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Advisory council appointments announced SEMCOG advisory council chair and vice chair appointments for 2006-2007 were recently made by SEMCOG Chair, John Jones, Ira Township Supervisor:
Advisory councils, committees, and task forces play important roles at SEMCOG. They direct regional plans and policies, recommend positions on state and federal legislative and regulatory proposals, and guide SEMCOG Executive Committee and General Assembly action. Contact: Kathleen Lomako, SEMCOG Deputy Executive Director.
Workgroups forming to continue discussion on workforce development; presentations from SEMCOG U available online SEMCOG members who are interested in discussing how the region should address workforce development needs through dialog between government, education, and business are invited to participate in a workgroup that came out of a recent SEMCOG University on the same topic. The discussions will begin in early fall; contact Naheed Huq, SEMCOG Community and Economic Development Manager. If you were unable to attend the July 20 SEMCOG University on workforce development, the PowerPoints and presentations (including those by Lou Glazer from Michigan Future Inc. and Doug Rothwell from Detroit Renaissance), are on SEMCOG's Web site. From www.semcog.org, click Regional Planning from the blue navigation bar, then Community and Economic Development; Workforce Development from the left navigation bar; the link is in the right margin. Contact: SEMCOG Information Services.
View highlights of Executive Committee on SEMCOG's Web site Highlights of SEMCOG's July 28 Executive Committee can now be viewed on www.semcog.org. From the home page, link to News & Notices in the upper bar, then look for the link in the right column. Highlights include a presentation on the vision for Wayne County's Aerotropolis by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano with a link to the PowerPoint presentation; remarks on the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation's (SMART) Operating and Five-Year Capital Budget Summary by Executive Director Dan Dirks; and remarks by SEMCOG Executive Director Paul Tait. Contact: Sue Stetler, SEMCOG Communications Director.
Municipal training for clean water very successful SEMCOG conducted successful training sessions for local governments in July. The topic was Keeping it Clean: Municipal Operations for Clean Water. Three training sessions were held attracting 235 attendees, 171 of which were from 57 SEMCOG member communities. SEMCOG members unable to attend the workshops can access the information online. From www.semcog.org, find the link to Keeping it Clean under Planning Issues on the home page; then, click on the photo below the title. Training on maintaining municipally owned property is another requirement of the federal Phase II Stormwater Regulations. Over 160 communities in Southeast Michigan, including most SEMCOG members, that operate a separate stormwater drainage system, are required to obtain a stormwater permit. Additional workshops on another topic will be scheduled in the fall. Watch Regional Update for details. Contact: SEMCOG Information Services.
Auto theft prevention authority grants available The Automobile Theft Prevention Authority (ATPA) awards grants to programs that focus on various aspects of Michigan's auto theft problem. Due to the limited amount of funds available, a 25 percent hard match is required for all applicants except for nonprofit, neighborhood, or community organizations. The grants must be used to enhance auto theft prevention efforts, not to supplant current programs. Deadline is August 25, 2006. Applications are available at www.michigan.gov/atpa. Under ATPA Forms at the bottom of the page, click on Grant Application EX-31. Contact: Automobile Theft Prevention Authority, 517-336-6197.
Downtown Detroit crime rates continue decline Visitors to Downtown Detroit this summer are even safer than they were just one year ago, according to a study conducted by Wayne State University and released by the Tourism Economic Development Council. In 2005, there were 320 fewer major criminal acts committed in Detroit's Downtown Visitor Area than in 2004, a 14 percent decrease, from 2001-2005, crime decreased by 33 percent. The report, titled, "Reality v. Perceptions: An Updated Analysis of Crime and Safety in Downtown Detroit," shows that Downtown Detroit is as safe if not safer than many other areas across the U.S. The report is available at www.tedconline.com. Contact: Shivshakti Patki, Tourism Economic Development Council, (313) 202-1946, or spatki@visitdetroit.com.
In memory of Maryann Mahaffey, 1925-2006 SEMCOG, the City of Detroit, and all of Southeast Michigan lost a great friend with the passing of Maryann Mahaffey. A trained social worker, Maryann fought for those who couldn't fight for themselves for more than 30 years as a member of Detroit City Council. From 2003-2004, Maryann served as Chair of SEMCOG. She wanted to be involved with SEMCOG because of the regional perspective that we provide and the opportunity to bring this region together — the City of Detroit, our suburbs, and rural areas. She was very interested in improving transit, and was the impetus behind SEMCOG's transit impediments report, wanting to understand why transit is lacking in Southeast Michigan. More than 900 people attended the luncheon in her honor last March. In her remarks, Maryann spoke fondly of SEMCOG and of the important work we do. Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband of 56 years, Hy Dooha, her daughter, Susan, and granddaughter, Lilly.
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