Trick or Treat from Chelsea!

Happy Halloween! My little fairy princess and king have been counting the days until Halloween since the end of September. And it seems to be a week long celebration around here. My son's preschool had a party last week, and my 2nd grader will be joining her classmates for a costume parade and party this afternoon. Halloween is one of those holidays that are fun all over again once you become a parent!

Trick or Treating for Halloween in Chelsea takes place from 4:00 until 6 p.m. (Don't ask me.... I agree that it's a strange time, and awfully inconvenient for working parents, too. When I was a kid we didn't even *start* trick or treating until after dinner.) Afterwards, there is a party on the lawn of the McKune Memorial Library, sponsored by the Chelsea Kiwanis. This is the new location for the annual that previously took place in the Common Grill parking lot.

This year we are going to try something a little different than hitting up neighbors for goodies. We plan to trick or treat our way downtown Chelsea to meet some friends, check out Cole Funeral Home and local merchants, then spend some time at the party at the library. Up until this year, my children have not had enough stamina for all that fun -- YES... it was the kids, not me who got tired first (for once). So it will be fun to try something new.

Trick or Treating Hours in the Area:
In case you want to go out a little later, here are the posted hours for trick or treaters in communities in our area:

• Ann Arbor: 5-8 p.m.
• Chelsea: 4-6 p.m. - Party afterwards on library lawn
  
• Dexter: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
• Manchester: 5-7 p.m. - Downtown merchants. Stop at the red mill for free caramel apples.
  

For other communities, see the Trick or Treat list from the Ann Arbor News.

And you?
I know there are a lot of lurkers that read my blog. Now's your chance come out of hiding and add a comment. What are you and/or your kids doing for Halloween this year? More importantly, what is your favorite Halloween treat? Me? I love Almond Joys and anything with dark chocolate. :-p

Who Will Speak for YOU?

Vote on November 6, 2007
On November 6, it is up to residents of the city of Chelsea to decide who will sit on our City Council for the next 4 years. To help you make your decision, Things To Do In Chelsea is currently featuring a 2007 Voting Guide:

• 2007 Voting Guide for Chelsea, Mich. - Includes location, candidates, new articles and resources
  

Why Vote?
Most of the big news these days is about presidential candidates for 2008, but I can't think of another voting decision that affects your day-to-day life as much as who sits on your City Council. We choose these folks to represent our own best interests, and make choices about our taxes, our sidewalks, our downtown, our garbage pick up, our water system and many things that we take for granted until something goes amok.

This is the only item on this year's ballot, so take a quick detour to the Washington Street Education Center on Nov. 6, to choose the candidates who will be speaking for you during the next 4 years.

Related News
In related news, this tidbit was in today's Ann Arbor News:

Chelsea
Council to consider budget timetable
The Chelsea City Council will consider something new at its next meeting - a budget preparation calendar for the fiscal year 2008-2009. It would include specific goals, a council retreat and several public hearings. City Manager John Hanifan proposed a timeline for budget deliberations that begins in early December and ends in May with the adoption of a new budget. Included is the distribution of a goal survey to both the City Council and staff in early December, a completed draft in March, budget hearings in April and May and a millage rate adoption in June before the new budget year starts on July 1.
From News staff reports
Ann Arbor News In Brief (Oct. 25, 2007)

P.S. Think you could do better? November 2nd at 4:00 p.m. is the deadline for anyone who is interested in running as a write-in candidate for City Council positions.

Jeff Daniels discusses small town life in Chelsea

In an upcoming issue of Guideposts magazine, Chelsea's own celebrity, Jeff Daniels discusses life in a small town.

Here is the description from a recent newswire release:

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The new November issue of Guideposts magazine features a cover story by award-winning actor, Jeff Daniels, about what his hometown of Chelsea, Michigan has that Hollywood doesn't. Jeff readily admits that, sure small towns are a great place to raise your kids, but he's happy to correct the misperception that places like his hometown are set in their ways and not very stimulating. Certainly his inspiration to perform started right there in Chelsea High School and, now that he's back living in Michigan full time, he sees a lot of new ground being broken in local theater, performing arts, music and community activities. Jeff tells Guideposts readers that he's convinced that small towns are wonderful places to be free to dream, to try new things and to just be yourself. [link to source]

---

And here is a snippet of the article, from GuidepostMag.com:

Hometown Boy

By Jeff Daniels
Chelsea, Michigan

Let me tell you about the small town where I come from: Chelsea, Michigan, population nearly 4,700, just west of Ann Arbor. It has one hospital, three elementary schools, a high school, a train depot, golf courses, several churches and a tree-lined Main Street. And right out of central casting there’s the lumber company (where my folks still work), Zouzou’s coffee shop, a hockey rink and a first-rate theater (more about that later). With its small-town atmosphere and solid Midwestern values, it’s the sort of place where an actor with both promise and ambition grows up and then leaves, never to return…unless he’s the grand marshal in the annual Fourth of July parade and his agent or studio needs to buff up his image.

Well, I left Chelsea when I was 21 to try my luck in the theater, which was pretty good. I appeared on the Broadway stage and in a couple of Hollywood films, and after bouncing around between the East and West Coasts, my wife, Kathleen, and I asked ourselves where we wanted to raise our children—our one son was almost two years old. The answer was easy: “Michigan.” We knew Michigan. And if it was going to be Michigan, it would have to be Chelsea, where we’d met. ..... [read the rest of the article on www.guidepostmag.com]

---

Would you believe that for as much as I promote Chelsea, and am involved in so many events and projects, that I have never met -- or even seen -- Jeff Daniels? I mentioned as much to some other moms when I was waiting for my daughter to finish her ballet class, and they all said, "REALLY?! I see him all the time!" Which turned into a "Jeff-Daniels-sighting" conversation, leaving me to wonder if I spend too much time at the computer? For as much as he loves Chelsea, sometimes I wonder if he reads my blog? Or knows about my Things To Do In Chelsea website? Definitely things that make me go "Hmmmmm....."

Interesting stats for the Chelsea Blog

I started writing the Chelsea Blog earlier this year, as a spin-off of the Things To Do In Chelsea website. Things To Do In Chelsea ranks very highly for search engines, and I have intentionally set it up to be easy for visitors to find. The Chelsea Blog on the other hand, continues to be an outlet for both personal and community observations, so I haven't done much to "optimize it" for searchability. For this reason, I find it entertaining and educational to pay attention to *how* people find my blog.

So far, the hottest topics (found via web searches) to date include:

• Fireworks in Michigan
• Must See Things To Do In Michigan
• Chelsea blog or blogs in Chelsea (generally land on the front page of the blog)
• Why Is The Flag at Half Mast
• What Should a 4 Year Old Know
• Attack of the Fairies
• and more recently Development of Federal Screw Works property
  

These are in no particular order, and are only ranked by my mental notes, not scientific methods.

But I do find it interesting that most of the topics are not Chelsea focused. This probably means that people other than my friends and neighbors are visiting the blog. So perhaps they are stumbling on Things To Do In Chelsea, too(which gets more like 100,000 visits each month). Perhaps they might even venture out to Chelsea for a visit. If so, my dog is quite likely looking out the window and barking at them as they drive right past my house. The Internet makes the world even smaller, doesn't it?

Maybe I'm getting carried away with my assumptions, but then again, maybe not! At this point the blog is getting 300-500 visitors each week, and I'm fairly sure they are not ALL me.... lol

New owners and development of Federal Screw Works property

The first time I visited Chelsea, Michigan back in the early 90s, it was to dine at the Common Grill (of course!) with some colleagues. As we drove on Main St. toward downtown we passed a non-descript old building with FEDERAL SCREW WORKS in large letters across the front. Someone said, "What's that? The IRS???" Everyone laughed.

Next time I visited Chelsea (to visit the Common Grill again!) with a different group of people, we drove by the building and someone said, "Hey, I didn't know the IRS had an office here!" Everyone laughed... again.

Years later, we moved to Chelsea (about 2 blocks up from the Federal Screw Works). My in-laws came for a visit, and we took them downtown to show off our new community. We walked by the building, and my father in law said, "Uh oh.. you didn't tell me the IRS was in Chelsea, too!" Hmmm, yes. Polite chuckle. Anyhoooo.....

The Federal Screw Works factory was always a bustling place during the day, with many strange noises and unfamiliar smells hitting your senses as you walked by. Friendly workers on break would always smile and say hi as I walked by with my children in the stroller. The plant shut down a couple of years ago, and it has been a bit eerie walking by the place now that it is quiet and empty. I'm not particularly nostalgic about it, because frankly some of those chemical odors were a little disconcerting. But because I pass by there several times each day, I have been very curious to learn what will become of the old FSW building.

Today, I found my answer in the Ann Arbor News:

Developer Magellan buys downtown Chelsea building

Ann Arbor News, 10/11/07
Ann Arbor developer Magellan Properties has bought a vacant factory in downtown Chelsea and plans to redevelop the site as a 31,750-square-foot retail and office project.

Magellan bought the former Federal Screw Works facility Sept. 21 for about $550,000 from the fastener maker. Federal Screw closed the site about two years ago, and it's been dormant since.

[click here to go to the full article]

It's good to hear of projects like this -- reduced urban sprawl and not leaving us with an old abandoned building as an eye sore. I hope this development is as successful as McKinley's revitalization of the Clocktower complex.

But first I'd better go take a photo of that old building before they tear it down. I wouldn't want to forget all those lame jokes. Haha!

Haven't visited e-Washtenaw lately? You should!

Having woken up with a bit of sore throat -- which is hopefully due to the fact that I'm suffering from major allergies right now -- my perfectly logical self immediately thought, "What if it's measles!!!"

In case you haven't been keeping up with the news, there has been a measles outbreak in Ann Arbor. With my minor ailment and this news in mind, I was compelled to visit the e-Washtenaw Public Health website to learn more. Ok, no high fever. Check. No rash. Check. Let's move on. So now that I don't have measles, I started browsing the rest of the Health Pages and the e-Washtenaw site as a whole. I have been there plenty of times before, but usually it was a quick visit to find the location of a local park, or the address of the County Clerk to get a birth certificate.

The e-Washtenaw site is definitely worth a peek. It is easy on the eyes, well organized and choc full o' useful information. Here are some links to get you started:

• e-Washtenaw.org home page
• Map of Washtenaw County - with links to city and township websites
• Restaurant inspection reports - what they look for, how they score, who got what rating
  
• Services for Homeowners - water quality, radon testing, home repairs, plant and insect identification, tips for 'green living' and lots more
  

It's a great resource for anyone who lives, works, or visits the Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Dexter, Saline and Ypsilanti areas.

October Newsletter from the City of Chelsea

The City of Chelsea's October newsletter is now available online at http://city-chelsea.org/news/october

For your convenience, the full text is copied below:

---

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

CITY OF CHELSEA

Water Hydrant Flushing ~ The City Water Department will begin water hydrant flushing on Monday, October 8th. This flushing will take place for the next several weeks. The hours of flushing will be between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Water customers are asked to please check your water condition/color prior to doing laundry to avoid any problems. If you should experience discolored water, please allow the water to run for several minutes until it becomes clear. Thank you for your cooperation.

Electric Power Interruption – Sunday, October 7th ~ Chelsea Electric crews will be conducting work on the Industrial Park transformer in order to increase electrical capacity to the north side of the City. Residents and businesses on the north side of the railroad crossing received notices indicating that power will be discontinued for a period of time between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Your cooperation during the course of this project is very much appreciated. This would be a great day to take the family to the apple orchard or go pick out your Halloween pumpkin.

Brush Pick-up ~ Brush pick-up continues to be conducted by the City Public Works crews. Brush should be neatly stacked on the lawn extension (please cut limbs no longer than 4 feet). Schedule for brush pick up is the second Monday of each month (October 8th would be the 2nd Monday). Please stack your brush separately from your leaves on the lawn extension. Thank you.

Autumn Leaves Begin to fall ~ Chelsea City Public Works crews picks up leaves in the fall. Residents are asked to please rake leaves onto the lawn extension (not into the street, please). City crews will pick up leaves as their schedules permit throughout the fall months.

Fire Station Open House ~ Sunday, October 14 from 12noon to 4:00 p.m. [Leslie's note: see details on Things To Do In Chelsea]

Old U.S. 12 Road Resurfacing Project ~ Washtenaw County Road Commission has given the City notice that resurfacing work will begin October 1 on the stretch of roadway between Main Street (M-52) west to Gene Drive. One lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained during construction activities, with intermittent traffic delays occurring. The project is scheduled to be completed in November. A temporary construction speed limit of 35 MPH is being established in this area.

Trick or Treating ~ Trick or Treating is scheduled to happen in the City on Wednesday, October 31 from 4-6 p.m. The Chelsea Kiwanis Club along with the Chelsea District Library will have activities planned on the front lawn of the library beginning at 6:00 p.m. All are invited.

Temporary Change in City Office Hours ~ The City is currently reviewing its office hours schedule to provide the best service to our residents. As part of this change, the City has temporarily changed its hours to 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday through December 21, 2007. The offices will also be conducting a customer service survey in November to obtain your input regarding how we can better service your needs. Watch for those surveys in your November utility bill.

November Election ~ The City Clerk’s office is reminding residents of the November 6th election date. The final day to register to vote for the November 6th election is Monday, October 8th. Absentee ballot applications are available at the City office for this election. City residents are reminded that you will vote at the Washington Street Education Center (cafeteria), 500 Washington Street. According to new state law, voters are required to present photo identification at this election. November 2nd at 4:00 p.m. is the deadline for anyone who is interested in running as a write-in candidate for City Council positions. If you should have any questions, please contact the City Clerk at 475-1771.

Please remember ….

• No Parking between 2-5 a.m. on City streets.
• Curbside garbage pick-up takes place on Tuesday. Orange garbage bags are available at the City Office as well as Aco Hardware, Chelsea Village Hardware, Chelsea Pharmacy and Vogel’s Party Store.
• Recycling Curbside pickup takes place on Wednesday and Thursday of each week – Wednesday for residents in Lanewood subdivision, Pierce Lake Condos, Main Street and everything west of Main Street. Thursday for the remaining eastside of Main Street. For questions on recycling, please contact Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority at 475-6160.
• Chelsea Transfer Station (which is located on Werkner Road) is open to the public on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 12noon to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Bulk Item Pick-up is available through the Solid Waste Department. Residents may contact the Transfer Station (475-7955) to make arrangements for pick-up of your item(s). A disposal/pick-up charge will be quoted and arrangements will be made for a pick-up date. Items such as appliances, furniture and mattresses may all be disposed of in this manner.
• City Automatic Utility Bill Payment – forms for direct payment withdrawal for utility bill payments of city utilities are available at the City Office or on the City’s web site: www.city-chelsea.org. For additional information, please contact the City billing office at 475-1771.
• Now that school is back in session, please remember to drive safely in school zones during times when children are traveling to and from school. Thank you.
• Daylight Savings Time Ends – November 4, 2007 – please remember to set your clocks back 1 hour.
• Dogs are not allowed to run at large in the City. If you are out walking your dogs, please make sure you carry your "doggie bag". Dog owners are also reminded to be considerate and not allow your dog to disturb neighbors by habitual barking, yelping, growling or howling. Thank you for being a responsible pet owner.

---

Please contact the City Office at (734) 475-1771 for more information about any of these items.

Probable cause detemined for helicopter crash of Sumner and Tuttle

Chelsea's Police Chief Scott Sumner and Fire Captain Matt Tuttle were tragically killed in a helicopter crash in April 2006. Today, news comes from federal transportation investigators who have discovered what may have caused the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports that there may have been water in fuel tank, causing the engine to fail.

News Sources:

• NTSB releases probable cause into fatal helicopter crash (WoodTV.com Lansing, Michigan 10/2/07)


• Water In Fuel Blamed For Fatal Helicopter Crash (WHMI.com, Livingston County's 93.5 FM)

This news comes directly from the AP wire, but I'm surprised to find it coming from Lansing and Brighton before seeing it in the Ann Arbor News. If any other details become available, I will add the links here.

Although it has been a year and half since this tragedy occurred, the news is still painful to hear. Many continuing blessings to their families and loved ones.

EDITED TO ADD:
The Ann Arbor News posted a few more details in their article a short time later.

• Water in fuel tank caused copter crash that killed 2 (Ann Arbor News, 10/2/07)

News from the Michigan's State Capitol from Rep. Pam Byrnes

Michigan State Representative Pam Byrnes sent out this letter to her e-mailing list today. Pam Byrnes represents District 52 in Michigan, which includes much of Washtenaw County including Chelsea.

Dear friend,

I have some long-awaited news to share with you from the Capitol. House Democrats today put Michigan on the road to recovery by passing a bold plan to solve our unprecedented fiscal crisis. This bipartisan plan has all the right components -- it makes necessary cuts and common-sense reforms, it raises much-needed revenue, and it has support from both parties.

I have said from the beginning that a budget solution would have to include a mix of cuts, reforms and revenues. The plan that passed today will give the state a long-term savings of hundreds of millions through cuts and reforms.

This plan does not rely on one-time fixes; it is a lasting budget solution that cuts wasteful and inefficient spending while also making critical investments in public safety, education and job creation. To be a magnet for businesses that will bring good-paying jobs to our state, we must get our economy back up and running – and this budget plan will do just that.

Tough times call for tough choices. We have moved needed reforms and cut $433.3 million from the state budget. These are the cuts and reforms Michigan needs to fix the structural problems that have left our state in fiscal crisis.

But I am proud that we refused to "fix" the state budget through cuts alone. By slashing funds for police protection, we would have fewer patrol cars on the street, jeopardizing the safety of all residents. By gutting education funding, class sizes would balloon and children would be denied the education they need to succeed in the 21st century economy. And by raiding the health care budget, we would be denying medical service to our most vulnerable residents.

That is not a Michigan I would want to live in.

Today, the buck stopped in the Michigan House. We stopped the finger-pointing, put our differences aside and worked together to move Michigan forward. Rest assured, House Democrats will continue to do what's necessary to protect Michigan's working families and get our state back on the road to recovery.

Sincerely,

State Representative Pam Byrnes
District 52

Received via email 10/1/01 5:01 p.m.