CHELSEA, MICHIGAN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1987 24 Pages This Week Suppl«M«Nl
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it QUOTE "There is a time to let' 25* things happen and a time to s; make things happen." pvr vopy —Hugh Prather Plus ONE HUNDRED-SEVENTEENTH YEAR—No. 16 CHELSEA, MICHIGAN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1987 24 Pages This Week Suppl«m«nl iW^Pll^ Board of Commissioners f Expected To Approve i Money for Courthouse Washtenaw County Board of Com Tom Freeman, the county's direc "It's a way of giving the township a missioners is expected to give the go- tor of facilities management, said his little something in return," Freeman ahead for the Chelsea district court office would meet with the low bidder, said. 1 house renovation and restoration pro Phoenix Construction Co., late this The initial portion of the renovation ject at its regular meeting tonight. week to firm up a construction work will include removing materials Last Wednesday, Sept. 9 the board's schedule. Freeman anticipated that such as panelized ceilings, and ex Wayj| and Means tommittee ten construction could begin in 30 days, cavation work in the basement. tatively approved the expenditure of probably toward the end of October. When completed, the courthouse an ajdditionar $150,000 to meet the Freeman estimated a construction will have facilities for jury trials higher-t.han anticipated low bid of schedule of 8-10 months. (which now take place in Saline), im $61.5,((00. "If this were a new building on a proved office facilities for support Th^ county had originally budgeted new site, I could tell you pretty ac personnel, handicap access, meeting $330,000 for the project, with the other curately when it would be rooms, and a Washtenaw County publip and private concerns con completed^" Freeman said. Sheriff's substation, complete with Mms* io-^i'i/;!;:^^^ tributing $135)000. "But because this is the restoration holdip.ff cell. The building's heating/ According to commissioner Ellis 1 and renovation of an historic building, and cooling systems, and electrical Pratt , the approval by the board on there is a wide spectrum of work, will be replaced. Wednesday, Sept. 16 should be a for possibilities. They could open up a mality. wall and find problems with a sup In addition, the building at Main "WQ got delayed a little bit with our port beam, for example." and South Sts. will be' completely SYLVAN HOTEL has been purchased by John and fice space on the main and basement floors. The building building program in Ann Arbor and The first portion of the project, restored. Old woodwork, marble and Anne Daniels of Chelsea. They plan to put three one- was destroyed by fire two years ago and has been in this YpsiUJmti and that temporarily derail freeman said, would be moving court reliefs, as well as tfre building's dome, bedroom apartments upstairs, and a mix of retail and of- condition ever since. ed the Chelsea court project," Pratt personnel about a block into their which have been covered over for said. temporary home, Sylvan Town Hall years, will again be exposed. "Nqw the project should start this on W. Middle St. The restoration work is being year.'' v Some work, such as the installing of According to Pratt, money that was covered by money raised by the Sylvan Hotel Purchased temporary partitions, will have to be Chelsea Historic District Courthouse originally to be used for the purchase completed at the town hall. The coun group. Area governments, including of the Salvation Army building in Ann ty plans to build a bench for Judge Arbor will now be used for the court the Village of Chelsea and surround Karl Fink to use. The bench will be ing townships, have contributed, as house project because the two sides left behind for the town hall to use as a couldn't agree on a price. well as area attorneys, businesses, For Apartment, Retail Site meeting table. foundations and individuals. The burned-out Sylvan Hotel will be and the basement, will be a combina John said the main and lower floor turned into an apartment-office-retail tion of office and retail space. The would definitely be made accessible complex by its new owners, John and main floor has two, 20' by 80' areas. to the handicapped. Anne Daniels of Chelsea. John is an Outside, the Daniels also plan ex Public Hearing Set employee of Chelsea Lumber Co. and tensive remodeling. The north side of The Daniels are working with their son of its owner, Bob Daniels. the building, which now has a gravel architect, Arthur Lindauer, on the The Daniels bought the building for drive-in area will become an entrance final plans. Once all necessary per an undisclosed price from George mits are obtained, John said, the 0 to the building with new landscaping, Mgj.jrai <jf Chelsea. The buildin h^s John said. renovation will begin. On Increment Financing been sitting boarded up since a fire The front of the building will also "We're real excited about it," John ^-7 swept through the old dwelling for get a facelift. Picture windows will be said. people down on their luck two years added and the old overhang torn "We got real serious about buying it ago last month. down. about three weeks ago and George "We'll have to gut the inside of it "We want to make it a real attract (Merkel) was very nice about it. We For Downtown Projects and then ^we'U goTfrprti there,,'' John tive building for Chelsea," John said,. had no problems.';': ,••• .;. ••" said Monday afterno6n., Chelsea Village Council has taken By contrast, the DDA's two mill. the financing district is established "The outside shell is fine." the fir&t step toward setting up the levy will raise $8,500 the first year and and the DDA plan approved, village The Daniels plan, to put three 20' by major fundraising mechanism for im $36,900 in 2002. council would still have to approve 40' one-bedroom apartments upstairs, Daycare Program provements planned by the Downtown The public hearing will address not every expenditure thfi DDAmakes. In along with a 20' by 40' office space. Development Authority. only the establishment of the financ addition, he said council is not They will require a special land-use Council voted unanimously last ing district but how the DDA plans to obligated to spend money on any part permit from the Visage of Chelsea, as Tuesday, Sept. 2 to hold a public hear spend the money. of the plan. However, the plan in was required for the apartments in In Danger of Folding ing on Tuesday, Oct. 20 on the ques "What we've tried to put together cludes virtually every project the the upstairs of the. old F&M Chelsea School District's Before Director Jackie Rogers, only five tion of establishing a tax increment here is a plan which we feel meets the DDA might want to consider so that a financing authority on property in the needs of the downtown in terms of im- public hearing is not necessary every Restaurant building on the opposite and After Day Care program is in children have been signed up for the n end of the block. HniimfQWT) deve!onment district. The rovements that will significantly time the DDA wants to act. trouble even before it has begun. progrsTj, which has a capacity of 20. Mogdis also said that the Chelsea The lower two floors, the main floor According to Community Education The program will be closed down district includes all of the downtown enhance the economic viability of the business district and about 10 private area," said Franz Mogdis, the Ann School District, which stands to lose unless an additional five to seven Arbor financial consultant who was the most tax money to the plan, has students can be enrolled. homes. If the financing authority becomes the architect of the financing plan. shown support for the DDA's ac "We've been told all along that what tivities. Chelsea Rotary Club Chelsea needs is more day care law, the DDA would receive the addi "This would include parking, possibilities but the community tional tax money that comes from ris pedestrian amenities, lighting, and in rruuauiy a 101 ox yuu IYIIUW uiai m ing property values within the tersection improvements. We've in a lot of communities that is not true," doesn't seem to be supporting this Mogdis said of the support. program," Rogers said. district. cluded a provision for dollars for city Receives Charter According to a DDA-commissioned hall as long as it's located in the DDA "The school board's response has "It could be good news, though. It study, money raised from increment area. These funds could be used for been thus far that they understand the could be that parents have arranged assistance in financing that." need and they feel that this is the way Chelsea has a new service club. The for home day care and if that's the financing would amount to $13,200 in Chelsea Rotary club, which began case, that's' terrific because we'd 1988 and rise to $288,000 in 2003. Mogdis told the council that once (Continued on page six) organizing last spring, become a rather have kids in homes than in chartered club on Aug. 25. To become stitutions. I hope this is good news." iSiiifBiii chartered, a club must recruit a minimum of 20 members. Rogers said she still believes that the situation in Chelsea is most likely The first president of the Chelsea similar to the national trend in which Rotary will be Bob Thornton.