Here are some updates (Thompson Block and Freigthouse) and things you might be interested in.

[Kurt A]

Hello Neighbors, 


I did my best to get your questions answered on the Thompson Block and the Freighthouse so read below to see what is going on. 

There are also a few things going on that you might be interested in so read on. 

Remember to suport your local businesses. Have you been to The Rocket, Luwaks, or Beezies lately? 



LEAF PICK-UP - NO BULK PICK-UP - If you see a neighbor who has raked their leaves into the street please inform them they will be ticketed. visit the city website to find out fully. Leaves contained in compost bags or trash cans 32 gallons or smaller with a yard waste sticker placed on trash container will be picked up curbside. Curbside yard waste will be picked up on your trash day beginning the week of April 6 and continuing through the week of December 14, 2009. Note: During the colder months it is recommended that residents use compost bags. Leaves that are frozen in cans cannot be removed. 



THOMPSON BLOCK - There really isn't too much to tell you. Our Honorable Council Member Pete Murdock let me know that " A 90 day temporary traffic order was granted by the City Manager, so we probably won't see any changes or activity until December 23 or after New Year." Pete and other council members are working to get an exact schedule for this building. 



THE FALL OF THE WALL LECTURE - This should be a very interesting lecture which will be given by a good friend of mine at WCC. At the lecture there will also be some items for sale which will benefit the WCC ARTS CLUB which helps teach students and community members about the arts through lectures and field trips. Visit WCC for more information . 



Dear Arts Club members, 






As some of you may know, I grew up in Dresden, behind the iron curtain, before I emigrated to the US in 1985. In less than a week, on Monday, November 9 , the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall is coming up! 

This is a big event for Germany and the world but many of our younger Americans have not much of an idea what went on. And many of the older among us, myself included, have forgotten a lot of the details. I therefore have prepared a public talk which will outline the historical background of the Berlin wall, life in East Germany, and the events which lead up to the "Wende", the peaceful downfall of the Eastern Block and the Cold War. The talk will be followed by a question and answer period. 

For the first time, we have scheduled this event in the big theater at WCC so that larger groups from the community can be accommodated. 

I hope you will be able to come. But if not, please help to spread the word. I have attached a flyer which can be printed out and distributed, or passed on in an email. 

We will have a raffle or silent auction for my last pieces of the Berlin wall, original etchings of the Frauenkirche in Dresden, and framed photographs by American photographers taken just days after November 9 in Berlin! 
This event will also be one of our major fundraising events! Let Corey know if you can be an usher. 

There will be snacks and refreshments. The talk will start at 6:30 PM in Towsley Auditorium at the Morris Lawrence Building at WCC (not LA 175 as some older flyers and poster still say). The talk will be about 1 hour and 15 minutes. With snack break, auction and questions, the entire event could be about 2 hours long, but you can leave at any time according to your schedule needs. 

Please help to make this event a success. I hope to see you there. 
Many, many thanks for your help! For further questions, please email me ( ezt at wccnet.edu ) or Corey Moomey ( moomey at wccnet.edu ). 

Elisabeth Z. Thoburn Humanities Department 



FREIGHTHOUSE UPDATE - I know a lot of people are curious as to what is going on with the freighthouse so I asked around. I received a long response so this is my summary. 

Its MDOTs Fault its things aren't moving - " As for the schedule, we were virtually “shovel ready” the day the Governor was here, with an opening date of April 1. We still do not have the final MDOT sign-off and bids won’t go out until January. Hopefully, we can open the old café July 4 th weekend, or do a Grand Opening for Heritage Festival. It’s all dependent upon the contractor MDOT chooses." 



YPSILANTI FREIGHTHOUSE 

RESTORATION & RENOVATION UPDATE 



The structural and exterior/interior architectural drawings are complete and available for public viewing. Mechanical and electrical systems drawings will be completed by the end of August. 



The structural and architectural work was front-loaded to meet MDOT stimulus grant requirements. The initial MDOT meeting is soon, at which time comments on designs from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) will be available. Local reviews by our Ypsilanti Historic District Commission will also be required. Following MDOT, SHPO and Ypsilanti HDC reviews, and after the completion of specification revisions and estimates required by MDOT, we anticipate bids to go out in the Fall and construction to commence this winter. 



Per the original Condition Assessment Report (CAR), the prime focus is on exterior and interior structural corrections. Of equal importance is the readiness of the old café interior, which is destined to become the SEMCOG-related passenger hospitality/rest area and a tourism info center. Our target is to be open by mid-August 2010 to prepare for the commuter train in October/November of 2010. 



As publicised, the SEMCOG passenger platform will be built on the West side (the Freighthouse side) of the tracks and connected to the Freighthouse at grade with sidewalk and/or decking. Depending upon the MDOT budget and the additional finances required, completed renovation of the large hall make take more time. 



Thanks to the support of the City to obtain the MDOT stimulus package we are financially more than half way to our original goal ... a tremendous step. This was due in large part to the generous gift of the AAACF for site and building engineering and architectural drawings. Current budget estimates remain essentially unchanged from the FOYF business plan in gross dollar terms: (1) $350,000+/1 (in dollars and/or in-kind services and materials) to complete the construction after MDOT is done (not including SEMCOG requirements), plus $280,000 in operational funding to hire, furnish, stock and cover initial marketing. 


FROM: The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse 



DATE: November 2, 2009 





The past two years have been full of progress and exciting news for the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse and the Ypsilanti Freighthouse. 



During 2008, the FOYF signed a five-year Management Agreement with the City, and published a 5-year Business Plan, detailing the goals and objectives, which will make the Freighthouse a community event center on a self-sustaining basis. 



In the fall of 2008, we launched a Storm Water Management Grant project to protect the Freighthouse from further water damage. This was our second major State Historic Preservation Grant with local matching funds. At the same time, we entered discussions with the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, seeking their possible support. 



In January 2009, we were awarded a $103,300 Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation Grant through its Pfizer Legacy Grant Program. The monies would specifically target completion of engineering and architectural drawings for Freighthouse restoration and renovation. 



The next exciting news came when SEMCOG announced its three-year Commuter Rail Demonstration Project between Ann Arbor and Detroit , which resulted in the City being awarded a Federal Stimulus Grant of $500,000 to help make the Ypsilanti Freighthouse once again safe for public use. The funds will be administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation, and work will focus upon structural stabilization and exterior historic restoration. Construction will follow April through June of 2010. 



While the City and Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse are delighted to have the monies to help stabilize the building, we must go beyond that point to ready the Freighthouse for commuter rail travelers by October 2010, SEMCOG’s projected start date for the rail project. 



We feel the commuter rail project is a vitally important project for this community. In every U.S. city where rail service is being added, communities have seen significant development impact. Preparing the Freighthouse literally means helping to make the train service work, and it will benefit everyone and every development project in Ypsilanti . Remember, too, if the SEMCOG project is successful, the Federal New Start Rail Program plans to improve commuter rail travel as far west as St. Louis . As a key hospitality point for these riders, the Ypsilanti Freighthouse deserves our full and immediate attention. 



We need your help to make sure our Freighthouse is ready for passengers when the commuter trains start running. At this point, our total additional contingency expense estimate through June 2010 is $100,000. Between November 1, 2009 and April 1, 2010 , the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse must raise an additional $25,000 within the community. In response, the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation has tentatively agreed to match our $25,000 and to help raise the remaining $50,000 from regional and private foundations. This is only if our community is willing to stake $25,000 now! 



Please make your own personal contribution to help us reach our goal. You can mail a check to: FOYF c/o P.O. Box 970919 , Ypsilanti , MI 48197-0919 , or you visit our new website ( www.foyf.org ) and use the DONATE button to make a one-time or monthly contribution. 



Thank you for doing whatever you can to bring our Freighthouse back to life! 





- The FOYF Board of Trustees 


Take care, 
Kurt Anschuetz 
prospectparkneighborhood at comcast.net 


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