April 17-23, 2013 2 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • April 17, 2013 City Pulse • April 17, 2013 www.lansingcitypulse.com 3 WHARTON CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS 2013 -2014 SEASON NETworks presents A Grownup’s Prequel to Peter Pan Musical ©Disney MERICAN THE A NETworks presents TM “ABSURDLY FUNNY!” ©LITTLESTAR — E ©Disney ntErtainmEnt WEEkly piloBolus johnnY mathis Yo-Yo ma & kathrYn stott Balé Folclórico da Bahia Yuri temirkanov diana krall tao:phoenix rising & the st. petersBurg philharmonic orchestra SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND SAVE UP TO WHARTONCENTER.COM • 1-800-WHARTON TICKET PACKAGES NOW AVAILABLE! 4 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • April 17, 2013 VOL. 12 Feedback ISSUE 36 Ideas for city finances down now. Our colleges are also failing. Here we go again. The same people who Then, there is my energy plan which (517) 371-5600 • Fax: (517) 999-6061 • 1905 E. Michigan Ave. • Lansing, MI 48912 • www.lansingcitypulse.com got us into our troubles before are now get- would have us driving hydrogen powered ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: (517) 999-5061 ting paid big bucks to dig the hole deeper. cars using a Proton Exchange Membrane PAGE CLASSIFIED AD INQUIRIES: (517) 999-5066 Selling City Hall for ten cents on the dollar with Carbon Absorption getting 5,000 miles or email [email protected] and then leasing it back for ten dollars on on a fueling with zero emissions. It would 6 the dollar is ludicrous. The State did this create a million jobs here. I am also writ- EDITOR AND PUBLISHER • Berl Schwartz [email protected] • (517) 999-5061 with their new construction, paying over ing a series of 20 Economics Papers for MANAGING/NEWS EDITOR • Andy Balaskovitz a billion dollars for $200 million worth of Members of Congress. What's next for Whitmer? Checking in with [email protected] • (517) 999-5064 buildings. Lansing is selling off assets dirt And finally, let’s not forget General City Pulse readers' favorite politician ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR • Allan I. Ross cheap to developers and squandering mil- Motors. They were getting into trouble in [email protected] • (517) 999-5068 lions on useless pet projects before even tell- the late 1970’s. Now, there are signs that the PAGE PRODUCTION MANAGER • Rachel Harper ing us about them. same thing is happening again. I figure GM [email protected] • (517) 999-5066 We also have Olds Park where the City could reduce its operating costs by about 11 CALENDAR EDITOR • Dana Casadei finances huge deficits with creative account- $100 million here in Lansing but there is no [email protected] • (517) 999-5069 ing. Our golf courses were making money interest. STAFF WRITERS and could have made a lot more. We also As Lansing squanders our birthright Wharton Center’s classical and jazz lineup bring Lawrence Cosentino [email protected] • (517) 999-5063 have to pay for that new albatross, a power buying shovels that will dig our holes deeper, big names, big orchestras, top singers Sam Inglot plant obsolete before it even draws a kilo- I have given up trying to do anything as any [email protected] • (517) 999-5065 watt and they shoved it down our throats words will fall on deaf ears. PAGE without a vote. People & businesses are leav- MARKETING/PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR/ SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT • Rich Tupica ing Lansing in droves, all looking for better — Eugene T. Buckley 26 [email protected] • (517) 999-6710 schools and city. The City continues to blow Lansing off anyone who has real ideas to improve the ADVERTISING MANAGER Shelly Olson city, ideas that make improvements without New food feature, The Dish, takes a look at the Have something to say about a local issue [email protected] • (517) 999-6705 lining the pockets of the good old boys who best macaroni and cheese in town or an item that appeared in our pages? ADVERTISING get rich at our expense but don’t live here. Denis Prisk Remember the school bondoggle. A bil- 1.) Write a letter to the editor. COVER [email protected] • (517) 999-6704 lion dollars for ONE new school. I submit- • E-mail: [email protected] • Snail mail: City Pulse, 1905 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48912 Contributors: Justin Bilicki, Bill Castanier, Mary C. Cusack, Tom Helma, Terry Link, Kyle Melinn, Dennis Preston, Paul Wozniak, Amanda • Fax: (517) 371-5800 ART ted a plan that would have replaced 30 of 40 Harrell-Seyburn, Ute Von Der Heyden, Judy Winter, Shawn Parker schools for $700 million over 20 years and 2.) Write a guest column: Delivery drivers: Richard Bridenbaker, Dave Fisher, Karen was blown off. Students are leaving in droves Contact Berl Schwartz for more information: Navarra, Noelle Navarra, Brent Robison, Steve Stevens [email protected] Interns: Marisol Dorantes, Hannah Scott, Dylan Sowle, because there is no education here. I wrote or (517) 999-5061 FLAT FIELDS by RACHEL HARPER — PHOTOS by DYLAN SOWLE Darby Vermeulen a proposal to reform our schools, education- (Please include your name, address and telephone number so we can Editor & Publisher ally and infrastructure and it was ignored by reach you. Keep letters to 250 words or fewer. City Pulse reserves the Berl right to edit letters and columns.) CITY PULSE ON THE AIR the very people who are taking our schools Schwartz Andy Schor, state representative, 68th district 7 p.m. Wednesdays Sam Singh, state representative, 69th district This week on lansingcitypulse.com … James Trosko, MSU professor of pediatrics and human development Patricia Spitzley, deputy redevelopment manager of RACER Trust KIDS IN THE HALL, APRIL 16: It’s round three of the City Council’s budget hearings. Lansing Mayor THIS WEEK Virg Bernero wants the Lansing Police Department to reopen its contract; the union head says it ain’t happening. This week, along with the LPD, the City Council discussed the Information Technology and Finance departments budgets. ‘SHUT UP ALREADY,’ APRIL 12: The only person who might not be sick of hearing former GOP State Rep. Dave Agema talk is probably Dave Agema. The Dems have found a way to capitalize on Agema’s recent anti- gay tirade — t-shirts. LANSING’S DECLINING PROPERTY VALUES, APRIL 12: Over the past five years, Lansing’s declining property values have been on par with Detroit, which is not something to cheer about. The Ingham County treasurer says home values should start to rise in the coming years, but it won’t be a speedy process for Lansing. Check out these stories and more only at lansingcitypulse.com PUBLIC NOTICES CITY OF LANSING NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Z-1-2013, 5950 S. M.L. King Blvd. Rezoning from “E-2” Local Shopping District to “F” Commercial District The Lansing Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at 6:30 p.m., Neighborhood Empowerment Center Conference Room, 600 W. Maple St. (Corner of W. Maple and N. Pine Streets) to consider Z-1-2013. This is a request by Cars are Us, LLC to rezone the property at 5950 S. ML King Blvd, legally described as: LOTS 10 & 11 WEBSTER FARM SUBDIVISION NO 1, CITY OF LANSING, MI from “E-2” Local Shopping District to “F” Commercial District. The purpose of the rezoning is to permit an automobile sales business on the subject property. If you are interested in this matter, please attend the public hearing. Written comments will be accepted between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on city business days if received before 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at the Lansing Planning Office, Dept. of Planning and Neighborhood Development, Suite D-1, 316 N. Capitol Ave., Lansing, MI 48933-1236. For more information, call Susan Stachowiak at 483-4085. City Pulse • April 17, 2013 www.lansingcitypulse.com 5 PULSE NEWS & OPINION middle of the residential neighborhood siding; and painting the building to look in July. Neighbors have been pushing the more like Niowave’s headquarters in the The fix isn’t in company to “fix the façade” — with yard adjacent Walnut Street school. The com- The tepid response of Walnut signs and through media attention — for pany would pay $100,000 for the façade C Neighborhood residents to a pro- over 10 months. improvements. posed redo of Niowave Inc.’s pole Earlier this month, residents were The proposal also includes $100,000 OF THE WEEK barn has once again placed the presented with a design from the Lansing worth of landscaping and parking lot company’s request for a $550,000 Economic Area Partnership to address improvements, which would be paid for tax break on hold. Niowave says the façade issue. LEAP hired local archi- with money from the city’s Brownfield there’s not enough money to bud- tecture firm C2AE to draw up the designs Revolving Loan Fund. get for more changes. after negotiations between Niowave and The tax break is the linchpin of the the neighbors became stuck. controversy. The Council has continually Walnut Neighborhood residents see Schrader and Kiener have concerns tabled it in committee until the company “major flaws” in a plan to fix the façade of about the proposed changes to the roof. and neighbors reach an agreement. their corporate neighbor’s research facility The plan that was presented to the neigh- Most Council members have remained because it does not go far enough in blend- borhood featured a green painted mum on how they plan to vote when ing the building with its surroundings. roof, but Trezise, president and it comes time. Councilwoman The rejection sets up another chapter in CEO of LEAP, said Niowave Jody Washington said she has the dispute between the neighborhood and has not agreed to that yet.