<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'>Hello Neighbors here are a few items that have come across my desk that you might be interested in.<br><br>One interesting idea that came across is the idea of Sharehoods. I know a lot of us borrow things from our neighbors but this is a way to set a community structure to make it happen. There really isn't a need for everyone to own a pressure washer to be used once or twice a year individually so why not have a community pressure washer? Find out information at <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT351"><a href="http://thesharehood.org/" target="_blank">http://thesharehood.org/</a></span> and discuss with me if you are interested. <br><br>Along those lines there is also a group working to get <a href="http://www.zipcar.com/">Zip Cars</a> into Ypsilanti. Zip Cars is a car sharing service.<br><br>Bellow you will find information on; Heritage Festival Road Closure, Record Sale at the Corner Brewery This Sunday, Bicycling to the Heritage Festival+Garden Tour and Home Tour, Sidewalk Maintenance and you.<br><br>As always write me with any questions,<br>prospectparkneighborhood@comcast.net<br><br>Take care,<br>Kurt<br><hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;"><br><br><br>Heritage Fest Road Closures<br><br><div><span class="266061112-18082009"><font size="2" face="Verdana"><strong>Thursday -
all day</strong></font></span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"><font size="2" face="Verdana">Cross st b/w Huron
and River</font></span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"><font size="2" face="Verdana">Market<br><br></font></span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"><font size="2" face="Verdana"><strong>Friday -
all day</strong></font></span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"><font size="2" face="Verdana">Cross st b/w Huron
and River</font></span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"><font size="2" face="Verdana">Market</font></span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"></span> </div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"><font size="2" face="Verdana"><strong>Saturday -
all day</strong></font></span></div>
<span class="266061112-18082009"><font size="2" face="Verdana">
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"><font size="2" face="Verdana">Cross st b/w Huron
and River</font></span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"><font size="2" face="Verdana">Market</font></span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"></span> </div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"><strong>Saturday - between 8a -
11a</strong></span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009">Michigan Ave b/w Second Ave and River.
If you're heading West, take Congress or Cross up to Mansfield. Normal and
Summit are</span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"> not far
enough </span><span class="266061112-18082009">and you'll
be </span><span class="266061112-18082009">turned around by YPD/VSC blocking
the street.</span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009">Huron St between Catherine and Cross.
You can take Harriet/Spring up to Prospect for the Michigan Ave
detour</span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009">Cross St between Huron and
Adams</span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"></span> </div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"><strong>Saturday - between 8a - sometime
after noon</strong></span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009">Pearl between Huron and Washington.
Because it's a one-way you really won't be able to get to it during the parade
and afterwards</span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"> DAY is holding a bed race
on the block.</span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"></span><span class="266061112-18082009"></span> </div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"><strong>Sunday - all
day</strong></span></div>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"><span class="266061112-18082009"><font size="2" face="Verdana"><span class="266061112-18082009"><font size="2" face="Verdana">Cross st b/w Huron and River</font></span>
<div><span class="266061112-18082009"><font size="2" face="Verdana">Market</font></span></div></font></span></span></div></font></span><br><hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;">Cousins Vinyl will be at the Corner Brewery this Sunday, August 23rd
for another vinyl digging/open DJ beer garden event, hosted by
Dannyboy. We'll have a bunch of crates of top notch dollar records for
sale, and DJs will rotate throughout the afternoon and evening, playing
a variety of happy summer music to enjoy while this warm weather is
still here. A special beer will be brewed for the event. Bring your
friends and neighbors and spouses and children.<br><br><hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;"><br><div><strong>Bicycle To The Heritage Festival (Free Bike Parking) and Festival
Tours</strong></div>
<div><br>
<div>As in past years, free valet bicycle parking will be offered at the
Ypsilanti Heritage Festival on Saturday, August 22nd from 10am to 7pm, and
Sunday, August 23rd from 11am until 6pm. The location of the parking is on Cross
Street, just east of Huron Street. For a Google map to the parking site, <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT309"><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=10+west+cross+street+ypsilanti+MI+&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.371289,78.662109&ie=UTF8&ll=42.246882,-83.612695&spn=0.007148,0.019205&z=16&iwloc=A" target="_blank">click
here</a></span>. On the Friday of the Heritage Festival there will be free, unattended
bike parking (bring your own lock to use on the bike rack provided) at the same
location. And also, don't forget the Heritage Festival Bike Fest on Saturday in
the big tent on the southeast corner of Huron and Cross (click on <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT310"><a href="http://www.ypsilantiheritagefestival.com/schedule.htm" target="_blank">http://www.ypsilantiheritagefestival.com/schedule.htm</a></span> and
go to the "Bike Fest Schedule" link). </div>
<div> </div>
<div>If you are thinking about taking in the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival Garden
Tour (Saturday, August 22nd) or the Festival Home Tour (Sunday, August 23rd),
consider doing so by bike this year. There will be an informal group ride for
each respective tour at 1pm leaving from the Heritage Festival Bike Valet
parking area on Cross Street, just east of Huron. </div>
<div><br>For the Saturday Garden Tour, it is recommended that tickets ($10 each)
be purchased prior to the Tour at Mantis Pet Supply - 1145 Michigan Avenue,
Bombadills --217 W Michigan, Apple Annie's Vintage Clothing - 29 E Cross, or
Salt City Antiques - 115 W Michigan Avenue, Ypsi. Tickets will also available
Saturday morning in front of Towner House on Huron Street (opposite the Ypsi
Historical Museum) or you can purchase them at any of the Garden Tour stops. For
more information on the Garden Tour (including Tour site addresses), visit <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT311"><a href="http://www.ypsilantigardenclub.org/Garden-Tour-2009.html" target="_blank">http://www.ypsilantigardenclub.org/Garden-Tour-2009.html</a></span>.
<br> <br>For the Sunday Home Tour, advance tickets can be purchased ($10)
at Haabs, Salt City Antiques (Michigan Ave.), What Is That Gallery (Michigan
Ave.), Bowerbird Mongo (Michigan Ave.), Nelson Amos (23 E. Cross- Depot Town),
Norton's Flowers and Gifts (Washtenaw) and Downtown Home and Garden in Ann
Arbor. Day of Tour Tickets: $12 at Haabs and in front of the Ypsilanti
Historical Museum. For more on the home tour, including Tour locations, visit <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT312"><a href="http://www.yhf.org/" target="_blank">http://www.yhf.org/</a></span>. <br> <br>Bob
Krzewinski</div>
<div>Washtenaw Bicycling and Walking Coalition<br><hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;"><b>Sidewalks</b>: maintenance is the responsibility of the adjacent
property owner. This includes unevenness (heave of over 1/2" is no
longer ADA compliant, FYI, and can present significant barriers to
people using wheelchairs or walkers), overgrowth of grass (keep those
sidewalks edged!), and overgrowth of brush (clear all overhanging
brush- as a rule of thumb, I'd probably try to ensure that you've got
at least 7 feet of clearance- happy to look up the ordinance if you
want clarification).<br>
<br><b>Snow</b>: the adjacent property owner is responsible for keeping
the sidewalks clear of ice and snow. Snow and ice must be removed
within 48 hours of first accumulation. There's not a depth called out
in the code that I can see (at a glance), but I know that the standard
commercial contract (well, those that I've seen for Stadium Meadows) is
for accumulations exceeding 1/2", and for <i>any </i>ice accumulation.
In my chats with people who use motorized wheelchairs, they say that 1"
is pretty impassable- it just packs into the tires and they aren't able
to get grip. Some neighborhood entrepreneurs could have quite the
business with snow removal! Also, the City DPS recommends that when
digging out your driveway that you pile the snow to your <i>right</i> (as
you face the street), because that way there's less of a chance of all
that snow being plowed right back into your drive by a passing plow.<br>
<br><b>Curbcuts</b> (where the sidewalk intersects the street): the
adjacent property owner is responsible for maintenance of curb cuts.
This includes keeping it clear of brush, ice, and other debris, as well
as making sure it's in good condition overall. When the City resurfaces
a street, generally speaking, it upgrades the curbcuts to meet current
ADA standards. That is the only time the City works on them, if
they're not adjacent to City property (such as the parks, City Hall,
and so on).<br>
<br><b>Crosswalks, streetlights, and pedestrian signals</b>: Depending
on the street involved, they could be the jurisdiction of the City, the
County Road Commission, or the State. If you have a specific concern,
contact the City and they can hook you up with the appropriate
authority.<br>
<br><b>Streetlights</b>: If there's a problem with a streetlight, you
can report it to Ypsi DPS. Many (most) streetlights have a "license
plate" on the pole- a yellow tag with black numbers/letters running
vertically. If you can read that, it helps DPS and DTE track down the
pole, thus getting that lightbulb changed much more quickly.<br>
<br><b>To report these and/or other sorts of concerns to the City</b>, you can use the handy-dandy Ypsilanti Citizen Action Center at <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT336"><a href="http://mygovhelp.org/ypsilantimi/_cs/RequestSelect.aspx?sSessionID=" target="_blank">http://mygovhelp.org/ypsilantimi/_cs/RequestSelect.aspx?sSessionID=</a></span> , or just call DPS at 734-483-1421. <br>
<b>If you'd like to offer feedback on these policies/methods</b>, please call your local councilperson (<span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT337"><a href="http://cityofypsilanti.com/bd_city-council" target="_blank">http://cityofypsilanti.com/bd_city-council</a></span>).<br><br><b>Disclaimer</b>:
all of this info is accurate to the best of my knowledge. It is
provided to you, the reader, in my capacity as a private citizen.<br clear="all">
---<br>Bonnie Wessler<br><hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;"><br></div></div></div></body></html>