In an effort to get Dearborn’s Crowley Park pool open as quickly as possible, Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. last night authorized the spending of $8,600 to repair water leaks at the neighborhood pool.

The authorization to spend the money for the repairs, without seeking competitive bids, means the pool could open as early as next week, O’Reilly said. Longer term maintenance concerns with the pool will still need to be addressed.

In earlier stories here, the city said the damage to the pool because of water leaks was more extensive than originally believed. You can read an earlier story by clicking HERE.

Residents in the Crowley Park pool area should get their swimsuits and towels ready.

Dearborn Civil Service Commissioner Marjorie Powell will have to wait until at least Aug. 5 to learn whether the Dearborn city council will grant her request for an extension of the time limit to take the oath of office as a commissioner. (See earlier story, HERE.)

Dearborn City Councilman George Darany made a motion at last night’s meeting (supported by Councilman Robert Abraham) to simply approve the extension as more than a month has passed since the request was made by Powell. But his motion was defeated by a 4-2 vote with Tom Tafelski, Nancy Hubbard, Susanne Sareini, and Brian O’Donnell voting no. Mark Shooshanian was absent.

Following the meeting, Councilman Abraham said the whole issue surfaced because of “City Hall politics.”

“The memos sent back and forth should have been addressed to the “commission” or the Board of Ethics to review,” Abraham said.  ”It is disappointing that many have failed to recognize a perfect opportunity to do what is right without consideration political fallout. The Mayor, the Council and the City Clerk had over a month to gather information and discuss this issue with legal counsel, while Mrs. Powell waited with great patience. The moment to correct this mistake was last night when Marge publicly asked us to help her; 4 out 6 said “No” not now. There is no reason to make her wait until August 5 or thereafter; this is absolutely and totally ridiculous. To see politicians drag their feet when they know what is right and fail to act is the real problem (there are many examples in the news, including the BP spill). We need leaders now more than ever that can make decisions, and have the political will power to stand-up for the folks in town that need help, want help, and ask for help, and not tell them to wait until “we” have time to schedule a Study Session” in six weeks.

“Marge is a city volunteer and we should be treating her with dignity and respect. Let’s hope Marge will stay on-board after this mess, because as many of us already know service groups and volunteers are decreasing in numbers at a rapid rate. Marge cannot be easily replaced as some might believe. Thank you Marge for your many years of service! I look forward to working with you for many more years, too.”

Council President Tafelski said the Aug. 5 meeting will be a “study session” on this matter. Unfortunately, that meeting is not televised and does not take place in the council chambers. Instead, that meeting will take place in the council’s cramped meeting room. The meeting will be open to the public but you might want to bring your own chair or be prepared to stand.

Dearborn Civil Service Commissioner Marjorie Powell, a former City Council president, appears to be in the political crosshairs of Dearborn Council President Tom Tafelski. This could make tonight’s City Council meeting interesting as Powell plans to go before the council with a request. But more on that in a minute.

The political squabble appears to stem from an action the Civil Service Commission took by a 3-2 vote that tabled a request from Tafelski to re-assign/classify an employee from the City Council office to the City Clerk’s office as a way to reduce department budgets. Tafelski said if the move didn’t occur it would lead to a layoff and put the city into “receivership” in two years, according to papers surrounding this matter on file with the city.

In her motion to table the request, Powell, who has served 17 years as a volunteer on the Commission, questioned whether their could be a potential conflict of interest with combining the staff of one department charged with the responsibilities of elections with another department that consists of elected officials.

A day after the May 20 Commission meeting where his request was tabled, Tafelski discovered that Powell had not taken an oath for her most recent four-year reappointment, which would be a violation of Dearborn’s City Charter. Powell was reappointed in May 2009. The City Charter requires an oath of office take place within 10 days of an appointment. In his May 21 letter to the city’s legal department, Tafelski asked for a review to determine whether any actions taken by the Commission were in violation of the City Charter.

“I can’t say clearly enough that this is not about Marge,” Tafelski told the Dearborn Times-Herald in a story that carried an element of the squabble. “It’s about the integrity of the system, and we need to make sure that all protocols are followed to the utmost in every situation, but especially with (the commission).”

At tonight’s city council meeting, Powell will request to the council an extension of the time limit to take the oath of office as a Civil Service Commissioner.

Grab some popcorn, this could be interesting.

We’re not horror movie fans but for those who are into the Scream movie series you might recognize one Dearborn school when Scream 4 opens next year.

Woodworth Middle School

While most of the film is being shot in Ann Arbor, Woodworth Middle School, 4951 Ternes St., will star in a “flashback” scene in the film.

In the coming weeks, movie production crews will be constructing a new “face” of the school at the entrance of Woodworth. So if you spot some construction taking place at the school now that it is closed, it is all for the school’s movie cameo.

Apparently, the school was chosen because the design and brickwork closely matches a building that was featured in an earlier Scream film.

According to Hollywood gossip publications, Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham is very close to joining the cast working on the Scream 4 saga. If she joins, she would join a number of other high-profile names in this slasher series. For those who follow these types of films, the series’ original writer and director, Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven, are leading the efforts behind the new movie, as are the original trilogy’s stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette.

The film will start shooting in Ann Arbor at month’s end and is scheduled to hit theaters on April 15, 2011.

Dearborn officials say sand and soil underneath the Crowley pool deck have been washed out by the pipe leak.

Pipe leaks in Dearborn’s Crowley pool appear to have caused more serious damage that originally believed and the needed repairs could keep the pool closed for the summer.

The city of Dearborn says leaks have washed away areas of the foundation under the pool deck, making the deck unsafe.

“The City must continue to determine the extent of that wash out and how best to stabilize the foundation of the deck,” according to a press release issued Friday afternoon.

This close up photo illustrates how sand and soil underneath the pool deck have been washed out by the pipe leak.

City contractors Friday identified the location of the leak in the pipe under the pool deck and made repairs to the specific site. But the scope of the repairs is more serious and goes beyond that one site, the city says.

The city says it also must address the following before it can even consider whether a re-opening can occur this season:

1. The most cost-efficient way to repair or replace sections of the pool deck in order to best cover that foundation.
2. The aging pipes of the circulatory system and the cost of replacing the pipes. Left unchecked, the pipes could leak in the future, disrupting the foundation and deck again.

The city has not yet provided details on how much repairs will cost but NSA, the company Dearborn hired earlier this year to assess the condition of all eight outdoor pools, is assessing the impact and repair costs. For more about NSA, click HERE

NSA will make recommendations to the City as soon as possible, the city says. NSA’s recommendations will likely include several approaches, from less expensive, “quick fix” repairs, the city says, to more extensive, longer lasting solutions.

Built in 1964, the problems facing Crowley pool aren’t unexpected, the city says. The hull of Crowley’s pool was replaced in the 1970s, and the city says it is now 10 years past its life expectancy. City crews repaired a leak in the pool hull in early June, fixing that problem before the pipe leak was discovered.

NSA will provide a report to the city on the condition of all pools,  including Crowley, and the associated costs to fix or maintain them now and for the long term. After receiving those recommendations, Dearborn officials say they will be in a better position to make a decision on whether to open Crowley pool this season.

The Museum Guild of Dearborn will host a fundraising garage sale 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, (June 17, 18 and 19) on the grounds of the McFadden Ross House, 915 Brady.

Look for the sale in the parking lot of the closed motel on the museum’s grounds.

For those wondering, no item from the Dearborn Historical Museum’s collections will be on sale. The merchandise is donated from Guild members and other Dearborn residents.

Separately, on Saturday, June 26, the Museum Guild will host its Third Annual Garden Party & Tea, also on the grounds of the McFadden Ross House.

Fine teas, delicate finger sandwiches and sweets will be served. Dearborn’s first lady, Christina O’Reilly, is the honorary chairperson. The cost is $35 ($25 is tax-deductible).

Tables may be reserved for four, six or eight and individual tickets are also available. Call 313-565-3000.

All proceeds from both events will benefit the Museum Guild of the Dearborn. The Guild benefits the Dearborn Historical Museum exclusively.

Dearborn entrepreneur Peder Blohm believes his soon-to-be-revealed website to buy and sell almost anything has what it takes to surpass the popular (and free) Craigslist.com.

Blohm's new site goes live June 23.

On June 23 we will find out. That’s when the beta version of his new website mynewmarketplace.com will officially be unveiled at a gathering of the Social Media Club of Detroit at the newly renovated Baronette Renaissance Hotel in Novi. The new site has been described as an eBay “without the auction” or a Craig’s list “without the creeps.” At the new site, visitors can now sign up to be on a mailing list. There also is a Facebook event link HERE.

“Our goal is to be more transparent than other websites that promote ‘free advertising’ because, in reality, nothing’s free,” Blohm said “Unlike Craiglist, we will charge a small fee for posting ads to help keep out the ‘riff raff’.”

Blohm says that “riff raff” includes not allowing adult personal ads on the new site. He says mynewmarketplace.com offers easy navigation and a variety of options to buy and sell products and services, promote new businesses, post and search job openings, and support the local economy.

To assist new businesses open less than 12 months and with limited marketing resources, Blohm says mynewmarketplace.com will offer a special place for these companies to promote themselves and attract new customers as well as employees and potential investors.

“We want to show that Michigan is still the birthplace of innovation,” Blohm said.

In order to build content, mynewmarketplace.com will not charge for ads during the first 30 days of launching the beta site.

“In today’s economy and with limited capital, you have to use all your creative resources to launch a new business,” said Blohm, who has previously launched new businesses in Michigan (including Laptop Design USA, LLC) and in his Swedish birthplace of Stockholm. “We’re planning for success.”

Blohm’s partner in developing the new website is Brian Surowiec, owner of Essential IT and a Michigan entrepreneur and technology consultant who has more than 15 years of experience providing IT and Internet-related services for a variety of industries.

Residents near Dearborn’s Crowley Park pool will have to find a new place to swim until further notice because of major leaks in the pool’s pipes, Dearborn officials announced Friday.

The costs to repair the pool aren’t yet known but with the city budget already stressed, repairing pool pipes might prove to be too difficult of a task this fiscal year.

City officials say the leak in the Crowley Park pool had been identified and announced earlier this year but the extent of the damage could not be determined until the city began prepping it to open for the season. Two leaks in the hull of the pool were repaired earlier this month.

Dearborn says the new leaks are in the pipes and if not repaired would cause the loss of thousands of gallons of water each day and undermine the integrity of the pool deck. The leaks are in the pipes that are connected to the filtration system, which must be operating for swimmers to use the pool.

The city’s five other outdoor neighborhood pools will open as scheduled tomorrow, June 12. (Levagood and Ford Woods park pools already opened for the season.)

A more extensive evaluation of the situation at Crowley Park pool could take place as early as the week of June 14 by NSA, the engineering firm that has been working with the city to conduct general assessments of all Dearborn city pools.

The city will review NSA’s recommendations and potential cost for repairs before determining a course of action regarding the pool. These discussions will include the timeframe of the repairs and the pool’s possible reopening.

For more information about Crowley Park pool, as well as Dearborn’s seven other public pools, call the Recreation Department at 313-943-2350.

Garage sales fans should plan to make their way over to the Dearborn Hills neighborhood today and Saturday. You will find all sorts of great bargins and all in one place. The sales begin at 9 a.m. and run until 5 p.m.

Happy garage sale shopping.

The Dearborn Hills garage sale map.

For the list of homes to date participating in the sale, you can click HERE or for a map, click the image at right.

At least 135 homeowners experienced basement flooding after heavy storms over the weekend and with more storms predicted for tonight things could get worse.

In a city press release, Dearborn says “the City’s initial analysis of the storm events show that the City’s sewers worked properly. The review is continuing.”

The city press release continues stating this:

“Following about 3 inches of rain from 8 p.m. Saturday to 2:30 a.m. Sunday, about 80 homes flooded in southeast Dearborn and another 50 in northeast Dearborn (as reported by Monday morning).

“Additionally, five homes on Nowlin in west Dearborn experienced basement flooding. Although no blockage was initially found, crews were videotaping sewers in that area on Monday as part of the further review.

“Other reports were coming in from homeowners around the City on Monday afternoon.

“As of 4 p.m. Monday, it does not appear as if the City’s sewers failed or were blocked in any areas of Dearborn.

“Affected residents should contact their homeowner’s or renter’s insurance companies to determine whether they have coverage for basement flooding claims.

“If residents with flooded basements believe that the City of Dearborn’s sewers were defective, then under state law, they have 45 days from the event to file a claim with the city’s Legal Department.

“No claim may be made after 45 days. Call the Legal Department at 313-943-2035.

You can read the entire release from the city of Dearborn by clicking the link below.

Read the rest of this entry »