudes as they celebrate their latest episode at The Brooklyn Fireproof (119 Ingraham Street, Bushwick) The party goes from 7:30-10PM but is followed up with a 10–2AM After-party with DJ SET by Dial.81, Composer of DETROPIA Sundance Film Festival winner and Oscar-nominated documentary. Check out the trailer here.

Growing Precision Global Systems moves to bigger Sterling Heights facility

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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December 20, 2012

Precision Global Systems is moving into a 60,000-square-foot space in Sterling Heights, bringing it closer to many of the manufacturing customers it counts as clients. The new office at 6600 E. 15 Mile Road becomes the company's second metro Detroit location. The other is in Troy. When that space was outgrown PGS chose a recently renovated building in Sterling Heights that is co-occupied by the Macomb Group. The Sterling Heights facility is ideally located near many of Precision Global Systems' customers, and it will be used for warehousing and distribution functions. The nearly 30-year-old company provides specialized manufacturing and engineering services and consulting to companies such as Ford, Chrysler, Dana and Bosch. Five full-time jobs are being created with the office opening. Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Teresa Jarzab, management assistant, City of Sterling Heights and Kasey Green, economic development manager, City of Sterling Heights

There may be a second act for Pontiac’s once grand Strand Theatre

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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December 20, 2012

Pontiac's Strand Theatre, a 1920-s era theater darkened since the mid-1980s, is the object of a major investment and revitalization project and one of several developments underway in a downtown that's lost most of its residents and businesses. The theater renovation, which is funded by at least a $7 million in public investment, is a partnership between West Construction Services and the City of Pontiac and is the recipient of historic tax credits aimed at protecting historic structures and using them for economic revitalization. The city owns the 1921-Renaissance style entertainment house on North Saginaw. Renovation is scheduled to to be completed in 2014. West Construction Services is in experienced historic preservation and architecture and is owned by Kyle Westberg. He is developer of the $20-million Lafayette Place Lofts on North Saginaw, down the street from the theater. The lofts development in the center of downtown is taking tenants this month just weeks after ground floor retail tenants opened their doors. Lafayette Market, a fresh food market, caterer, cafe and takeout business that opened just before Thanksgiving, and Anytime Fitness. “I feel strongly that through our partnership with the City of Pontiac, the Strand will be restored to its original glory,” Westberg, CEO of West Construction Services, says in a statement announcing the public-private partnership. “We are passionate about working to revive Pontiac’s wonderful downtown, and with our track record of successful historic projects we are excited about restoring this historic landmark and providing the community with a venue for creative and performance arts.” The Strand was one of several booming theaters in downtown Pontiac's theater district and the only one to survive. The plan for the Strand is to bring back live theater and musical performances, show films and host community and private events. The theater has been vacant since 2004, when previous renovation plans - also in the tens of millions of dollars - failed to pan out. “The Strand is a long standing treasure in our community and we are excited to partner with an organization that has the best interest of our legacy and community needs in mind,” Mayor of Pontiac, Leon Jukowsk says in the announcement. “The team at West Construction has a proven record of excellence through their various investments in Pontiac. The community will reap the benefits of their work with increased community resources, services and now entertainment.” Pontiac City Council President Lee Jones says a theater rebirth is an "opportunity to once again become one of the premiere meccas and showcase what this magnificent structure was built for," and Louis Schimmel, the emergency financial manager appointed to run the financially crumbling city, says the attorneys and accountants have worked for months on with West Construction in order to determine not only if it could "successfully complete the project, but to also make sure it could be finished with the proper financing.” Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Corinne Petras, spokesperson, West Construction Services and Push22

Up to 10 new businesses to open in downtown Birmingham in early 2013

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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December 20, 2012

At least 10 businesses, from restaurants and salons to boutiques and fitness studios, are on the slate of businesses to open in downtown Birmingham in early 2013. One of the first to open may be Francesca's Collection at 115 Old Woodward South, which is scheduled to open its doors in February. Market, the restaurant still in production by Luxe Bar & Grill's owners is scheduled for early in the year, but there's no official word from the couple on exactly when. Adding to the restaurant scene, specifically the already crowded steakhouse set,will be Stoney River Legendary Steaks. It will replace the closed Max & Erma's at 280 Merrill Street. Both are owned by the same company. The opening date is set as early 2013. Dailey Method, a local outpost of the San Francisco-originated workout that mixes ballet bar work, core conditioning, muscle strengthening, yoga and orthopedic exercises, is expected to open in early January and will give the restaurant-goers a place to work off the calories. There will be onsite child care, shower facilities and a boutique at the space in Birmingham Place. Found Objects, a women's and men's clothing, accessories and lifestyle boutique, is also expected to open in February at 241 E. Merrill St. Other boutiques, salons and restaurants are on the horizon. "Birmingham's retail occupancy is 96.4%, the highest percentage since we started tracking 11 years ago," says John Heiney, executive director of the Birmingham Principal Shopping District. " We are looking forward to new stores opening in the first quarter." Writer: Kim North Shine Source: John Heiney, executive director, Birmingham Principal Shopping District

Ferndale’s B.Nektar Meadery moves into larger space, adds tap room

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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December 20, 2012

B. Nektar Meadery's cup continues to runneth over as it closes in on the opening of a second facility in Ferndale. The mead-maker opened in 2006 and has more than quintupled the gallons it produces as its distribution grows state by state across the country. The newest facility is located at 1481 Wordsworth and will feature a tap room and more bar space to service the locals who want a Zombie Killer Evil Genius or any of its limited meads on site. The original location on 1505 Jarvis in Ferndale will continue to operate, and on Jan. 4 the opening of the new facility at 1481 Wordworth will be celebrated with the first of ongoing tastings, even as the facility is still being completed. The tastings come after the brewery received its state winemaker's license for the new facilty earlier this month. Writer: Kim North Shine Source: City of Ferndale

Royal Oak’s 1xRun LLC moves to Detroit to accomodate growth

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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December 20, 2012

Metromode has written several times about 323East Gallery as well as their limited-edition print business called 1xRun LLC. We always expected big things and, well, big things have come. Excerpt: "Owners Jesse Cory and Dan Armand will shut the Royal Oak gallery's doors at the end of the year, but a gallery at the new headquarters will replace it. Cory and Armand closed on the three-story, 10,000-square-foot building Nov. 29, paying $400,000 on a land contract. The building was renovated in 2005, including all new HVAC and fire control systems. The remnants of an employment business are on the first floor, and a handful of residential lofts are on the other floors." Read the rest here.

Amtrak ridership continues to grow

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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December 20, 2012

For those who argue that trains aren't viable because they can't pay for themselves consider this: In 2010 nearly 50 percent of all road funding in the U.S. came from highway user fees (taxes). That amount was 30 percent more than the entire amount of taxes Amtrack has recieved since its creation in 1971. Excerpt: " The ten highest station figures for the corridor came at New York (9,493,414), D.C. (5,013,991), Philadelphia (4,068,540), Boston (1,447501), Baltimore (1,028,909), New Haven (755,669), Wilmington (737,846), BWI Airport (703,604), Newark (680,803), and Providence (669,576). Those are on-and-off passenger numbers for Acela and regional trains as well as others that traverse the sector. They add up to roughly 24.6 million riders, or about three-quarters of Amtrak's record-breaking 2012 total. Still it's worth noting that the northeast isn't the only place where interest in Amtrak is growing. Passenger records were broken for 25 of Amtrak's 44 services in 2012. Ridership increased to previously unseen heights in the Midwest (particularly Chicago-St. Louis), the West Coast (Bakersfield-Oakland rose 7 percent), and the Mid-Atlantic (the Charlotte-Raleigh train is up 16 percent)." Read the rest here.

Finding A Hydrogen Future

By Patrick Dunn

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Arts & Culture

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December 20, 2012

For more than 20 years Dr. Robert Buxbaum's Ferndale-based company has been designing technologies that filter hydrogen. That may not sound particularly exciting to the everyday Joe but when you consider that he has contracts with the U.S. and U.K. Navies and believes his product could have prevented the Fukushima meltdown you understand how focusing on something very small can have a very large impact.