Ann Arbor City Council meets and will continue discussion on the controversial Broadway development proposal and there are opportunities to volunteer during Thanksgiving week. Those are some of the topics covered by WEMU's David Fair and Mary Morgan of the CivCity Initiative in this week's edition of "Civic Matters."
Mary Morgan brings a wealth of experience to the airwaves. While heading up the CivCity Initiative now, Mary was previously co-founder and publisher of the Ann Arbor Chronicle. Prior to that, she served as a reporter and editor for the Ann Arbor News when it was a daily, print-edition newspaper.
Resources for this week's topics:
• The city of Ann Arbor is accepting applications for its new Ann Arbor Citizens Academy, which will hold its inaugural class in the spring of 2018. During six sessions from March through May, residents can learn about how the city works – its parks, planning, public works, police & fire services and more. The deadline to apply is March 2, 2018 – click here to complete the application form.
• If you're mostly just interested in learning more about the city's law enforcement and fire services, then sign up for the Citizens’ Police, Fire and Courts Academy. It runs for 10 weeks from March-May, with applications due Feb. 18, 2018. Click here for more info.
• Colder weather has arrived, and Washtenaw County offers help for low-income residents to weatherize their home and cut heating bills. Depending on how much you earn, you might be eligible for free home improvements like attic or wall insulation and/or a high-efficiency furnace upgrade. Click here for details about the county's weatherization program.
• Ann Arbor is updating its sign ordinance, and is looking for feedback. As part of that, the city is asking for comments on existing signs via a site called "PictureThis." You can upload photos of signs that you think work well or that you don't like, and include detailed commentary. In addition, consultants working on this project will be taking public commentary at the Dec. 13 meeting of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority's Partnerships & Economic Development Committee.
• This week there aren't very many public meetings, but the Ann Arbor City Council will be in session on Monday at 7 p.m. The main items on its agenda relate to the controversial development on Broadway, which was postponed from Nov. 9. At that meeting, public hearings on the topic lasted over three hours.
If you are looking for volunteer opportunities this Thanksgiving week, click here.
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— David Fair is the WEMU News Director and host of Morning Edition on WEMU. You can contact David at734.487.3363, on twitter @DavidFairWEMU, or email him at dfair@emich.edu
