Resident Hakim Fakhoury says 'dream' of developing downtown Dearborn is over.

If you’ve driven along Michigan Avenue this week you probably have seen signs hanging in the windows of some of the properties owned by developer Hakim Fakhoury with the following words: “The Dream is Over. For Sale.” Many of you have even written here asking what the signs meant.

Well, we sent a note straight to the source, Mr. Fakhoury, asking if he would pen a note explaining the meaning of the signs. He provided us this article, which begins below.

My name is Hakim Fakhoury, and I had a dream…

I had a dream… that Dearborn could become one of the most vibrant downtowns in Michigan.

I had a dream… that the city I have lived in nearly my whole life would be the place where I could invest the fruits of all my hard work.

I had a dream… that Dearborn’s leader would open their arms to a developer that is home-grown and seeks to make a better future for our city for generations to come.

I had a dream… that our mayor and city council could put aside personal and political differences, that petty political infighting would not cause the development of our city to come to a standstill. The inability of our leaders to have a vision has caused us to lag behind other cities, and make us unable to fully transition into the 21st century.

I had a dream… that our leaders would be smart to know what they don’t know, that they would hire professionals to develop master plans, that they would end corruption, the “old boys” network, an breathe new life into our community.

I had a dream… that we could redevelop our downtown into something that would appeal to everyone, attracting fresh young minds to make our city vibrant, livable, fun, and modern.

I had a dream… that I could buy buildings and then, in agreement with city officials, transform our city.

I had a dream… that the mayor and city council members would not lie, that they would be honest, that they would not manipulate each other, or play petty games, or include me in their internal feuds, and just be mature, with the city’s interests, and only the city’s interests, at the core of their decision-making.

I had a dream… but now the DREAM IS OVER for me… My hope is that another developer with come along, buy all my properties, pick up on my hard work, and move to develop the district…

Construction work on the CSO project near Cherry Hill and Brady has been temporarily halted to protect the roads during the spring thaw.

The City of Dearborn sent a note out yesterday to local media explaining why the work had been halted. Residents apparently raised questions on why the work had been stopped.

In a prepared statement, the city said that in order to protect the integrity of the roads during the spring thaw, work on the CSO project in the area bounded by Brady, Cherry Hill, Golf Crest and Cherry Hill Court will be temporarily halted starting March 8 until water under the roadway has evaporated, which should be approximately the first week of April.

City officials say this is necessary because as frost below the road’s surface melts, the road’s base is weakened by the water. Continuing to drive heavy trucks on roads during this time can seriously affect the road’s integrity.

State, county and local governments all mandate that during the thaw, heavy trucks reduce their loads by 35 percent.

Some contractors continue their operation with reduced truck loads in order to comply and some contractors postpone their operation until frost laws are no longer in effect.

The City’s contractor Angelo Iafrat has chosen to postpone their operation since most of it involves heavy transportation of earth and sand, Dearborn officials say.

Wendy's before the demolition. Dearborn Theatre is in the background.

The building that was once home of Wendy’s hamburgers at Michigan and Telegraph has been razed and is expected to be the future home of Sonic burgers.

The deal to land a Sonic at that intersection is about 90 percent complete, according to one city official.

. . . Wendy's after the demolition.

The long-closed Dearborn Theatre also is slated to be demolished. However, a date for the removal of that building isn’t yet know. As we have reported here once before, discussions have been ongoing about building a new Hampton Inn hotel on the site of the theatre complex.

The current Hampton Inn in Dearborn, just east of Brady on Michigan Avenue, will at some point have to operate under a different name as the hotel in its current design does not meet Hampton’s new corporate requirements.

In other development news, the government-run auction for the long-closed La Shish restaurant and adjoining Talal’s restaurant on Michigan Avenue was apparently held last week. No word yet on who submitted the winning bid but hopefully something soon will happen with that eyesore of a building.

And finally, the owners of Ciao, the restaurant on Monroe that was badly damaged in a fire nearly a year ago, tell us that they are close to inking a deal for a new building in a new location in west Dearborn. The popular Italian eatery could open in the second quarter of this year, if all goes as planned.

This is the story of 10 canine police officers, a high school basketball game, a concert and, perhaps, a lack of communication.

Let’s first start with the police dogs from the Dearborn Police Department and six other police agencies from the surrounding area.

For nearly 10 years, the police have used Dearborn High School for training exercises as way to keep the skills of police dogs sharp. This is a good thing.

Such was the case on Thursday, Feb. 25 when police and their K-9s arrived in the evening at Dearborn High School to do their usual training.

Trouble is few, if any, nearby residents, parents and students attending a basketball game and a concert at the high school that evening knew there was a training exercise going on.

Dearborn High School’s principal didn’t know at the time but was at the school and did talk to officers that evening. A school official told us the permit required to do the training in the school was likely approved months in advance and it simply wasn’t on the principal’s radar. The school district says it did not receive any phone calls from parents about the training after the fact so the concern about why police cars were at the high school that night apparently came from residents who live near the high school.

The City of Dearborn issued a press release the day after the training exercise with the following headline: “Police dog training exercise explained after drawing community attention.”  The press release also appeared in the Sunday edition of the Dearborn Press & Guide.

We fully support this type of training but in this day and age when airports, schools and cities operate with heightened security concerns, perhaps it might be a good idea to share with residents at least a day before, not after.

As for residents, if you ever do have questions after seeing police activity in Dearborn, please call 943-2201.

The field of candidates considering a run for the 15th District seat in the Michigan House of Representatives is expanding.

The Capitol building in Lansing.

We reported here earlier this week that Dearborn Councilman George Darany and Linda Tafelski, a retired Dearborn schoolteacher, were the only two who had officially declared their candidacy for the seat of state Rep. Gino Polidori, D-Dearborn, who cannot seek re-election because of term limits.

Well, the list of candidates officially running has grown and now includes the following on the Democratic ticket: Hope Buxton, a Dearborn business owner, and Alex Shami, a former Dearborn school board member.

It now appears that Dearborn Councilwoman Suzanne Sareini,who finished as the second top voter getter in the last election and now serves as council pro-tem, is being urged by Republican party leaders to run for the position. The same is true for Bill Runco, a Dearborn lawyer and former district court judge, who has had a bumpy political history in Dearborn.

Other Democrats considering running for the position include Mike Berry, a Dearborn business owner who previously ran for Dearborn City Council; Fay Beydoun, active in Dearborn politics who works for American Arab Chamber of Commerce and Stephen Dobkowski Jr., who previously ran for Dearborn City Council.

This should be an interesting August primary.

On a snowy Monday when schools were closed and others struggled on slippery roads to get to work, Dearborn Councilman George Darany made the trek in his car to the Wayne County offices in Detroit. His mission? File the paperwork to officially become a candidate for the 15th District seat in the Michigan House of Representatives.

Dearborn Councilman Darany announces run for state House seat.

“I wasn’t going to let the weather hold me up,” Darany tells Deepsaidwhat.com. “This was the day I said I would do it and I am out doing it. I want people to know that I am serious about this seat. Anyone else thinking about it will be up against someone who will be very aggressive.”

And so begins the race for the seat of state Rep. Gino Polidori, D-Dearborn, who cannot seek re-election because of term limits.

So far, Darany and Linda Tafelski, a retired schoolteacher, are the only two people to file campaign paperwork for the $80,000 a year job. Like Darany, Tafelski, the mother of Dearborn City Council President Thomas Tafelski, will have name equity in this race.

The decision by Darany to run might seem strange to some as just last month he was sworn in to his first full-term as a City Council member. The reality, however, is this is a perfect time for him to seek the House seat.

Darany was the third highest vote getter in the last election, so he certainly would be carrying some momentum going into the Democratic primary election on Aug. 3. If he wins, he would then run against the Republican Party candidate in the Nov. 2 general election. The House seat is a two-year position and limited to three terms.

And if he doesn’t win, he still retains his seat on the Dearborn City Council.

“This is my time,” said Darany, 53, a lifelong Dearborn resident. “This is the best time for me to run for this seat because it is an open seat. The last three people that held that office held it for six years. I didn’t want to wait another six years for that opportunity to come up again.

“I am going to help Dearborn in one capacity or another. Either way, I can help. Certainly, in Lansing I can even do more.”

You can bet that David W. Bazzy will be cheering that Darany lands a seat in Lansing. Bazzy finished eighth in his first run for a Dearborn City Council seat, just 548 votes behind Councilwoman Nancy Hubbard who squeaked into the final and seventh council seat. If Darany leaves for Lansing, Bazzy would move onto council and serve out Darany’s term.

Tafelski tells the Dearborn Times Herald that she believes her educational background makes her a perfect fit for the job. She told the paper her primary campaign platform will be jobs through education.

“Because of the funding problems for our schools that were brought about by Lansing and my educational background, I felt it was a natural fit and, even bigger, I felt it necessary to do my part,” Tafelski told the Dearborn Times Herald.

Darany. Tafelski. So far we have two. Who else might throw their hat in? With less than six months to go until the primary, the clock is ticking.

The late John W. Tanner, a Dearborn resident for 45 years and a lawyer who worked in the city of Dearborn’s legal department, gave to our community in numerous ways. From his work serving on the board of directors of the Dearborn Goodfellows and Smoke on the Grill charity organization to Scouting and being active in Dearborn Lions football, Tanner was passionate about giving back to the city he called home.

Thanks to his daughter, Alison Anhut, his giving ways will continue.

John W. Tanner

She and her family are on the committee for The John Tanner Dearborn Youth Football Association (DYFA) Scholarship and are turning to friends, family and residents for support to expand the scholarship opportunity to all Dearborn high school students. Tanner, an Edsel Ford graduate, was one of the founding members of the DYFA. After his death at just 54 on Oct. 7, 2008, the DYFA awarded a scholarship to one DYFA athlete in his name.

The DYFA now wants to make the $1,000 scholarship an annual tradition and expand it to one graduating senior from each of Dearborn’s three high schools (Dearborn, Edsel Ford and Fordson) who have continued to play football throughout high school, completed two years of the DYFA program (in either football or cheerleading) and are pursuing a college education.

The idea to expand the scholarship to three was School Board member Hussein Berry’s (president of the DYFA board) and Jamal Al’s, who approached Tanner’s wife, Beverly, and asked if the Tanner family would like to be involved. Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., and Councilman Robert Abraham, among many others in our city, also are on the committee helping to raise funds to support the scholarship.

“My family and I are honored and are looking forward to carrying on my father’s name within this organization,” Anhut said. “My dad was one of the founding fathers of the DYFA and dedicated to its success. He was very passionate about charity work in general. My family and I cannot think of a better way to honor him and his vision than to continue working hard to serve and support the DYFA and our community.”

Here is where friends, family and residents can help.

To help raise funds for the scholarship, a dinner is going to be held on March 25th at 6 p.m. at Park Place in Dearborn. Tickets are $30 per person. There also will be a raffle at the dinner where a $5 ticket purchase could win you a first prize payout of $2,500, $1,500 for second and $1,000 for third. The plan is to sell just 3,000 tickets but if a minimum of 2,000 are not sold the raffle will revert to a 50/50. Monies raised also will be distributed to the DYFA to keep registration fees nominal and to continue to encourage youth participation.

In addition, plans are in place to hold a silent auction (donations for auction items are still being accepted) and there is the opportunity for those wanting to advertise in the March 25 dinner program, as well.

With everyone’s schedule pretty packed these days, attending an evening dinner may not be so easy to do. If that is the case, you can simply purchase a raffle ticket to help the cause or do both. All you have to do is contact Alison Anhut at azd18@yahoo.com or her mother, Beverly Tanner at tanner@ameritech.net

It’s all for a good cause and helps support the DYFA, an organization that continues to improve and help develop kids ages 8 to 13 with the ideas of teamwork, hard work and positive influence.

Here is one you can tell your friends about Monday morning. Perhaps the biggest Olympic upset in hockey since the Miracle on Ice was led by Dearborn native Brian Rafalski, who scored the first two American goals Sunday night to stun Canada, 5-3 and advance Team USA to the quarterfinals.

Rafalski, a Red Wings defenseman, also assisted on the fourth goal for Team USA. Ryan Kesler of Livonia closed out the America scoring with an empty-netter.

And of course, Ryan Miller of Michigan State University (Go State!) was the winning goalie.

Even better about this win is that it comes just one day short of the 30th anniversary of America’s greatest hockey victory, the win over the Soviet Union in Lake Placid.

Beginning Feb. 16, and for a limited time, Dearborn residents can order a tree to be planted on the easement in front of their home for just $25.

The Parks Division of the City of Dearborn’s Department of Public Works offers this program. Orders will be taken on a first call, first order basis for the 250 available trees.

Residents can choose from an assortment of trees; however, city personnel must approve the location of the tree.

Dearborn residents only are urged to call the Parks Division at (313) 943-2318 if they are interested.

Residents can either place an order or request a selection guide, which offers more information about the 10 types of trees that are available.

The following species of trees are available in 2010: Celebration Maple, Yellow Wood, Corzam or Corinthian, Japanese Pagoda, Katsura or Caramel, Maidenhair, Golden Rain, Hardy Rubber and Corktree. Spring Snow Crabapple is available only for areas where there are overhead wires.

Trees are planted by a contractor and have a one-year warranty. Planting will take place in early April and should be complete by early June.

The contractor is responsible for planting, mulching, staking, pruning, watering and cleanup after initial planting.

Residents are responsible for the follow up watering after the planting. It is highly recommended that residents retain the mulch ring around the base to keep the moisture and decrease damage from grass cutting.

Dearborn has been deemed by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA for the past 22 years. Cities with the “Tree City USA” designation must maintain specific standards, including a viable tree management program.

Dearborn residents with low to moderate incomes – with special attention for those ages 60 and older — can receive free tax preparation help from AARP volunteers. This service is offered by the City of Dearborn’s Senior Services Division.

Assistance is available in completing the following 2009 tax forms: Michigan Home Heating Credit, Michigan Homestead Property Tax Credit, state income tax and federal income tax.

Locations, dates and times for the free tax assistance is listed below. No appointment is necessary; however assistance is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Dearborn Senior Center (inside the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Avenue). 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays, through April 15. (This service will not be provided on Friday, April 2 – Good Friday.)

• Kennedy Plaza (5111 Bingham). 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18.

• Hubbard Manor West (22077 Beech, at Mason). 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays, Feb. 19 and 26.

• Townsend Towers (7000 Freda, at Blesser). 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays, March 4 and 11.

Those considering taking advantage of the free assistance are advised to bring the following:  2008 tax returns, 2009 tax forms and records of all income (including Social Security, earned interest, dividends and pensions). Also bring receipts for health care costs, medical insurance premiums and tax payment receipts for city, school and county taxes.