Thursday, May 17, 2012
Farmington Hills council member Ken Massey urges school officials to move more quickly in adding the life-saving procedure as a graduation requirement.
Farmington Public Schools officials say they're planning to add cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to the 9th grade health curriculum in 2014. Farmington Hills city council member Ken Massey says that's not nearly soon enough. At a joint meeting of the the Hills and Farmington city councils and Farmington school board Tuesday, he asked school officials what could be done to move the program forward. Massey has pushed over the past five years to make the life-saving technique a graduation requirement for Farmington Schools students. He has cited statistics from King County in Washington, where a concerted effort to train all citizens in CPR increased the out-of-hospital survival rate to 20 percent. If the cardiac event was …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Richard Lerner says F2H Fit has buy-in from key community players.
Imagine a community where friends meet while taking fitness walks through town and where residents engage in friendly weight loss and fitness goal competitions. That's the vision Farmington Hills council member Richard Lerner sees when he talks about F2H Fit, a web-based initiative that he said already has buy-in from Botsford Hospital, the Farmington/Farmington Hills Foundation for Youth and Families, Farmington Downtown Development Authority and Greater Farmington Area Chamber of Commerce, among other organizations. Lerner introduced the idea during Tuesday's joint meeting of the Farmington and Farmington Hills city councils and Farmington school board. The groups meet annually to exchange information and ideas for cooperative efforts…
42.48462
-83.3615
City of Farmington Hills Municipal Offices
31555 W 11 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills, MI
/articles/farmington-hills-council-member-pitches-fitness-idea
1527486
/locations/7029140
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Recreational uses planned for the Farmington Road club are incompatible with surrounding neighborhoods, commissioners say.
After several months of conversation and negotiation, Farmington Planning commissioners on Monday denied a proposed recreational expansion at Farmington Tennis Club. The commission on April 9 tabled the request to add a basketball court, small soccer field and a 30-foot-high ropes course on the north side of the building, which is located on Farmington Road. The action followed a public hearing during which neighboring condo owners voiced strong objections to the project. Architect Dana Richardson of Jeffrey Scott Architects said the club's revised plans, presented during a Monday meeting at city hall, represented "significant" changes, compared with what was originally proposed. The new plan moved the ropes course and other active areas…
42.45834
-83.37612
Farmington Tennis Club
22777 Farmington Rd, Farmington, MI
/articles/farmington-planning-officials-deny-tennis-club-outdoor-expansion-request
706110
/locations/7029342
Boundaries for state-wide and county districts have changed, with the exception of one local race.
UPDATE - As the Tuesday deadline passed, the following additional candidates filed for local offices: 14th Congressional: Democrats Bob Costello and Mary Waters, both of Detroit 11th Congressional: Republican U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter 37th State House: Republicans Bruce Lilley of Farmington and Michael A. Peters of Farmington Hills 21st Oakland County Commission: Republican Mary Kathryn DeCuir of Southfield If you're planning to run for office under a party affiliation this fall, you have until 4 p.m. today to turn in your paperwork. That's the deadline for partisans who may end up running in an August primary. Independents have until July 19 to declare their intention to run for office. After redistricting due to the 2010 U.S. Census…
The new rules for raising chickens within city limits will next be considered by city council members.
An ordinance that allows Farmington residents to own chickens crossed the road Monday, and is now headed from the planning commission to the city council. Farmington officials took a look at the city's animal control rules after an Ohio man released dozens of exotic animals before committing suicide last October. The incident, in which 48 animals were killed, has led state and local officials around the country to review local ordinances. In March, city council members approved an ordinance that dealt with exotic animals and livestock, but did not resolve issues raised by residents who wanted to keep chickens. During its regular meeting at city hall Monday, planning commission members held a public hearing on a proposed ordinance that …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Republicans say their education funding bill is part of a two-year budget that helps address billions in future retirement costs.
Michigan House Republicans are defending an omnibus education funding bill, now in conference committee, that Democrats say leaves students behind. While Dems speaking at a Monday press conference criticized the speed with which the legislation moved through the House, Rep. Ken Goike (R-Ray Township) said it was part of a two-year budget process. While he acknowledged the bill moved "pretty quick", he said, "Most of the heavy lifting was done last year ... There was transparency all over the place." He said Democrats are being "disingenuous" when they refer to a $470 per pupil funding cut implemented last year. He said $170 of that was the loss of one-time stimulus money from the federal government, and funds were set aside for …
Volunteers who spread the news about downtown Farmington are making news with a county-wide May 4 award.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, May 9
The people responsible for spreading the news about downtown Farmington are now making the news. The Downtown Farmington Press Corps took top honors in the Outstanding Public Relations Effort award category during the May 4 Main Street Main Event, hosted by Main Street Oakland County. “What an achievement for this tremendous team of volunteers,” Annette Knowles, Farmington Downtown Development Authority (DDA) executive director said. “In just one year, the Press Corps progressed from being an idea to becoming recognized as a best practice.” Formed in late 2010 through the DDA’s Organization committee, the Press Corps is comprised of talented writers who compose articles about newsworthy downtown happenings. Current members are Pat Shelton…
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The new and faster desktop computers will save hours of time, technology director Michael Johnston said.
Farmington Public Schools officials on Tuesday approved a $1,194,000 bid for replacement of 1,200 desktop computers that will end up saving the district more than money. FPS Director of Information Technology Michael Johnston told board members the bid process began in January, and took longer than usual because none of the first bids met the district's specifications. "I'm pretty particular, I want to make sure every single item is met," he said. That included having a model of the computer to test and "see how it's going to work in our environment." The bid will replace nearly 20 percent of the district's desktop computers, Johnston said. In order to reduce expenditures, the district extended its replacement program from five to seven…
42.465783
-83.369608
Farmington Public Schools Lewis Schulman Administrative Center
32500 Shiawassee Rd, Farmington, MI
/articles/farmington-school-officials-approve-1m-computer-replacement-bid
706531
/locations/6971360
Director Annette Knowles told Farmington officials Monday the DDA is taking a hard look at events and cutting administrative costs to off-set revenue losses.
Reductions in the Farmington Downtown Development Authority's (DDA) major source of funding have officials drawing some hard budget lines. Among other measures, the 2012-2013 budget slashes funding for Art on the Grand, a two-day juried art festival held in partnership with the City of Farmington Hills Cultural Arts Division each June. Since becoming an independent event several years ago, the festival has lost thousands of dollars. DDA director Annette Knowles told city council members Monday that Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenues, captured from increases in property value, have steadily declined since 2009. "If I leave you with a message tonight, it is that we need to proactively address the loss of tax revenues," Knowles said. …
Monday, May 7, 2012
The agreement includes assurances that Farmington residents will continue to receive the range of services they expect, city attorney Thomas Schultz said.
Though their vote to authorize a public safety dispatch services agreement was split, Farmington officials came together Monday night to approve a final contract with the City of Farmington Hills. In a contentious 3-2 decision April 16, council members agreed to enter into the agreement. City attorney Thomas Schultz said he worked with Farmington Hills city attorney Steve Joppich, Farmington Public Safety (FPS) Director Bob Schulz and Farmington Hills Police Chief Chuck Nebus to craft the agreement. Schultz said he used similar agreements as models. "This is the best of all those worlds," he said. Contract language addressed some specific concerns residents raised in the months leading up to the April vote, including reductions in …
Theresa M. Seraceno
6:36 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
This is a great idea. Support from an excercise buddy, even a walking a dog, is proven to get you motivated which is sometimes all we need! No one likes to excercise but compliments do work when then pounds come off to keep you going ! Great exposure for the city too ! Terry Seraceno, Founder, Dr Paws Inc. Farmington Hills, MI more ›