Ferndale – January 13, 2020

Ferndale – January 13, 2020

by | Jan 13, 2020 | Ferndale News

Feedback to the Oakland County Executive

Oakland County residents have until Friday to let County Executive David Coulter know just what the priorities for his administration should be for 2020.

The 10-question online Citizen Survey asks residents to rank what is important to them in terms of jobs and the economy, public health, neighborhoods and housing, roads and transportation, among other items. Coulter has made it a priority to meet with residents and businesses to hear from those who want a voice in county government.

To take the survey, go to www.OakGov.com and click on the “Citizen Survey 2020” button. The survey is open until Friday. Coulter’s administration will use the survey results to help the county be responsive to those who live in Oakland County and ensure the policies and strategies of county government are inclusive of all residents.

New Polling Locations

To provide more space and an overall ease of the voting process, the city adjusted polling locations. As of now, both Precinct 6 and Precinct 7 will operate from the same location. For residents who are voters of Precinct 7, your site has been moved from the Detroit Curling Club to the Ferndale Free Methodist Church, which is also the Precinct 6 site. While the two precincts share the same polling location, each precinct will remain separate in terms of polling.

This change takes effect with the upcoming Presidential Primary Election on March 10. To those who are voters of Precinct 7, new voter ID cards will be mailed to you before the end of January.

If you are unsure whether this affects you, visit the Michigan Voter Information Center to confirm your precinct and polling location. You can also refer to the list of polling locations here. If there are any questions or more information needed, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at 248-546-2525 (option 5 on the auto attendant).

 

 

Water Meter Replacement Clarification

The new smart-water system allows for the replacement of the existing water meters.

However, the new meter being installed is not a “smart meter,” but rather, a “dumb meter.” This will operate the same as the ones currently installed on your property. It is merely a new and updated version to provide more consistency and reliability.

In the coming weeks or months, residents will receive a letter in the mail that will instruct you to schedule an appointment for your property.

For more information, please visit the link.

Parks and Rec RFP

The city is currently seeking proposals from qualified vendors to provide a software solution for Parks and Recreation that will:

  1. Include robust customer service support; flexible programming options to cover the breadth of activities offered; a professional, secure, user-friendly front-and back-end interface
  2. Provide easy-to-use tools and features to increase efficiencies among staff, volunteers and users; generate data, develop various comprehensive reports and minimize payment processing costs for users

More information can be found in the Request for Proposal for Parks and Recreation Management Software packet.

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Rebecca Calappi

Rebecca Calappi

City News Editor

To share your news, announcements, and events, please email citynewseditor@localbiznews.net
Birmingham – January 13, 2020

Birmingham – January 13, 2020

by | Jan 13, 2020 | Birmingham News

Baldwin Public Library: Winter Reading Challenge

Baldwin Public Library has a Winter Reading Challenge for kids, teens and adults. There are bookmarks with different reading challenges for the kids (read a book with a two-word title, read a book with a fish, etc.) while the teens have a bingo card with different challenges (read a book that won the Printz Award, read a graphic novel, etc.). The adult challenge has a bookmark with tasks to complete. Prizes for kids are a button/pin that matches the bookmark. The teens and adults have different prize baskets they can win. Please see the website for more information. The program runs until Feb. 29.

Birmingham Youth Assistance 39th Annual Kid’s Dog Show

Attention all kids aged 4 through 14– It is time for the Birmingham Youth Assistance Kids’ Dog Show. Register by Friday, Jan. 31, and then join the show at Berkshire Middle School on Sunday, Feb. 2, at 1 p.m. Go to www.birminghamyouthassistance.org or call 248-203-4300 for full details and to register.

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Rebecca Calappi

Rebecca Calappi

City News Editor

Auburn Hills – January 13, 2020

Auburn Hills – January 13, 2020

by | Jan 13, 2020 | Auburn Hills News

MLK Ceremony

On Monday, Jan. 20, at 8:30 a.m., residents and business owners are invited to gather at the Community Center in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Enjoy a continental breakfast, courtesy of Harbor Chase of Auburn Hills, and hear special remarks from guest speakers and city officials. The theme this year is Operation Cover Me. Afterward, participants will gather in the gymnasium to make flannel tie blankets for those in need at the Grace Centers of Hope homeless shelter. Blanket donations will also be accepted.

 

Into No Man’s Land: A Historical Memoir

Author Irene Miller, Holocaust survivor and educator, will take you under the open skies of No Man’s Land on a survival journey of determination, courage, perseverance and the power of the human spirit. The talk is slated for Saturday, Jan. 25, at 1 p.m. at the library. The book, Into No Man’s Land: A Historical Memoir, will be available for purchase at the program. Registration recommended.

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State of the Community

The Auburn Hills State of the Community is a great way to start the New Year, meeting with more than 250 community leaders and business professionals. The keynote speaker, the Auburn Hills mayor, who will provide a look at accomplishments from 2019 and a look ahead at upcoming initiatives rolling out in 2020.The event is Thursday, Jan. 30, at 8 a.m. The Oakland Center at Oakland University will host.

Register here.

Did You Know?

Did you know the city has a blog? Check it out to learn more about what’s going on in the community. The most recent post is about the census, the questions you’ll be asked and more.

 

Feedback to the Oakland County Executive

Oakland County residents have until Friday to let County Executive David Coulter know just what the priorities for his administration should be for 2020.

The 10-question online Citizen Survey asks residents to rank what is important to them in terms of jobs and the economy, public health, neighborhoods and housing, roads and transportation, among other items. Coulter has made it a priority to meet with residents and businesses to hear from those who want a voice in county government.

To take the survey, go to www.OakGov.com and click on the “Citizen Survey 2020” button. The survey is open until Friday. Coulter’s administration will use the survey results to help the county be responsive to those who live in Oakland County and ensure the policies and strategies of county government are inclusive of all residents.

Rebecca Calappi

Rebecca Calappi

City News Editor

To share your news, announcements, and events, please email citynewseditor@localbiznews.net
Home Improvement Center Still Going Strong at 110

Home Improvement Center Still Going Strong at 110

by | Jan 8, 2020 | Dillman and Upton, LBN Community Series, Rochester

Home Improvement Center Still Going Strong at 110

08
JANUARY 2020
BY CAROL HOPKINS
LBN Community Series

Rochester

Sometimes, 110 years old looks amazing.

Dillman & Upton near downtown Rochester — now 110 and still family-owned and -operated — provides customers with an array of home improvement services, including kitchen and bath design and remodeling, decking, doors and entry systems, interior trim, rough lumber products and windows and window installation. Patrons can also shop in a separate hardware section.

BRAD UPTON

BRAD UPTON

CEO, DILLMAN & UPTON

Can’t decide what you might want? Wander through 14 updated displays of modern kitchens and baths. Customers can see the latest in self-closing doors and drawers, unique woods such as rift-cut white oak, and interior-lit cabinetry.

Window, decking and door displays (including touch-activated electric doors) are arranged in a separate part of the building.

Curt Belaney of Rochester Hills was pleased with his new door. “Brandan Luther (an employee) was a true professional throughout the search, choice and delivery. (Installation) was perfectly done. Thanks to Dillman & Upton for improving our home,” Belaney said.

The business is run by brothers Brad Upton, the chief executive officer, and Todd Upton, the president. The brothers’ wives — Sue and Stacey, respectively — work there, too. All told, 60 employees are on staff to assist.

The business — founded around 1910 by Brad and Todd’s grandfather’s uncle, C.W. Upton — began as a place to buy lumber and coal. (Coal was phased out in 1960.)

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C.W. Upton’s nephew, Roy Upton, worked with him. C.W. also brought his son-in-law, Arthur Dillman, in as a bookkeeper. In the 1950s, the business was incorporated as Dillman & Upton.

Ownership has passed down through the Uptons; Brad and Todd’s father, Terry, worked in the business in the 1990s. Brad and Todd Upton now control the company, and Ryan Upton, Todd’s son, is on the staff, representing the next generation.

The showrooms have a fresh appeal, all updated in 2019, said Brad Upton. Customers include home-builders, remodelers, deck-builders and homeowners.

“Our biggest niche with local homeowners is installed sales,” he said. That means the installation of new kitchens, bathrooms, windows, decks and doors.

Homeowners thinking of a redo should take note: “One of the biggest returns on remodeling is the kitchen and bath,” he said.

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For customers considering an update to a kitchen, the Uptons note that the trend now in countertops is a composite quartz. “It’s easier to maintain (than granite),”  Brad Upton said.

Before diving into a new remodeling job, “interview a couple (of contractors) and get comfortable. The right architect and builder can make the experience a good one,” he said.

The Uptons keep a list of preferred skilled contractors — and they recommend getting the right people before any project is undertaken.

“We can provide a good referral for contractors, architects and engineers,” Brad Upton said.

Dillman & Upton also has experienced kitchen designers on staff. These professionals work with customers to design the room on a computer. A full kitchen redo can run between $25,000 and $100,000.

Customer Patrick Corey stated in a testimonial: “(Dillman & Upton have) excellent knowledge, great prices. Way better than dealing with a big-box store.”

A separate window and door showroom is also available. The Uptons work with many manufacturers, including Andersen and Jeld-Wen. In 2020, watch for the addition of a display of new high-end pocket doors, a type of sliding door that, when open, is kept inside the adjoining wall.

“The advantage? It’s dramatic,” Brad Upton explained. By “hiding” the doors, a scenic view can be revealed.

Dillman & Upton staff offer knowledge and service, Brad Upton said.

“We can assist you with rough lumber, trim lumber, kitchens, baths, doors and windows,” he said.

“We’d love to sell everything, we’re happy to sell anything,” he added. “We try to sell the things we are good at.”

Dillman & Uton is open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday.

607 Woodward Street
Rochester, MI 48307
248-651-9411

Website

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ferndale – January 6, 2020

Ferndale – January 6, 2020

by | Jan 6, 2020 | Ferndale News

Friends,

Welcome to the New Year! I hope you enjoyed the holidays and are ready to take on the Michigan winter.

I don’t consider myself overly techie, but I also don’t think I’m too far behind the times. So, when I received an Apple Watch as a gift, I had no idea what this would mean.

Understand: I grew up watching the Jetsons, Wonder Woman and ALF. We have some amazing technology these days, but I’m still disappointed I don’t have a jetpack.

I was a little floored with my new watch. I had no idea all the things it can do. It even tells me when to breathe. But the most surprising feature to me is the ability to take phone calls ON A WATCH.

I was putting in a load of laundry and my watch started ringing. My husband and I looked around to see who stepped on a kids’ toy only to figure out it was my wrist. I answered it and we talked to a telemarketer for a while just because IT WAS ON A WATCH.

This thing is straight out of the campy Batman show from my childhood. POW! If only it did the laundry.

Bring in the New Year strong.

Rebecca

Bond Increase Vote

Ferndale Public Schools has a 3-series bond for $125 million with no projected tax rate increase on the March 2020 ballot.

The district wants to make needed facility improvements through the sale of bonds at no tax rate increase. By renewing the existing rate to fund a 3-series bond, current tax rates will remain the same and $125 million dollars will be secured to invest in Ferndale schools. These bond dollars are restricted to capital improvements, such as technology, buses and facility improvements.

The bond proposal that will be on the ballot March 10, is what is commonly referred to as a 3-series proposal. A traditional bond proposal allows a district to sell bonds one time and receive funds. With a 3-series bond, Ferndale Schools will have the ability to gain public authorization to sell bonds at three different times in the near future. This allows the district to create a decade-long facility plan.

Read more about the bond proposal here.

Tour Bharatiya Hindu Temple

Join Senior Services for a tour of the main worship area of Bharatiya Hindu Temple. The Temple was inaugurated on July 19, 1981. Since then, it has grown significantly in terms of activities, building expansion and size of the congregation. Following the tour, lunch is “on-your-own” at the Star of India Restaurant in Ferndale. Register here.

 

 

After 5 Networking Event

On Thursday, Jan. 16, from 5 to 7 p.m., join the Ferndale Area Chamber at B. Nektar for an evening of networking. Come enjoy a mead, cider, or beer from B. Nektar and get to know some community members.

After 5 is a great way to get to know local business owners and check out the B. Nektar Taproom.

Pub trivia starts around 8 p.m., so stick around and win some prizes.

Writing Contest

There are two writing contests, designed around Women’s Suffrage, open to Oakland County students.

The idea is a celebration of 100 years of the 19th Amendment. One contest (poetry) is open to students in grades kindergarten through 12. The other is for secondary students and is the creation of a PSA.

The initiative is for Oakland County students only. Cash prizes will be awarded.

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Rebecca Calappi

Rebecca Calappi

City News Editor

To share your news, announcements, and events, please email citynewseditor@localbiznews.net