AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS MICHIGAN CHAPTER
From: Craig Hondorp
Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2015 5:47 PM
To: Beth Hagenbuch ( hagenbu@gmail.com );
Subject: Congratulations - Michigan ASLA Chapter Award Winners!
Congratulations on receiving an Honor or Merit award for the 30th Annual Michigan ASLA Chapter Awards! Out of numerous entries this year, we had nine excellent projects awarded by our out-of-state jury. We are grateful for your continued participation in this prestigious program, and for your support of Michigan ASLA.
2015 – 30th Annual Michigan ASLA Chapter Award Winners
Category II - Landscape Planning Analysis
Merit Award - META Expo: A Grassroots Advocacy Project, Detroit , MI , Hagenbuch Weikal Landscape Architecture
Thanks and Congratulations again!
Craig H. Hondorp, LLA, ASLA, LEED®AP
Senior Landscape Architect
woodward avenue action assoc-wa3
To: Governor Rick Snyder, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and RTA Chair Paul Hillegonds
From: Deborah Schutt, Executive Director, Woodward Avenue Action Association (WA3)
Subject: Adopted Position Statement of the WA3 Board of Directors concerning the Michigan State Fairgrounds site
Date: June 26, 2015
Dear Sirs:
The following position state was adopted by the WA3 Board of Directors on Wednesday, June 17, 2015.
In December 19, 2012, Senate Bill No. 909 was signed into law establishing the Regional Transit Authority (RTA). The bill included a provision for the first time in Michigan history, a mechanism for the regional transit authority to fund its operations and build a comprehensive regional transportation system in Macomb, Oakland, Wayne and Washtenaw counties. The RTA is currently developing a plan which will be presented to the voters in 2016 for funding approval to build the system.
In 2009, the oldest state fair in the United States, held their final event at the Michigan State Fair grounds at 8 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue and in 2012 the 160 acres was transferred to the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority, which would oversee the land for future development, including plans for a station for the proposed commuter rail service.
Within one mile of either direction of Woodward Avenue and 8 Mile Road there are:
947,500 residents – 10% of Michigan’s population and 13% of RTA’s service area population
557,000 workers – 11% of Michigan’s workers
42,500 businesses – 11% of Michigan’s businesses
The state fair site provides the unique opportunity to regionally connect transit users along 8 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue and to link rail service abutting the site to Ann Arbor, Lansing and beyond if developed to do so.
Transit benefits include:
Enhancements of Personal Opportunities/Choices
Produces Fuel Savings and Congestion Reduction
Provides Economic Opportunities & Drives Community Growth and Revitalization
Saves Money
Reduces Gasoline Consumption and
Reduces Carbon Footprint
Recognizing the state fair site as a critical component to providing a comprehensive, effective regional transit system, the Woodward Avenue Action Association, supports maximizing all transit opportunities at the state fair site and urges, the Regional Transit Authority, the City of Detroit and the State of Michigan to ensure that the site is developed in a manner that maximizes transit opportunities.
steve jenkins, former state fair manager
To Interested Parties:
I continue my belief that an Annual State Fair can be conducted at the corner of Woodward and 8 Mile in conjunction with any other developments that might be undertaken at that location. As I have stated in the past, the financials attributed to the Fairgrounds were not what the politicians claimed when they decided to close America’s Oldest State Fair!!
This is especially true for the financial activities associated with the 2 weeks of the Fair. On average, the Fair took in nearly $4 Million Dollars each year! The cost of putting on this historical event generally amounted to about $3 Million Dollars annually. The financial challenges associated with the Fairgrounds, involved the increased costs tied to being a State Agency and the more than $300,000 charged annually by the City of Detroit for “rain water run-off” and water usage.
Sustaining/Re-establishing the Michigan State Fair can and should be accomplished without taxpayer assistance. All we ever advocated for was the opportunity to operate outside the burdens of State Government and continue the family-oriented event center that can be a financial engine for Detroit and the State of Michigan!
Respectfully provided,
Steven R. Jenkins
Former General Manager
Our Michigan State Fair