Education

Tennis anyone? Lawn tennis club coming to Pontiac

The city of Pontiac's waterworks building and grounds are springing back to life as the future home of a members-only lawn tennis club that's being designed by Cranbrook Academy's architect in residence. Architect and developer Bill Massie is behind the the Wessen Lawn Tennis Club at 235 Wessen Street, also the site of a closed recreation center. The grounds are are being transformed into an English-style layout of 24 grass courts, four hard courts and an Olympic-size swimming pool. The project includes the renovation of the 1929 Waterworks building. The club was inspired by the tennis-loving Massie family's visit about five years ago to the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston, Mass. Massie is the head of the architecture department at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills. Founding memberships to the club, which is exptected to be open mid-2014, are now being accepted at the club's website. Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Wessen Lawn Tennis Club

6 Salon moves, expands in downtown Birmingham

6 Salon opened in downtown Royal Oak 10 years ago with four stylists, a hip and stylish decor and the unorthodox practice of operating from early morning 'til midnight. Within two years 18 stylists were styling in Royal Oak at 306 W. Sixth St., and by the third year a second 6 Salon had opened in downtown Birmingham. As the 10th anniversary approaches, the business, which focuses on hiring for personality, personally trains stylists and functions based on customer demands such as longer hours, is employing a staff of 65 and making another move by opening a much larger salon in downtown Birmingham. The newest 6 Salon opened July 5 at 180 S. Old Woodward, the prominent corner of Old Woodward and Merrill. The 4,400-square-foot space decorated in rich woods and warm colors, a move away from the white, black and stainless steel tableau of its predecessors, replaces a 1,500-square-food shop on West Maple. The new salon has 21 stylists' stations and adds a lash bar to its list of services. "We were completely busting out of the other location," says George Nikollaj, who co-owns the salon with brother Johnny Nikollaj and cousin Tomy Lulgjuraj. "It's unbelievable, the response we've gotten. People stop in and ask if they can see it, have a tour," he says. "We say, 'Of course.' It's great being where people want to come in and get to know us and see what we've done. It's great to be here." Writer: Kim North Shine Source: George Nikollaj, co-owner 6 Salon

Auburn Hills wants to generate alternative energy use

The city of Auburn Hills is stepping up again in support of alternative energy use, this time by purchasing police cruisers and other city vehicles that run on propane and natural gas and also by passing a resolution to prevent fuel waste and support alternative fuel use in general. The decision comes after the Ann Arbor-based Clean Energy Coalition provided the city with numerous recommendations spelled out in a Fuel Forward Fleet Study. It showed how the city could save money and reduce emissions by retrofitting city vehicles to be powered with natural gas or propane gas. It also made other recommendations such as reducing police car idling times and building an alternative fuel infrastructure. The city council adopted the recommendations and also purchased eight propane auto gas units for the new 2013 Dodge Charger police pursuit vehicles, a fuel dispenser, a year's worth of propane fuel, and a jet and vacuum truck for street and sewer cleaning. Ron Melchert, the city's director of public works, says about $4,000 will be saved over the 4.72 years, the average life of the police vehicles. Melchert says the city will see a return on investment in two and a half years and reduce the city's reliance on foreign oil as well as decrease its greenhouse emissions by 13 percent. The latest move follows the city's decision two years ago to promote  electric vehicles by encouraging and supporting the inclusion of electric vehicle plug-ins at local businesses and with contractors and builders. The city's attempts to boost alternative energy has made it a model for other cities, Mark Rabinksy, project manager for Clean Energy Coalition, says in a statement. “The city of Auburn Hills has shown time and again they are a leader in Michigan. No other city in the state has been more active in promoting the use of electric vehicles and now, by supporting the advancement of other forms of alternative fuels, the city is paving the way for other municipalities to do the same." Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Ron Melchert, director of public works, city of Auburn Hills

Artist Lounge to be part of Pontiac revival

State grants available for food trucks & farmers markets

Farmers market organizers and food truck operators have a chance to get some green -- $10,000 to $50,000 -- from the state if they can prove their business is unique, innovative and will be successful at making their communities a place with a special vibe and feel. The state and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation wants to promote food entrepreneurship as a means to promote a sense of place in Michigan communities by awarding matching grants through the Farmers Market Grant Program and the Mobile Cuisine Start-Up Program. “Farmers markets and food trucks improve our downtowns and bring vitality and economic growth to our communities,” says MEDC President and CEO Michael A. Finney in a statement announcing the grants. “These grants will support food entrepreneurs and local markets, strengthen communities and create jobs in our state.”   The state will award up to $200,000 in grants to farmers' markets and up to $100,000 to food trucks. Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Kathy Fagan, communication specialist at Michigan Deparment of Economic Development

Marriott hotel planned for Auburn Hills

Auburn Hills' draw as a destination for corporate visitors is leading to the opening of a new hotel -- a $4.6 million Marriott property that will boost the city's property tax revenue and give Oakland County visitors and tourists another lodging option. The Marriott TownePlace Suites will be built near the Great Lakes Crossing outlet shopping center on I-75 and will have 80 rooms in a three-story building. The opening date is set for sometime in 2014. It will replace a closed Borders bookstore west of Baldwin road and north of Great Lakes Crossing Drive and be near a Holiday Inn Express and a Hampton Inn, all projects of Michigan hotel developer Basil Bacall. Stephanie Carroll, a spokesperson for the city of Auburn Hills, says the city has about 2,100 hotel rooms to house visitors, but a Marriott option was missing. "So many people are looking especially for Marriott," she says, "And because of our corporate presence in Auburn Hills we get people who come here and need to stay a month. They need an extended stay and a mid-priced hotel." "The story here," she says, "is Mr. Bacall continues to invest in this community." Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Stephanie Carroll, coordinator of community relations and legislative affairs, city of Auburn Hills

Suds soon to flow at Griffin Claw Brewing in Birmingham

Griffin Claw Brewing Company makes beer, of course, but it's more than a pull a stool up to the bar and have a glass kind of place. It's 12,000 square feet of distilling and brewing tanks and equipment, a distribution facility for hundreds of barrels of brew, a tap room, a biergarten and a restaurant. It is also the newest addition to Birmingham's Rail District, a trendy, walkable community carved out of the city. There are brownstones, residential lofts, small speciality businesses and high-end retailers thriving atop the old rail yards. The public can see what Griffin Claw is all about as of July 18. There's the outdoor gravel-covered patio with a fire pit and room for 75 to sit at long, biergarten-style tables purchased in Germany and an indoor taproom that's separated from the patio by oversized garage doors and with room for 100. Griffin Claw's focus is the award-winning suds, including 12 seasonal brews, made by Big Rock Chophouse brewmaster Dan Rogers and to be distributed with the Griffin Claw label. A "casual food" menu will complement the beer, and vodka and gin will eventually be turned out of the distillery. A martini bar is scheduled to open by late fall. Altogether more than 50 full-time employees will be at work at Griffin Claw. The brewery is at 575 S. Eton Street, and co-owners Bonnie LePage and Mary Nicholson, wives to the owners of Big Rock Chophouse in Birmingham, the Got Rocks Diamond Crown Cigar Lounge, and The Reserve, want Griffin Claw to be a neighborhood place, familiar, comfortable, quality. Altogether more than 50 full-time employees will be at work at Griffin Claw. "Our brewery is very casual and it's all about the beer but we have great food too," says Bonnie LePage. "We wanted to create a comfortable and familiar environment that fits into the neighborhood so more of our neighbors are able to drop in on a frequent basis." Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Bonnie LePage, co-owner Griffin Claw Brewing Company and Jaclyn Robinson, spokesperson, Griffin Claw Brewing Company

New Shine On Yoga does downward dog in downtown Ferndale

After years of teaching yoga in studios around metro Detroit and seeing what inspired and motivated people, Linda Marchione has brought her experiences together in her own studio, Shine On Yoga in downtown Ferndale. What she wants most out of Shine On is to offer comfort and community - on top of physical strength and peace of mind. "I've designed it to be inviting so that everyone who comes in knows they're welcome to stay. I want it to feel like my home, like my living room," she says. "It's not designed to make people feel like you come in, take your class and leave, with nowhere to sit or spend time, talking to people, getting to know people," she says. "We're not a factory. We're not a huge money making machine. We're a small local business and and I want everyone to know who walks through the door that we'd like them to stay and have tea." Shine On opened June 3 at 22751 Woodward Avenue, the southwest corner with 9 Mile, in the heart of downtown Ferndale. A grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting is set for 4:30 p.m. July 19, and there will be live music, refreshments and demonstrations. Marchione's Shine On Studio has also been selected by yoga and running wear maker, Lululemon, to be it's local studio of the month in July and September. Shine On will lead free Sunday morning yoga sessions each Sunday of the month an hour before the stores open. Shine On will lead yoga at the Somerset in July and in downtown Birmingham in September. Shine On will also regularly coordinate volunteer days at Gleaner's Community Food Bank, where Marchione is a volunteer coordinator. "Our teachers do an awful lot of community work. We focus on practicing kindness not just toward ourselves but others" she says, "The body is meant to serve. Yogis teach you to get strong yourself and then give it away." Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Linda Marchione, owner, Shine On Yoga

Repurposed parking meters raise money for more art in Ferndale

Parking meters, fixtures that are more nuisance than art, have been repurposed into artworks that will help pay for the installation of sculptures to grace the streets of downtown Ferndale, and the public is invited to vote on which sculptures to buy. The Ferndale Downtown Development Authority wants to purchase two pieces that are currently on display in the city's ARTWN exhibit, which ends soon. To raise the money for the purchase, a party and live auction of artists' re-imagined expired parking meters was held June 21 at the Rust Belt Market. The expired meter art is a way for the city to poke fun at itself over parking changes that have led to some complaints and ridicule. More than a dozen artists turned the old meters, which have been replaced by latest iteration of modern-day parking meters, into funny, whimsical, sarcastic, art. A final tally of the proceeds is still being taken, says DDA spokesman Chris Hughes, but somewhere between $3,500 and $18,000 is to purchase the sculptures that will leave Ferndale when the ARTWN exhibit ends. The public can vote on which sculptures to keep by placing dollars in ballot boxes made out of paint cans with a picture of the sculpture of the top. The cans are located at businesses that were sponsors of the ARTWN exhibit. They will also be out at the Get Reel outdoor movie party Thursday July 18. The top five vote-getters will go to a committee that will decide which pieces become permanent public art. The final picks will be made by December, Hughes says, as fundraising continues. Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Chris Hughes, spokesman, Ferndale Downtown Development Authority