HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009 State of the City Report2009 State of the City Report
Office of Mayor Virg Bernero
January 25, 2010
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Cityf Lansing o
Outer-: or J'HE Ct-rY A-r-r•0RN17Y
Brig Smith, City Attorney
Year End Report
2009
Index
A. Mission Statement
B. Year End Report
Mission Statement
The Office of the City Attorney (OCA) is dedicated to providing the highest quality legal
service to the City of Lansing. Our mission is to provide professional, knowledgeable,
courteous, and dependable service to the City's elected, appointed, and administrative officials
and its committees and boards. Our goal is to equal or exceed the legal abilities of any
respected private law firm in the State and to be the best possible "law firm" to the City.
Under the Charter, the City Attorney is responsible to both the Mayor and the City
Council. The Office of the City Attorney provides legal services at the request of the Mayor, City
Council, City Departments and Boards, and represents the City in civil litigation cases against
the City, ordinance infraction cases, and administrative hearings. As the legal representative
for the City, we are involved in prosecution of violations that directly impact citizen and
neighborhood safety and quality, including drug law enforcement, alcohol -related offenses, and
housing code violations. We draft ordinances and issue written legal opinions to elected,
appointed, and administrative officials. We also review and approve all cgntracts for services
and equipment, Council resolutions, and grants, and serve as the designated Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) coordinator for the City.
Year End Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The OCA had an eventful 2009. This memorandum reports on our activities based on
each function we perform. As "law firm to the City," our mission is to meet or exceed, in both
quality and scope, the legal services available from the leading private law firms in the State.
As a full -service firm, the OCA undertakes at least 19 separate over -arching functions:
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Manage "law firm" for City, and offer legal counsel and direction
INTERNAL OFFICE
ADMINISTRATIVE
regarding various issues or matters of concern that arise for managers
ADMINISTRATION
of other City departments.
STAFFING OF
BOARD &
Staff more than 25 standing Boards and Council committees on an on -
CITY BOARDS
COMMITTEE
going basis, providing legal review of and advice regarding the
ASSIGNMENTS
products and output of each.
COMM SDSIONS
OVERSEE LEGAL
Supervise BWL General Counsel and legal staff in representation of
BWL
AFFAIRS
Board's legal affairs.
Review, evaluate and administer claims against City for miscellaneous
CLAIMS
CLAIMS REVIEW
personal and property damage (e.g. sewer backup claims).
Pursue collections and litigate on behalf of City in bankruptcies
COLLECTIONS &
COLLECT DEBTS
(between 25 and 50 matters at any given time and representing an
BANKRUPTCY
FOR CITY
estimated $1 million in outstanding obligations to City).
REVIEW AND
APPROVE AS TO
Review and approve as to form all contracts on behalf of City,
CONTRACTS
FORM ALL
including all contracts for boards, commissions, and committees.
CONTRACTS
NEGOTIATE AND
Review and negotiate proposed real estate transactions involving City
DEVELOPMENT
REVIEW CITY
property (approximately 20 major deals pending at any given time).
DEVELOPMENT
Prosecute all misdemeanor violations and civil infractions on behalf of
DISTRICT COURT
PROSECUTION
the City, including administration of its Diversion program.
FIRE
ADVISE LFD
Provide legal advice to Fire Department on an ongoing basis.
REVIEW AND
Answer in first instance all FOIA requests directed to City and review
FOIA
ANSWER ALL
significant FOIA requests directed to Lansing Police Department.
REQUESTS
Act as liaison between City and its citizens regarding housing and
neighborhood concerns (approximately 50-75 major housing matters
NEIGHBORHOODS
LIAISON
monthly and daily minor matters requiring calls, meetings, and
correspondence).
INSURANCE
MANAGE
Review all incoming claims against City and act as liaison with carrier
CLAIMS
ADMINISTRATION
to resolve claims that do not proceed to litigation.
OF CLAIMS
LITIGATION
IN-HOUSE
Provide in-house counsel to City on matters in pending or active
(INSIDE)
REPRESENTATION
litigation, including all appeals.
LITIGATION
SUPERVISE
Coordinate and oversee matters for which City retains outside
(OUTSIDE)
OUTSIDE
counsel.
COUNSEL
MICHIGAN
TAX
REPRESENT CITY
Represent City in prosecution and defense of tax appeals before MTT.
IN TAX APPEALS
TRIBUNAL
ISSUE WRITTEN
OPINIONS
OPINIONS ON
Issue binding legal opinions on major questions.
(FORMAL)
MAJOR
QUESTIONS
ISSUE VERBAL
OPINIONS
OPINIONS ON
Provide oral opinions on questions as they arise.
(INFORMAL)
MINOR
QUESTIONS
Review and approve as to form all resolutions and ordinances (several
ORDINANCES/
REVIEW AND
hundred resolutions in 2007 and several major, ordinances, including
RESOLUTIONS
APPROVE
Wellhead Protection, Site Plan Review, Revised Housing Code, and
Human Rights Ordinance).
Provide legal advice to Police Department on an ongoing basis,
POLICE
ADVISE LPD
including through supervision ofAssistant City Attorney/Police Legal
Advisor).
The rest of this report will provide details on some of the more important tasks and
subtasks the Office undertook within these functions as a Year in Review feature for 2009.
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
The Office of the City Attorney has become a digitized and modernized "public law firm" for the
City, and has accomplished some truly amazing things on its behalf. Here are some highlights:
Administration
City Attorney Leads Charge on Enterprise Management Software
• Coming from a leading law firm, one of the City Attorney's highest priorities when taking
office was to bring to the Office the same technology, tools, and techniques used in the
state's best firms so that it could equal or exceed those firms.
• The City Attorney pushed hard to acquire and implement "Enterprise Management
Software" (EMS) for the City. EMS allows an enterprise, like the City, to share
information seamlessly across the enterprises and with other enterprises.
• The City Attorney is currently spearheading a pilot program to implement EMS across
the Office of the Mayor, the City Council, the Office of the City Clerk, and the Office of
the City Attorney.
• He has also established a "Courts, Cops, and Counselors" working group to explore
implementing EMS in the District Court, LPD, and Ingham County Prosecutor's Office.
Collections and Bankruptcy
City Leads Nation in Dealing with GM Bankruptcy
The City of Lansing was the first municipality in the country to file in the GM Bankruptcy.
Thanks to the City's proactive approach in anticipating the bankruptcy and addressing it
once it occurred, the City has been essentially held harmless in the GM Bankruptcy, and
continues to collect millions of dollars annually in revenue from GM.
In addition, the City's two state-of-the-art plants at Delta and Grand River mean
hundreds of new jobs, as well as new residents and families moving to the capital city.
Many are relocating from other GM plants and cities that have not fared as well.
City Attorney Ramps Up Collection Efforts Across All Departments
As part of an aggressive new approach to collecting debts owed to the City, the City
Attorney has dramatically increased the money coming into the City, both in raw dollars,
and as a percentage of debts collected.
In these tough times, when every dollar counts, this "found" money is helping to
cushion the blow from structural revenue reductions from property and income tax and
State revenue sharing.
Development
Accident Fund National HQ Revitalizes Old Power Station
• We successfully negotiated one of the most complex development deals in the Country.
• The deal keeps Accident Fund, a Blue Cross/Blue Shield subsidiary, here in Lansing, and
adds hundreds of new jobs.
• More importantly, the deal takes the old Ottawa Power Station, which has long been an
albatross around the City's neck, and transforms it into a state-of-the-art national
campus for Accident Fund.
• The deal was codenamed the Phoenix Project, because it (literally) resulted in the
Ottawa Power Station being reborn from the ashes.
City Market Gets New State -of -the -Art Home
• We also closed on Pat Gillespie's "Market Place" project.
• The project means a new cutting edge home for the venerable City Market.
• It also means new commercial and residential development along the Grand River.
• The project, along with the Capitol Club Condos, Michigan State Police HQ, and Accident
Fund HQ, continues the Mayor's "Grand Vision for the Grand River."
Scores of Other Projects Completed, In Progress, and In the Works
Even in these hard times, the City's development team is aggressively pursuing
development and job creation, including major projects with Barnes Aerospace, The
Christman Building, Emergent Biosolutions, Jackson National Life, The School for the
Blind, and Third Party Suppliers for GM. Stay tuned for even more good news.
Litigation
City Attorney Gets Big Wins in Court
• City Attorney Brig Smith successfully defended the City in two major lawsuits: "Discount
Dave's" and the Tina Houghton matter.
o The "Discount Dave's" Matter
■ In the "Discount Dave's" matter, the City Attorney won the right for the
City to proceed with the immediate demolition and.remediation of the
former Buy -Rite site next to the Cadillac Club.
■ The Buy -Rite site was burned to the ground in a fire, and the City was
sued for an injunction to prevent the site from being disturbed until its
arson investigation concluded.
■ The demolition and remediation occurred without expense to the City
and keeps the site safe for our citizens and capable of redevelopment.
o The Tina Houghton Matter
■ In the Tina Houghton matter, the City Attorney won a citizen suit
attempting to prevent then -Council member -elect Tina Houghton from
being sworn in.
• The Chief Judge's ruling in the matter reaffirmed the position of the
Office of the City Attorney on the Charter and cleared the way for Ms.
Houghton to take office.
Neighborhoods
Deluxe Inn Boarded Up
After many years of working on neighborhood issues with the Deluxe Inn, the property
has finally been boarded up and awaits redevelopment.
While boarding up properties is not always the best solution, sometimes it's the only
solution.
• The property, which is on a valuable corner near the highway, is now ripe for
redevelopment, which will be a boon to the neighborhood.
Crowd Control Cost Recovery
As part of the Mayor's initiative to curb excessive use of City resources for large events,
the Crowd Control Cost Recovery Ordinance was introduced to, and passed by, City
Council on a fast -track basis.
The Ordinance provides the City Attorney and LPD with the tools to deal with large
events that require extraordinary resources to manage and maintain the peace.
While we will continue to work collaboratively with owners, we now have a formal
process to keep the City whole if the collaboration fails.
Prosecution
Courts, Cops, and Counselors Working Group
• The City Attorney initiated a monthly working group consisting of the District Court, LPD,
the Office of the City Attorney, and the Prosecutor's Office.
• The working group has improved horizontal and vertical communication among the
agencies, and streamlined the process of providing justice quickly and correctly to our
citizens.
• Through such communication, and through simple but important tweaks to interagency
coordination, the City has saved over $100,000 on Officer OT as part of the "Cops on
Streets, Not in Seats" Program.
Cops on Streets, Not in Seats
We instituted a policy that allowed our police officers to focus on preventing crime in
the field instead of waiting to testify in Court.
Under the policy, we offer zero -point pleas to traffic defendants prior to their Court
date, but seek stiffer penalties if defendants wait until their Court date to plea or
actually take the matter to trial.
The end result is police officers spending less time waiting in Court and more time
working the streets.
W010 lensing local group storage$\Attorney Staff\ADMINISTRATIVE\REPORTS\Office of the City Attorney Year End Report
2009.DOC
Finance Department 2009 Annual Report
Jerry Ambrose, Finance Director
Department Description
The Finance Department provides administrative support to the City governinent. Payroll
for active and retired employees, payables; accounting for the City's various funds and
grants; preparation of the annual. financial report; preparation and monitoring of the
budget, banking, investment, and borrotii ing of funds; purchase of goods and supplies;
maintenance of 001 facilities, vehicles and equipment; provision of inf07"111ation
technology services; acbninistration of the retirement system; assessing of property and
collection of income and property taxes are among core functions. There are seven
divisions of the Finance Department: Accounting, Assessing, Budget; Information
Technology, Property) Allanagenlent, Purchasing; and Treasauy.
Activities and Accomplishments in 2009
The focus of the Finance Department is to provide excellent service to its internal
and external customers. External customers include those who pay property and
income taxes; those with an interest in properties located within the City; and those
who wish to do business with the City. Internal customers include City
departments, who rely on the department for the procurement of goods and services,
facilities, technology, and other financial resources, and employees and retirees
receiving paychecks and pensions. They also include the Mayor, Council, and
others charged with developing, adopting, and monitoring the City's budget.
Like all City departments, the Finance Department has been challenged to
continually review processes and procedures to assure that the necessary services
are provided in an accurate and timely manner while reducing costs. In 2009, the
basic functions of the department were carried out without major issues, as the
various divisions reassigned workloads, adjusted processes, and utilized technology
to accommodate reduced staffing.
As for the past four years, the annual FY2010 budget was presented and ultimately
adopted without an increase in tax rates or the use of reserves. It was this history of
strong financial management which enabled the City to maintain its AA+ credit
rating.
City finances were significantly challenged on many fronts as ongoing monitoring
disclosed a significant revenue shortfall towards the end of FY2009 and after the
FY2010 budget has been adopted. While expenses were within budget, decreases in
penalties and interest on foreclosed properties, a decrease in the equity payment
from the BWL, reduced income tax revenues, reduced interest earnings, and less -
than -expected state revenue sharing payments resulted in FY2009 ending with
expenses exceeding revenues by more than $2 million. Unfortunately, some of these
shortfalls were not booked into the City finances until after the close of the year,
making it impossible to reduce expenses correspondingly.
The continued lower levels in interest earnings, property tax revenues, and .income
tax revenues, coupled with more than a $2 million reduction in state revenue sharing
payments in the second quarter of FY 2010, led to a laid -year implementation of
more than $3 million in expense reductions. This included, for the first time, the
imposition of fiulough days and other personnel cost reduction measures. It is
anticipated that these expense reductions will prevent a further reduction in reserves
at the end of FY2010.
Associated with the difficult financial circumstances of the times was a significant
increase in the numbers of property tax bills unpaid and in the number of property
tax assessments appealed, including General Motors. This has added an unexpected
workload and expense to the Offices of the City Assessor, City Treasurer, and City
Attorney.
Enhancements in technology continued to facilitate -efficiencies in operations. Phase
I of an automated cash receipting system was installed in the Treasurer's Office, and
state income tax tapes were again purchased to enhance income tax collection and to
monitor homestead exemption certificates. Installation of bar coding and an
automated work order system was begun in the City garages along with a continued
review of garage operations and facilities. More than 60 vehicles were replaced,
including more than 30 new police cruisers equipped with electronic ticketing
capabilities and in -car video. Video arraignment capability was established between
the District Court and the State of Michigan, reducing the need to transport
prisoners to the Court. Lansingstat continued to evolve, providing managers with
ongoing data to monitor critical operations.
Building usage and energy consumption continued to be monitored and evaluated.
Energy conservation improvements were made in City Hall, and planning was begun
for disposing of the Oak Park and Hazel Street facilities. Planning for the future use
of the former armory on Washington Avenue and for the eventual consolidation of
police and court facilities was begun. The search continued for appropriate space for
merging the Treasurer's Office and the Assessor's Office into -a Tax Services
Division continued, as well as space for a Permit Central, combining the. permitting
functions of Public Service, Building and Safety, and Transportation.
Looking forward to 2010
The continued loss of revenues from property tax collections, from the state, and
from other sources, in conjunction with rising health care and pensions costs, will
result in the need for further reductions in the City workforce and in the level of
services which can be provided. With significant workforce reductions already made
over the past four years, FY2010 may be the most difficult year yet. The Finance
Department will be very much involved in developing and implementing strategies
to address these challenges.
In this environment, it will be critical to identify and implement efficiencies, which
reduce costs and improve productivity while assuring the continuation of essential
services. Planned events include an upgrade of the consolidated financial system as
well as the installation of an applicant online system. Phase II of the new cash
receipting system will further reduce duplicate entry processes. Installation of
Internet -Protocol based phones will be extended beyond City Hall, reducing costs
and providing new technology for employees. Continuous improvement of the City
website will remain a priority.
Continued emphasis will be placed on reducing the amount of space leased by the
City and disposing of properties no longer needed. With planning for a consolidated
garage nearly complete, the focus will turn to specific timelines and funding
strategies. Space planning and the search for alternate locations for a potential
consolidated police.and courts facility will be completed. The creation of "Permit
Central" and the "Tax Services Division" will resume once a decision on the North
Capitol Rainp is made; and further recommendations for energy efficiencies at City
Hall and other City facilities will be considered for implementation. Additional
relationships with the Board of Water and Light will continue to be explored,
including garage operations, use of equipment, and coordination in property
maintenance— especially grounds maintenance and energy conservation. There will
be continued effort to manage and reduce health care costs and to assure that those
who should be paying property and income taxes do in fact pay.
All of this will be addressed in the context of keeping City expenses within
available revenues, without raising taxes and without using reserves. Our focus is to
provide the best possible service within the constraints of our resources.
Appreciation
Within the context of the ongoing budget challenges, all of the employees in the
Finance Department have found it necessary to "do more with less." Their cooperation
and assistance is greatly appreciated. Additionally, City Assessor Maria Irish; City
Treasurer Antonia Kraus; Accounting Supervisor Tom Korkoske; Budget Supervisor
Angela Bennett; Interim Purchasing Supervisor John Green; IT Division Supervisor Eric
Tumbarella, and Property Division Supervisor Marty Riel are all to be commended for
their leadership efforts.
All of the employees hi the Finance Department are to be conmended for their
accomplishments in 2009 and for their commitment to continue improving the delivery
of services in the fixture. The residents, businesses and visitors to the City are well -
served by these efforts.
AccountinIZ Division
Tom Korkoske, Accounting Manager
Division Description
The Accocaiting Division encompasses City accounting, payroll, retirement, accounts
payable, grants, investments and barrlcing, arid financial reporting.
Staffing and Budget
The Accouunting Division has a staff of eight (8). This staffing level is significantly
reduced fiom. past years, made possible by use of unproved technology, development of
work efficiencies, and employee cooperation and effort.
Division Activities
Accounting for 86 separate funds, each accountant acts as the "Controller" of their
assigned funds, working on the budgets, reconciliations, account analyses, bond
issuances, financial stateinent preparation, and audits. Each accountant also supports the
associated departments with their financial needs and grant accounting.
• The Payroll Section oversees paychecks for more than 2,900 employees and
retirees.
• The Retirement Section answers employee inquiries on retirement issues,
and calculates estimated retirement benefits. Retiree questions and needs are
also addressed by the Retirement Analyst.
• The Accounts Payable Section directs and monitors payments made
throughout the City by the various departments and audits/processes the
invoices for payment. Some 17,725 invoices and 23,348 Procurement Card
purchases are processed annually.
• The Investments and Banking Section monitors the investments in the City's
non -retirement cash, and ensures that there are adequate cash balances to
cover the City's obligations.
• The Financial Reporting Section works with the external auditors, actuaries,
indirect cost consultants, and insurance brokers to report the year-end results
of operations. This section files required reports to state and federal
departments, and bonding agencies. It also monitors and assists reporting for
90 separate grants, ensuring federal and state compliance with reporting and
expenditure regulations for the departments.
Challenges and Accomplishments in 2009
• Retirement Board minutes, to be electronically filed and available online, are
partially complete.
• The Retirement system web page is uploaded.
• Retirees have online access to forms to change addresses, reprint 1099-R's, etc.
• Coding is being done for the COLA and post -retirement adjustment process to be
streamlined.
• Retirement files are re -organized.
• Implemented updated retirement calculation worksheet.
• A retiree health database was created.
• Vendor participation in the 2007 Medicare Part D reconciliation has been
coordinated.
• The process of issuing W-2's and 1099-R's has been improved.
• Major adjusting of the general ledger distribution logic to eliminate huge account
analysis for the payroll system.
• The IFAS fixed asset module was procedurally implemented.
• Continued process and hardware feasibility testing was done for the reduction of
paper use through scanning and cold storage of documents.
• Procurement card use for purchase orders was increased farther, thereby
increasing departmental flexibility.
• Continued evaluation of retiree health benefits was conducted with TPA's to
search for innovative ways to cut rising healthcare costs.
• Accounts Receivable software was implemented. This required a BS&A to IFAS
General Ledger interface, process design, and implementation.
• Intranet access was provided to departments for scanned utility bills.
• A risk assessment on all City operations was initiated with completion being in
2010.
• Separate financial statements for the Tri-County Metro Narcotics Squad were
prepared, increasing the scope of the annual audit.
Anticipated Activities for 2010
Retirement
• COLA and post -retirement adjustment process to be streamlined. Coding is
currently being done towards this goal.
• The Police and Fire retirement system will conduct a payroll audit.
• The continued challenge of having a comprehensive database for determining
final average compensation. Currently the mainframe computer is still in use
due to information that needs moving to server -based software.
• Uploading a computerized retirement calculation worksheet on the website.
• Retirement conference for retirees and active employees to be held.
• Expand retirement website for more interaction with retirees.
• Redesign forms to streamline retirement payroll.
• New actuary services search.
• New fraud monitoring services search.
• Rewriting the retirement ordinance.
• Comprehensive review of the Qualified Plan Documents.
Payroll
• The applicant online module of IFAS will be implemented.
• Payroll history will be moved from the mainframe computer.
• 7.9 upgrade on IFAS for payroll.
• Compliance with IRS for taxable earnings.
• Implement any findings from the current IRS audit.
Accounting
• Procurement card use for purchase orders will be increased further, increasing
departmental flexibility.
• Continued evaluation of retiree health benefits will be conducted with TPA's
to search for innovative ways to cut rising healthcare costs:
• Further refinement to the BS&A cash receipting system to allow departments
to enter their own postings, reducing the current redundancies.
• Training and retrieval issues for tracking to sub systems, internal control, and
compliance puiposes will be addressed.
• Further work toward a monthly financial close will be performed.
• The risk assessment on all City operations will be completed.
• 7.9 upgrade to IFAS for purchasing, accounting, and payables.
• Purchase order notification will be rebuilt to acconmiodate the new platform.
• Reorganizing the grant accounting functions to distribute the workload and
assigning over site to specific grants.
• Increased audit compliance with grants will require more diligence on our
part.
• W-9 and vendor withholding compliance as they relate to 1099-M reporting.
• New IRS requirements for withholding from payments to vendors on anything
over $10,000.
• GASB pronouncement implementation for upcoming issues:
o SEA performance reporting (Service Efforts and Accornplislunents)
o 'Accounting for external investment pools.
o Deposit and investment risk disclosures.
o Accounting and Financial reporting for pensions.
o Fund balance reporting.
• State of Michigan compliance issues:
o Compliance with the State on due diligence for escheated property.
o New chart of accounts.
o MDOT requirements for street reporting.
• New auditor bids.
• New insurance agent bids.
ASSESSING DIVISION — updated 1/4/2010
Maria L. Irish, City Assessor
Division Description
The Assessor's Office is responsible for the antnial assessment for all real and personal
property within the City of Lansing. Each year, the Assessor's Office prepares
assessment rolls and wanner and winter property) tax rolls in accordance with
Ifichigan's General Properly Tax Laiv.
Lansing has 41,256 real property parcels, 2,321 exempt real property and 3,314 personal
property parcels. The total Taxable Value of the ad valorem and IFT parcels was over
$2.48 billion in 2009 and generates a total tax, not taking into consideration tax
captures, of over $144 million dollars of revenues for local taxing jurisdictions and
schools, from all sources. The property tax levy constitutes 35. 00% of the City's General
fund revenues.
Budget and Staffing
The office consists of three (3) residential appraisers (two full -tune and one part-time),
three commercial appraisers, three support staff, and an Assessing Office Supervisor and
a Deputy Assessor who are under the supervision of the City Assessor. This office is
committed to the enhancement of the physical, economic and social well-being of all of
the citizens of Lansing; our goal is to strengthen the fiscal resources of Lansing's
government by providing equitable assessments and accurate property data while
ensuring that no one is burdened with having to pay more than their fair share of the
property tax.
The department's 2009-10 annual budgets were $1.4 million, which is 1.19 percent of the
total General Fund Budget. This office provides the resources for approximately 35
percent of the General Fund Revenue in the accurate assessment of real and personal
property. The operating portion of the Assessing budget consists of 3 percent of the total
office budget and is used for mandatory functions including but not limited to; postage,
mailing costs and office supplies. Another 3.4 percent of the budget is pass -through
accounts for telephones, utilities and insurance. The remainder of the budget is salaries
and benefits.
Accomplishments in 2009
The economy has brought challenges to the Assessor's Office over the past year,
with the increased CPI when property values, especially residential, decreased for
the second year in a row. This fact along with the number of foreclosures led to
an 82% increase of the number of March Board of Review appeals. The
Assessor's Office held eight days of public meetings of the March Board of
Review, instead of five. The office also prepared and presented, in collaboration
with the Treasurer, informational meetings regarding the assessment/taxable value
process and the appeal process. Currently the Powerpoint presentation is on the
Assessor's website and the presentation airs on City television. This office has
done an excellent job of adjusting to meet the unexpected challenges placed upon
it.
• The economy alsohas led to substantial increases in the number of residential and
commercial assessments appealed before the Michigan Tax Tribunal. The
residential appraisers have logged 1000+ hours in defense of assessments with a
75% win percentage (Assessor's assessment were affinzned by the Tribunal).
Connnercial/industrial appraisers have logged in 700+ hours in long process of
defending of 34 appeals before the Tribunal.
• Implementation of the bi-annual review and billing of the Property Transfer
Affidavit fine has generated a total of $70,400 for the General Fluid and has led to
greater comnnunication with the taxpayers regarding the transfer process.
• Collaboration with in-house and outside counsel on the GM and supplier
bankruptcy cases, maintaining the City's position for monies due from the
entities.
• Implementation of change in the Red -Tag monitoring fee ordinance has allowed
the Assessor's office to charge a penalty for non-payment of the Red -Tag fee to
cover the costs of processing the charges, which for FYI totaled $8,491.13.
• On -going: collaborating with Development and Planning for development of a
potential Homeowner Tax Grant program, which is designed to offer property tax
relief for homeowners who improve their properties.
• On -going: working with Zoning Department to design and implement
split/combination process/procedures between the two divisions, providing for a
seamless flow of information.
• On -going: Collaboration with Ingham County Equalization to provide GIS
updates as it pertains to property splits and combinations free of charge. Also,
Ingham County Equalization is printing our new counter parcel maps for free.
• On -going: determination of functional obsolescence for OPRA and Brownfield
eligible properties.
• On -going: administration of all TIFA, Brownfield plans, the OPRA and IFT
exemptions and PA 425 agreements between the City of Lansing and surrounding
townships.
• Continue to open communication lines between the Assessor's office and various
departments, creating an efficient flow of information.
Anticipated Activities for 2010
• Consolidation of the Assessor's Office and Treasurer's Office would create a one -
stop shopping system for property information and tax liability for our customers,
but would also create efficiencies within the City of Lansing organizational
structure.
• Successful defense of Michigan Tax Tribunal Appeals, including Rill Tribunal
cases scheduled for 2010.
• Continuation of City-wide reappraisal project which began in 2008.
• Continue commercial appraisals and land value analysis.-
• Assist in implementing a Homeowner Tax Grant program.
• Continue to collaborate with Ingham County Equalization to provide GIS updates
as it pertains to property splits and combinations flee of charge. Collaboration
includes electronic parcel updates at no cost to the City.
• . On -going: determination of all functional obsolescence for OPRA and
Brownfield eligible properties.
• On -going: processing of all Special Assessment billings
• On -going: administration of all TIFA, Brownfield plans, PSD, Recycling Fee,
OPRA and IFT exemptions and PA 425 agreements between the City of Lansing
and surrounding townships.
• Continue to open communication lines between the Assessor's office and various
departments, creating an efficient flow of information.
BUDGET DIVISION —
Angela Bennett, Budget Manager
Division Description
The Budget Office is responsible for financial forecasting and analysis, annual budget
preparation; and budget monitoring.
Staffing and Budget
Three (3) positions — Budget Manager and two Budget Analysts
FY 2009 expenditures = $361,036
Accomplishments for 2009
• Preparation, communication, and adoption of the FY 2010 budget.
• Preparation, conununication of FY 2010 deficit elimination plan
• Continued implementation of annual purchase order review (so as to annually
close out purchase orders that are no longer needed)
• Continued incorporation of accountants into the budget process for better review,
comprehension, and ability to anticipate issues in departmental and hind budgets
(previously budgets and accounting were handled by different staff).
• Participation in bargaining for five open union contract negotiations (two likely
settled)
• Began work to expand Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) to six -year
projections, to conform with City Charter
Anticipated Activities 2010
• Ongoing Budget preparation and monitoring
• Continued participation in union contract negotiations
• Moving to accounting month -end closes (both revenues and expenditures;
involves several departments)
• Making budget -to -actual reports more routine (monthly) and expanding to non -
General funds
• Getting budget year-to-date reports incorporated into LansingStat
• Working with Treasury to enhance income tax revenue trend reporting
• Streamlining budget transfer process (upon IFAS 7.9 upgrade)
• Look into possible of use of IFAS budget modules in Riture budget preparation
• Continued education of staff, labor unions, City Council, and public on the City's
structural deficit and the need to address it
• Ongoing facilitation of interdepartmental meetings for addressing longer -term
cost savings and business process improvements
• Increase benclunarking research
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIVISION
Eric Tumbarella, IT Supervisor
Division Description
The Nlission. of Inforanation Technology is to deliver enabling technology to the 00)
organization to callow ins to more efficiently and effectively peaforin our jobs, while
serving the citizens of City of Lansing.
Staffing and Budget
The Division consists of 15 staff members with a budget of $2.6M which is about 2% of
the overall General Fund budget. The staff of the division provides a frill range of IT
services from deployment of workstations to management of the inulti-site converged
voice, video and data coninunications network. This network includes more than 35
individual end points and is interconnected with Ingham County and the State of
Michigan.
A key part of the day-to-day responsibilities of Information Technology is maintaining
reliable computing systems. In 2009, we kept 99.96% up -time on all critical systems
which is less than 3 hours of planned and/or unplanned down time per month.
In 2009, our HELPDESK handed more than 3350 calls for services from end users within
Departments. These calls can range from system outages to printers not functioning
properly.
Technology at work— 2009 Accomplishments
E-Ticket/E-Crash
In 2009, the Division worked in conjunction with the Lansing Police Department and
54A District Court to deploy E-Crash and E-Ticket applications to patrol officers. These
new applications allow officers to complete accident reports electronically and
automatically send them to the State of Michigan when approved be a supervisor. Paper
is no longer required. The E-Ticket application was deployed to replace the paper -based
tickets books with an electronic version. Officers can now issue a very accurate, easy -to -
read citation within about 1 minute. Information from the citation is then transferred
electronically to the 54A District Court where it is transferred into the Judicial
Information System (JIS) with the need to re -type any irnfornation.
The use of E-Tickets has enabled on-line payment of tickets via the City's website which
prevents the need for an individual to come downtown.
Police In -Car Video
Working with the Police Department Electronic Equipment Maintenance Unit,
Information Technology successfully deployed in -car video systems to all Police marked
patrol cars. Video recorded from the in -car cameras) is wirelessly transferred from
North Precinct or South Precinct with a patrol car pulls into the parking lot. Video is
transferred downtown -to our central data center and stored until needed for court or our
purpose.
Cash Receipting
2009 saw the migration from an old antiquated system for cash receipting in the Treasury
Office to a more integrated application as of the BS&A Software system already used by
the City. This new software enables the Treasury Office to more easily complete
transactions and streamline the cash handling process.
Storage Area Network Enhancement
In 2009, Information Technology successfiully completed the move to a new Storage
Area Network server that increased storage capacity by more than 50%. This increase in
storage capacity will increase storage for information and a higher degree of reliability
for critical systems.
Patrol Laptop Computers
65 patrol car laptop computers were replaced as part of the E-ticket, E-crash and in -car
video project. The new computers have an improved screen visibility, faster processors
and increased memory and were part of the near $1M spent to improve technology for
Police patrol operations.
54A District / Michigan Department of Corrections (DOC)
Working with State of Michigan, we enabled the 54A District Court to utilize existing
video conference technology to allow court proceedings to be conducted with the
necessity of transferring prisoners from DOC facilities to Lansing.
Lansing Police South Precinct — Investigation assistance
hi early 2009, hifonnation Technology started a pilot project with detectives at South
Precinct to allow theirs to access key law enforcement systems while out in the field
conducting investigations. Within 24 hours of receiving these new capabilities, South
Precinct detectives were able to catch a homicide suspect using this capability.
Buffer Zone Protection Grant (BZPP)
Working as part of a team, Information Teelulology worked to implement the technology
components of the BZPP grant awarded to the City. This included the deployment of
surveillance cameras, increased video conference capabilities and deployment of high
speed, high capacity fiber optic communications cables to key City facilities.
Cell Phone Replacement
Iu the fall of 2009, Information Technology migrated the City's 360 cell phone/Pahm
users from Alltel Wireless to Verizon Wireless to realize an annual savings for more than
$50,000.00 by taking advantage of pricing plan(s) available from Verizon Wireless,
which purchased Alltel in 2008. In addition, we converted from using the Palm Treo to
the BlackBerry Storm platform.
Anticipated Activities for 2010
2010 will see no shortage of information technology projects that will enhance employee
effectiveness, improve customer service and help the City continue to do more with less.
Planned projects include:
• Implementation of audio/video recording of police interview rooms.
• Implementation of B&SA Software to replace Lotus Notes applications in Code
Compliance and Building Safety.
• Implement VisonAIR Jail Management in conjunction with Ingham County
• Work to implement Phase II of document management system and identify new
potential opportunities.
• Implement IP based phones systems at North Precinct South Precinct, North
Capital Ramp, Central Garage, Operations and Maintenance
• Ready South Side Office Complex (SWOC) to accept City staff
• Implement GIS Enhanced Access Policy
• Participate in 2010 Regional digital photography over -flight in conjunction with
Tri-County Regional Planning
• Implement GroupWise 8.0
• Implement electronic daily log and contact card applications to replace existing
paper -based systems
• Enhance capabilities for notification of citizens, employees and the general public
using tools such a www.nixle.com
• Deploy desktop video conference capability to key individuals
• Work with Facilities and Fire Maintenance division implement new work -
management system.
• Work with Ingham County to establish electronic transfer of case information
from Police Department to Prosecutor's Office.
• Continue deployment of wireless on -network (private) and public Internet access
within City buildings
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT DIVISION
Martin Riel, Property Management
Division Description
The Property Management Division. oversees the maintenance of City buildings and
grounds; City fleet and garage; and building services, includingjanitorial and security
ser>ices. The Property Allanagenzent Division also assists ivith. preparing for special
events (such as Common Ground) and parades.
Activities and Accomplishments in 2009
Building Maintenance Group:
1. Completed renovation of the Foster Park Building which included the installation
of an environmentally sound "Green" roof which consisted of the installation of
planting trays and plants to provide summer roof shading and rainwater
collection.
2. Energy Improvements to the City Hall lighting and plumbing systems were
installed as part of the City's energy and water usage reduction plan. This is an
ongoing program which will be continuing into 2010.
3. Supported the Couunon Ground Music Festival with staff labor, materials and
equipment and was able to reduce 300 staff hours from previous years.
4. Demolished the old Humane Society Building on Sunset Ave. in preparation of
the construction of a new City owned and operated LPD Impounded Vehicle
Storage Lot.
5. Development of the use of the buildings at 2500 S. Washington ( the old
Michigan National Guard Headquarters) for use by'Public Service, Human
Relations and Cormnunity Services, Fire Maintenance and LPD Dive Team.
Fleet Services Group:
1. Police Cruiser Building: Placed 33 new police cruisers into service with the new
console and video equipment and retrofitted 24 older Patrol Cars with new
console and video equipment
2. Participated in a Regional Ambulance Purchase with Delta Township, Grand
Ledge, East Lansing, and Meridian Township
3. Wrote specifications and ordered the Police Department Special Tactics Vehicle
4. Completed the final inspection on a new Fire Pumper
5. Wrote specifications purchased and received 61 Vehicles and Equipment,
including parks vehicles and mowers, refuse trucks, packers, side walk plow, etc.
Anticipated Activities for 2010
Building Maintenance Group
Goals and Objectives
1. Provide a strong infrastructure to service and maintain all City services
2. Continued development of existing staff skills to cross -training for efficiency of
maintenance and repairs.
3. Effectively coordinating the use of other departments to enhance the efficiency
and effectiveness of current staffing levels.
4. Continual improvement of energy efficient light and equipment to reduce our
overall energy consumption.
S. Promoting new technologies to efficiently maintain City facilities.
Fleet Services Group
Goals and Objectives
1. Build a strong centralized organizational infrastructure — Ensuring continuity of
services.
2. Working with departments to right -sizing the fleet — ensuring vehicle needs, not
wants, and incorporating alternative equipment in the fleet.
3. Staffing efficiently — Effectively use contracts to keep staffing levels low,
reducing overhead expenses by utilizing technology (bar coding, hiternet based
systems).
4. Conserving Riel — Encourage car pooling, promote a "no idling" policy,
maintaining proper tire pressures, complete preventative maintenance of vehicles
and equipment on time.
5. Reduce our overall fleet exhaust emissions
PURCHASING DIVISION —
John Green, Interim Purchasing Manager
Division Description
All procurement for goods and services for• the City of Lansing, except those excluded by
the 001 s Purchasing Ordinance and or the City Charter i•vill be effected through the
Purchasing Division.
Staffing and Budget
The Purchasing Division is now made up of and staffed by one part time clerk, one
Administrative Assistant, one Senior Buyer and one Senior Buyer/ Interim Purchasing
Manager. With the exception of the part-time clerk, the current make-up has existed since
August of 2006.
The Purchasing Section budget is rolled into that of the Finance Operations budget of
$1,446,331.00 for FY ' 10 with the Purchasing Section accounting for a little less than
9% of that budget.
Accomplishments in 2009
Noteworthy highlights and Purchasing accomplislunents are:
1) For this past year, three CSO projects were let and awarded, totaling over
$29,000,000.00.
2) Continued to place tens of thousands of dollars of bids/quotes and awards out
acting as a fiduciary for a Dept. of Homeland Security grant for general
equipment upgrades and security improvements for Eaton, Clinton, Shiawassee ,
Livingston and Ingham Counties, and for the first time, a private entity, Emergent
BioDefense Solutions.
3) Receipt of the City's first flex fuel truck for Fleet Services as handled thru the bid
process.
4) Issued inunerous bids and awards for various Parks properties improvements,
examples such as the Mt. Hope Cemetery, Frances Park, Fenner Arboretum and
the Gier Conninunity Center expansion.
5) As funded by a DOJ grant, bids and quotes were issued and awards were made for
police thermal imagers, night vision equipment, e-ticket printers and cameras for
jail use.
6) A new major upgrade to the City's WWTP facility with a bid and an award for a
multi -million dollar, inulti-year upgrade to the facilities final tanks and tertiary
filters for an approximate value of $10,400,000.00.
7) Major upgrades to some local streets were accomplished through the bid and
award process for two "NIIP" resurfacing projects for $1.7 million dollars.
8) A bid was'issued and a contract awarded for the purchase of anew LPD
"S.T.A.R.T." vehicle valued at over $196,000.
9) As dollar limits were increased for Pro Card usage from $1,000.00 to $2,500.00,
the Purchasing section was tasked with additional oversight because of increased
card usage and additional monthly statements.
10) The Purchasing Division continued to increase the usage of local and national co-
operative purchase agreements, namely those of U.S. Communities, State of
Michigan, and Oakland, Macomb and Wayne Counties.
11) Cameras for 54A District Court were bid and a contract was awarded for their
purchase and installation that will allow for remote prisoner arraignments.
In the daily operations of Purchasing, the use of "Lansingstat" continues, tracking the
flow of bids, proposals, quotes and requisitions. The "electronic mailing" of purchase
orders is on the increase and the scamung of documents is proving to be a valuable and
viable tool.
The installation of new, faster PC's over a year ago has helped in work processing and
along with the newer phone system has made the work environment somewhat more
manageable.
We have worked with the Budget Division on and will be improving the method by
which purchase orders are reviewed and closed out in a timely manner so that remaining
dollars are properly accounted for at the end of each budget year, this will be an ongoing
process.
Annually, the Purchasing Division deals with over fifteen hundred (1500) active vendors,
and lnindreds of those that wish to do business with the City, for the delivery of goods
and services to support the 1100+ City employees that maintaui the City's uifrastructtire.
Anticipated Activities for 2010
The Purchasing Division activities for 2010 will be focused on providing the goods and
services required to operate the City, at the lowest obtainable cost, all with above average
quality, within the approved operating budget. Seeking qualified Lansing -based firms for
the purchase of goods and services will continue to be a priority.
The goal of providing the best sei vice possible to other City departments and divisions
will continue to be an area that we always strive to improve. We will be continuing to
educate City employees to properly use and understand the City's Purchasing Ordinance
and procedures to their benefit and the ramifications if not done so.
As in the past and continuing in 2010, we will work with other govenmment agencies in as
many cooperative agreements as possible and to the benefit of the City. In this endeavor,
this year we will be expanding the inter -agency cooperation and notification process of
the available cooperative agreements to those members of the MITN and LAPPG
organizations that are not known to be agencies that use or issue cooperative purchase
agreements in Hopes that they will be inclusive of this process and enlarge the
cooperative purchase agreement base, thus having these agreements being of more
benefit to a larger agency base.
With the increasing use of the "P-Card", and the additional audits required of that
expanded use, Purchasing will be turning a more critical eye to the audit process to
ascertain if Lansing -based businesses are being used to their fiillest extent possible or that
the convenience of the P-Card has allowed the users of those cards to go outside of the
City purchasing goods that are known to be available from. firms within the City.
Upon issuance of the P-Card to users, they are instructed to use Lansing -based businesses
wherever possible, but in past reviews during audits, cursorily this has not always proven
to be the case, this additional one small step in the audit process on an intermittent basis
could rectify this.
TREASURY
Antonia Kraus, City Treasurer
Division Description
The Treasury Office of the Tax Services division consists of two plain work groups:
Income Tax and Property Tax. The Property Tax group collects the current Real and
Personal property tax as well as delinquent Personal property tax. The Income Tax group
collects Income Tax for Lansing residents and non-residents that work in Lansing. In
addition, the Income Tax group works with our Lansing -based and our regional
employers in regards to employee withholding. The Treasury Office has 11 permanent
full-time employees and 2 part-time employees with a budget of $1.5 million dollars. We
are responsible for collection of all revenue and remittances to the City. We oversee the
depositing and safekeeping of City fiords, monies and securities.
Income Tax:
The Income Tax work group reviews and audits more than 80,000 individual tax returns
of which 68,700 where 2008 tax returns; 1,000 Partnerships; 2,200 Corporations, issuing
refiinds where applicable. We process over 46,000 Income Tax refiuids per year, with
40,000 of the refiinds processed between January 1st and June 15th of each year. The
group also works with 4,500 employers to ensure proper withholding for their employees.
Within the Income Tax group, the Compliance staff works with taxpayers to collect
delinquent income tax payments and to locate non -filers of income tax.
Property Tax:
The City issues over 57,000 Property Tax bills in June and December of each year. In
addition to collecting taxes for the City, we also collect and distribute real and personal
property taxes for Ingham and Eaton Counties, Area School Districts, Lansing
Conumrmity College, Capital Area District Library, Capital Area Transit Authority, the
Airport Authority and our 425 agreement partners. The property tax group collects and
distributes payments for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) holders, the Tax Increment
Finance Authority (TIFA), Brownfield developers and the Economic Development
Corporation. This group also completes reports Brownfield Authority and T1FA reports
for State of Michigan compliance. We distribute current year revenue to our taxing
authorities on a bi-weekly basis and delinquent personal property tax on a monthly basis.
Im addition, we collect nuisance fees, code enforcement violations, false alarm fees and
diversion program fees. The work group also deposits daily cash receipts from City
departments, pay witness fees for LPD officers and juror fees to citizens.
The compliance group within property tax works with businesses to collect delinquent
personal property taxes. This group also provides tax clearance for liquor licenses,
elected official candidates and provides LPD detectives with property owner naives and
addresses.
2009 Accomplishments
2009 was a continuation and refinement year for the Treasurer's office which allowed us
to adapt to changes within our workgroup. Our 2009 accomplishunents include:
1) New cash receipting program: On July 1, we went live with phase 1 of the
BS&A cash receipting system implementation. The cash receipting software
integrates with the Property Tax, Delinquent Property Tax, Special Assessment
and Miscellaneous Revenue packages. We now enter data once into the cash
receipting system and the information flows to the other packages eliminating
double data entry.
This system allowed us to interface with the City's GL system. We now upload
the daily cash receipts into the GL system instead of creating a worksheet which
required data entry to load the information.
We still have two stand alone systems that do not interface to the cash receipting
system: Income Tax and False Alarm Billing. At this time we are.entering
detailed infonmation into the specific software and sununary information into the
cash receipting system.
2) Income Tax compliance officers:
In 2009, the Compliance Officers added another $500,000 in both previously un-
filed tax returns and revenue collection from the previously un-filed tax returns.
During the tax season, the compliance officers also assisted the audit staff
responding to taxpayer concerns.
3) Electronic Funds Transfers for Income Tax refunds: We processed over
15,300 Electronic Fund Transfers (EFT) for income tax refiinds compared to
14,700 last year. Electronic refund transfers reduce the potential number of
returned checks due to incorrect or invalid addresses. Through the use of EFTs,
we realized a saving of $8,000 in postage, envelopes, check stock and bank fees.
4) E-filing Income Tax Returns: The Income Tax Office participated in a pilot e-
filing of professionally prepared Income Tax Returns for 2008 income taxes. We
received 5,000 tax returns as part of the pilot. This reduced the amount of time
spent with mail opening and data entry.
5) Partnerships with Michigan Department of Treasury: Through discussions
with the Michigan Department of Treasury we were able to establish a contract
with GC Services in Lansing to provide collection services. We were able to use
their knowledge and experience in collections gained through their work. with the
Michigan Department of Treasury to our advantage. GC Services maintains a
separate contract and separate operations to maintain required privacy in
collections.
G) Income Tare Return Processing: The income tax audit staff completed the
mandated issuance of refund checks before the deadline with minimal overtime.
7) Adapting to Reduced Staff: The Treasurer's Office once again had a change to
staffing in 2009. As part of adapting to staff changes, we are reviewing our
processes to reduce/eliminate inefficiencies while trying to maintain a high level
of customer service.
8) Website Updates: We continue to update the Treasury and Income Tax website
to be more informative for the citizens. We began converting regular .pdf forms
to "fillable" forms.
9) Merger with the Assessor's Office: We did not co -locate with the Assessor's
office in 2009. We will continue to look for appropriate space that will allow us
to serve our customers without adding a burden to our budgets.
Anticipated Activities for 2010
In 2010, our plans include
1) New cash receipting program: Implement the second phase of the BS&A cash
receipting system. Departments will enter their deposit information into their sub-
system database. Departments will then print a receipt and Treasury will irnport
the deposit into the main database. We can also provide a cashiering option to
areas that have stand alone cash registers. The cashiering option will be tied to
the department/division's sub system in cash receipting, streamlining the end of
day deposit process. Departments/divisions will be transitioned through June 30,
2010.
As part of the Treasurer's office use of the cash receipting system, we need to
determine if and what kind of interface can be written for the Income Tax system
and False Alann Billing and the cost effectiveness of creating the interface. At
this time it appears it would be easiest to create an upload from each of the
systems into cash receipting but that has yet to be determined. This review will
occur between February and June of 2010.
2) Compliance: The staff will continue the income tax audit using the State Data
and the Homestead Exemptions. We will purchase the 2008 State data in the
spring. We will continue to work the data from 2005 — 2007 as not all tax payers
respond to the first contact. This work is continuous and will occur throughout
the calendar year.
In prior years, we have discussed auditing Lansing -based employers for employee
income tax filing compliance with a focus on non-residents working in Lansing.
This is still on the table but has some questions associated with getting the
information fi-om the employers. This issue will be reviewed as time allows after
the end of April.
3) Merger with the Assessor's Office and other revenue collection groups: This
merger will allow us to serve our customers in a more effective and efficient
manner. Merging with the Assessor's office allows us to resolve concerns of our
customers that cross between Assessor's and Treasurer's office. At times, we
have to direct our customers to the Assessor's office on a different floor instead of
having someone come to meet the customer and resolve the concern. We can also
cross train employees to better serve customers with phone calls.
Merging with other revenue collection groups such as the parking office will
allow us to take additional types of payments and may be able to smooth
variations in busy periods with the proper amount of staff.
Locating the proper work space that can house Treasurer's office, the Assessor's
office and whatever additional work groups' staff members in a customer friendly
location is primary to completing this task. It is difficult to put a completion date
on this item as we do not know where this space is at this time.
4) Collections: There are multiple departments within the City that have accounts
receivable collection concerns. The Treasurer's office, Police Department and
Fire Department currently use GC Services as their collection agency. I would
like to bring together a work group to review how the various departments handle
their collection efforts and determine if there is a better way to collection
outstanding accounts receivables. This may include a centralized past due
accounts receivable officer and an expanded partnership with GC Services.
The collections tech in the income tax work group will work with GC Services to
assume monitoring payment plans which will allow her to work the other cases.
We will also discuss what part of the collections process is best to begin utilizing
GC Services to streamline the process and use their knowledge and expertise.
This discussion will be completed by the end of April.
5) Further discussions with Michigan Department of Treasury: The Treasurer's
office will continue discussions with the Michigan Department of Treasury to
determine if there are areas where we can streamline and improve efficiencies by
partnering with them or their contract holders
6) E-filing Income Tax Returns: The pilot program for e-Fling is on hold until
further tecluucal and financial issues are resolved. The process works but needs
some modifications. The financial model for e-Fling needs to be reviewed to
make it sustainable for our participation. At this time, we have not come to an
agreement with our vendor.
CITY OF LANSING
FIRE DEPARTMENT
2009
ANNUALREPORT
Virg Bemero, Mayor
Tom Cochran, Fire Chief
Lansing Fire Department
120 E. Shiawassee Street
Lansing MI 48933
(517) 483-4200 Fax (517) 483-4488
www.lansingfire.com
Our Mission Statement:
"The Lansing Fire Department is committed to serving the Lansing area
EU community with the highest levels of life and property protection. We will
achieve this by providing excellent compassionate service in an atmosphere
that encourages innovation, professional development and diversity."
OR
As a result of this mission, the Lansing Fire Department has developed into a
multi faceted agency responsible for providing a wide range of emergency
and non emergency services. The Lansing Fire Department's six divisions
constantly strive to fulfill our mission statement.
Lansing Fire Department
LANSING FIRE BOARD
The City of Lansing Fire Board has been established by the city Charter
and acts as an advisory board to the elected and appointed officials.
® The Fire Board exercises the following responsibilities:
w Establishes administrative rules for the Lansing Fire Department
m Approves the rules of conduct for the Lansing Fire Department
members
® Receives and resolves complaints
m Reviews and approves the Lansing Fire Department budget
® The Fire Board is composed of eight (8) members, one for each of the
four (4) wards in the City and four (4) at -large members.
Lansing Fire Department
Administration Division
FIRE CHIEF Assistant Fire Administrative
Tom Cochran Chief Assistant
Tim James Chuck Fulger
Secretary
Ratana Hayes
Financial Officer Financial
Jerome Tolbert Officer (retired)
Deb Pacheco
The Administrative Division is responsible
for the overall management of the
department and the coordination of our
efforts based on direction from the Mayor,
City Council and Fire Board. We constantly
strive to efficiently manage the efforts of
our divisions to insure we are delivering
service consistent with our mission
statement.
Administrative Assistant
Patti Starnes
Lansing Fire Department
K, all
Finance Division
fi� NNg�
Jerome Tolbert
Department Financial Officer
The Lansing Fire Department Finance division has had an interesting year.
mThe budget was, and still is an ongoing project. The City's economic state was the driving
factor in finding more and better ways to cut costs and to do our "business" more
efficiently. Under the direction of Chief Cochran and Assistant Chief James these goals
were met.
®To date the Finance department has processed 10 retirements and hired 10 new recruits.
Lansing Fire Department
Finance Division cont,
® This is the second year that Finance and the Union local 421 have served on the
steering committee for United Way, supported the MDA- Lock -Up, the Food Drive, and
Career Day.
® Ambulance Revenue: The City of Lansing and the Lansing Fire Department has
15
changed it's billing services from Medical Management Systems to Med 3000 with GC
MI collections, bringing the total since July 1, 2009 to $164,599.74 to date.
Cal
® It is my privilege and honor to serve the Lansing Fire Department as the Department
Finance Officer. I would like to thank Chief W. Cochran and Assistant Chief T. James
for this opportunity.
Jerome Curtis Tolbert, Department Finance Officer
Lansing Fire Department
Lansing Fire Department
Fire Marshal Division
Inspector Fire Marshal Inspector
Brad Drury Phil Sabon Roberta Fockler
Secretary
Rosa M Rosas
Inspector
Gretchen Kohsmann
The Fire Marshal's office was faced with many challenges in 2009. Due to
retirements the division consisted of two people. Many of the responsibilities of
the division remained and were addressed keeping safety of the public as the
highest priority.
In April and October we increased the number of personnel in the division. We
currently have a Fire Marshal, 3 Inspectors and a Secretary to make up the
division.
Lansing Fire Department dip
Fire Marshal Division
® Many of the activities of the division focus on public safety. Each member of the
division clearly has dedicated their efforts to the protection of the citizens of Lansing
as well as the firefighters. Typical Fire and Life Safety inspections performed by staff
members of the division consisted of:
® high rise buildings within the City of Lansing
® places of public assembly
® extreme hazardous sites
UJI ® large industrial complexes within the City of Lansing
" ® Public education never took a back seat within the division. Throughout the year Fire
Safety education has been directed too many of the first through fourth grade school
children in the Lansing School district. With help from many of the fire suppression
personnel over 6,000 students were presented with home Fire Safety Education.
Lansing Fire Department
Fire Marshal Division
® This year "Fire Prevention" week concluded with a Fire Prevention open house. For four hours
the public toured the fire station (#48 Marshall St.) and attended many fire safety events. One
of the most popular events was the "Live Burn". We ignited living room furniture inside of a
burn cell. A Burn Cell is an 8 ft by 8 ft box that stands eight feet tall. One end of the box is
open for viewing the contents inside. This allows the public to view the activities inside (fire)
from a safe distance. People witnessing this event were able to see the amount of damage a
fire can cause before the fire department arrives on the scene. During this year's Fire
Prevention Open House we were able to educate over 200 people on fire safety in the home.
N ■ The Fire Marshal's office is also responsible for reviewing construction plans for new and
renovated construction in the city. Many of these projects included the installation fire alarm
and or fire suppression systems within the building. Testing and inspections of these systems
are conducted and approved by members of the Fire Marshal's office.
® The Fire Marshall's office is responsible to determine what Hazardous Material if any, are
stored in commercial buildings within the City of Lansing. This is due to the "Fire Fighter Right
To Know Laws". This is involves a major inspection process which has to be conducted by the
Fire Marshal office. The overall focus of these inspections is to maintain public safety for the
citizens as well as the firefighters responding to the site.
Lansing Fire Department
Fire Marshal Division
® The Fire Marshal's office is also responsible for the investigation of the cause and origin of fires.
Over the last year the division was faced with many large incidents that required a lot of our time.
A few of these incidents required the assistance of other city agencies due to the extent of the
incident. Each incident was approached in a systematic way that allowed all aspects of the
incident to be reviewed. This approach allowed us to conduct a thorough investigation in
determining the cause and origin of the fire.
® In 2009, the Fire Marshal's office participated in 110 fire investigations within the city of Lansing.
A cause of a fire can be classified into one of six categories:
® Accidental
® Undetermined
® Incendiary
w Prep to Burn
a Natural
® Other
® See the following graphs for a break down of the cause of these fires.
Lansing Fire Department
Fire Marshal Division
2009 Fire Investiaations
® Accidental
40
® Undetermined
7
® Incendiary Device
33
w
s
Prep to Burn
2
Natural
0
TOTAL
104
2009 Arson Cases
® Incendiary/Suspicious Fires
37
Convictions, Arrest, Suspects or
Juvenile Evaluation
21
® Pending
16
�+j2zsz1�4'ansing Fire Department
As always the Fire Marshal's office would like to thank the following agencies
and departments. Without our working relationship it would be difficult to make
Lansing a safe and enjoyable place to live and work: Local and Federal Law
Enforcement Agencies, Prosecutors office, Area Fire Departments, Businesses
within the City of Lansing, City of Lansing Building Safety office, and all the other
City of Lansing Departments
Lansing Fire Department
Suppression Division
® The Suppression Division is
responsible for the emergency
response activities of the
department. This division
responds to approximately
16,000 incidents a year and
provides fire suppression,
basic and advanced
emergency medical transport
services support through our
ambulances and hazardous
materials and technical rescue
responses.
® They also participate in a
number of public education
activities. In addition, they are
constantly in a training cycle to
maintain critical state
certifications necessary for the
department to maintain and
improve service levels.
2009
Incident Type Incident
Count
Fire
F 424
Rupture/Explosion
12
EMS/Rescue
14,013
Hazardous Condition
223
Service Call
498
Good Intent
498
False Call
673
Severe Weather
1
Other
39
TOTAL
16,381
Overall Increase of 3%
Lansing Fire Department
Suppression Division
® The Lansing Fire Department has been servicing the public with advanced life support
since the early 1970's. The Fire Department has increased the number of medic units
over the years to meet the increase in call volume.
® Medic units are housed at stations #41, #49, and station #46. The Fire Department also
has a quality assurance program that is offered 3 times a year for personnel from
Lansing Fire Department and surrounding departments to meet and maintain the level
of patient care needed in our communities. This program allows for medics to
maintain their skills and meet the new technology that continues to change in their
environment.
® The types of calls that the Fire Department responded to in 2009 are broken down into
general categories with general overall number of emergency responses. These
categories are shown in chart form on the next page. (Other category involves areas
not specified or undefined areas on the electronic reporting system)
o
Lansing Fire Department
Suppression cont.
® The Suppression Division in cooperation with Fire Prevention, Training, Emergency
Operations Center and Maintenance Division are involved in many events throughout
the year.
® It is truly a team effort by all Divisions to provide what service or education is needed
throughout the City all year long.
® Firefighters wear many hats within the area that is Rescue and Emergency response.
The men and women of Lansing Fire train everyday to be ready for whatever
Emergency needs resolution.
® It has been said that we need to have the ability to handle many types of Emergencies
because there might not be anyone else coming!
Lansing Fire Department
The following gives the station number and the equipment that is
housed there.
Station 41-1 Engine,1 Ladder Truck,1
Battalion Command vehicle, 2 Medic
Units, I ATV/ Water Rescue,1 Air trailer
This station also houses the Departments
Operations office and Administration
offices.
Station 42 -1 Engine, this engine is one
of three that carry the "jaws of life"
extrication equipment and water rescue
equipment.
Lansing Fire Department
Station 43 —1 Engine, second
closest Engine to the busy
downtown area. This Engine also
carries a large amount of water
and location of the station allows
for fast response to highway
emergencies through the middle
of town.
Station 44 —1 Engine,1 Ladder Truck,
1 ATV/Water rescue, I. Mass Casualty
Trailer. Engine 44 is one of three -
Extrication engine's carrying the
"jaws of life. This is the newest
station in the city.
Lansing Fire Department
Station 47 —1 Engine. This Westside
station has the distinction of being
labeled a City Historic site.
M,
R
Station 48 —1 Engine,1 Ladder
Truck,1 Technical Rescue truck
and trailer. Focus station for
Confined space rescue, Trench
rescue, High angle rescue.
�M5AP
ansing Fire Department
Station 49 —1 Engine,1 Battalion Command vehicle,1 Medic Unit. This station is the
first or second due engine for the Southside of town. This Medic Unit is one of the
busiest.
Lansing Fire Department
im The Training Division is responsible
for providing training to department
personnel.
®
Typical training activities for this
division are in the areas of initial
recruit, driver, emergency medical
services, technical rescue,
hazardous material, officer and
professional development training.
® In addition, this division is
responsible for delivering and
monitoring the quality of our
emergency medical service delivery
through a number of quality
improvement processes.
yjx'SIni�_;
Fire Department
Lansing
Training Division cont.
EDUCATION OFFERINGS PERSONNEL
® Course offerings ® Promotions
981 1
® Training Contact Hours ® Transfers
129706
2
MS ® Participants
3,264 ® Retirements
1
Lansing Fire Department
Maintenance Division
® The Maintenance Division delivers a high level of service for our personnel
and facilities to enable us to continue to deliver service to the community.
They serve as the department quartermasters for everything from
uniforms, protective equipment, medical supplies, and station supplies.
They are additionally responsible for servicing the maintenance needs of
the department's nine stations in conjunction with the City's Building
Maintenance Division.
® Other duties of this division include plowing snow at 9 Fire Stations, Fire
Training Academy, Radio Lab, South Precinct and South Washington
Office Complex. Responding to structure fires to re -supply air, and
maintaining the department's operational readiness.
s
r
..-Iansing Fire Department
Maintenance Division cont.
® Operational readiness is maintained by repairing and maintaining crucial
equipment such as Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), small
equipment, air monitoring equipment, fire hose, fire ladders, tools, nozzles
and personal protective clothing (turnouts, boots, helmets, gloves and
hoods). In addition, they maintain the department's proprietary fire alarm
Ell system which transmits alarms from many government buildings in Lansing
directly to the 911 system.
® During the past year, this division has worked with District 1 on the
implementation of a communications, mass casualty support trailer for
disaster preparedness. We received grants to replace a large portion of our
personal protective ensemble. The division also worked together with
Building Maintenance to install network infrastructure and access control at
the South Washington Office complex.
Lansing Fire Department
ACTIVITIES OF THE
MAINTENANCE & ALARM DIVISION
® Tested 25,000 feet of fire hose
® Tested 2,146 feet of fire ground ladder
® Functionally tested all of the
departments 146 SCBA's
628 ' t I k d t
® in ciliawor or er reques s AIR TANK
�� 224 building repair requests with/thru CHANGE
.r
Building Maintenance
® Civil Defense siren site preventative maintenance
service and painted each (20 total)
® Functional tested 63 radio box transmitters
® Assisted with the installation of the ID card access
system for the South Washington office complex
a AIR TRAILER
L �s� �YY.
•V
,wry. .gey.S 'r
I
a LIGHT TRAILER
Lansing Fire Department
Emergency Management Division
Division Chief
Trent Atkins
EM Specialist
Ronda Oberlin
® The City of Lansing Office of Emergency Management is
directed by Division Chief Trent Atkins
■ Ronda Oberlin is our Emergency Management Specialist
i,Xs3n, a
y
Lansing Fire Department
„fit DEz
Emergency Management Division
® The Lansing Office of Emergency Management, a Division of the Lansing Fire
` Department, is responsible for the Homeland Security of the City of Lansing.
Our proactive approach to an all hazard event, natural, man-made or terrorism in
nature, requires the Office of Emergency Management to prepare our community
FMI and its first responder agencies through plan development, training and
exercising.. Our preparedness initiatives with our community partnerships have
made Lansing's Office of Emergency Management leaders throughout the State
of Michigan in preparedness.
Our Vision - "Building a Disaster Resilient Community"
Lansing Fire Department
Emergency Management Division'
Activations/Exercises
® July 6-12, 2009 Common Ground — The EOC
was activated for eight days in July to
coordinate the public safety officials within
the Common Ground event. This included all
of the Police, Fire and EMS responders
operating at Common Ground.
® BZPP Exercise An full scale exercise was
held to test the communications,
coordination and command of a terrorist
attack within the City of Lansing.
® October 2009 Swine Flu TTX - A Tabletop
Exercise was held in the Lansing Emergency
Operations Center to review and exercise the
swine flu plans recently developed.
Lansing Fire Department
Emergency Management Division -' g
Activations/Exercises
® September to Present Swine Flu Outbreak — The
EOC has been partially activated to monitor the
flu outbreak locally and to assist local public
health in administering vaccinations and care to
the community. Daily briefings given to Unified
Command Team.
® November 20, 2009 Silverbells in the City — The
EOC was activated for the purpose of
coordinating public safety officials. Over 125,000
people attended the event and were isolated to a
one mile square area of downtown Lansing.
Lansing Fire Department
�pNAGF
o{ MF'4
Erner-gency Management• ci2 �o
F
Other Activities
�G
O'rY OF~LANS�
PUBLIC & PRIVATE SECTOR PRESENTATIONS
® Presentations on floodplain management,
preparedness and mitigation efforts were presented at
the Michigan Stormwater Floodplain Conference,
Michigan Safety Conference and at the Michigan
Emergency Management Summit. Presentations were
also made to several Lansing business associations,
community organizations, neighborhood watches and
others.
,;yRrT511yQ
Lansing Fire Department
'f'RE D'8
Emergency Management Division 7
a. tw
COMMITTEES
Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)
® Lansing Emergency Operations Center Teams
® Michigan Homeland Defense
® Amateur Radio Public Service Corp.
® Michigan State Police Emergency Management Division 1 st District
Region One Homeland Security Committee
® Michigan Emergency Managers Association
® National Pharmaceutical Stockpile Planning Committee
Michigan Association of Fire Chief's Mutual Aid Committee
® International Association of Fire Chief's Emergency Management Committee
® Wellhead Protection Committee
® "It's a Cool Thing to Do"
Lansing Fire Department
BOX 23 CLUB
® The Box 23 Club was formally organized on December 11,1937, the third anniversary
of the Kerns Hotel fire. Its membership, which is limited to twenty-three people,
pledges to support the Lansing Fire Department and to provide aid at fires when
requested to do so by the Fire Department Officer in charge of the fire.
ru ® When called, members arrive with Hot Coffee, Ice Water, Snacks, and all the support
they can offer.
a;
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x t
M T
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CITY OF LANSING
HUMAN RELATIONS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT
ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2009
• PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT: The successful hosting of Lansing's 2°d Project
Homeless Connect. Providing support seivices for over 700 residents at the South
Washington Complex Office Center.
• MOBILE FOOD PANTRY: We provided 186,059 pounds of food to 4,823 households
or to 24,560 individuals.
• HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT: The submission of our I -IUD Super
NOFA application electroiucally.
• HOMELESS MANAGEMENT.INFORMATION SYSTEM: Recipient of five
outstanding HMIS Achievement Awards fiom the U. S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development.
• CESAR E. CHAVEZ COMMEMORATIVE PROGRAM: The first Annual City of
Lansing Cesar E. Chavez commemorative program April 17, 2009.
• DELUXE INN RESIDENTS: Placement of 42 residents into housing from the Deluxe
Ilui.
• LANSING HOUSING COMMISSION: New partnership with the Lansing Housing
Coimnission that prevented eviction of over 20 households.
• CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS: A reduction in the number of chronically homeless
individuals in the City of Lansing.
• MAYOR'S DRUG FREE YOUTH GOLF CLASSIC: The 14th Annual Lansing
Mayor's Drug Free Youth Golf Classic continued to successfully raise Rinds for the
School Based Mini -Grants for prevention programs and the Lansing Teen Court.
• FEED THE CHILDREN SPRING BREAK PROGRAM: National Best Practice
Award from the U. S. Conference of Mayors and Sodexo for our 1" Aimual Feed the
Children Spring Break Program where 14,600 students received nutritional sack hutches
during spring break 2009.
• CITIZEN ASSISTANCE: Assisted over 250 clients with utility shut -offs, housnlg
issues and complaints.
• COMMISSION INVESTIGATOR: Received 63 calls for service and directed
assigrunents which resulted in 14 formal complaints, 34 informal complaints and 15
inter -office assigtunents:
• HOMELESSNESS PRE,VENTION & RAPID RE -HOUSING PROGRAM:
Received $889,000+ to assist in homelessness prevention and rapid re -housing in the City
of Lansing.
• ACCOMPLISHMENTS: (Continued)
1) Successful completion and submission of the Bi-Annual EEO (Equal Employment
Opportunity) 4 Report
2) Successfully recouped over $6,000 in wage restitution for individuals working on City
funded construction projects.
2
CITY OF LANSING
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES
. FY 2009 -ANNUAL REPORT
DEPARTMENT GOALS/VISIONS
Virg Bernero, Mayor
❖ Providing the best customer service to the'City of Lansing residents and all City
employees.
Continuing to build better relationships with our labor organizations through monthly
meetings communicating information and getting input.
Updating the Department of Human Resources Web page to include the computerizing
of all forms, employment application, policies and procedures, etc.
❖ Assisting each department with reorganizing for efficiencies within their respective
departments. To date, we have assisted the Departments of Finance and Planning and
Development, in part.
Review all positions for appropriate classifications/compensation City-wide
❖ Continuing efforts to enhance.the Employee of the Month/Year Program
❖ Conversion of the second part of the IFAS system to include Applicant On-line
(computerized tracking system) and all other human resource components (i.e. labor
relations, training, workers compensation, safety programs, etc.)
TOP CHALLENGES OF THE YEAR
(In Progress)
➢ Ratification of the Teamsters Local #580 CTP Agreement
➢ Ratification of the Teamsters Local #580 Supervisory Agreement
➢ Ratification of the UAW Agreement
➢ Training Program/System
➢ Executive Safety Committee
➢ City-wide effort to consolidate and streamline for efficiencies
s Revise and update all job descriptions
➢ Continue to rebuild the trust and relationships with Labor (On -going)
➢ Facilitating the transfer of the Emergency Communications Center to Ingham County
➢ Employee Handbook
DEPARTMENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2006-2009
➢ Ratification of the Fraternal Order of Police Capitol City, Lodge #141— 911 Emergency
Communications Technicians Agreement. April 2009
➢ Completed city-wide mandatory training for supervisors in supervisory skills to promote
successful communication, coaching, documentation, investigation and discipline
involving employees. October 2009
➢ Hosted the City's first Education Fair sponsored by the Capital Area Higher Education
Network. The fair primarily was to serve non-traditional adult students through non-
traditional delivery methods. Some of the colleges present were, Lansing Community
College, Central Michigan University, Cooley Law School, Michigan State University,
Ferris State University, Davenport University and many more. November 2009
➢ Deficit Elimination Plan — Collaborated with nine (9) employee unions and non -
bargaining employees to achieve a $2 million reduction in personnel -related costs over
a six (6) month period ending June 30, 2010, which includes nine (9) furlough days to
be taken without pay within a seven (7) month period to avoid employee layoffs. This is
the first furloughs in the City of Lansing's history. December 2009
y Establish Labor Relations Roundtables for Supervisors (See attachment I — City of
Lansing, Employee and SupervisoryTraining Schedule) — December 2009
➢ Records management system of personnel documents for compliance with the State of
Michigan retention system. May 2009
➢ Ratification of the Teamster Local #214 Non -supervisory and Supervisory Agreements —
December 2008
➢ Jt. Labor and Management, Healthcare Awareness Committee which hosted an
Employee Benefits Fair in April, 2009, introduced a quarterly employee health and
wellness newsletter offering health -related information on benefits, healthy recipes and
tips and tricks designed to promote healthy living. The committee also coordinates
monthly activities/events to provide employees with educational information on various
health -related issues.
Conversion to new Payroll System (IFAS/Sun guard BI Tech system) —effective March
2008
Opening of the Career Center— A convenient and easy on-line employment application
system located on the first floor of the City Hall which allows applicants to apply for
careers at the City in an efficient way by also eliminating unnecessary paper. October
2008
➢ Implementation of the Mayor's Employee of the Month/Year Program — July 2007
➢ Completion of Lansing stat project for Human Resources — July 2007
Facilitated transfer of Potter Park Zoo employees to County employment or to other City
Departments without layoffs or grievances through the support and negotiations with
Teamsters, Local 580 and UAW, Local 2256. 2007/2008
➢ Successfully reorganized various department operations (i.e. Parking Enforcement
Workers, LPD human resources transition to City human resources, WWTP Operators,
Finance Department and Planning and Neighborhood Offices, etc.) — 2007/2008
2
Y Reduction of grievances from previous years in the areas of reclassifications, hiring,
bargaining unit work and overtime by continuous collaboration with affected union
representatives and city departments. On -going
➢ Completion of the conversion and overhaul of Human Resources Personnel and
Medical files - 2007
Successful Completion — 1st Annual Public Safety Career Day —October 2007
> Completed the transition of LPD files into a central personnel filing system. Fire
Department conversion is still a vision. 2007
y Established monthly Joint Labor/Management Meeting•with City-wide union
representatives - 2006
DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW
The Department of Human Resources' mission is to provide a wide range of Personnel and
Employee Labor Relations services to City departments, employees, City unions and the
community. Currently, there are 11 positions and one (1) vacancy within the department due
to the retirement of Kecia Coats. (See Attachment II — Organization Chart).
The Department of Human Resources advises the Mayor on policy -related items concerning
labor relations, equal employment opportunities, hiring practices, benefits and payroll,
compensation and classification of positions, training and health and safety issues. The
Department develops and updates policies and procedures for the Department and provides a
wide range of activities and customer support services to the residents of the City of Lansing,
all City Departments, including Lansing City Council, 54A-District Court, Economic
Development Corporation, Principal Shopping District, Lansing Police and Lansing Fire
Departments respectively.
EMPLOYEE SERVICES DIVISION
The Employee Services Division has three major sections. These sections include: Hiring and
Classification, Payroll and Benefits and Health and Safety. The training section has been
moved to labor and employee relations to better serve employees with on -going training
requirements. The L-HOPE program is now administered within the Payroll and Benefits
Section. As a result of a reduced budget, all three sections continue to be enhanced and new
efficiencies continue to provide better customer services to our residents and city departments.
Hiring and Classification Section
The Hiring and Classification Section is responsible for recruitment, selections, hiring,
retention, compensation and classification of all City positions. Some of the "highlighted" areas
to showcase are as follows:
Recruitment/Retention - Public Safety Career Day (PSCD) — This year's 3rd Annual Public
Safety Career Day was very successful. This event aimed at building stronger ties within the
3
Lansing community to promote community trust, education and recruits local candidates for
positions such as: Firefighters, Police .Officers and -911 Emergency Communication
Technicians. PSCD, interacting with the media, brought Channel 6 and Channel 10 -who
broadcast this event throughout the Lansing area expanding our recruitment efforts. This event
also develops City of Lansing career interests, particularly in the area of public safety among
local youth, using career day as an environment directed towards educating the community in
a family -oriented atmosphere with entertainment while learning more about City departments,
as well as the on -site application process, while receiving informational materials and
interacting with department representatives at the same time.
Our recruitment effort continues to expand for police officers and firefighters. A community
wide recruitment task force continues to work together to assist in ensuring that all local area
residents interested in law enforcement and fire fighting careers are reached. Some of those
members include: Lansing School District, Lansing Community College, labor, Police
Commissioners, etc.) Also, we have expanded our outreach with the creation of a new
brochure with pertinent information needed to be a successful applicant for the City of Lansing
Fire Department. (See attachment III - Lansing Fire Department brochure). We continue to
distribute the Lansing Police Department brochure (See attachment IV — Lansing Police
Department brochure) with more than 2,000 has now been distributed over the past two (2)
years.
We continue to advertise on local radio stations aimed at generating interest from local youth,
by using youth in the advertisement and learning more about hiring processes and generating
local interest. We were able to reach many more applicants than ever before. Also, Public
Safety Career Cards continue to be used highlighting the hiring process of police officers and
firefighters in a step-by-step approach with timeframes aimed at easy distribution to local high
schools, students, HOPE scholars and community groups, etc. Additionally, the use of
services with Capital Area Michigan Works — Employer of the Day program is just another
service used to target potential candidates for Police Officers, Firefighters, and 911 Emergency
Communication Technicians.
The hiring group has attended two (2) career fairs and events (Michigan Works Fall Job Expo
in September 2009 and Michigan Works Employer of the Day in February 2009).
2009 Annual Report for Hiring/Classification Section
365 — Total New Hires (includes Temporary Employee (TEA) and Seasonal Workers
162 — Terminations
21 — Reclassifications
12 —Appeals
Customer Service Center (Career Center) - The creation of a Career Center was a vision of
the department since the beginning of this administration. To date, it continues to be an asset
for the City of Lansing. This year we received 365 employment applications on line.
Team -Improved Computer Tracking System
o Hiring Unit team members have worked together to improve application
databases and vacancy reporting on a uniform system referred to as the "share
drive" which is now accessible to all team members. We anticipated the
ll
implementation of an Applicant On-line System (IFAS enhancement) system in
December 2009, which would provide a more efficient way of tracking applicants,
however due to other citywide priorities, this project has been delayed.
o The Applicant On-line system will be used for Lansingstat reporting as the team
can quickly review job listings, gather updates for departments, corrects
discrepancies for reporting purposes, and monitors all vacancies at a glance.
Designation of Department Representatives to Service Departments - Development of an
improved customer -service relationship continues to provide continuity and fosters better
services to the departments by ensuring one contact person from the Hiring Unit who
communicates all details for filling of a department position with the department approval to fill,
starting with the posting of the job vacancy, screening and testing applicants to the job offer for
the position and ending with the orientation for new hires or promotions of current employees.
This aids in the overall communication and customer service between the designated
department and the Department of Human Resources.
Payroll and Benefits Section
Payroll and Benefits provides services to City employees from the , point of hire with an
extensive orientation to Lansing, along with an enhanced orientation to our "generous" fringe
benefits to all bi-weekly payrolls with options to enroll in various City sponsored activities such
as: Credit Union, United Way, AFLAC and Deferred Compensation, to name a few. This
section also provides compensation for all City of Lansing employees, including administration
and payment of payroll, sick leave reimbursement, health care waiver, longevity bonuses, and
special pays.
L-HOPE Program - The L-HOPE program, which is also administered in Payroll and Benefits,
is an employee home ownership incentive program to generate employee interest for. city
homeownership. Some highlights are as follows:
o 239 L-HOPE loans have been awarded since the implementation of L-HOPE in
July, 1996. In spite of the economy, this year six (6) employees were awarded L-
HOPE loans. 1 recipient moved into the city while 5 recipients were formerly
renters within the city.
o This year Labor/Management has initiated marketing strategies which are being'
implemented to enhance the marketing of this program to current employees and
potential employees.
o In 2009, 15 employees completed the five (5) year forgivable period for receiving
the L-HOPE compensation funds.
2.009 Annual Reporting For Payroll/Benefits Section
125 Processed separate payrolls 1,054 Benefit changes
262 United Way Request 386 Personal information changes
422 Tax changes 3 Open enrollments
139 Deferred Compensation changes 67 Dependents removed — due to overage
Health and Safety Section
The Health and Safety Section administers the City's workers' compensation program. This
program for injured workers ensures the best possible medical care for a prompt and
expedient return to work. In addition, it administers the federally mandated Family Medical
Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Department -of
Transportation (DOT) drug and alcohol testing and safety tracking programs. The
administration and supervisory referrals to the City's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) are
also facilitated through the Health and Safety Section as well as all violence in the Workplace
Prevention Policy investigations. Employee and community based- initiatives/partnerships with
the American Cancer Society, American Red Cross and Sparrow Health Systems, to name a
few, are vital to the overall health and well being to our employees and residents as we provide
education, support and vaccinations to those that we serve.
In addition, our Safety training over the last few years year has been "ramped up" to assist
workers in reducing the incidents of work related accidents and injuries. As a result of specific
training in the areas of back safety, lifting techniques, industrial truck training, confined space
entry training and others, the City has recognized a significant decrease in lost work days and
restricted work days over the last three years. In calendar year 2007, the City experienced
152 injuries, 1866 lost work days and 1149 restricted work days. In calendar year 2008, the
City experienced 148 injuries, 1808 lost work days and 701 restricted work days. In the
calendar year 2009, the City experienced 142 injuries, 1718 lost work days and 774 restricted
work days. The decrease in these numbers clearly demonstrates that educating our work
force has a true impact. Workers' Compensation wage loss costs have decreased as the City
is utilizing its injured work force in a variety of light duty assignments across all departments
city wide.
It was our goal to have a City wide Executive Safety Committee established by spring 2009.
However, this goal has been delayed due to other citywide priorities. It is our goal to have the
Committee re-established by fall of 2010.
EMPLOYEE AND LABOR RELATIONS AND TRAINING DIVISION
The Employee & Labor Relations and Training Division is charged with facilitating positive
working relationships with the City's bargaining units by resolving bargaining issues, the
administration of the grievance procedure and matters of contract interpretation or changing
circumstances in the mutual interest of the City and its employees. The Division assists with
the handling, of matters related to Federal, State and City regulations/compliance, as well as
the investigation of internal employee discrimination/harassment complaints and assists with
responding to all complaints filed with the State and/or Federal Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) and other regulatory agencies.
As designated by the Mayor, the Employee & Labor Relations Division collectively bargains on
behalf of the City, assisted by Mayoral -designated bargaining teams. Additionally, division
staff advises line supervisors in matters of contract interpretation and procedure, assist in
training supervisory personnel, coordinate grievance processing and arbitration with delegated
authority of the City Attorney, and administration of unemployment compensatory claims.
6
The status of labor relations at the City of Lansing with its nine bargaining units is very good.
Over the past two years, we have seen an overall decline in the number of formal grievances
filed and an increase in. informal issue resolution at the local level with the assistance and
support of the Labor Relations Office. Of the 27 formal grievances filed, very few were not
amicably settled. Those that are not are increasingly being submitted to mediation, an
alternative dispute resolution tool that predominately results in agreement being reached
without imposition of a decision by a third party. The resultant increase in trust and
communication between the City and its Union representatives has resulted in not only greatly
improved relationships, but greater operational efficiency and reduction in costs in many
cases.
Additionally, the Training section has now been very active in working together with labor,
management and safety to better determine and provide ongoing training needs. With the up
and coming enhancement to the IFAS database system, it is the goal and vision to
computerize all trainings for each employee to ensure that they have all the necessary tools to
safely and efficiently provide services to the City of Lansing residents and neighboring
communities.
7
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES AT A GLANCE
• Negotiations and administration of nine (9) Collective Bargaining Agreements
• Grievance,Adjudication and Arbitration
• Employment Law Compliance
• Administrative Hearings (Unemployment, Workers Compensation, Michigan
Employment Relations Commission)
• Employee/Management/ Labor Consultation
• Oversee Employee Assistance Program
• Recruitment of all City and District Court positions
• Develop and Monitor City policies and procedures
• Unemployment Administration -
• Workers Compensation
• Annual Blood Drives
• Making Strides Walk/Breast Cancer Awareness
• Tel l-A-Friend/Phone-A-Thon/Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Investigations (Employee Injury/Accidents)
• OSHA/MIOSHA Compliance
• Regulatory Compliance
• Safety Administration — City-wide
• Pre -Hire Physicals
• Workplace Violence Investigations
• Reasonable Accommodations Request
• Administrator FMLA
• Process Payroll
• Benefit Administration
• Employment Verification
• Pre -hire testing
• Administer City-wide mandated training
• Oversee Personnel and Medical files
• New Hire Orientation
• Process ID Badges and monitor— all City employees, Contract and District Court
• Oversee all contract and temporary employment
• Monitor Performance Evaluations
• Career Enhancement Training
• Management of filling vacancies
• Position Classification and Compensation System
• Pre -placement verifications
• Selection Process Development
• Position Control
• Records Management and Retention
• Accounts Payable (HR Department)
• Employee Recognition (City Picnic, Annual Recognition Program and Employee o f the
Month/Year Program)
• L-HOPE
• Create hiring and promotional rosters for all City positions
9
• Conduct psychological testing for candidates for LPD positions (PHQ, IPI, MAST, PAI)
• Coordinate with LPD regarding all hiring processes from initial need to filling of positions
Assemble packets for background investigators and psychologist for various LPD
positions
• Responsible for communications with applicants for City employment
• Conduct interviews of applicants
• Work with outside test developers
• Respond to applicant inquiries
• Screen applicants
• Ensure that all MCOLES compliance requirements are met for sworn officers
• Conduct pre -employment background checks for employees (including employment
history, education, certifications/licenses, and references, criminal and driving record)
• Monitor and report on vacancies and position control
• Work with departments for improved retention
• Create and update HR procedures for improved efficiency
• Participate in labor-management committees (Fire Promotional Committee)
• Meet with union representatives for proactive resolution of employment issues
• Determine acceptability of outside vendors and manage test development process with
outside vendors
Dated — January 2010
7
LEDC 2009 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The Year of the Great Recession took firm hold in Lansing. The prominent impact is the
credit/bank loaning lock down for firms in Michigan. Supply put, with Michigan redlined
by banks, regulators and credit rating agencies on Wall Street, small business growth
cannot and .is not happening. Without small business growth, there will not be a healthy
recovery. Michigan now runs the risk, in the next 18 months, of not joining a national
economic recovery and falling permanently behind the nation. The total lack of financial
restructuring of the state's entire tax system and way of doing business is also
exacerbating the financial world's lack of confidence in Michigan businesses. Stimulus
programs, loan guarantees, federal bond programs or tax credits are having little to no
affect on the credit crisis, because they do not supplant basic credit and loans.
In Lansing, the LEDC worked and completed 15 projects in 2009. Six of those projects
involved incentives. 547 jobs were or will be created with $46,585,000 in private
investment. Public investment is valued at $5,631,944. 112 jobs were retained. The job
figures are still higher than 2005, but obviously lower than figures from the last three
years. The private investment is at its lowest point in five years of records.
It is important to note, however, that Lansing is perhaps the only city in the state, at this
time, to still have cranes in the air, constructing buildings. This year, the Accident Fund's
new national headquarters and the new chiller plant, the new city market, new riverfront
and the new Troppo building all were and are under construction, totaling $188 million in
private investment. $187 million of this is all local, union labor. This is nothing short of a
Michigan Miracle during this devastating national economic downturn.
Lansing is THE place to be in Michigan despite the very difficult times.
Top 11 Achievements for 2009:
1) The LEDC coordinated with Ingham County to allocate the American Recovery
Bond program to continue the financing of the $31 nnillion Accident Fund ramp in
downtown Lansing, as the final piece to the Ottawa Power Station redevelopment
project. The City of Lansing approved the use of $14.8 million in bonds and the
county approved an additional $16.2 million. No Trill faith and credit was required
by the municipalities. A qualified project had to have credit in place. The bond
allocation allows for the ramp to be completed and for 100, local union
construction workers to work for 18 more months, successfully completing the
Power Station project.
2) Moebius loan from the LEDC. Moebius, a young, growing medical devise
manufacturer had purchase orders in hand, but could not secure a bank loan for a
necessary $250,000 piece of high tech machinery. The LEDC stepped up and, for
the first time in its history, completed a primary loan to a company, allowing for
the equipment to be purchased and for'the company to hue 5 — 8 new employees.
This is how to do effective stimulus work.
3) The LEDC, managing the downtown Tax Increment Finance Authority (TIFA)
successfully re -financed its bond debt. This saved the city's hill faith and credit
pledge of up to $15 million from the city's General Fund. This process took over
a year and involved two legislative changes at the State Capitol and much
bonding work.
4) The LEDC completed three significant strategic studies that will help re -shape
further development efforts in the city. For -the first time in memory, the LEDC
conducted a full market study of the city's southside. For the first time in ten
years, the LEDC completed a fall market study for downtown. And for the first
time ever, the LEDC, with state, East Lansing and MSU partners, completed an
Arts and Culture strategic plan.
5) The Corridor Improvement Authorities for both Michigan Avenue and Saginaw
Street were adopted by the city and other municipalities.
6) The LEDC's new web site and e-business plan has been a great success and took
an enormous amount of work. But it is a great way to publicize the city worldwide
with video clips and pictures and to also provide rudimentary information about
all of our services and tools to customers.
7) The LEDC continued to lead a vast coordination effort to implement the new
riverfront trail downtown as well as the construction of the new city market.
8) The TIFA Board paid for a Phase II Grand River master plan (between Michigan
Avenue and Kalamazoo- which includes plans for a lighted ice skating rink, new
pedways and a reformed Wentworth park).
9) The City of Lansing's Talent Retention efforts made significant strides throughout
2009. Stemming from Mayor Bennero's Linking Lansing & U hnititative in 2006,
program development in the past year has included introducing three new
promotional campaigns that appeal to thousands of the region's students and
emerging young professionals, enhancing regional partnerships and recruitment
efforts, and cultivating active student organizations to expand talent retention
efforts from a peer level at Michigan State University, Lansing Community
College and Cooley Law School. Lansing's Talent Retention Director personally
connected with nearly 5,000 students over the course of the year through job fairs,
internship fairs, speaking engagements, community volunteer opportunities, and
professional opportunities in Lansing. Over 10,000 students have been exposed to
career and lifestyle opportunities through these retention efforts utilizing these
channels within the last year. As Lansing corntinnies to shine brightly in the state's
economy, talent recruitment and retention efforts will continue to foster growth,
entrepreneurship, creativity, and prosperity.
10) Created a Sign Grant Pilot program as well as an enhanced city-wide barrier
policy.
11) Retention visits in 2008/2009 totaled: 96.
Lansing Economic Development
Corporation
www.lansingedc.com
2009 Year End Report
Four Year Measurable Analysis of LEDC
Taxable Value Analysis Using Incentives
Observations,:
• Lansing GDP is weak but still positive, yet
a leader in the entire state
• Lansing's area -unemployment is less than
that of the state, though higher than
national averages
• $187'
,'800,000 construction ongoing in
2009 in downtown, $1,86,800,000 is using
local, union construction workers
Observations continued:
• Major 2009 Projects: JNL — 150 jobs. from
Colorado moved here to southside Lansing, JNL-
$25 million datacenter northside, Troppo Building
construction, Chevy Traverse relocated to
Lansing Delta GM plant from Tennessee (370
people moving here)
• Regional achievements: F-RIB $550 million, IBM
at MSU
• Bottom Line: A remarkable year for Lansing in
the Great Recession. It is positioned as one of
the top cities in Michigan for future growth.
Lansing is hot, believe it or not.
61000
55000
43000
31000
25000
13000
0
Lansing Job Creation
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Last 4 Yrs
$600,000,000
$500,000,000
$400,000,000
$300,000,000
$200,000,000
$100,000,000
$0
Lansing Private Investment
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Last 4 Yrs
I ansinrf EDC Project Summary
Total of Last
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Last 4 Yrs
.. t..; . f^v. �. w y .rY-.<....
[: a •'..,. r z3 `-?
�- -'��'r ....�
t`;n-z'•'dY�. 4"5 _=�'w l'Y^
S 'iG l 'tl
i�..3G>,lt.' K
'`iBY"�. `4:Y
OPRA
5
8
6
4
1
24
Brownfield Local TIF
5
2
4
3
2
16
Brownfield State TIF
0
1
2
3
2
8
Brownfield SBT Credit
0
4
3
5
1
13
198 Tax Abate
3
8
2
2
3
18
328 Tax Exmpt
1
9
4
2
1
17
Tax Exmpt Finan.
0
0
0
0
0
0
425 Agreement
0
3
0
1
0
4
NEZ
5
7
2
2
0
16
BFAP
1
0
0
1
2
4
Fagade Grant
5
9
3
2
0
'19
Loft Res. Grant
2
2
0
0
0
4
Ofc. Ocpy. Grant
2
0
0
0
0
2
State & Fed Grant
2
0
1
1
0
4
Tool & Die Recovery Zone
0
1
0
0
0
1
Redevelopment Liquor License
0
0
0
1
0
1
Renaissance Zone
0
0
1
0
0
1
. y y. .,.-......_. __s ._.� _�.._�,
EDC.lncentive Prf1(lrams.<Used
%. .. zx >.
. r �.3�
v-- >C'
.,y, _.. ?k 6
fi 54 -:fir
°
1 rz
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s.. �,p-r+-rn :vr vy.
s� 27 s.0
�-
•G,,1,.. ¢" --9 I a
3 y2 'r
� �F;-es..:....cw'�5.�-i:yt.�l+i
!r arF ty.
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�,�
.r;•a.:.,...s-<^c,:'�...�.s:...,:r:,. ae-,:.a'.ox:arv� .�,x:..• wx•2 a...
Public Investment (Incentives)
._f-i ,.l'
r.,te,:..r,.,,'C.:..cz�.3h. �..
$10,256,443
rae .,.a.:'<:w.atv.�e�
$31,816,849
,
w:.,.:.:..:.$,..'w�:..V..Rw,.:.`5�.&w'i
$117,433,316
-.,.a.r.........ti4..a..dsac..;..•_',vo:,::
$22,670,306
$5,631,944
Y.,
$177,552,415
mate investment
M53 987 460y
z211 08$ 843
20530 350
$1 U8 v2'2;-000
.$46 58v b00..�$57/
323 203.
w+� .P
;
,
Jobs Created
522
2,707
929
1,128
547
5,311
• y, y ,., r.._.. . va.
''S,f. }'^�a'F'' '£,P>t 9M -. _.,
�...,
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S..,cG.:. e`-.�'._......+..,;sY
•_?'=t"e:.f: ;'G
r�s7:
"�::�',."i�x._ m...:a5"'
Owner Occ. Housing Units
57
38
0
4
0
42
.T•.'_. 'j L M: y d r-. �
=,.z � ��..� Rental.Housing Uni
.... s t GTti .'f:A.
M 102� ti��
z�"' y�:�, ! „Cr� .jy
'N 158
_fa. 3. N� .. � ; jr �.'.aL.
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2009- LEDC Achievements
• The LEDC coordinated with Ingham County to allocate
the American Recovery Bond program to continue the
financing of the $31 million Accident Fund ramp in
downtown Lansing, as the final piece to the Ottawa
Power Station redevelopment project. The City of
Lansing approved the use of $14.8 million in bonds
and the county approved an additional $16.2 million.
No full faith and credit was required by the
municipalities. A qualified project had to have credit in
place. The bond allocation allows for the ramp to be
completed and for 100,, local union construction
workers to work for 18 more months, successfully
completing the Power Station project.
Achievements...
• Moebius loan from the LEDC. Mobbius, a
young, growing medical devise. manufacturer
had purchase orders in hand, but could not
secure a bank loan for a necessary $250,000
piece of high tech machinery. The.LEDC
stepped up and, for the first time in its history,
completed a primary loan to a company,
allowing for the equipment to be purchased
and for the company to hire 5 — 8 new
employees. This is how to do effective stimulus
work.
Achievements...
• The LEDC, managing the'downtown Tax
Increment Finance Authority (TIFA)
successfully re -financed its bond debt.
This saved the city's full faith and credit
pledge of up to $15 million from the city's
General Fund. This process took over a
year and involved two legislative
changes at the State Capitol and much
bonding work.
Achievements...
• The LEDC completed three significant
strategic studies that will help re -shape further
development efforts in the city. For the first
time in memory, the LEDC conducted a full
market study of the city's southside. For the
first time in ten years, the LEDC completed a
full market study for downtown. And for the first
time ever, the LEDCwith state, East Lansing
and MSU partners, completed an Arts and
Culture strategic plan.
Achievements...
• The Corridor Improvement Authorities for both
Michigan Avenue and Saginaw Street were
adopted by the city and other municipalities.
• The
LEDC's new web site
and
e-business plan
has
been a great success
and
took an
enormous amount of work. But it is a great way.
to publicize the city worldwide with video clips
and pictures and to also provide rudimentary
information about all of our services and tools
to customers.
Achievements...
• The LEDC continued to lead a vast
coordination effort to implement the new
riverFront trail downtown as well as the
construction of the new city market.
• The TIFA Board paid for a Phase I'l Grand
River master plan (between Michigan Avenue
and Kalamazoo- which includes plans for a
lighted ice skating rink, new pedways and a
reformed Wentworth park).
• 96 Retention visits
Achievements...
• The City of Lansing's Talent Retention efforts made
significant strides throughout 2009. Introduced three
new promotional campaigns that appeal- to thousands
of the region's students and emerging young
professionals, enhancing regional partnerships and
recruitment efforts, and cultivating active student
organizations to expand talent retention efforts from a
peer level at Michigan State University, Lansing
Community College and Cooley Law School. Lansing's
Talent Retention Director personally connected with
nearly 5,000 students over the course of the year
through job fairs, internship fairs, speaking
engagements, community volunteer opportunities, and
professional opportunities in Lansing. Over 10,000
students have been exposed to career and lifestyle
opportunities through these retention efforts utilizing
these channels within the last year.
Would the City be better off, if
these projects never happened?
Just look at these before and
after photos...
VZ
mb-mx__�
Fact: Economic Development
Projects GROW City Revenues
2006 Economic Development
Impact Analysis
• 33 unique incentivized properties utilizing
54 incentive programs
• $211,085,843 in private investment
• $31,816,849 in public incentives
• 2,707 Jobs Created
• 817 Jobs Retained
• 158 Residential Rental Units
• 38 Owner Occupied Residential Units
2006 Economic Development
• 8 Obsolete Property Rehab Projects
• 2 Brownfield TIF Projects
• 8 PA 198 Industrial Facilities Projects
• 9 PA 328 Personal Property Exemptions
• 7 Neighborhood Enterprise Zones
• 9 Facade Grants
• 3 PA 425 Regional Cooperation
Agreements
2006 Impact Analysis
For all 33 Projects conducted in 2006:
• Average 2006 Taxable Value: $547,064
• Average 2009 Taxable Value: $1,105,259
• Average Taxable Value Growth: 102%
Individual project detail can be found at www.Lansing EDC.com,
Documents>Project Summaries>2006 Project List
On average, the taxable value of
33 EDC projects have
in just 3 years!
Example 1 — Dard Building
• Starting Taxable Value $52,677
• 2008 Taxable Value $360,300 (+ 584%)
• Taxes to City 2006 $837
• Taxes to City 2008(after incentives)
$11266
• Tax collection increase +51
..........
..........
—Ar
for Ann
....... ...
i
Example 2 —Mutual Building
• Start: Vacant
• Finish, fully occupied, first ever Double
LEED Certified: structure.
• Starting Taxable Value: $977,500
• 2008 Unfrozen, Taxable Value: $2,785,300
• Taxable increase: 185%
Example 2 —Mutual Building
• Start: Vacant
• Finish, fully occupied, first ever Double
LEED Certified structure.
• Starting Taxable Value: $977,500
• 2008 Unfrozen Taxable Value: $2,785,300
• Taxable increase: 185%
I
FOUR YEAR ANALYSIS OF
LEDC MEASURABLES
FOUR YEAR ANALYSIS OF
LEDC MEASURABLES
1
LEDC COSTS
• Contract for Services from City General Fund
— Four year Total: $1,094,300
— Grants brought into the city from LEDC during this period of time:
$6, 300, 000
-- Plus, taxable value increase of 102% from 2006 projects and an
increase in local income tax to the city directly .
— Plus the incentives halt decrease in property values of direct (the
project) and surrounding properties as well as blight/crime costs
associated with declining properties
LEI)C COSTS
• Contract for Services from City General Fund
— Four year Total: $1, 094, 300
— Grants brought into the city from LEDC during this period of time:
$6, 300, 000
— Plus, taxable value increase of 102% from 2006 projects and an
increase in local income tax to the city directly
— Plus the incentives halt decrease in property values of direct (the
project) and surrounding properties as well as blight/crime costs
associated with declining properties
PROGRAMMATIC
ACHIEVEMENTS
• Established Lansing Regional SmartZone and $2 million
infrastructure grant matched by MSU- Completed
• Received $100,000 Cool City grant for Stadium District
area and black box theater at Riverwalk -Completed
• Established first ever Regional Tool and Die Recovery
Zone -Completed
• Established first ever Downtown Federal Historic District
- Completed
• Created proto-type Arts and Culture Economic
Development Strategic Plan with East Lansing and
MSU- Completed
• Created. first multi jurisdictional Corridor Improvement
Authority — Under way
CONTINUED...
r
• Created state's first City/University connection/Talent
Retention program with staff- Linking Lansing and U-
Interacted with over 10,000 students
• Re -structured entire Principle Shopping District into a
Main Street program with entire new staff
• Created first Arts and Culture Loan Fund
• Re -Designed riverfront downtown with $3.2 million CMI
grant that languished unused by the city for nearly ten
years— under way
• Built a new city market and received $1 million DEQ
grant to assist
CONTINUED...
• Downtown and South Lansing market studies —
Completed
• Re -instituted 100+/year targeted retention program
• Riverfront master plan between Michigan Ave. and Kzoo
Streets- Completed:
• First time ever, split city into territories to even out
economic development across entire city including hiring
a full time South Lansing Director
• Dramatically increased efficiency and quality of LEDC by
moving to new office, consolidating accounts and moving
finances to city
CONTINUED...
• New web site and E-Business marketing
strategy
• Re -financed TIFA when 20%+ of revenue lost,
saving the city over $15 million
• Instituted a variety of measurements and
accountability systems with incentives — top local
program in the state
• Greatly increased leverage system to bring in
state dollars for Brownfield projects
a
CONTINUED...
• Co -Creator of the Information Technology
Education Center (ITEC) at Holmes Street
school with IVISU, Lansing School District,
Neighborhood Association
• Rehabbed dozens of buildings across entire city
including two schools: Walnut and Holmes
• Guaranteed $500,000 SBA loans to city
• Created a Sign Grant program as well as a city-
wide enhanced banner policy.
LEPFA Annual Report-2009
Executive Summary
LEPFA had a successful year in meeting many of our budget goals for 2009. City
Administration continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to economic development and
destination marketing. While occupancies remained flat for most months in 2009, the summer
months saw a decrease, while the fall months saw a steady increase; LEPFA saw a net decrease
in revenues and an increase in expenses at the Authority. Closely monitoring expenses along
with revenues has allowed management to continue to improve the overall financial health of the
Authority. During 2009, LEPFA properties and events continued to positively impact the
Lansing Region. The LEPFA managed facilities continued to see operational improvements, and
the events and attractions managed by LEPFA continued to see incremental growth. Connnon
Ground had a difficult year; with the most talented and diverse line-up of acts, the festival saw a
dramatic decrease in sponsorship while attendance remained flat causing a negative financial
impact to the festival. Fall Into Fitness continued to be successful and grow in participation.
LEPFA and the CVB continued to work on our relationship and persistently worked at
developing policies and practices that are designed to improve our combined sales effort and
increase hotel related business to the Lansing Region.. Finally, the Authority continued to
experience challenges in 2009, with the departure of several key staff (including the President &
CEO in August), reduction of employee compensation and benefit programs, and the present
state of the Michigan economy.
Performance Measures
Occupancy
Lansing Center
Customer Satisfaction Ratings
FY 2008
FY 2009
Difference
Satisfaction with the Staff
4.78
4.75
(.03)
Satisfaction with the Facility
4.84
4.78
(.06)
Satisfaction with Lansing Hotels
4.75
4.68
(.07)
Satisfaction with the Lansing
4.50
4.50
.00
(Based on a 5 point scale)
Occupancy
FY 08
FY 09
Contracted
Occupancy
45.03%
44.68%
Used
Occupancy
47.85%
48.40%
Difference (0.35%) (0.55%
City Market
Rental Occupancy
FY 08 71.75%
FY 09 74.75%
Difference 3.00%
Revenues
Lansing Center
FY 08 $4,667,300
FY 09 $4,630,256
Difference
Expenses
FY 08
FY 09
($ 37,044)
Lansing Center
$5,454,766
$5,631,966
Olds Park
$ 78,217
$ 49,601
($28,616)
Olds Park
$375,206
$301,344
City Market
$ 85,995
$ 85,414
($ 581)
Cijy Market
$138,932
$145,013
Total
$4,831,513
$4,765,271
($ 66,242)
Total
$5,968,904
$6,078,323
Difference $ 177,200 ($ 73,862) $ 6,081 $ 109,419
Economic Impact
Lansine Center Olds Park City Market Common Ground Total
Net Assets
FY 08 $60,594,763 $13,131,675 $460,997 $5,197,802 $79,385,237
FY 09 $60,419,719 $11,979,974 $452,740 $4,678,022 $77,530,455
Difference ($175,044) $ (1,151,701) ($8,257) ($519,780) ($ 1,854,782)
Narrative
In 2009, LEPFA saw our Service Ratings remain flat. Overall satisfaction with the facility fell
by (.06)%, satisfaction with the staff dropped only slightly by (.03)%, satisfaction with the hotels
reducing (.07) % and the satisfaction with the City of Lansing remained level at 4.50 on a 5.00
scale. Revenues in 2009 fell behind the 2008 revenues. While revenues decreased by ($ 37,044),
occupancy remained relatively flat; although our sales process altered the stats to represent the
figures more accurately. As with previous years, management was able to continue to contain
costs. Expenses for 2009 were not ahead of budget. Based on our continued revenue
performance expectations and expense contaiiunent, management continues to be able to
increase hold our net assets by $78,067 at the Lansing Center. During 2009, the Lansing Center
had an overall economic impact of $60,419,719. This is a decrease of ($175,044). The Lansing
Center continues to see incremental growth in attendance in 2009, but with the continued decline
in public shows, exhibitor participation fell. Based on the economic impact calculator that we
use, the overall effect of the loss of exhibitors created a decrease in the overall economic impact
of the Lansing Center.
Oldsmobile Park saw a decrease in events in 2009. LEPFA hosted twelve events at the stadium
this year. This is 40% less events than in 2008. Event revenues decreased by ($28,616).
Expenses decreased by ($ 73,862). This decrease is contributed to the further capital
improvements that have been occurring in the facility for the past three (3) years along with
some expense removal due to staff and asset allocation. Ongoing concrete repairs and
improvements in the POS system and other revenue generating areas will continue to be costs in
the operating budget over the coming years. The overall economic impact of operations at
Oldsmobile Park was $11,979,974. This is a decrease of $ (1,151,701)from the 2008 economic
impact.
The Lansing City Market saw another positive year of operations. Occupancy increased by 3%
in 2009. The strong efforts of the City Market Manager and the progress in the construction and
opening of the new City Market have caused positive interest in the Market. Revenues decreased
by ($581). Expenses increased by $6,081. The overall estimated economic impact of the City
Market'is $452,740. This is a ($8,257) decrease from 2008.
Overall Economic Impact for LEPFA managed properties and events was $77,530,455. This
decreased in 2009 by ($ 1,854,782). Economic impact decreased at Oldsmobile Park, City Market,
Lansing Center, and Common Ground. The decrease at the Lansing Center was primarily due to
a lower number of exhibitors at public and consumer shows. The economic impact at Common
Ground decreased because of the fewer number of attendees and sponsorship relationships in
2009.
2009 Achievements
1 Ot" Annual Conunon Ground Music Festival — As a major sponsor of the Conunon Ground
Music Festival, LEPFA was happy to help produce another successful festival. Over 78,000
people attended the festival in Downtown Lansing. The festival had a negative return on
investment due to a decline in sponsorships and attendance. During the 2009 festival, Common
Ground experienced once of the most diverse and talented lineups in its history. Acts such as
Sheryl Crow, 3 Doors Down, Huey Lewis & the News, Darius Rucker, and David Cook
welcomed music fans from all over the nnid-west region to downtown Lansing.
Partnerships with the CVB - In 2009, LEPFA and the CVB continued to look at continuing and
improving their partnership. The marketing and sales partnership(s) between the organizations
has not shown an immediate improvement to the measurables defined in the agreement,
however, the long teen effect of the partnership is being defined by the policies and direction set
up by both parties mutual work. During 2009, the partnership was successful at attracthig
several major events to the Lansing region. Some highlighted events include: Michigan State
Council of Human Resources Management Annual Conference, Michigan Dental Association
Aimual Conference, Capital Area Michigan Works! Youth Sununit, a *new* Festival of Trees
event, and a year -long contract with Ron DeLeon Promotions for Mixed Martial Arts/Boxing
events. The LEPFA sales team continues to work directly with the CVB on all business
contracted to provide better support services for our clients. Both organizations will continue to
research cooperative efforts to attract additional business to Lansing and reduce our overall costs.
Fall Into Fitness — During 2009, LEPFA continued to work with various partners to produce the
Fall Into Fitness event. The event is a cooperative effort between the Capital City River Run,
Healthy and Fit Magazine and LEPFA. This event concentrates on ways to develop a healthy
lifestyle. The event consists of %2 Marathon and 5K run for the Capital City River Run along
with an interactive trade show where vendors offering healthy lifestyle choices gathered to
educate the public on a healthier way to live. This event will be back in 2010 with a greater
emphasis on creating additional supplementary events and a longer economic impact over the
entire weekend.
Building Renovations — Renovations at Oldsmobile Park continue to be made, this year there
were improvements to the field, POS system, security/safety, and other facilities. While we were
successful in completing a majority of repairs to the park from the initial $3 million capital
investment, additional work will be required on the park over'the next several years. The
existing metal roof on the park will need to be replaced within the next five (5) years. LEPFA
will continue to work closely with the City to develop a plan for the replacement of this area
along with a significant amount of concrete replacement arotmd the park in the upcoming years.
The Naming Rights Agreement is the most integral part of the 2010 season's improvements.
The Lansing Center renovations continued in 2009. During 2009, the following improvements
were made to the Lansing Center:
• Exhibit hall improvements
• Enhancements to public spaces
During 2010, additional renovations will occur at the Lansing Center. Additional items that are
scheduled for upgrades include the following:
• Additional improvements to restrooms
• Structural improvements
• Technology improvements
LEPFA completed construction on a new City Market. Additionally, LEPFA management has
worked closely with the architects who are overseeing the CMI grant improvements along the
riverfront in Adado Park. The architects from both projects coordinated efforts to integrate
designs from both the City Market and the Riverfront which will create not only a walkable park
but a usable area of the City for large events and social gatherings. LEPFA continues to
diligently manage the facility and work to maintain or reduce the armual subsidy for the property.
Other Events — During 2009, LEPFA continued to support other commninity events with much
success. The Diamond Classic continued to be the prennier High School Baseball tournament.
In 2009, the classic organizers continued their commitment to Oldsmobile Park and again held
the quarter final games at the Park. Home Ruin for hope continues to host the Lansing School
District High Schools along with one team from the Lansing Region. This tournament provides
an opportunity for Lansing Youth to play an organized game of High School Based in
Oldsmobile Park. Many of these students would not have the opportunity without this
tournament. Proceeds from the Home Run for Hope event continue to support the Hope
Scholarship Fund. In 2010, LEPFA worked with MSU and the CVB to solicit a bid to host the
MHSAA Baseball and Softball State Finals in the Lansing Region (including Oldsmobile Park)
for the years 2011-2013, LEPFA will continue to be a partner in the annual Silver Bells Holiday
Celebration and in 2009, LEPFA entered a float in the annual parade and held the final
celebration of the Lansing Sesquicentennial event. LEPFA helped kick off the summer season
by acting as the event producer for the Board of Water and Light annual Chili Cook -off. The
event sold out for the first time in history. The event had the largest number of participating chili
�connpetitors and continued to demonstrate a success in attracting a large crowd to an. exciting and
family friendly event.
2010 Challenges
As with the past several years, LEPFA continued reducing staff and filling positions based on
necessity. While this has caused an increase in workload for many of the staff, this practice has
saved the Authority a significant amount in operating expenses. Based on the present state of the
economy and possible. reductions at the City of Lansing, LEPFA management will continue to
use this practice to reduce our overall expenses. The two major factors challenging events this
year will be parking and hotel space. LEPFA will continue to work with its partners to overcome
these challenges and work towards eliminating these factors for the long term health of the
Authority.
Another significant issue that faced the Authority is the costs related to Health Care. While
LEPFA only received a X% increase in cost for Health Care, we are planning for additional
increases in the future. LEPFA staff has recognized the importance of managing our health to
help reduce our long term costs associated with Health Care. During 2009, management
continued to offer multiple options in health care plans. Approximately 50% of LEPFA
employees continue to choose options that are affordable and effective to the employees and the
Authority. These additional options help control LEPFA's overall healthcare costs and
management intends to further investigate options for the health care plans that offer a variety of
quality coverage at an affordable cost to the Authority.
The final factor that challenged LEPFA management in 2009 continues to be increased .
competition caused by local and regional facilities and the present poor economy in Michigan.
Revenues at the Lansing Center are estimated to decrease slightly in 2010 as compared to 2009.
Many of the public shows continue to face challenges due to the economy. LEPFA will
continue to monitor costs and work to match expenses reductions with estimated revenue
reductions. As the state reduces costs and makes large cuts in programs, many associations and
state divisions are cutting back then programs. This was an issue in 2009 and will continue in
2010. The present state of the economy has not reduced our events significantly but has also
caused our clients to cut back and to book their events much closer to the date of the event.
Much of the revenue generated at LEPFA facilities is based on rental of equipment and services.
Many clients have chosen to reduce the complexity of their events and reduce overhead. This
includes cutting meals and not renting audio visual equipment for their meetings. This will
continue to hamper our efforts to grow revenues and we will need to continue to find new
sources of revenue in upcoming years. Our competitors at the Rock Financial Showcase in Novi
continue to work to attract association business away from Lansing. We will continue to rely
more heavily on our relationship with the CVB to help fend off the ongoing competition by
Novi, Grand Rapids, and other venues throughout Michigan and the Midwest. LEPFA and the
CVB continue to stress to its staff(s) that venturing outside the immediate areas of Greater
Lansing and all of Michigan will aid in alluring new business to our region.
2009
Lansing's Department of Parks and Recreation
Annual Report
Submitted by:
Murdock Jemerson, Director
I 2009, the Department ofParks and Recreation celebrated a year of ribbon cuttings.
Oul• most
Center, on October 29.
A few days prior to the opening of the Southside Cor>ununity Center, the opening of the
Gier Conuuunity Center's newly renovated and expanded gynuiasium took place on
October 26, 2009.
The department also saw its first commniuuty-built playground in Burchard Park in Old
Town during the summer of 2009. 2009 also was the year of trail developments within
our parks. New trails at both Davis and Frances Parks were opened for communities to
enjoy. Below is a picture of the trail opening at Davis Park.
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The department also kept its focus on maintaining neighborhood parks and working with
community groups to help beautify the parks through various Adopt -A -Park activities.
One example of this is the Friends of Beck Park Sununer Clean-up and Picnic.
The department continued its partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural
Resources' Parks and Recreation Division to expose Lansing children to Michigan State
Parks. The children were exposed to fishing, boating, hiking, nature study and camping
skills.
Over 650 kids participated in this very popular program. The program was honored by
the Michigan Recreation and Park Association and awarded the 2009 Innovative
Recreation Program Award.
Our Forestry Crews continued to provide great service to our urban forest. During 2009
the crews concentrated on removal of dead ash trees as a result of the Emerald Ash Boer
infestation. They also performed stump removals, tree trimming, and plantings.
PGA Pro Ron Applegate assists a young First Tee student in her golf swing as part of The
First Tee of Mid -Michigan 2009 sununer program. Ron, who is also the Program
Director for The First Tee of Mid -Michigan, has over 25 volunteers who assisted him in
providing instruction this past spring to 1400 children in Lansing -area physical education
classes.
The First Tee is a national program entering its 3rd season in the Mid Michigan area. It
combines class room sessions that teach character values and life skills with the game of
golf The Nine Core values taught in the 16 hours of instruction include Honesty,
Integrity, Sportsmanship, Respect, Confidence, Responsibility, Perseverance, Courtesy
and Judgment.
Over 60 per cent of participants receive scholarship, so that no child is denied
participation based on the ability to pay. With a modest $50 tuition fee to offset the
actual instructional cost of $150 per student, the program depends on foundation,
corporate and individual donations to operate.
More than two dozen volunteers assist in the class room sessions, as well as on the
practice ranges. 2010 plans hope to expand the program to other sites to make the
training more accessible. With limited organization work with a previous Charter, 108
students participated in 2008. 2009 was the initial year for the Mid Michigan Chapter
program which reached 276 youth. All indications point toward another growth spurt in
2010, estimated to expand to nearly 400 boys and girls. All volunteers are trained and
must pass a background check.
Major Capital Improvement Projects
The department completed a majority of its capital improvement projects during 2009.
Below is a listing of those projects.
Southside Community Center at Hill vocational Academy
The facility includes a new entry area, lobby, and offices for Parks and Recreation
Department staff. The center features a newly renovated swimming pool, gymnasium,
and auditorium. There will also be two large rooms, one for community meetings and
the other room will be a games room for all ages. The hours of operation will be from
8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday,
October thru May. Summer hours, June through September, will be 8:30 a.m. to 5:00
p.m., Monday and Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday thru Thursday, closed
The recreational activities offered here will include "open recreational' activities which
are activities that are unstructured, but supervised by Lansing Department of Parks and
Recreation staff. Examples of "open recreational activities" include open swimming
open gymnasium, and games room activities. These activities will be free of charge.
The Southside Community Center will also offer fee -based, recreational classes.
Swimming classes, dancing, archery, fitness classes and arts programs are just a few
examples of instructional classes at your new Southside Community Center. Class
offerings are dependant on the availability of instructors.
Gier Community Center Gymnasium Expansion
The Gier Community Center gymnasium expansion project added approximately 3,000
square feet of floor space and bleachers for the spectators. The general contractor for the
construction of the addition was Kincaid Henry. The architectural/engineering services
Frances Park Improvements
This year Frances Park received some much needed improvements to several planting
areas in the park as a result of the damages that occurred during last year's tornado. New
plantings were installed this year in the main panel of the park and the side planters of the
staircase to the overlook.
The park also received a new walking trail that circles the interior of the park. The trail is
8 It. wide and approximately one mile in distance. The contractor for this project was
Mike & Son and the project costs were approximately $197,000.
Davis Park Trail
Working with the "Friends of Davis Park" and the South Lansing Commututy
Development Association, the Department of Parks and Recreation completed a update of
the master plan for Davis Park in 2008.
This plan included several trails throughout the park. The -first trail, which was
completed this year, is 8 ft wide and approximately .61 of a mile. The contractor for this
project was Cross Lake Construction and the costs were approximately $200,000.
Burchard Park Playground
The new playground at Burchard Park is this department's first "community built"
playground structure. The Old Town Commercial Association worked with this
department to develop a plan for the playground as well as the fielding of the project
through
The project cost were approximately $30,000.00 for the playground structure. The
structure was purchased through Game Time's Conununity Built Playgrounds program.
Game Time is a nation supplier of park and playground equipment.
Our Game Time regional supplier :is Sinclair Recreation. Sinclair Recreation supervised
over 60 community volunteers in the building of this playground structure.
Park Paving Projects
Paving projects completed in 2009 included:
1. Re -paving of the parking lot at Gier Community Center
2. Re -paving of the packing lot at Kruger Landing in Crego Park
3. Re -paving of the Turner -Dodge parking lot
4. Re -paving of River Trail section between Pennsylvania and Cedar
Proiects to be completed in 2010
Projects funded for FYI to be completed during the spring of 2010 include:
1. Maguire Park Improvements: This project has been designed and is currently
going through design review. Improvements will include a parking lot, plantings
and trail amenities and will serve as a trail head for the newly completed southern
extension of the River Trail ending at Jolly and Aurelius Road.
2. Lansing River Trail Map: A new River Trail map is currently being designed and
will be printed during the spring of 2010.
3. Hunter Park Shelter: During 2009, the design staff met with members of the
Allen Neighborhood Center staff and the Friends of Hunter Park to select a new
picnic shelter for Hunter Park. This shelter will serve as a gathering space for
groups and neighborhood activities. Construction is slated for spring of 2010.
4. Kircher Municipal Ballfield Li lg Ming: New field lighting is slated for the spring
of 2010. The project was competitively bid and selection of the contractor will be
completed by the end of January 2010.
Leisure Service Division
The Leisure Services Division is primarily charged with the responsibility to provide
recreation prograimiiing at all of the department's recreation facilities. During 2009, this
division accomplished four major prograrmning tasks:
1. Programming the new Southside Commmunity Center
2. Programming an newly expanded Gier Community Center
3. WIC — Rec-Connect Programming with highain County Health Department
4. EMMA Web -based Newsletter
Southside Community Center at Hill Vocational Academy
In July of this year we transitioned to open the new Southside Community Center at Hill.
While the center will be frilly operational beginriing in January, during the interim we
have been offering a variety of emichrrient and swimming programs for the commmunity.
Programs scheduled and offered at the new center are:
Swimming lessons — group, private and semi -private
Aqua Exercise classes
Holiday Swim events"
Splash Parties**
Increased lap swimming times
WIBIT pool inflatable
Lifeguarding class
CPR class
Turkey Shoot**
Quilting classes**
Reality to Runway**
Japanese Braiding and Beading classes**
Card Weaving**
Watercolor Painting
NIA Dance Workout
Pint Size NIA**
NIA Teens**
Latin Dance classes and workshops**
Mystery Shopper
Sign Language
Conversational Spanish and Latin Culture I -II**
Japanese for Travelers**
Create -A -Move Storytelling**
Songwriting for Children**
Smartstart Guitar**
Tai Chi**
Yoga for beginners, Flex and Flow, Yoga for Athletes**
Karate w/ Sanchin Systems**
Japanese Martial Arts classes**
Zumba Demo Night**
** New classes at Southside since July 2009 or scheduled winter 2010.
❖ Never offered before will be Sundays at Southside, structured as a family time
at the new center during the winter months. This will start Jan. 17 and run
through March 28, 1:00 — 4:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoons. This will be a
time for families to recreate together utilizing the swimming pool, game -room
and gym, and participating in additional activities that will be scheduled.
❖ Additional programs scheduled to operate at the SSCC are:
An after -school program for elementary and middle school aged youth
Teen Night
Adult Drop -in Basketball and Volleyball
Youth Floor Hockey
Gardening programs in partnership with South Lansing Community
Development Association (SLCDA), the Garden Project and the Lansing
Neighborhood Council, utilizing the existed Lansing School District horticulture
spaces including greenhouses. (This project is in the planning stages but we hope to
:finalize details this winter).
Wibit Inflatable Raft/Obstacle Course in Southside Community Center Swimming
Pool
Prof!ranuninf! at Expanded Gier Community Center
Gier Center is best known for floor hockey tournaments and with the expansion of the
gym we are able to offer improved parent and spectator participation.
Gier Center/Lansing Parks and Recreation hosts two pre -season floor hockey
tournaments and two post -season tournaments. Each tournament consists of two fiill days
of hockey and hosts in excess of 35 teams and thousands of spectators. These 35 teams
consist of approximately 500 youth ranging in ages from 4 through 14. With this
expansion a safe seating area has been created for parents, grandparents, family and
friends, along with an expanded area for the players.
The addition of the new batting tunnel will allow for the introduction of new sport
programs and provide youth the opportunity to become acquainted with baseball and
softball.
NEW AMENITIES:
- Extra baskets for basketball
- Batting Turuiel for indoor pitching and hitting
- Climbing Wall
- Extra courts and clocks to run games simultaneously
BENEFITS
- Spectator seating
- Larger courts for basketball, volleyball, and floor hockey, which moves players away
from the wall and creates a safer playing area.
- Addition of new equipment will provide area youth the opportunity to try new activities.
- New amenities are a drawing factor for other organizations and schools to use the
facility, which increases the number of people visiting Lansing.
WIC — Rec-Connect ProaramminLy with Ingham County Health Department
The Lansing Parks and Recreation Department has received a grant from the Michigan
Fitness Foundation through the Rec-Connect program to provide physical activity
information and demonstrations to WIC participants at the Ingham County Health
Department.
The Rec-Connect program is a pilot program that started in the metro Detroit area and
has expanded to include Jackson and now Lansing. The purpose of the progrmn is to
identify and promote low-cost or no -cost physical activity opportunities, for food stamp
eligible persons in WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) clinics.
The Lansing program kicked off on October 21 and will continue through September of
2010. The Parks and Recreation staff are in the WIC office on Wednesdays to interact
with children and parents through games, reading stories, coloring, and other activities
that emphasize physical activity. The purpose is to engage the children, interact with
parents, and to educate the parents on the variety of programs the Parks and Recreation
Department offers for children and families. In the first two weeks of the program, the
Parks and Recreation staff has been well received by parents, their children and the staff
at the WIC office.
The goal is to continue to meet in the office once a week, provide program guides and
activity information for WIC recipients and to design one day special activities that WIC
clients and families can participate in. It is a winning situation for all involved in the
program.
EMMA Web -based Newsletter
Lifetime Sports Coordinator Troy Stowell and other members of the Leisure Services
Division staff created an e-mail based marketing campaign for the department utilizing
EMMA web based software.
To view this email online, paste this link into your browser:
htto://e2ma net/map/view=CampaignPublic/id=34426 2667373649/rid=249dO9699ff9f8703bOelc9c8441a1
ee
This tool has been a great success in helping to improve our web presence in 2009.
Other 2009 Accomplishments by the Leisure Services Division
Foster Coriimunity Center
•:• Added a Moonwalk to our two inflatables available for rent. This expanded our
rentals to include more birthday parties and other smaller events.
❖ Created a Facebook page that has over 300 friends that we can directly market to
at no cost.
•:• Partnered with the DNR to take all the summer camps out to Sleepy Hollow state
park, as well as a Family Day which took over 40 people out to the park.
❖ Foster Youth Advisory Board is growing and hosted a Family Day, where they
bought dinner for families to stress the importance of eating together.
Partnered with the Lansing School District to provide bussing and snacks for our
after school program, the program now averages around 35 kids a day with 155
youth enrolled. (up from 8-10 kids)
❖ Provided the following special events: Daddy Daughter and Mother Son
Valentine Dances, Underwater Easter Egg Hunt, Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt,
Rose for Mom, Kids Triathlon, Family Fun Day at Sleepy Hollow, Candyland,
Amazing Race, Holiday Road Rally
❖ Ran 15 Camps, with 40 City of Lansing Staff and over 40 Michigan Works Staff.
Served 914 youth ages 5-12.
❖ Took Kids Camp youth on the following field trips: Hershey Track and Field,
Edru Roller Rink, Games Day at Moores Park, Lugnuts (with partnership with
Cooley Law School), Hawk Island and MSU Crew Camp.
❖ Added 20 plus Home School classes, which have been a huge success, very low
cancellation rate and brought in over $2000 in revenue in its first term.
❖ Added murals inside and outside of the game room, all inspired by the youth at
the community center.
Letts Community Center
❖ Partnered with AARP and Experience Works —.Senior Workers which supplied a
senior worker to work with the senior program and gain valuable work
experience.
❖ Partnered with Lansing School District to insure that all children in our summer
play program received a nutritious finch daily and also to provide a snack to
children in the after school program.
Partnered with Riddle Elementary School to provide staff for the after school
program January — June 2009
❖ Partnered with The Garden Project to host a summer garden camp which taught
children how to plant, pick and prepare fresh vegetables. Also served as a
designated drop off site for fresh fruits and vegetables which were available to
the community free of charge.
❖ Partnered with Food Movers to receive weekly and biweekly donations of food
from organizational food drives and local grocery stores which was made
available to the general public flee of charge.
❖ Partnered with the Greater Lansing Food Bank to serve as one of their food
pantries to distribute a predetermined amount of food to families of 1 to 10
people. Food is to last for 1 week.
❖ Partnered with Ingham County to provide individuals who were assigned
community service by Ingham County Courts the ability to perform various duties
such as filling food bank orders, sweeping leaves, cleaning the sewer drains of
leaves and helping to decorate.
Hosted a Boy Scout Pack at the Letts Center. Boys are official Boy Scouts with
all rights and privileges.
❖ Hosted a Girl Scout Week at the Letts Center. Girls are official Girl scouts with
all rights and privileges.
Partner with Tri County Office on Aging to insure seniors are able to receive at
least one balanced meal daily at low to no cost.
❖ Successfully developed the first Letts Floor Hockey Team.
Successfirlly increased the number of people attending the Hotcakes with Santa to
more the 40 people.
Successfully registered 20-25 children for A Call from. Santa.
Gier Community Center
❖ Successfully increased the number of participants from 15 to 27 for the annual
Cardboard Sled Contest as past participants are using e-mail, Facebook, and You
Tube to help promote the event.
❖ Partnered with WLNZ to improve the quality of the Cardboard Sled Contest by
offering entertainment and a more organized event.
❖ Partnered with au independent group to coordinate the use of the Capitol steps on
the 4"' of July. This partnership resulted in an additional entry into the 4"' of July
parade and additional spectators at the parade, which resulted in the highest
attendance for the parade in the time a Gier Programmer has been coordinating
the event.
Designed and decorated floats for 150"' Parade, 4"' of July Parade, African .
American Parade, and Silver Bells Parade. Brett was a major contributor to the
finished product for the Silver Bells Parade.
❖ With assistance from Cheryl Chase implemented the Rec-Connect Grant Program
to introduce WIC participants to physical fitness opportunities through Lansing
Parks and Recreation and distribute the Parks Activity Guide and Scholarship
information to over 150 families.
Special Recreation Services & Southside Community Center
❖ Moores Park Outdoor Pool served 2,276 youth and adults during the stumner of 2009.
This is 70 less participants registered than in 2008.
❖ Hunter Pool reopened in 2009 with new water features, a splash pad, climbing wall
and zero depth entry and registration of 4432. The last year Hunter was open was
2005 and the registration was 2045 so we more than doubled that figure this past
sununer. This remarkable increase is most likely attributed to the family friendly
atmosphere that was created with the renovations.
❖ We continue to offer a wide range of aquatic and enrichment classes to Lansing area
youth and adults, in cooperation with the Lansing School District. hi 2009 we served
approximately 1,500 area residents, mainly utilizing Lansing School District
facilities. This figure is in addition to the 6,708 who were served at Hunter and
Moores Park Pools.
❖ Private and Semi -Private Swim Lessons continue to grow each year. Revenue for this
year was $1943.00 which was an increase of $228.00 from 2008.
❖ Aquatic Exercise continues to attract and maintain a regular clientele from the
Lansing area, including many adults with developmental disabilities from the Moore
Living Centers. I Want Results and Cardio Circuit are both rigorous cardiovascular
workouts for those participants wanting an intensive water workout. These classes
continue to serve a loyal clientele. Also, we always offer our regular Aquatic
Exercise classes, extending an opportunity for participants of all abilities to exercise.
❖ Added a new WIBIT pool inflatable in the pool at the Southside Conununnity Center
which will enhance the open swim time and provide family entertainment in the
water.
❖ Continue to offer Online Courses which are designed for participants to learn at their
own pace and are accessible 24 hours a day on the Internet. New courses are added
as the trends change.
❖ The Lansing Parks and Recreation Activities Guide has continued to transition to
keep Lip with trends while working Within budget constraints and maintaining our
identity. We currently publish our Activities Guide 3 times per year; Fall, Winter and
Spring/Summer. We continue to evaluate the process on an ongoing basis. This year
we began mailing our Activities Guide to saturate one or more different zip codes
each term, as an attempt to broaden our audience and attract new customers.
Therapeutic Recreation
❖ The staff took informal opportunities in which to gather ideas from people with
disabilities about activities and events they would like to attend. The suggestions
provided by the people lead to the first time offering of Zumba with an inclusive
component and Karaoke as a fin Friday night activity. Both of these programs
were run for a short time and each had some components of success and failure.
The Zuniba teacher was not available and the. Karaoke was a limited time.
The bowling programs for winter and summer remained steady in enrollment and
attendance. However, by the fall enrollment numbers have declined. A few new
programs are being offered directly by other service providers that are free. I
have been working with the schools to continue to advertise but with recent
assisting in the registration/promotion process. I have been working with the
retirements of teachers and aides those new to the classroom are no longer
younger student to engage at an earlier age and that process is difficult.
The Stretch and Strengthen class has been growing slowly this year. When the
program was increased to two days per week the class declined in numbers. This
will be reviewed for the next year.
❖ Three workshops were set-up for consluners to try hand -cycling, wheelchair
tennis and golf. This provided a small group an opportunity to work on skills, try
new equipment and.experience recreation and sports with top of the line
equipment. Another open house for the use of the equipment included working
with Sparrow outpatient rehab for referral and support.
❖ Special events throughout the year had a core group of people attending and
participating in one day events. This appears to be a growing trend for the
consumer as long as the fees remain low. The overnight programs are falling in
attendance but still steady. The overnight outdoors or camping still has an appeal
for people.
❖ Fish camp was a huge success and was expanded to include a day at Sleepy
Hollow State Park.
•.• Implemented a S'more and Campfire program at Sleepy Hollow State Park.
❖ Provided staff at different playgrounds providing inclusive opportunities for youth
with disabilities and supporting the staff assigned to the playground program.
Staff worked with parents to provide a positive experience for the youth at the day
camp.
❖ Working in conjunction with the Mid -Michigan Autism Assoc., Community
Mental Health and YMCA -Oak Park to develop education, training and programs
for youth and adults within the autism spectrum. It is our intent to have day
camps, and more teen young adult programs open with qualified staff. This
project started in Sept. 09 and will see one year with cLnps the surmier of 2010.
❖ A continuation to provide new one day events will be maintained. Try to identify
additional supports within the school system to promote programs is necessary.
Identify other potential partners for collaboration.
Lifetime Sports Division
Division Specific
Increase youth sports participation 9% (16% increase in 2008). Sports seeing
increases are Flag Football (+39), Floor Hockey (+7 teams), Little Kickers
Soccer (+68), Youth Soccer (+84), Youth Baseball/Softball (+98), 5"' Grade
Elementary Basketball (notable increase in roster size)
•.• Adult Team Sports increased; Fall Softball (11 teams), Men's Baseball (2
teams) Women's Volleyball (2 teams). Assumed management of the Men's
Masters Basketball program (9 teams fall, 8 teams Winter)
❖ Hosted District 11 MASA Softball Tournament. Bon nie's Place (Coed
Softball) won the MASA Class D State Championship.
❖ Established detailed youth 'umpire and referee trainiings for floor hockey and
baseball/softball.
❖ Developed youth sport Sportsmanship Incentive programs for floor hockey
and baseball/softball. Attended the Lansing Lugnut's Pepsi Dream Team with
18 boys and girls (plus families) who were able to go onto the field for the
National Anthein and obtain player's signatures.
❖ Created a FREE Spring Training Softball program for adult softball teams
d• Created and maintained 11 sports specific web pages featuring detailed
program information, entry forms, rosters, rule books, game schedules,
standings, statistics, chat rooms, games, and directions to playing venues.
State National Awards — Ranney Park was selected MRPA Site Design Award
as well as NJCAA Complex of the Year for Women's fast pitch softball. The
Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights was selected as innovative recreation
programming by MRPA.
•3 Worked with intern Marcus Wells on the application and award of a
Community development Grant for youth lacrosse.
+.+ Developed a detailed Sponsorship Development plan including policy,
procedure, welcome letter and informational brochure:
•.• Continued to foster relationships with the Lansing Sports Authority to garner
more youth and adult sports tournaments at LPR facilities.
Lifetime Sports
Individual Accomplishments for Mark Simon
•3 Coordinated a new Concessions Vendor at Kircher Municipal Park
Fostered relationships with Lansing Community College throughout their
women's season as well as the Girls High School Fast Pitch program.
❖ Developed a cooperative agreement with Cooley Law School to integrate their
intramural adult softball program into ours.
❖ Served with Inhgain County Board for Hope Soccer Complex and The Old
Tuners Baseball Association.
Lifetime Sports
Individual Accomplishments for Troy Stowell
❖ Created an e-mail based marketing campaign for the department utilizing
EMMA web based software.
❖ Streamlined the Web registration process by making the information more
user friendly.
❖ Worked with Department Director and Spartan Internet to redesign the
department web page.
❖ Continued to take a leadership role a Chairman of the MRPA Athletic
Committee, SMRPA Treasurer, and was elected Secretary of the MRPA
Board.
Turner Dodge House
•:+ Introduced three new children teas as well as the traditional teas.
❖ Initiated Camps for All Season, with Princess Camp and Harry Potter Camp in
October and a Holiday Camp in December.
❖ Initiated a Create Your Own Schedule for the Girl and Boy Scouts where Scouts
can choose a program and time that works best with their schedule. This program
allows us the opportunity to offer more programs for the scouts that we could not
offer with just having scheduled programs.
❖ Turner -Dodge is :now open for walk in visitors year .round and has three to four
new themed exhibits per year. In 2009 we offered an exhibit on Quilts; Dolls;
Turner, Trains, and Transportation and Christmas Carols — The history of
different Christmas Carols.
Fenner Nature Center
The Parks and Recreation Department entered into a license agreement with the Friends
of Fenner Nature Center (the Friends) effective January 1, 2009. This license expired on
December 31, 2009. We are currently re -negotiating the license to operate the
progranuning at Fernier Nature Center. As per the license of 2009, the Friends of Fernier
Nature Center provided the following services:
a) Workshops and classes on outdoor nature/envirorunental education
b) Conducting outdoor nature walks and interpretative studies
c) Outreach classroom visits with the Lansing School District and on -site school
tours of the facility
d) Educational sessions for school tours
e) Youth Summer Nature Day Carnps
f) Conduct a minimum of two (2) major festivals annually.
The Friends were successful in completing all of the services as listed above. The spring
Maple Syrup Festival and the fall Apple Butter Festival were very well attended.
A youngster takes her turn stirring apples in the big kettle to produce apple butter.
Spinning of yarn and other crafts took place inside of the center.
The Friends also submitted their organization to a Peer Assessment that was conducted
by the Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) during the summer of 2009.
The ANCA is an international non-profit organization that promotes leadership and
quality management for nature and environmental learning centers. The volunteer
ANCA consulting team was made up of 4 volunteer professionals that met with Fenner
board members, city administrators and other stakeholders to focus on primary key
issues:
1. Developing a more focused and effective Board of Directors
2. Increasing alignment with and progress toward Fenuier's organizational goals
3. Putting a financial sustainability plan in place
4. Creating a projected organizational development plan that meets Board approval.
5. Improving technical support to facilitate our community and program
commitments
6. Increasing collaboration with conununity partners
Attached to this report is a copy of the findings of the ANCA Peer Assessment and the
finnding plans for Fernier Nature Center. The Friends are currently in the process of
hiring an Executive Director. To find out more about this position and other programs of
the Friends please click on www.fofiic.org.
Golf and Washington Park Operations
Golf
Sycamore Creek Driving Range completed the 2°d full year of operation and had a good
season despite being closed for 38 days during April, May and June due to flooding. Due
primarily to the late opening Sycamore had a reduction of 70% during April and May
from 2008 revenues. Despite this reduction; for the season the driving range increased
overall business from $24,770 in 2008 to $25,030 in 2009.
Groesbeck Golf Course hosted the Easter Invitational Best -Ball Golf Tournament which
brought to Lansing 16 schools from the Mid -Michigan area for both varsity and junior
varsity boys teams. Groesbeck is the home course for Eastern High School and Lansing
Catholic Central High School boys' teams. Groesbeck is also the home course for the
Lansing Catholic Central girl's team.
Groesbeck realized a reduction in rounds of golf from the 2008 season from 33,088 in
2008to 30,992 in 2009 (a reduction of 6%). The reduction in the number of rounds played
in 2009 resulted in total revenues being lower than anticipated with an overall reduction
in revenues of the same 6%. These included golf equipment rentals, golf cart rentals and
merchandise sold. Total revenues for the 2009 season were $389,000 compared to
$406,200 in 2008.
These reductions in play and revenues were consistent with data collected by the National
Golf Foundation in this area of the country for all types of golf facilities. The economy
has taken a huge toll on the golf industry as discretionary income levels continue to be a
problem for groups that historically produce frequent golfers.
Ice
The Washington Park Ice Skating Dome was the site of many hockey practices for the
Greater Lansing Amateur Hockey Association. Rental bookings for the dome are ahead
of last year as of December 15.
We began a new lesson program, partnering with the Skate School LLC to provide Leann
to Skate opportunities for youth and adult.
Lansing schools took advantage of the rinks as 17 separate school groups came to the
rink during the winter months.
Reduced hours of operation due to budgetary constraints caused little impact on
attendance as historically peak hours continued to be offered.
Parks and Forestry Production Records for 2009
mmary Sheet
'wing April 2009 had record rainfall for the month
lotes:
iy 13 - heavy evening rains
iy 13, 14, 15 - Four production mow units at Waverly to mow for disc golf
iy 14, 15 - problems with mowers getting stuck
ty 20 - Mower deck motor being repair, down over one week
iy 27 - Up to 3" of rain in some sections of the city
ne 12 -17 - 580 down due to deck motor burnout
ie 16 - 19 - Rained every day
-le 18 - 23 - 3 special mows
ne 22 - Two 580's down and 1 deere 1600
Month
May June July August
September
October Total
<=12 days
1 23 37 48
58
43
210
lorth
Total Done
4 48 69 62
66
43
292
% w/in
target
25.0% 47.9% 53.6% 77.4%
87.9%
100.0%
72%
Completed within at least 12 businessdays
<=12 days
2 21 38 30
26
22
139
SW
Total Done
5 46 55 39
44
24
213
% w/in
target
40.0% 45.7% 69.1 % 76.9%
59.1 %
91.7%
65%
Completed within at least 12 businessdays
<=12 days
6 18 43 55
54
39
215
SE
Total Done
15 48 71 61
67
41
303
% w/in ,
target
40.0% 37.5% 60.6% 90.2%
80.6%
95.1 %
71 %
Completed within at least 12 businessdays
<=12 days
9 62 118 133
138
104
564
otal
Total Done
24 142 195 162
177
108
808
% w/in
target
37.5% 43.7% 60.5% 82.1 %
78.0%
96.3%
70%
Completed within at least 12 businessdays
le
!orgetown, Beck, Grand River, Hunter, Ingham, Marscott, Red Cedar Golf, Riverside, Wainwright, Washington, and
3verly Golf
were all mowed out of cycle due to special events that occupied more than 3 weeks of one production mower's
ie
restry Production: Top Production Items by Month
1/2009-12/31/2009
-orestry Production: Top Production Items by Month
111/2009-12131/2009
'reduction Item
tree Removals
IYee Planting
'ark Cleanup
('raining
Aulching
'icnic Table Repair
3raffiti
Restroom Cleanup and Stock
'icnic Tables Delivered (sites)
3rush and Branches
vlowing Prep (locations)
Prim Mowing (locations)
Deadwood removal
free Pruning
Stump Removal
3howmobile setup/take down
3allfield fittings
Snow
Jan. Feb. March Anril Mav June Julv Aua. Sent. Oct. Nov. Dec. Totals
2009 Special Events Administration & Support
Below is a listing of all the major events that the department assisted in producing in
2009.
1. Hats Off to Lansing 150 Celebration - sponsored bLansing Sesquicentennial
Corporation (Lansing 150`�' Birthday) - 100"' -200'1 Block of Washington Square
- February 14-15, 2009
2. Lansing Community College (Women's Softball) — LCC vs. Glen Oaks CC —
Mareh 21, 2009 — Use of Ramsey Park
Lansing Community College (Men's Baseball) — LCC vs. Davenport University —
March 24, 2009 — Use of Westside Park
4. State of Michigan Childrenn's Trust Fund Prevention Awareness Rally —
March 24, 2009
5. Lansing Community College (Women's Softball) — LCC vs. Jackson CC —
March 26, 2009 — Use of Ranney Park
6. Lansing Community College (Men's Baseball) — LCC vs. Delta College —
March 28, 2009 — Use of Westside Park
7. Lansing Community College (Women's Softball) — LCC vs. Kellogg CC —
March 31, 2009 — Use of Ramsey Park
Lansing Commtuuty College (Women's Softball) — LCC vs. Lake Michigan
College — April 4, 2009 — Use of Rainey Park
9. Lansing Community College (Men's Baseball) — Games — LCC vs. Macomb CC
— April 7, 2009 - Use of Westside Park
10. Lansing Community College (Women's Softball) — Games - LCC vs. Muskegon
CC —April 9, 2009 -Use of Ramsey Park .
11. Lansing Conununity College ( Women's Softball) — Games — LCC vs. Anncilla
College — April 10, 2009 - Use of Ran ney Park
12. M.S.U. Club Baseball Toumainent — April 10-11, 2009 - Use of Kircher
Municipal Baseball Field —
13. Lansing Community College (Men's Baseball) — Games — LCC vs. Jackson CC —
April 11, 2009 - Use of Westside Park
14. .Lansing Catholic Central High School (Boys Varsity) — April 13, 2009 - Games -
LCC vs. Dexter — Use of Kircher Municipal Baseball Field
15. Lansing Community College (Men's Baseball) — Games — LCC vs. Muskegon
CC — April 14, 2009 - Use of Westside Park
16. Lansing Community College (Women's Softball) — Games — LCC vs. Grand
Rapids CC — April 14, 2009 - Use of Raniney Park
17. Lansing Community College ( Men's Baseball) — Games — LCC vs. Kellogg CC —
April 16, 2009 - Use of Westside Park
18. Lansing Community College (Women's Softball) — Games — LCC vs. Kalamazoo
Valley CC — April 18, 2009 —Use of Ramsey Park
19. Guru Nanak Sikh Day Parade and Festival — April 18, 2009 — Use of
Showmobile, Adado Riverfront Park (west)
20. Lansing Community College (Women's Softball) — Games — LCC vs. Kalamazoo
Valley CC — April 18, 2009 - Use of R�uuiey Park
2 L City of Lansing Diversity Festival — April 18, 2009 — Inflatable's, Parks and
Recreation Equipment.
22. 2008 Miles for Smiles 5k Walk/Rim (C.A.C.S. Head Start Program) — April 18,
2009 — Use of Scott Woods Park
23. Adopt -A -River Clean Up Project "Sprung Clean Up" — April 18, 2009 — Use of
the Lansing River Trail, Adado Riverfront Park (east)
24. Greater Lansing Horseshoe Pitchers Association.— Practices — May — August,
2009 - Westside Park
25. Lansing Community College (Men's Baseball) — Games — LCC vs. MSU Club
Team — April 21, 2009 - Use of Westside Park
26. Lansing Child Abuse Healing Field — April 23-26, 2009 — Ferris Park
27. Lansing Conuim pity College (Men's Baseball) — Games — LCC vs. Grand Rapids
CC — April 23, 2009 - Use of Westside Park
28. Arbor Day Celebration — April 24, 2009 - Use of Showmobile
29. Lansing Communi College (Men's Baseball) — Gaines — LCC vs. Lake
Michigan College — April 25, 2009 - Use of . Westside Park
30. Lansing Catholic Central High School (Boys Varsity) — April 25, 2009 - Games -
LCC vs. Monroe St. Mary— Use of Kircher Municipal Baseball Field
31. March of Dimes Walk America — April 25, 2009 - Use of Adado Riverfrornt Park
(west), Showmobile, and Lansing River Trail
32. Susan G. Komen Foundation Breast Cancer Walk/Run — April 26, 2009 - Use of
the Showmobile
33. Lansing Catholic Central High School (Boys Varsity) — April 27, 2009 - Games -
LCC vs. Corurma — Use of Kircher Municipal Baseball Field
34. Great Lakes Christian College Baseball Tournament - April 29, 2009 — Use of
Kircher Municipal Baseball Field
35. Lansing Community College (Men's Baseball) — Games — LCC vs. Ancilla
College — May 2, 2009 - Use of Westside Park
36. 2009 Latin American Softball League Game — May 3, 2009 — Use of Benjainin
Davis Park Softball Fields
37. National Multiple Sclerosis Society Walk — May 3, 2009 — Use of Lansing River
Trail
38. Lansing Catholic Central High School (Boys Varsity) — May 4, 2009 - Games -
LCC vs. Portland — Use of Kircher Municipal Baseball Field
39. 2009 Michigan Cops Memorial — May 4, 2009 — Use of downtown areas,
Wentworth Park
40. 2009 Capital City Clean Sweep — May 7, 2009 — Parks and Recreation time
41. 2009 Lansing Softball Classic (Girls All Star Tournament) — Ranney Park
Softball Field — May 9, 2009
42. 2009 Neighborhood Expo & Picnic — May 9, 2009 — Use of Frances Park,
Pavillion, and In.flatable's
43. Lansing Catholic Central High School (Boys Varsity) Make Up Games — May 9,
2009 - Gaines -LCC vs. Portland — Use of Kircher Muunicipal Baseball Field
44. Lansing Catholic Central High School (Boys Varsity) — May 12, 2009 - Gaines -
LCC vs. Fowlerville — Use of Kircher Mtuiicipal Baseball Field
45. 2009 Lansing Softball Classic (Girls All Star Tournament) — May 12, 2009 -
Ranuney Park Softball Field
46. Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council — Softball Tournament —
May 16-17, 2009 — Use of all Gier Park Softball Fields
47. "Heads Up for Safet�ponnsored by the Sinas, Dramis, Brake, Broughton &
McIntyre P.C. — May 16, 2009 - Use of Showmobile
48. Capitol Bancorp Sk Run/Walk (b-1 conjunction with events for Lansing 150) —
May 16, 2009 — use of Parks and Recreation Inflatable's and staff
49. Lansing 150 "Parade of the Decades" — May 16, 2009 - SEPA
50. 2009 Latin American Softball League Game — May 17, 2009 — Use of Benjamin
Davis Park Softball Fields
51. Capitol Area Stand Down for Homeless Veterans — Volunteers of American
(Michigan) — May 20, 2009 — Use of downtown areas & Veterans Memorial —
SEPA
52. Diamond Classic Baseball Tournament — May 18t", 2009 and Rain Date May
1901, 2009 - Use of Kircher Municipal Baseball Field and Gier Park
53. Lansing Area Safety Council Police/Fire Field Dav and Safety Patrol Picnic —
City sponsored event for students of Lansing School District - May 20, 2009 -
Use of Showmobile
54. 2009 Greater Lansing Area Horseshoe Pitchers Assoc. Tournament — May 23-25,
2009 — use of Westside Park
55. 2009 Memorial Day Parade — City Sponsored Event — May 23, 2009 - Use of the
Showmobile
56. Lansing Catholic Central High School — MHSAA District Tournament (Boys
Varsity) — Games — May 26, 2009 — Use of Kircher Municipal Baseball Field
57. Lansinji Catholic Central High School — MHSAA District Tournament (Boys
Varsity) — Games — May 30, 2009 — Use of Kircher Municipal Baseball Field
58. 2009 Hunter Park Music Festival (Allen Neighborhood• Center) — May 30, 2009 —
Use of Himter Park and Showmobile
59. 2009 Capitol Area BMX Association `Bob Warnicke Scholarship Race" — May
30, 2009 — Use of Gier BMX Track
60. 2009 Be A Tourist In Your Own Town — May 30, 2009 — Use of various parks
and Adado Riverfront Park (primary site)
62. 2009 Cooley 5k Race for Education — June 5, 2009 — SEPA
63. 2008 Chili Cook Off (Lansing Board of Water and Light) — June 5, 2009 - City
supported event for the support of the Adopt -A -River Project — Use of Adado
Riverfiont Park (east), Showmobile, and partly the Lansing River Trail
64. 2009 SLCDA Farmers Marlcet — (Season — Each Saturday — June 6`1' -
— June 6"' — September 26"' 2009 — Use of Benjaiiiin Davis Park
65. Mayor's Annual River Walk - June 6, 2009 - City Sponsored Event — Use of the
Lansing River Trail, Showmobile, Turner Dodge House/Grounds
66. 2009 Latin American Softball League — Game — June 7, 2009 — Use of Benjamin
Davis Park Softball Fields
67. 2009 Concerts In the Park - June 10, 2009 - Use of various City of Lansing Parks
and the Showmobile
68. Michigan Woolen's Historical Center and Hall of Fame Annual Picnic on the
Lawn - June 10, 2009 - Use of Scott Center Grounds and Parking Lot
69. 2009 Blues on the Square (Music Concert) June 11, 2009 — Use of Showmobile
and downtown areas
70. Michigan Pride Inc. Pride Parade and Festival — June 13-14, 2009 - Use of
Adado Riverfiont Park and Showmobile
71. 2009 Latin American Softball League Game — June 14, 2009 — Use of Benjamin
Davis Park Softball Fields
72. Michigan Rumung Foundation Twilight 5K Run — June 17, 2009 - Use of
Lansing River Trail
73. 2009 Concert In The Park — June 17, 2009,— Use of Showmobile and.Durant Park
74. Old Timers Boys High School All Star Tournament- June 17, 2009 — use of
Kircher Municipal Baseball Field
75. 2009 Blues on the Square (Music Concert) June 18, 2009 — Use of Showmobile
and downtown areas
76. Native American Arts and Crafts Council Annual Indian Pow Wow - June 18-21,
2009 - Use of Adado Riverfront Park (west)
77. Triple Crown Sports Inc. (Great Lakes) Tournament - June 19-21, 2009 — Use of
Benjamin Davis Park, Kircher Municipal Baseball Field, Westside Park Baseball
Field, and Gier Park Softball Fields
78. Masked Memorial CME Church "Juneteenth Festival" — June 19-20, 2009 - Use
of St. Joseph Park, Showmobile, and St. Joseph Park Softball Field
79. New Covenant Christian Church "Share the Love Day" Co111111unity Picnic-7
June 20, 2009 — Use of Hunter Park
80. 2009 Churchill Downs Neighborhood Association Carnival/Picnic —June 20,
2009 — Use of Wainwright Park and inflatable
81. 2009 REO Town Conunercial Association "Hogs for Dogs Custom Motorcycle
Show and Rib Cook Off' — June 20, 2009 — Use of South Washington Avenue &
downtown areas
82. 2009 Marscott Park Neighborhood Watch Picnic — June 23, 2009 - Use of
Marscot Park
83. 2009 Concert hi The Park — June 24, 2009 — Use of Showmobile and Moores
Park
84. 2009 Blues on the Square (Music Concert) June 25, 2009 — Use of Showmobile
and downtown areas
85. Old Town Main Street Conunercial Association "Festival of the Moon" — June
26, 2009 - Use of Burchard Park & Lot 56
86. Old Town Main Street Colmiercial Association "Festival of the Sun" — June 27,
2009 - Use of Burchard Park & Lot 56
87 2009 Michigan Amateur & Recreational Volleyball Association "MARVA"
Volleyball Tournament — June 27-28, 2009 — Use of Marshall Park Volleyball
Courts
88. 2009 Latin American Softball League — Gain e — June 28, 2009 — Use of
Benjamin Davis Park Softball Fields
89. 2009 Concerts In the Park — July 1, 2009 — Use of Showmobile and Georgetown
Park
90. 2009 Concerts In. The Park — July 0' Concert - July 4, 2009 — Use of Showmobile
and Adado Riverfront Park
91. 2009 Common Ground Softball Tournament - July 4-5, 2009 — Use of Gier Park
Softball Fields
92. Clifford Park Neighborhood Association Picnic — July 4, 2009 — Use of Clifford
Park
93. 41" of July Parade — City of Lansing Sponsored Event — July 4, 2009 — Use of
Showmobile & downtown areas
94. Connnon Ground Music Festival — July 6-12, 2009 - Use of Adado Riverfront
Park and Showmobile
95. 2009 U.S.S.S.A. "Adult Softball" Tournament (Chet Kapla) — July 9-12, 2009 —
Use of Benjamin Davis Park Softball Fields, Gier Park Softball Fields
96. 2009 Michiman Baseball Planers Assoc. Youth Tournament — July 10-12, 2009 —
Use of Gier Park Softball Fields
97. 2009 Friends of Cooley Gardens "Glass Artist Presentation" Fundraiser — July 11,
2009 —Use of Cooley Gardens
98. 2009 Capitol Area BMX Association "Capitol Area Flue Day" — July 11, 2009 —
Use of Gier BMX Track
99. 2009 Faith Fellowship Baptist Church Anneal Youth Block Party — July 11, 2009
- Use of Walsh Park
100. 2009Michigan Amateur & Recreational Volleyball Association "MARVA"
Volleyball Tournament — July 11-12, 2009 —Use of Marshall Park Volleyball
Courts
101. 2009 Latin American Softball League — Game — July 12, 2009 — Use of Benjamin
Davis Park Softball Fields
102. 2009 Lansing Regional Chamber of Conunerce "Ultimate Member Mixer" — July
14, 2009 - SEPA
103. 2009 Concerts In the Park — July 15, 2009 — Use of Showmobile and Turner
Dodge House
104. 2009 Blues on the Square (Music Concert) July 16, 2009 — Use of Showmobile
and downtown areas
105. DeWitt Charter Township "4Ih Annual Meet the Meadows Music Festival" —
July 17, 2009 - Use of Showmobile
106. 50"' Anniversary Celebration of Fenner Nature Center — July 18, 2009 — Use of
Fenner and Showmobile
107. 2009 Latin American Softball -League — Game — July 19, 2009 — Use of Benjamin
Davis Park Softball Fields
108. 2009 Concerts In the Park — July 22, 2009 — Use of Showmobile and Hunter
Park
109. 2009 MHSSCA Tournament (Lansing Conurnunity College) —July 22, 2009 —
Use of Ramsey Park
110. 2009 Blues on the Square (Music Concert) - July 23, 2009 — Use of Showmobile
and downtown areas
111. Child Benefit Fund BBO — July 24, 2009 — Use of Reutter Park
112. "Celebrating The Legacy — Letts Advisory Board Fundraiser = July 25, 2009 —
Use of Showmobile and Letts Center growids
113. P Annual Westside Sumner Fest — July 25, 2009 — Use of City
streets — SEPA
114. 2009 Latin American Softball League — Game — July 26, 2009 — Use of Benjamin
Davis Park Softball Fields
115. "Ails Well That Ends Well"— Shakespear on the Grand & Lansing Civic Players
— July 26 — August 2, 2009
116. 2009 Concerts In the Park — July 29, 2009 — Use of Showmobile and Frances
Park
117. 2009 Blues on the Square (Music Concert) July 30, 2009 —Use of Showmobile
and downtown areas
118. Moores Park Neighborhood Association Carnival —July 31, 2009 -Use of
Moores Park, Pavilion, and Inflatable
119. 10" Annual Capitol City African American Culhiral Association Parade and
Festival — August 1, 2009 - Use of Showmobile, Ferris Park, & Inflatable
Obstacle Course
120. "Lansing 150 Rocks" (Music Festival) — August 2, 2009
121. 2009 Latin American Softball League — Ganne —August 2, 2009 —Use of
Benjamin Davis Park Softball Fields
M. 7"' An ival Y.M.C.A. Open Arens 5k Run/Walls (formerly Invest In Youth 5k) —
August 2, 2009 — In conjunction with Lansing 150 Rocks — SEPA
123. 2009 National Night Out Kick Off — Lansing Police Dept. & Target — August 3,
2009 — Use of Washington Park and Pavillion
124. 2009 Concerts In the Park —August 5, 2009 —Use of Showmobile and Quentin
Pack
125. 2009 Poetry In The Park (Michigan Women's Historical Center & Hall of Fame)
— August 6, 2009 — Use of Scott House Grounds/Parking Lot
126. 2009 Blues on the Square (Music Concert) - August 6, 2009 — Use of
Showmobile and downtown areas
127. "Ails Well That Ends Well" — Shakespeare on the Grand & Lansing Civic Plate
— August 6-9, 2009 — Use of Adado Riverfiont Park west (ampitheater)
128. 2009 Lansing Jazz Fest (Old Town Business & Art Development Association) —
August 7-8, 2009 — Use of City streets, Turner Mini Park, Burchard Park
129. 2009 R.E. Olds Transportation Museum "16"' Amival Car Capital Celebration"
Car Show — August 8, 2009 — Use of downtown areas including Michigan
Avenue — SEPA
130. Mount Hope United Methodist Church "Vacation Bible School" - August 8, 2009
— Use of Clifford Park
131. 2009 Latin American Softball League — Game — August 9, 2009 — Use of
Benjamin Davis Park Softball Fields
132. 2009 Concerts In the Park — August 12, 2009 — Use of Showmobile and Ranney
Park
133. BWL Hometown Power 5k— August 15, 2009 — SEPA and Lansing River Trail
use.
134. Burchard Park Playground Conununity Build (City Event) — August 15, 2009 —
Use of Burchard Park
135. 2009 Greater Lansing Area Horseshoe Pitchers Association Toumainent —
August 15-16, 2009 —Use of Westside Park
136. 2009 Latin American Softball League — Game — August 16, 2009 — Use of
Benjamin Davis Park Softball Fields
137. 2009 City of Lansing Employee Picnic — August 20, 2009 — Use of Frances Park,
Showmobile, Liflatable, Frances Park Gardens, Frances Park Pavilion
138. Media Messengers Evangelistic Association "5t" Annual Lansing Bless Fest" —
August 21-22, 2009 - Use of Adado Riverfront Park (west)
139. Leisure Services "Senior Picnic" — August 21, 2009 — Use of Francis Park and
Pavilion
140. South Lansing Community Development Association "Southside Showcase" -
August 22, 2009 - Use of Benjamin Davis Park, Showmobile, and Inflatable
Obstacle Course
141. 2009 Michigan Ainateur & Recreational Vollevball Association "MARVA"
Volleyball Tournament:- August 22-23, 2009 — Use of Marshall Park Volleyball
Courts
142. 2009 Latin American Softball Leagme — Game — August 23, 2009 — Use of
Benjamin Davis Park Softball Fields
143. Divine Purpose Gospel Concert — August 29, 2009 — Use of Adado Riverfi ont
Park west (ampitheater)
144. 2009 Eastside Jubilee — August 29, 2009 — Use of Hunter Park
145. Capital Area Mustangs Car Club "Cruise-N-For-A- Cause Car Show" — August
30, 2009 - Use of Adado Riverfront Park (west)
146. "Lansing 150 Labor of Love Festival" — September 5, 2009 — use of Adado
Riverfront Park, inflatable's
147. 2009 Shared Pregnancy Women's Center "Baby Steps 5k Walk" —September 5,
2009 — Use of Lansing River
148. 2nd Annual Walk for Christ & Christian Festival — Peinisvlvania Avenue Original
Church of God — September 12, 2009 — Use of Adado Riverfront Park (west),
Inflatable Obstacle Course
149. Barbeque on the Boulevard (Conunimity Festival — On the Boulevard Business
Assoc. — September 12, 2009 —Use of Showmobile
150. 2009 Michigan Junior College Wood Bat Showcase Tournament — Motor Citv
Pride League — September 18-20, 2009 — Use of Kircher Municipal Baseball
Field
151. Old Town Business and Art Development Association `Blues Festival" —
. September 18-19, 2009 -Use of Tuner Mini Park, Burchard Park, Lot 56
152. 2009 Michigan State Youth Soccer Association "Capital Area Classic — Youth
Soccer Tournament" — September 19-20, 2009 — Use of Gier Park Softball Fields
& Sycamore Park Field
153. 2009 Montessori Children's House School Picnic — September 24, 2009 — Use of
Frances Park Pavilion (special)
154. 2009 Capitol City River Run (Fall Into Fitness) — September 26-27, 2009 — Use
of Adado Riverfront Park (west/east), Lansing River Trail, Showmobile,
Inflatable's
155. City of Lansing - Public Service Department — CSO Community Picnic —
October 8, 2009 - Use of Gier Park
156. Old Town Main Street Commercial Association "Oktoberfest" — October 9-10,
2009 - Use of Burehard Park, Lot 56 and Department Equipment
157. 2009 Crop Walk — October 10, 2009 — Use of city streets - SEPA
158. 2009 American Cancer Society "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
Run/Walls" — October 10, 2009 — Use of downtown areas — SEPA
159. 2009 Adopt -A -River Fall Clean Up (Impression 5 Science Center) — October 11,
2009 — Use of Adado Riverfront (west), Lansing River Trail
160. City of Lansing - Public Service Department — CSO Conununity Picnic —
October 15, 2009 - Use of Oak Park
161. 2009 MSU Chub Crew "Head of the Grand Rowing Regatta" —October 18, 2009
— Use of Grand River Park
162. "Silver Bells In The City" Arts Council of Greater Lansing —November 20, 2009
- Use of Showmobile
163. Lansing 150 Grand Finale / Holiday Sing --Along— November 20, 2009
164. Michigan Rtuming Foundation Turkeyinan Trot 5K — November 27, 2009 —Use
of Lansing River Trail
165. Delhi Townslup Tree Lighting sting Celebration -December 2, 2009 -Use of the show
mobile
Pavilion Rentals
RESERVATION REPORT
Pavilion & Wedding Sites
CALENDAR YEAR: JAN. 1, 2009 THRU DEC. 31, 2009
# RESERVATIONS/MONTH
Frances Park I
April
May
June
July
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Total
Pavilion (Entire)
0
5
8
4
8
9
1
35
Pavilion Sec. 1
0
2
8
7
7
4
0
28
Pavilion Sec. 2
0
4
8
3
7
2
0
24
Pavilion Sec. 3
0
1 6
6
1 11
1 10
3
0
36
Outdoor Tables
0
1 3
6
2
7
1
0
19
Total
0
1 20
36
27
39
19
1
142
Washinaton Park
Pavilion (Entire)
0
1 1
1 4
1 7
6
1
0
19
Total
0
1 1
1 4
1 7
1 6
1
0
19
Moores Park
Pavilion (Entire)
1 0
1 2
1 7
1 7
1 8
1 2
1 0
26
Total
1 0
1 2
1 7
1 7
1 8
1 2
1 0
26
Franrac Park 11A/arirlinnl
Rose Garden
0
4
7
6
11
2
0
30
Overlook
0
8
9
3
13
3
1
37
Woodland Trail
0
5
0
0
5
1
0
11
Total
0
17
16
9
29
6
1
78
Coolev Gardens
Wedding/Pavilion
0
1 0
0
1 9
1 12
1 6
1 0
1 27
Total
0
1 0
0
1 9
1 12
1 6
1 0
1 27
GRAND
0
40
63
59
94
1 34
2
292
TOTALS
RESERVATION REPORT
Pavilion & Wedding Sites
CALENDAR YEAR: JAN. 1, 2009 THRU DEC. 31, 2009
$ RESERVATIONS/MONTH
Frances
Park
April
May
June
July
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Total
Pavilion (Entire)
0
$610.00
$880.00
$655.00
$750.00
$1,265.00
0
$4,160.00
Pavilion Sec. 1
0
$105.00
$475.00
$375.00
$405.00
$210.00
0
$1,570.00
Pavilion Sec. 2
0
$225.00
$570.00
$210.00
$390.00
$105.00
0
$1,500.00
Pavilion Sec. 3
0
$315.00
$300.00
$490.00
$505.00
-$150.00
0
$1,760.00
Outdoor Tables
0
$60.00
$130.00
$40.00
$140.00
$20.00
0
$390.00
Total
0
$1,315.00
1 $2,355.00
1 $1,770.00
1 $2,190.00
1 $1,750.00
0
$9,380.00
Washington Park
Pavilion (Entire)
1 0
1 $60.00
1 $240.00
1 $420.00
1 $370.00
1 $60.00
1 0
$12150.00
Total
1 0
1 $60.00
1 $240.00
1 $420.00
1 $370.00
1 $60.00
1 0
$1,150.00
Moores Park
Pavilion (Entire)
$100.00
$360.00
$350.00
$350.00
$100.00
0
$1,260.00
Total
H0,
1 $100.00
$360.00
$350.00
1 $350.00 1
$100.00
1 0
1 $1,260.00
Frances Park (Wedding)
Rose Garden
0
$75.00
$525.00
$450.00
$450.00
$150.00
0
$1,650.00
Overlook
0
$375.00
$675.00
$225.00
$600.00
$225.00
$75.00
$2,175.00
Woodland Trail
0
$50.00
0
0
0
$25.00
0
$75.00
Total
0
$500.00
$1,200.00
$675.00
$1,050.00
$400.00
$75.00
$3,900.00
Coolev Gardens
Wedding/Pavilion
0
1 $75.00
$150.00
1 $100.00
1 $175.00
1 $150.00
1 0
1 $6501.00
Total +_0
1 $75.00
$150.00
1 $100.00
1 $175.00
1 $150.00
1 0
1 $650.00
GRAND 0 $2,050.00 $4,305.00 $3,315.00 $4,135.00 $2,460.00 $75.00 $16,340.00
TOTALS
PLANNING AND NEIGHBORHOOD' DEVELOPMENT
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
DIVISION OF BUILDING SAFETY & CODE COMPLIANCE
The offices of Building Safety and Code Compliance were restructured, in
FY2009 with both divisions reporting to the Building Official in lieu of reporting to
two separate Managers. Over the past year, integration of these separate
divisions has begun. Both divisions are responsible for the health, safety and
welfare of citizens with separate but related activities that save lives and protect
property and therefore have common goals in protecting the citizens of Lansing.
Building inspection staff, for example, are responsible for the verification of
smoke detector installation, fire suppression, erection of fire walls, etc., during
renovation or construction. Code Compliance staff is responsible to verify the
maintenance of these life saving code requirements during rental inspections of
both single family rentals and apartment buildings.
In addition, the office staff of Building Safety and Code Compliance are being
cross -trained in additional responsibilities that will result in better workflow and
more productivity within the division.
The Building Safety Office is a Special Revenue Account as required by the
State Construction Code Act (Public Act 245 of 1999). Section 22 states in part
that a legislative body of a governmental subdivision establish reasonable fees to
be charged by the governmental subdivision and that services performed by the
enforcing agency, issuance of permits, examination of plans and specifications,
inspection of construction and issuance of certificates of use and occupancy, or
the construction board of appeals, is intended to bear a reasonable cost,
including overhead, to the governmental subdivision. The legislative body of a
governmental subdivision shall only use fees generated under this section for the
operation of the enforcing agency or the construction board of appeals, or both,
and shall not use the fees for any other purpose.
The Office of Code Compliance is part of the General Fund. Revenue generated
from single and multiple family dwelling registrations, rental inspections,
administrative fees, including miscellaneous receivables for grass, trash, board -
up and monitoring fees, as well as claims and judgments, are deposited into
general fund accounts.
Attached is the annual report for each office including statistical information.
Building Safety Office
Activity & Accomplishment Summary FY2009
Building code enforcement can have a major influence on the economic well being of a
municipality and the safety of its citizens. The Building Safety Office is comprised of the
Building Official, ten building and trade inspectors, two plan analysts and two clerical
staff members. The office continues to ensure that construction activity meets the
requirements of the family of State Codes as follows:
• Michigan Building Code
• Michigan Residential Code
• Michigan Electrical Code, NEC with Pt. 8 Rules
• Michigan Mechanical Code
• Michigan Plumbing Code
• International Property Maintenance Code, adopted by reference
The State of Michigan adopted the current 2006 Editions of the above listed codes
during FY2008. These codes are based on the International Codes, with state
amendments, and are enforced throughout the state by each municipality. The Building
Safety Inspection Staff have attended seminars and conferences learning of code
changes and the application thereof for each of their respective trades. The 2008
National Electrical was adopted by the State of Michigan in December 2009 and is being
enforced by the electrical division.
The codes establish the minimum requirements to safeguard the public health, safety
and general welfare of the public. The objective is achieved by regulating and
controlling the design, construction, quality of materials, use and occupancy, location
and maintenance of buildings and structures within this jurisdiction.
Commercial Property Inspections Commercial plan review staff was assigned the
task of devoting a few hours each week to inspecting commercial buildings that have
been abandoned or neglected. The inspections were made to verify compliance with the
International Property Maintenance Code and were directed towards building exteriors
only. In total there were forty-two inspections completed with the following buildings
demolished by the owner as a result of these efforts:
612 N. Larch
3140 S. Cedar
711 Center
An additional seventeen buildings have been either repaired or the exterior property has
been brought up to the minimum standards as defined in the code.
Permit Issuance In FY2009 the following permits were issued by the Building Safety
Office. Building permit inspections include footing, foundation, frame and final
inspections. Many projects require numerous trips to the job site and it is not unusual for
some jobs to require two or three frame inspections. Large commercial projects can
require the building inspector to be on site daily while concrete is being poured and prior
to installation of draft -stops, ductwork, dry wall, etc. Trade inspections also require
frame and final inspections. The following permits were issued by each trade as follows:
FY2009 building permits: 2,009
FY2008 building permits: 1,981
FY2009 demolition permits: 104
FY2008 demolition issued: 31
FY2009 sign permits: 84
FY2008 sign permits: 97
FY2009 electrical permits:
1,274
FY2008 electrical permits:
1,406
FY2009 mechanical permits:
1,309
FY2008 mechanical permits:
1,367
FY2009 plumbing permits: 1,542
FY2008 plumbing permits: 1,476
FY2009 total number of permits issued: 6,322
FY2008 total number of permits issued: 6,358
Permit Revenue FY2009 there was a four percent increase in revenue.
Building Division:
FY2009 commercial and residential permits:
FY2008
Building Division:
FY2009 sign permits:
FY2008
Plan Review:
FY2009 building plan
review:
FY2008:
Electrical:
FY2009 permits:
190,696.00
FY2008
242,682.00
Mechanical:
FY2009 permits:
163,450.00
FY2008
175,733.00
Plumbing:
FY2009 permits:
183,117.00
FY2008
82,235.00
Other revenue:
FY2009 registrations, demolitions,
BBA, City Certifications:
15,473.00
FY2008
14,630.00
TOTAL FY2009 REVENUE: $1,511,215.00
TOTAL FY2008 REVENUE: $1,450,071.00
Neighborhood Investment
$667,300.00
$588,298.00
$6,908.00
9,088.00
284,271.00
237,405.00
During FY2009 an investment of $8,064,029.00 was made in new homes, additions, re -
roofs and siding projects throughout the City. This is an indication that even through the
statewide economic downturn, homeowners are willing to invest in their property. The
number of new single family homes constructed dropped from twenty in FY2008 to six in
FY2009.
Comparing FY2009 to FY2008:
FY2009: 6 new single family dwellings with a construction value of $ 988,856.00
FY2008: 20 new single family dwellings with a construction value or $ 3,441,325.00
FY2009: 44 single family additions with a construction value of $ 1,300,023.00
FY2008: 68 single family additions with a construction value of $ 1,701,030.00.
FY2009: 965 single family tear off and re -roofs with a value of $5,039,585.00
FY2008: 884 single family tear off and re -roofs with a value of $ 4,143,103.00
FY2009: 91 single family tear -off and re -roofs with siding w/value of $735,565.00
FY2008: 41 single family tear off and re -roofs with siding w/value of $ 360,837.00
BS&A database conversion Staff has participated in meetings with administration and
vendors, for possible replacement of the Lotus Notes program with BS&A.
Implementation of this database will enable us to work more efficiently with other
departments in the City. In conjunction with implementation of BS&A, it is planned to
incorporate the equipment necessary for electronic submission of construction
documents for plan review.
Preconstruction Meetings Preconstruction meetings regarding the Michigan State
Police Headquarters, Accident Fund Building, Sparrow Hospital, City Market, demolition
of the North Grand Expansion, Lansing Center Parking ramp, Peckham addition,
Marketplace, CATA and others.
Plan Review The Plan Review Division reviewed three hundred and thirty-six plans for
commercial projects in FY2009 with an additional one hundred sixty-two reviewed to
date in FY2010.
Site Plan Review The Plan Review division has reviewed twenty-five site plan reviews
in FY2009 and an additional seven in FY2010.
Electrical Division now has a new Electrical Inspector replacing a staff member that left
for other employment opportunities. The two electrical inspectors are now working
diligently to catch up with inspections that lagged for six months.
Mechanical Division has been permitting and inspecting furnace replacements for
homeowners installing 95% energy efficient furnaces to qualify for Federal Tax Credits
as well as Consumer Energy rebates.
Plumbing Division has been working cooperatively with Public Service and Tetra Tech
regarding the CSO project.
The Plumbing Division is also working with the BWL on lead pipe replacement.
Staff participation on committees and other Organizations:
• . Architecture Technology Advisory Committee member. This
committee directs curriculum development for the architecture
program at Lansing Community College
• EDC Principal Shopping District Design Committee Member
• State of Michigan Mechanical Board Member
• Board Member of American Association of Electrical Inspectors
• Secretary of the Plumbing Inspectors Association of Michigan
Inspector registration and certification
• Building Official, Field Inspectors and Plan Review staff have obtained required
credits for State of Michigan registration cycle that ended September 2009.
Completion of International Code Council Residential Energy Inspector / Plans
Examiner by a building division staff member.
Office of Code Compliance
Activity & Accomplishment Summary for Calendar Year 2009 (YTD)
The Code Compliance Office is responsible for enforcing the City of Lansing Housing
and Premises Code, as well as the City of Lansing Zoning Code. Its 15 full time and 2
part time staff help protect the safety and welfare, of the citizens through a systematic
rental inspection program, safety and exterior inspections on all properties, as well as
issuing tickets under the court ordered compliance ticket program.
Code Compliance is also responsible for the Nuisance Abatement Program which
includes trash, debris, disabled motor vehicles, front yard parking and tall grass
nuisances which threaten the safety and value of our neighborhoods. Fencing or
landscaping which obstructs the vision of motorists along sidewalks and at intersections
is also enforced. The Code Compliance Office supports one board - the Demolition
Board - which is responsible for ordering houses to be made safe or demolished. The
staff also coordinates activities and works in cooperation with numerous other agencies;
LPD, LFD, Ingham County Health Department, Community Mental Health, Child
Protective Services, Ingham County Animal Control and the Humane Society, to name
just a few.
NEIGHBORHOOD ENHANCEMENT ACTION TEAM (N.E.A.T. TEAM)
Beginning at the start of the 2007 fiscal year, the Neighborhood Enhancement Action
Team (N.E.A.T. Team) was launched. Existing personnel were reassigned and began
the process of monitoring long term substandard and unsafe (tagged) properties.
Additional personnel were hired in March 2007. Since the inception of the NEAT Team
significant enhancements have been made to our computer system and our monitoring
processes. Long term tagged structures which are not being actively worked are
charged $150.00 for monitoring. During the calendar year for 2009 we have billed
property owners $455,700.00 in tag monitoring fees.
During calendar year 2009 the NEAT Team has:
• Actively monitored an average of 417 long term tagged structures
on a monthly basis
• Conducted over 5,000 exterior inspections of vacant properties
• Secured over 224 open and accessible residential structures.
In collaboration with the entire Code Compliance staff, it is the primary goal of the
N.E.A.T. Team to reduce the length of time that a structure remains in an
substandard/unsafe status. From January 1, 2009 through December 30, 2009 the staff
has:
Tagged 1,206 structures
Untagged 1,150 structures
The average length of time a structure was tagged is 152 days
During the past year the number of vacant and foreclosed properties continues to
increase and poses a serious problem and an ongoing challenge for the city. These
structures contribute significantly to the number of open and accessible structures and to
the number of substandard/unsafe (tagged) structures in the city. The staff remains
committed to actively monitoring these structures and keeping the housing stock safe
within the city.
HOUSING VIOLATION ACTIVITIES (111109—12/30/09)
According to the 2000 census, the city has 54,753 housing units; 22,369 are registered
rental units (41 % rental rate). To assure the safety of the citizens who live in rental
properties, the Lansing Housing and Premises Code requires that all rental properties be
registered and inspected on a regular basis. In the past 12 months, the following actions
have been taken:
• Rental Certification Inspections: 2,628-were performed
• 96.27% compliance rate on rental certification inspections
• Issued 574 failure to register letters
In addition to the rental program, the Lansing Housing and Premises Code require that
all residential structures meet minimum code standards. To ensure public safety, the
Code Compliance staff has also taken the following measures:
• Issued 88 address letters
• Secured 393 open and accessible structures
• Issued 168 correction notices for exterior problems
• Performed 701 safety inspections
NUISANCE ABATEMENT ACTIVITIES (1/1/09—12/30/09) 4.,
Section 1460.17 of the City of Lansing Housing & Premises Code addresses what is
commonly referred to as "Premises Violations". Common violations of this section
include trash, grass, disabled and/or abandoned motor vehicles, front yard parking and
other public nuisances. Under this section of the code, the following actions have been
taken:
• Conducted 9,412 inspections for tall grass and weeds
• Sent 4,706 correction notices for tall grass and weeds violations
• Abated 2,327 tall grass and weeds violations
• Conducted 5,824 inspections for trash and debris
• Sent 2,912 correction notices for trash and debris violations
• Abated 2267 trash and debris violations
• Conducted 990 inspections for disabled or abandoned motor vehicles
• Sent 495 correction notices for disabled and/or abandoned motor vehicles
• Abated 54 disabled and/or abandoned motor vehicle violations
• Conducted 552 inspections for front yard parking
MAKE SAFE OR DEMOLISH ACTIVITIES (111/09—12/30109)
Utilizing the City of Lansing Demolition Board and the expert opinion of the Code
Compliance Officers, the activities of the Make Safe or Demolish Process for the past 12
months has included goals such as, ridding the city of blight, protecting the public safety
and enhancing the property values throughout the city. This is being done by enforcing
the City of Lansing Housing & Premises Code as well as State Law MCL 125.538
through 125.541 (with the exception of MCL 125.541 c) These tools have been essential
in accomplishing these goals.
• Structures Entered Into the Demolition Process: 14
• Houses Demolished by Owner: 3
• Houses Demolished by City Order: 24
• Houses Rehabilitated by Owner: 5
• Emergency Demolitions Done by City Order: 7
REVENUES GENERATED (07101/07—12/30/09)
Revenues for inspection and abatement activities the division is responsible for, have
slowly but continually been on the rise. When revenues are compared to expenditures
the division has been nearly self supportive since FY07.
TYPE OF REVENUE
FY 08
FY 09
FY 10 YTD
Rental Inspections
$521,640
$680,878
$343,203
Rental Registrations
$158,629
$234,700
$126,090
Admin. Fees
$996,752
$1,250,050
$670,210
TOTALS:
$116771021
$21165,628
$1,139,503
PLANNING DIVISION
Master Plan Project
The Planning Office is working with a group of consultants headed by the planning and
design firm JJR. The project began with a .thorough examination of the Oakland -
Saginaw corridor, has proceeded with extensive data collection, and is now focused on
determining a shared community vision. Several public workshops and more than 30
"Workshops in a Box" have been held, and more than 1000 Spot Surveys have been
received.
The next phase is process of exploring and selecting alternatives, followed by
completion of a city-wide plan and cluster plans.
The plan takes into account approximately two dozen other planning projects throughout
the Lansing area, including Regional Growth Plan, the Parks and Recreation Plan, the
Walk/Bike Task Force Plan, and approximately 20 others.
Public participation is crucial to the planning process, and will be encouraged throughout
the remainder of the project.
2. Coordinate Census 2010
The Planning Office is coordinating the City's interdepartmental efforts to ensure a more
accurate Census count in the year 2010. Planning staff coordinated the establishment
of the Complete Count Committee (CCC), and a CCC leadership team which meets
weekly with Census Bureau staff and other partners to:
ramp up activities and events to get the word out about the 2010 Census,
encourage neighborhood level participation,
assist with recruiting for Census workers in hard -to -count Census tracts (which .are also
those with the greatest need),
encourage people to look for their Census form in their mail in March, and complete and
return it by Census day, April 1, 2010.
Seven subcommittees have been formed to assist with this effort, and will be working
with various stakeholder groups on the complete count.
The Census message is that the form is short (10 questions, ten minutes), easy (no long
form this time), and completely confidential.
3. Oversaw the complete rewrite of the Capital Center District Section of the Sign
Ordinance.
The Planning Office staff worked with a committee of downtown business owners and
other city staff to develop a new sign ordinance for the Capital Center District that would
enhance its vitality while still preserving its dignity. The new ordinance provides for a
reasonable amount of temporary signage for each downtown business, permanent wall
signs that are comparable in size to those permitted elsewhere in the city, projecting
signs, awning/canopy signs, and ground signs for those lots which can accommodate
the required setbacks.
4. Began the process of updating the Zoning Ordinance in its entirety.
The Planning Office staff is working with the Law Office to completely update the City's
Zoning Ordinance. The current ordinance has not seen any major updates since 1990.
At this time, there is a need for numerous Zoning Ordinance amendments such as
regulating the keeping of chickens in residential districts, provisions for wind energy
systems, reducing parking requirements in order to increase green space, etc.
Additionally, because the ordinance has not been updated in almost 20 years, it is
inconsistent in many respects with modern planning principles. Therefore, rather than
developing several individual amendments, it seems most prudent to update the entire
ordinance at this time. This is an in-house job that is being spearheaded by the
Planning Office and Law Office.
5. Planning Office staff reviewed and approved the following:
1. Over 1900 building permits
2. 68 sign permits
3. 100 demolition permits
4. Coordinated, reviewed and approved 30 site plans
5. 12 lots splits, 13 lot combinations
6. 5 rezonings
7. 2 special land use permits
8. 10 variances
9. 1 plat
10. 1 nonconforming use status
11. 8 Act 285 cases
12. 1 Historic District Commission permit review (Ottawa Street Power
Station)
6. Resolved over 120 zoning violations throughout the City. This involved writing
violation letters, working with property owners/tenants to find solutions to the
problems and working with the code compliance officers and the City Attorney's Office to
prepare citations and court cases as needed.
Development Office Accomplishments and Funding Synopsis
2005-2009
A6'166hio lj'th IM
,F 05 ,
:,"0'6!,'
"07�
PY08
FY 09
Applications
286
400
250
210
300
Acquisition -Rehab -Resale
9
4
8
3
4
Homeowner Rehab
85
102
41
42
57
Rental Units
11
52
0
22
0
New Construction Units
5
2
3
7
2
Homeless Shelters Assisted
9
9
9
9
New Supportive Housing Units
0
—9
0
0
0
0
Total Households Assisted (by any program)
800
800
600
600
600
Housing Quality Inspections
50
50
85
46
79
Energy Fitness Assistance
220
220
151
220
200
Down Payment Assistance
22
27
19
14
22
Neighborhood Cleanups
21
4
9
8
7
Micro-Enterpdse Trainees/Loans
19/1
39/1
17/2
17/3
9/1
Closing the Digital Gap Trainees/jobs
339
ill
62/7
73/11
43/7
Neighborhoods'N Bloom
80
0
0
0
0
Contractor Payments
600
300
200
196
317
Nonprofit payments
250
250
200
150
147
LSL Units
NA
NA
NA
14
32
LSL Safe Work Trainings
NA
NA
NA
8
6
LSL Outreach and Education Events
NA
NA
NA
26
17
LSL Paint/Risk Assessments
NA
NA
NA
21
67
Home Maintenance Class Participants
NA
NA
NA
284
121
Foreclosed Propefties Acquired
NA
NA
NA
NA
Businesses Assisted
NA
NA
NA
—NA
23
Housing & Neighborhood Improvement Events
, NA
NA
NA
NA
48
Federal
DBG,
'Fu:ii'dS''.-.
D G':
HOME
'�.ESQ.,.?:-
A
,ADDI
LEAD'
FE V
"HP.RP
Total
FY 2004-
0
0
0
0
0
05
$2,536,000
974,704
92,876
61,481
-
$3,665,06
FY 2005-
0
0
0
0
0
06
2,407,205
927,177
92,761
0
3,427,143
FY 2006-
1,384,886
0
0
0
0
07
2,198,017
870,643
92,589
0
1
4,546,135
FY 2007-
0
1,363,848
0
0
0
08
2,222,775
865,563
94,802
0
4,546,988
FY2008-
0
0
5,9992,160
587,391
898,823
09
2,164,192
838,078
95,775
0
10,576,419
Other Accomplishments
Neighborhood Stabilization (NSP)
The Development Office obtained HUD approval for $5.9 million in NSP funding to help
address the problem of foreclosed, vacant and abandoned housing in Lansing. Several
agencies and citizens provided input into the plan for using these new funds. The grant
was approved mid -year and implementation began with the acquisition of 6 properties in
the last month of the fiscal period. Funds must be expended by 2013.
CDBG-R
The Development Office obtained a HUD approval in June for its plan for using $587,391
in supplemental CDBG funding which was awarded by Congress as part of the Recovery
Act. Funds will be used for energy conservation projects, code enforcement, public
services and site improvements at the Boys and Girls Club.
Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re -Housing (HPRP)
In cooperation with the City's Department of Human Relations and Community Services,
the Ingham County Land Bank and the Greater Lansing Homeless Resolution Network,
the Development Office assisted in developing a new program to help families avoid
foreclosure or quickly resettle in stable housing. This program is funded using $1.3
million in HPRP Recovery Act funds from HUD and MSHDA.
Neighborhood Empowerment Center
The Development Office disbursed $267,000 toward establishing a new Neighborhood
Empowerment Center at the site of the former Michigan School for the Blind. The
Greater Lansing Housing Coalition will develop the former library building at the corner
of Pine and Maple St. to provide a One -Stop -Shop location for housing and
neighborhood assistance programs including foreclosure prevention, home repair
classes, head start classes, tool lending library and other services.
TRANSPORTATION DIVISION
Finalized implementation of optimized traffic signal timings at close to 100 intersections
in the city to reduce delay, improve safety and reduce emissions
Completed a draft non -motorized transportation plan, based on input from close to 300
residents. Plan incorporates on -street and off-street facilities as well as street crossing
improvements. Plan will be presented to the public at the Master Plan meeting on
transportation (February 18th).
Completed a conceptual layout and plan for a parking structure adjacent to the Lansing
Center on the east side of the Grand River. A detailed design study will be started in
early 2010.
Completed major maintenance work in the North Grand Ramp to ensure it is safe and
serviceable for the next decade. Activities included concrete and post -tension cable
repair, sealing and coating.
Completed a comprehensive speed limit study for all non-MDOT major streets in the city.
Recommendations are currently being reviewed and will be put forward for adoption in
early 2010 with implementation occurring throughout 2010.
PND - Transportation and Parking Office
2009 Overview and Accomplishments
Parking System
The parking system is an enterprise fund and provides on -street and off-street parking
services to employees and visitors to the city of Lansing. The system manages 2350
on -street and 4,688 off-street spaces including operations and maintenance, -
enforcement, ticket and permit processing, and special event services. These services
are currently provided by City staff and efforts are continuing to streamline operations,
automate processes.
In 2009 the Parking System:
Completed a conceptual layout and plan for a parking structure adjacent to the Lansing
Center on the east side of the Grand River. A detailed design study will be started in
early 2010.
Provided parking to approximately 3,470 permit and 13,000 hourly parkers on a monthly
basis.
Provided special event parking services for Lansing Center and Oldsmobile Park.
Processed payment of 60,200 tickets & night notices.
Responded to an average of 26 meter complaints weekly
Maintained and collected 2,200 on -street meters and 275 off-street meters.
Handled 3,000 parking ticket complaints.
Continued preventative maintenance in all parking ramps. Completed major
maintenance work in the North Grand Ramp and the roof of the South Capitol Ramp to
ensure they are safe and serviceable for the next decade. Activities included concrete
and post -tension cable repair, sealing and coating.
Transportation
This section of the office is responsible for traffic operations in the City including all
traffic signs, signals and pavement markings. Major functions include the installation
and maintenance of traffic signs, signals and pavement markings. The transportation
section also administers grants, provides design of traffic control for construction, traffic
calming, and designs and provides traffic control for special events. The transportation
staff are currently administering close to $3 million in grant funds.
During 2009, the seven full time and one seasonal employee of the transportation
section accomplished the following: ,
Modernized 3 intersections and continued installation of LED traffic signals and
countdown pedestrian signals
Continued development of an Advanced Traffic Management System.
Implemented optimized signal timings at close to 100 intersections in the City to reduce
delay, improve safety and reduce emissions. This was part of a federally funded CMAQ
project.
Completed a draft non -motorized transportation plan, based on input from close to 300
residents. Plan incorporates on -street and off-street facilities as well as street crossing
improvements. The draft plan will be presented to the public at the Master Plan meeting
on transportation (February 18t', 2010).
Completed a comprehensive speed limit study for all non-MDOT major streets in the city
including data collection and mapping and report preparation. Recommendations are
currently being reviewed and will be put forward for adoption in early 2010 with
implementation occurring throughout 2010.
Designed and provided traffic control and staffing to 44 events and provided materials
for 22 events.
Installed, repaired or replaced almost 2,400 traffic signs
Installed or replaced 750 street name signs. Continued installing new, larger street
name signs in an effort to improve legibility, especially for the older driver.
Painted 190 miles of pavement markings and 125 miscellaneous markings (crosswalks,
stop bars, railroad crossings, turn arrows, etc.)
Prepared 35 reports for Traffic Board
Issued 69 Traffic Control Orders
Responded to approximately 220 requests for information.
Performed 195 field checks and 20 field studies.
LPD GOALS & OBJECTIVES ASSIGNED BY MAYOR VIRG BERNERO
FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2009
TASK: Create a Downtown Entertainment District to sustain and develop downtown entertainment
venues,
ACTION TAKEN:
.k LPD has built partnerships and continues to maintain those partnerships with the Downtown Business
Association to address Homeless Issues and Protect the Citizens and Visitors who enjoy our downtown.
Community Policing Officer Robert Merritt is'assigned to the Downtown / Cherry Hill Neighborhood. He
attends the downtown business meetings (Principal Shopping District) and works toward solving problems
and concerns from the business and residential community. Officer Merritt patrols the downtown area and
the parking ramps. He works with Special Operations to curtail illegal activity in the Cherry Hill
Neighborhood, the Downtown Party Store and the CATA Bus Station.
.k Officers monitor the Public Video Camera in the Downtown area for quality of life issues.
,k Provide extra patrols at the CATA Bus Station as needed during peak commuter times.
Provide extra police presence during Cooley Law School finals and special events (Blues on the Tavern,
Trick or Treat on the square, Silver Bells )
k Assist City Human Relations and Volunteers of America (VOA) in identifying and assisting the Homeless
obtain food, shelter and other available resources.
TASK: Support the continued development of Old Town. Work with Old Town/Main Street Association
and other partners. Also support the work of the Eastside, Northwest Healthy Community Initiative and
Reo Town Main Street projects.
ACTION TAKEN:
* Continue to work with and support the work of the Old Town/Main Street Association, the Eastside,
Northwest Healthy Community Initiative and Reo Town Main Street projects.
� Assisted City Human Relations and Community Services Department in relocating citizens from the
Deluxe Inn.
* LPD provided extra police presence during events and concerts (Blues Fest., Jazz Fest., Oktober
Fest.)
* LPD has worked closely with Northwest Healthy Community Initiative in repairing the Riddle
Elementary Hoophouse and providing additional security features.
TASK: Support business retention and attraction; participate in career preparation, school to work
programs and other strategies to develop a regional workforce with LSD, LCC, MSU, Davenport, Cooley
Law School, Capital Area Michigan Works, Chamber of Commerce, Ingham County, LCC, General
Motors, Trade Unions, Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), MSP Relocation,
Accident Fund Relocation.
ACTION TAKEN:
• Lansing Teen Court
• Hospitality Partnership- LPD Detective Chris Devlin works with Lansing Area bar and restaurant owners to
promote safe and responsible alcohol practices within their establishments.
• HOPE Scholarship Program — The program now has 4,000 students enrolled. 234 students attend L.C.C.
• Chief Mark E. Alley was elected the Chairperson for the Promise Zone Authority of the Lansing School
District on August 6, 2009. The primary purpose of the Lansing Promise Zone Authority is to provide
financial assistance for the tuition necessary to obtain an associate degree or its equivalent in the state of
Michigan to all students residing in the Lansing School District who graduate from a public or nonpublic high
school located within the boundaries of the Lansing School District. Additionally, the Lansing Promise Zone
Authority aims to increase the readiness of students at public schools in the Lansing School District for
postsecondary education. Finally, the Lansing Promise Zone Authority seeks to promote economic
development by encouraging families and businesses to locate within the Promise Zone.
* Truancy Court partnership with the Ingham County Juvenile Court and Judges, Prosecutor's Office, and
Lansing School District.
Partnership with the Lansing Youth Academy.
TASK: Support city-wide Neighborhood Clean-up Programs and special projects in designated
neighborhoods and along the River Trail.
ACTION TAKEN:
* Assigned Community Policing Officers to the following specific areas:
Officer Jeff Winarski — Pine /Saginaw Corridor, Officer Darren Blount — Northtown Neighborhood, Officer
Wendy Prince - Wainwright Neighborhood, Officer George Kelly — Baker-Donora Neighborhood, Officer
Brad Carey - Moores River Neighborhood and Officer Robert Merritt — Downtown and Cherry Hill
Neighborhood, Officer Rich Bailor — Kalamazoo Street Corridor, Office Bill Windom — Orchard Street
Corridor. These officers partner with neighborhood groups, landlords, code compliance and community
leaders to eliminate quality of life complaints, reduce calls for service and problem solve neighbors/business
owner complaints.
* Baker-Donora Extreme Makeover.
* Westside Paint Project and Clean Up
-k Utilize the Public Video Cameras to reduce crime
* Handicapped Parking and River Trail Patrol
* Special Operations Aggressive response to Narcotic / Vice Complaints- (Prostitution Stings throughout the
Kalamazoo Corridor, drug raids and buy bust)
* Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)- Reduction of Gun Crimes — Collaborate with ATF, US Attorney's Office,
Prosecutor and Tri-County Law Enforcement Agencies to identify and pro -actively prevent crimes involving
guns within the Lansing area. Project Safe Neighborhoods and LPD is setting specific goals to reduce
violent crime involving guns in Lansing
* LPD partnership with the ATF. Three (3) ATF agents are now housed of the North Precinct.
• Michigan Prisoner Re -Entry Initiative (M.P.R.I.) was established in 2003 and has worked with ex -prisoners
on getting them placed back into the community and getting them jobs. M.P.R.I. ultimate goal is to achieve
successful long-term re -integration of the former prisoner to his / her community. M.P.R.I. is a statewide
approach to reduce crime and increase public safety. M.P.R.I. takes a proactive stance to preparing both
the prisoner and the community before re-entry. Law Enforcement, businesses, faith based, community
based leaders and dedicated citizens are all major stake holders in public safety. The Lansing Police
Department Detention Administrator Lt. Frank Medrano and the Community Policing Officers Billy Windom
and Rich Ballor participate in the orientation session with the prisoners at Bellamy Creek Correctional
Facility once a month. This session assists in breaking down the barriers between the inmate and law
enforcement officers.
TASK: Support Neighborhood Organization activism through programs and services such as:
Neighborhood Grant Program, Neighborhood Clean-up projects, Lansing Neighborhood Council (LNC),
Landlord and Neighborhood Development Committee (LAND).
ACTION TAKEN:
x Neighborhood Watch Officers Jeromy Churchill and Officer Sarah Nolen are responsible for 200
neighborhood watches and 62 neighborhood associations.
* Grew Neighborhood Watches City -Wide by 51.
* Conducted Elder Abuse Training for the Allen Center Senior Program & Neighborhood Watch Group
* Conducted Rape Aggression Defense (RAD Training)
4
.k Special Tactics and Rescue Team (S.T.A.R.T.) provided information and equipment for the Gang
Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Community Picnic at Willow School, South End
Neighborhood Picnic, Averill Woods Community Picnic, City Employee Picnic and the Boy Scouts.
k Capital Area Dive Team provided information and equipment at the Wainwright School Party and Picnic,
and the Safety Picnic at Hawk Island.
Canine Unit provided information and demos for numerous community events, picnics and school's.
* LAND Committee Meetings
Ride -a longs with between LPD Officers and Code Compliance Officers
,k Neighborhood Watch Meetings
North Precinct Advisory Board
-� South Precinct Advisory Board
Red Cross Blood Drive-LPD v LFD Battle for the Blood
Old Newsboys
>k Polar Plunge
Toys for Tots
Capital Area United Way Campaign
.k 9111PAL Festival of Trees
.k Veterans' Day Ceremony
* Crime Stoppers Program
* Landlord -Tenant Training
* Adopt -A -River Program
• Food Movers
• City of Lansing Employee Food and Clothing Drives
.k Dispute Resolution programs with City Human Relations
Mediation Skills
,k Education on drug use, bullying, gangs, bus -related traffic laws and tobacco use
* Touch -a -Truck
.k P.A.L. Kids
.k Participated in the Healthy Thanksgiving Community Summit
* LPD helped organize, coordinate and participated in the numerous parades and events including150
Sesquicentennial, Silver Bell's Electric Light Parade,101h Annual African -American Parade, Lansing pow
wow celebration, Common Ground.
• TRIAD(Seniors Community & Law Enforcement) Programs: TRIAD, No Seniors Without Christmas, TRIAD
Senior Prom, TRIAD Adopt a senior
• Downtown Business (PSD)
* Working with the South Lansing Business Association and "On the Boulevard" (S. MLK Corridor)
• Hot Spot Cards
* Neighborhood Watch Training Programs
• HOPE Connections
* GREAT Graduations
.k Shop With A Cop
* Outreach Program for Refugees between new residents and St. Vincent Catholic Charities
* Crime Prevention Presentations and Advanced Crime Prevent School put on by LPD Neighborhood Watch
Officers
• Citizen's Police Academy
TASK: Participate in regular meetings between City Departments and neighborhoods to assure
customer oriented services. Refine specific service goals with outcome measurements for end of the
year reporting.
3
ACTION TAKEN:
� LAND Committee Meetings
-x Code Compliance Meetings with Neighborhood Groups
.a Neighborhood Organizations
Business Associations
• Service Clubs (Eagles, Rotary, Elks)
* Religious Organizations
• Precinct Citizen Advisory Boards
-k VOA Meetings on Homeless
,k Ingham Change Initiative
* City Hall on the Road
-k City HR Recruitment Initiative
TASK: Facilitate working relations between Neighborhood Organizations, Schools, PTO's, Business
Associations, Service Clubs and Religious organizations. Focus upon strengthening sensitivity and
Relationships among diverse communities.
ACTION TAKEN:
-k GREAT Graduations
* HOPE Connections
* Annual HOPE dinner
Adopt -A -School Program
* Support Youth Recreation by participating in the Southside Boys and Girls Sports Banquet and the Boys
and Girls Club.
* Held Community Forums with community response teams/local ministries to deal with volatile issues and/or
violence
* Community Resource Officers assigned to each of LSD's four high schools
,k GREAT Officers assigned to two the LSD's middle schools
* HOPE Scholarship Program
* HOPE Leadership Academy at LCC
* Reading Month
TASK: Maintain Community Policing through partnerships with neighborhood organizations, City
departments and other law enforcement agencies. Provide regular crime prevention reports. Train
neighborhood leaders and citizens on crime mapping. Provide Landlord -Tenant training. Expand
various volunteer programs such as CUTT, Handicap Parking Enforcement, Victim Advocates, CARE,
River Trail, Citizen Police Academy and Ride -Along programs.
ACTION TAKEN:
* LPD Scared Straight Program
* Terrorism — Community Presentations
• Citizen Police Academy
• "Join the Team"
n
,k Provide crime data and crime prevention reports and access to crime mapping for citizens through Citizen
Observer
Rape Aggression Defense (RAID Training)
Crime Prevention Seminars
,k Mid -Michigan Safe Schools
.k Ingham Substance Abuse Prevention
Participate in Town Hall Forums in partnership with the LSD on underage use of alcohol
• Technology Partnerships — TALON
• Record Management System (RMS)
-� Ingham County Radio Project
Maintain and expand Volunteer Programs — Police Athletic League, River Trail Patrol, Safety Prints, CUTT,
Handicap Enforcement, Victim Advocates, CARE, South and North Precinct Front Desk
k Utilize Team Policing, problem -solving and Neighborhood Watch Program
°k The Community Services Unit regulated over 3,000 Alarm Sites
,k Background checks for participants in Youth Volunteer Programs
Gang Awareness literature and prevention programs including the GREAT program.
Crime Analysis
TASK: Promote City Department Neighborhood Outreach and Communication Programs such as Police
Team Programs, Human Relations Assessment projects, planning process and others
ACTION TAKEN:
* Team Policing and Problem -Solving
• Knock and Talks
* City Food and Clothing Drives
• Board of Water & Light Chili Cook -Off
• Mayor's Drug Free Golf Outing
.k PAL Golf Outing
k Trick -or -Treat on the Square
Mayor's Diversity Celebration
* Root Beer Summit
TASK: Develop a Code Enforcement Plan for large private apartment complexes to insure that they meet
the City Codes but also ensure a good quality -of -life for their residents. Develop a plan in cooperation
with the School District and Neighborhood Organizations.
ACTION TAKEN:
* GREAT Officers
• Community Resource Officers
* Address residential traffic issues through enforcement
• Everett, Eastern, Hill and Sexton — Smoking and Loitering special attention
5
TASK: Actively participate in and support volunteer programs in schools, pre-school, mentoring and
other community youth programs.
ACTION TAKEN:
,k Recruiting area youth about careers in law enforcement by hosting a Public Safety Career day at the
Precincts
.k LPD Police Explorers Program
� TEAM Training Programs in Lansing Schools
* GREAT Graduations
* Sexton's High School Recourse Officer and students collected can food to donate to the Michigan Food
Bank
TASK: Establish a City -School Administrative Liaison Committee to work together on School -City
partnerships involving: pre and after school programs, mentoring programs, public safety coordination,
parking, traffic and street and sidewalk cleaning.
ACTION TAKEN:
W Lansing School Traffic flow plans for drop-off and pick-up at Averill, Lewton and Mt. Hope schools.
• Truancy Sweeps
• School presentations dealing with bullying, drugs, gangs, tobacco, underage use of alcohol and violence
• Adopt -A -School
* Promote and help organize the Safe Prom Initiative
* GREAT Education in the middle schools
• Community Resource Officers for the four high schools
• HOPE Connections
* Mid -Michigan Safe Schools Program
* Officers participated in an annual exercise by riding school buses to "bring awareness to the public" about
bus -related traffic laws.
TASK: Develop outreach programs and strive to fully fund the HOPE Scholarship Program.
ACTION TAKEN:
* Fund -Raising - $2.5 million dollars Goal for HOPE Scholarship Program. Fund -Raise $400,000 for HOPE
Connections. ($2.5 million dollar goal completed). Fund-raising continues for the HOPE Connections. To
date $360,000 has been raised for the HOPE Connections.
• Assisted in the hiring of a LCC Ombudsman to assist with the HOPE Scholarship Program.
* Established LSD School HOPE Coordinators in each of the LSD schools.
6
TASK: Access community needs for educational and leisure services, as well as health care and other
human service needs. Continue to develop plans and programs to address these needs, including
working with the Lansing School District.
ACTION TAKEN:
* Police Athletic League (PAL)
* Neighborhood Clean-ups
* Youth Violence Prevention Coalition
* Truancy and Teen Court
Actively participate in LSD's annual truancy assemblies
* Participate in the Polar Plunge and Torch Run to raise money for Special Olympics
.k Participation on Boards for Boys and Girls Club, Ingham Regional Medical and Sparrow Hospital, VOA,
STOP Grant (PPO), Domestic Violence Grant and Safe Haven.
Water Safety Training and Awareness during summer and winter months.
k Drug and Gang Awareness
.r Ingham County Substance Abuse Coordinating Council
Precincts sponsor and host annual Pet Amnesty Day
LPD participated in the annual 9111 Special Tribute Ceremony at Wentworth Park.
k Facilitated and coordinate the Ingham County TRIAD Senior Prom and No Senior Without Christmas
k Participated in Trick -Or -Treat on the Square
-k Hosted with Mayor Virg Bemero a Program honoring Neighborhood Watch Captains and Coordinators
* Provide children in need with shoes and boots through the Old Newsboys Association
* Tri County Sex Offender Task Force
TASK: Expand educational and informational programs for schools, neighborhoods and citizens at
large regarding all City programs and services.
ACTION TAKEN:
* "Join the Team" TV Program
* LPD Web Site access to LPD historical information and police services
* Police Chaplain for Non -Denominational Prayer service to City Lock -up Prisoners
* Partnerships with Community Mental Health in LPD Lock -up
* Citizen Observer
TASK: Encourage public information classes, open houses and special events to highlight City services
and recognize.City employees.
ACTION TAKEN:
Tours of Precincts, Lock -up and Headquarters
• Police Ride -A -Long Program
* Profiling Forums
* Employee Recognition Picnic
* Annual Hmong New Years Resolution Celebration
• Shop With a Cop
* Tours for visitors for 911 Emergency orientation training
7
,P Student Government Day
x Personal Safety and Awareness Training for Lansing Agencies
Holiday Open Houses
Student Internship Program
* Public Safety Career Day
Citizen Police Academy
k Co -Sponsored Program recognizing Neighborhood Watch Captains and Coordinators with Mayor Virg
Bernero
k Crime Scene Investigations Unit (CSI) training for students.
TASK: Computer Technology Committee will develop and expand City government computer network
system and City Website. Set specific goals on how use of computers and computer training can
improve efficiency and effectiveness of operations.
ACTION TAKEN:
* TIP 411 Program- anonymous text message system to report crimes or tips
• Computer Access: Pawn Slips, UD-1 O's, TALON, Crime Mapping, , Polycom Video Arrangements
,k Records Management System (RMS)
Video Conferencing
.k Document Management
k Regional Information Sharing — Position Lansing with the ability to share police criminal data and
information. This regional approach is critical to proactively addressing Homeland Security and the solving
of crimes reach across City, County and State borders
-k Early Warning Program and electronic documentation in Internal Affairs enhanced through a computer
program called IAPRO / BLUE TEAM
Public Video Surveillance Cameras
* Winscribe- Police Report Dictation System
* Star Gate, interpretability switch to Clinton County
* Mobile Video Recording (MVR)- a in -car camera system for patrol vehicles.
k Collaboration between LPD and 54-A District Court in providing the availability to view the video footage
from the MVR L-3 camera system during traffic hearings and criminal proceedings.
* The Detention unit has been working with 54-A District Court in providing more video arraignments along
with working with Ingham County Jail in attempt to also have them provide the video arraignments which will
provide less risk in transporting prisoners to the Lansing Police Department.
,k E-Ticket and E-Crash
E:3
TASK: Use the Website to provide citizen access to City information and services.
ACTION TAKEN:
* LPD Web Site access to report a crime, crime mapping, Sex Offender Registry, bike registration, phone
directory, Annual Report, Traffic Stop DATA Collection Study, Citizen Complaint Procedure, Neighborhood
Watch Start up, Noise Waiver/ Street Closure Request, Pawn, LID 10's (accident reports)
* Direct link to the Chief of Police
* C.A.R.E.S. Program
- * Volunteer Programs
,k Frequently Asked Questions
r 911 Center information
.k School Awareness Program Web Application
HOPE Scholarship Program
Extensively revised LPD's website making it more user-friendly, adding services that can be handled over
the internet, thus saving trips to precincts and headquarters. The website is a work in progress.
.k Crime Stoppers
.k Video Public announcements, tips and press releases
• Link to City HR
• Report A Crime
• Lansing Police Historical Preservation Association
• TIP 411 Program
TASK: Work on recruitment efforts to ensure applicant and employee diversity, with focus on City
residents.
ACTION TAKEN:
* Recruiting Trips to local college campuses
• Collaboration with Lansing Schools
* Cristo Rey Festival
* Common Ground
• Eastern High School Criminal Justice Program
• Meridian Mall display during Police Memorial Week
* Historical Preservation Association
• Ride -A -Long Program
• Law Enforcement Recruiting Day at the Precincts
* Recruiting Task Force
9
TASK: Have training programs for employees in areas of computer and management skills, hiring and
promotional policies and procedures, employee evaluation and motivation, diversity appreciation,
conflict resolution, safety and injury prevention, customer service and quality improvement. Provide for
professional training to enhance employee skills.
ACTION TAKEN:
Emergency Medical Dispatch Training for 911
k Record Management System (RMS) Training
,k Diversity Training
Triangle Training
* Veterans Trainings
k Customer Service Training- "Get up and Grow" and supervisor training
Winscribe (dictation) Training
* E-Citation and E-Crash Training
,k Defensive Tactics Training
• Firearms Training
• Driving Training
.k Legal Updates Training
Michigan State University Staff and Command School
Active Shooter Training
=k Domestic Violence Training
TASK: Strengthen Labor -Management relations through joint Labor -Management meetings using quality
improvement concepts and specialized training. Work to reduce overall labor grievances by 10%.
ACTION TAKEN:
* Contract Negotiating Training
• Meeting with Union Leadership on a continuous basis
TASK: Work to reduce number and severity of injuries with Accident Prevention Programs.
ACTION TAKEN:
• Work with City Safety Administrator
* Coordination with landlord and building maintance in identifying potential hazards and repairing the
problems.
TASK: Recognize employees through events honoring and emphasizing their services.
ACTION TAKEN:
* Annual LPD Awards Program in May
• Elks Lodge Award
• New Hire Reception- Future Hero's
• City Employee of the Month Participation
10
* Documenting awards through IA/PRO Blue Team
• Shift level recognitions
• Retirement Ceremonies
.k Retirees Annual Dinner in association with the Lansing Police Benevolent Association (PBA)
,k Promotional Ceremonies
,k Recognition of Service to Specialized Units
City Recognition of employees for years of service
,k City Of Lansing Employee Recognition Picnic
TASK: Recognize volunteers who serve on Boards and Commissions and on various volunteer
programs.
ACTION TAKEN:
Annual Awards Program in May
,k Law Enforcement Day
,k Co -sponsored Program for Neighborhood Watch Coordinators, Captains with Mayor Virg Bernero
.k CARE Service Recognition
,k Bea Christy Awards
NAACP Dinner
.k Cesar Chavez Luncheon
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon
* Hispanic Christmas Symposium
Old Newsboys Association
Keystone Cops luncheon
TASK: Maintain data on the traffic stops (regarding racial profiling) and expand the in -car video system.
ACTION TAKEN:
* Eight continuous years of analysis and interpretation of traffic stop data (in one year increments)
* Electronic Logs
* E-Crash
* E-Ticketing
* L-3 Mobile Video in -car camera systems
TASK: Review record keeping process and develop an updated and streamlined process.
ACTION TAKEN:
* On-line access to pawn and browser -based pawn records
• On-line access to UD-10's
* Crime hot spots (crime mapping)
* Ingham County Regional GIS Consortium
* Winscribe dictation system
11
* Record Management System
* Offender Track
IAPR01 BLUE TEAM for complaints, use of force, pursuits, awards, accidents.
TASK: Radio communication on a county -wide basis and make improvements in City preparedness
for disasters.
ACTION TAKEN:
• LPD personnel attend EOC Meetings.
* LPD Personnel attended three (3) EOC Training Scenarios to ensure their prepared for disasters (Ingham
County Fairground, Multi-jurisdiciitonal agencies Mutual Aid exercise, Capital Area Regional Airport)
* Attended numerous Swine Flu awareness and preparedness meetings. Held two vaccinations clinics for
employees.
Board Member of the Capital Region Disaster Plan and Ingham County Fire Chiefs Board
Attended meetings for the Emergency Alert System (EAS)
Partnership with the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center (MIOC)- Fusion Center
12
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Message
from
the
President.....................................I
Message
from
the
Executive Director................2
About the Lansing PSD.................................................5
Downtown Revitalization Program.....................1.4
Organization........................................................................
Design..................................................................................5-6
Beautif lcation........................................................................................?
Maintenance..........................................................................................8
Business Deve opment..................................................................9
Promotions..................................................................................10-11
Financials..............................................................................................12
PSDLeadership.................................................................................15
Message from the President.
Vince Villegas
This past year was a celebration for Lansing: we enjoyed several events honoring the
Sesquicentennial of Lansing, known as Lansing 150. These celebrations highlighted the
wonderful history of our community and what has made us strong, however, the best is
yet to come as the celebration of our �,Iiture continues.
During the past 12 months the Principal Shopping District has worked hard on a number of
initiatives to champion our healthy, vibrant urban core. Specifically we transitioned into a
true downtown revitalization organization while following the Main Street program.
Through the creation of our five core committees (Design, Promotions, Organization,
Business Development, and Beautification) we are experiencing growth and stronger
relationships are being formed between the business community, the City and the PSD.
This comprehensive committee approach to revitalization has allowed us to streamline
our PSD Budget and allocate funds to each committee for specific projects.
We successfully launched two new programs, Team Playmakers Downtown and Adopt -A -
Spot, while maintaining and building upon previous programs such as the Blues on the
Square, Trick -or -Treat on the Square and Breakfast with Santa: each of these programs
have helped to bring thousands of people to Downtown Lansing.
I hope you will take time to read this annual report which provides additional detail on
these and a host of other PSD accomplishments from the past year, reflecting countless
hours from our dedicated volunteers and star.
Many thanks to the PSD Board of Directors, committee members, volunteers, business
owners, property owners and residents who by workinq together made this year one that
will surely be looked upon as a pivotal time in our history when Downtown Lansing took
a giant leap for -ward. 1 f you were not involved last year, please consider joining us, as our
work i, never done. Thi, year has shown us %kihat can be accomplished when rre ap;Ay
our collective vision, our rollective fo,-is, and our collective effort.
Message from the Executive Director,
Mindy Biladeau
�,.s 2009 began, we paused to celebrate Lansing's sesquicentennial -the 150th Anniversary of
the city of Lansing. As the year -long 150th celebration went on you couldn't help but to ref ect
on the past history of our capital city and look forward with an optimistic eye to what the
,
;u:ureholds.
Cewtainly, these are challenging times. With the State budget crisis, State and city furlough days,
the lendil q freeze, widespread layoff announcements, and the closure of Boarshead Theater
✓hich all I lave occurred during this past year.
wi;ile we cannot ignore these unfortunate setbacks, we have learned from Downtown's history
that we are at our best when times are tough. And that starts with a focus on the basics of a
dean, safe, and aesthetically pleasing urban environment; policies that supportjob growth and
competitiveness; increasing foot tra j,c Downtown-, and taking a comprehensive approach to
revitalization.
Focusir•.g on the basics is critical notjust for Lansing, but for the region as whole. Downtown is
the heart and soul t1hat the region is identified with and heart of tYie community needs to be
strong for the rest of the community to continue to prosper.
It's time to continue rolling up our sleeves and workinq together, so we can accomplish even
more in, the year ahead. Taking a comprehensive approach to downtown revitalization over
the past year, proves that a volunteer, grassroots driven etTort is what downtown Lansing
needs in OCder to create ang� and a more vibrant Lansing.
11ith Over 50C+ hundred ne:=.+ employees coming downtown in early 2010, the new Troppo build -
in --ening, a Ne x Ci U Market 1_-rand O?eninq in .4 ril, ground breaking of a new residential
y, l•�nm n •nrn F n r I sic ' a r ri t
c _ „ MA_r'.._.rlac_. a the IaJ. Or b.an+_ nee, i l�nti a for h, PSD, the momentum
ui ? C':_""n I'P''✓I' I-TYI Dr. in � cwrI `to ,vn will <_onti, , ' G enrage and inspire the
LANSING
SHOPPING
The Lansing Principal Si topping District ;PSD) is committed to creating a thriving world class capital city, by making our dovn-
to•-v and surrounding neighborhoods united, vibrant, economically strong and culturally dynamic through promotion, design,
business development and organization.
About Us:
The PSD was created by local ordinance in 1996 to promote businesses in downtown Lansing through advocacy, cooperative
marketing, special events, urban beautification and actively recruiting and retaining businesses within the district. In July of
2008, the Lansing PSD was one of seventeen communities selected by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority's
Michigan Main Street Center to participate in the Michigan Main Street program at the Associate Level.
The Lansing Principal Shopping District is the Capital Citus Central Business District and old Town Lansing which contains
approximately 1,uoo businesses in its 64-block area. The district is generally defined as the area bounded by 1-496 on the
South, Capitol Avenue on t`!e West, Larch Street on the East and old'Town Lansing to the worth.
Lansing's PSD contains a diverse collection of galleries, retail stores and restaurants, as well as many of Michigan's most promi-
nent 1�w firms, lobbyists, and other professional offices. An assortment of non -prop t organizations and a budding residential
community are also found in the district. All commercial property owners within the district pay an annual PSD assessment.
The assessment makes u p about 857 of the PSD's annual budget and is reviewed by City Council annually.
About Downtown Lansing:
Micl ;igan's capital city is the sixth largest city in the state and we Icomes 1.5 million visitors a year. Lansing's downtown is the
home of state and local government as well as businesses that provide a mixture of services, unique shops and restaurants.
Downtown contains three ..igher education facilities, a minor league baseball team, a convention center, a budding residential
neigf : r oc and hun�re�s �F'r'd[ae :f�ice� all ' Ithlr' .,;;I�:inq distance of the State Capitol.
Contact Us:
401 S. Washington Square Ste. 101
Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: 517-487-5522
Fax: 517-487-5889
info@lansingpsd.com
www.LansingPSD.com
c
5
Lansing
Principal
Shopping
District
Do�vntoWn Revitalization Pro ram:
9
Implemented in August of 2008, the PSD's Downtown Revitalization program is modeled aier the highly successful national
Four Point Main Street Approach for traditional commercial district revitalization. The approach is a volunteer and grassroots -
driven erort dedicated to the health and vitality of our downtown through historic preservation, community sel[ reliance, and
local ownership through organization, design, business development, and promotions.
Organization:
This committee handles the nuts and bolts, behind -the -scenes action that is vital to the program's success -fundraising, public relations, board nominations, and volunteer man-
agement.
Goal: Strengthen the PSD's reputation and leadership in the district and support a diverse downtown community.
Priority: Increase communications be'. ween downtown stakeholders: residents, business owners, property owners, and employees.
2009 Highlights
• Mission/Vision Statements: The committee worked closely with the Board of Directors in updating the mission statement of the PSD and created a vision Statement for the
PSD as well.
• Website: The PSD %vebsite, www.lansingpsd.com, received a complete update. Current and relevant information about downtown Lansing is nowjust a click away. The website
features a calendar of eti-ents to dining, shopping, and entertainment hotspots.
E-Source Newsletter. Ti,- E-Source, our monthly electronic newsletter, received a complete makeover in order to be more efcient and effective in getting the latest down-
town news to over 2. 0o subscribers.
- Downtown Food Fight Fight Against Hunger. Competitive fundraising event between downtown businesses benefiting the Mid -Michigan Food Bank. Partnership between PSD,
Lansing Community College, and the Nlid-i-licAbout
higan Food Bank on Dec. 1, 2009. out 1.400 pounds of food and about $400 in monetary donations were collected. winner
of the Golden car:. Traveling trophy was the Lansing i sousing Commission. Collections from this event provided 1,000 meals to people in need in the Lansing area.
• New Identity: The PSD ).orked with vision Creative in ie-branding our organization, wrapping up the project in December. This project includes a new name for the organiza-
tion, new logo and design scheme that will reflect the organization's position as a grass -roots comprehensive downtotivn revitalization organization. The ne,x• name, logo,
and design scheme \V,11 be applied to most external communications. which could include letterhead, brochures and other promotional materials, email newsletters, and web -
cite v.-ith irnplementation in ^010.
Old Town Commercal Association Main Street Grant -he PET, pro,;id d un $1 i,.')i!0 1%1 ii`s Stree` qr; nt the Old TcJ n 'c:mrnercial Associati<:>n t- assist the ^ in continuing
r•i;�.r rre r.qr m ir: r. _ _ �l �✓pnt . like Festival '7 _ .Festy;.-'l -t1- i c::it_v
Design:
From streetscai:)es to historic renovations, this committee wo
enhance the look and (eel of downtown Lansing for residents an
Goal: improvement of the aesthetics and visual appeal of downtc
Priority: Continue rehabilitItion of historic buildings, improve signa
design of streetscape improvements, advocate for the CSO grog
enhance the character of downtown.
2009 Highlights
• Capital Center District Sign ordinance Improvements: The PSD
'LEDC, and the Department of Planning 5 Neighborhood Develop
to update the Capital Center District Sign Ordinance. The amendr
Council in r lay, Major changes to the ordinance involved
temporar, 'sandv✓ich board signs, modii ing the regulations to all
windoW signs, and alloy✓ing building identification signs.
• South Washington Square Banner. Banner poles and hardware were installed in the 200 S. Block of Washington
to hold an Sft by 28ri across the street banner to promote downtown events, like Blues on the Square, The Capital
Gty River Run, Trick' -or -Treat on the Square and Silver BeIL in the City.
• Downtown Sign Incentive Pilot Program: Through a partnership with the PSD the LEDC has developed a Sign Grant
Pilot Program in an effort to encourage the use of creative, unique, and attractive signs in the "A" District of the
PSD.
The Sign Crant Pilot Program is intended to provide a financial incentive to encourage businesses to design and
install high -quality. creative, and interesting signs rather than standard and/or lower quality signs. The overall goal
is to increase the aesthetic qualities, interest and overall beauty of the downtown business district.
• Facade Renovation: Property owner, Thomas Cathey restored his building at 509 S. Washington Square close to
its 1911 1 onginai condition. The second floor false facade was removed revealing original brick. Some spalled
bricks were replaced including the piers and above upper windows, and the original brick was tuck pointed. A
ne:=. cornice was added to the facade to replace what was removed several years ago. New brick was added to
the side columns on the first floor. The upper windows were replaced to fit their original height., the first floor
storefront and doors ,,vere replaced reflecting a historic appearance. New awnings were added to first and second
lours. in the mid; le of project, the support beams had collapsed and had to be rebuilt. The final touch was made
a limestone block engi-.; -ed with the v-ord 'PEACE" at the top of the facade. This dramatic facade reno-
ali :.. mad; � oc;i�' "- OUCih th assistance of s F cad s Cant. prov ded by the LEDC.
1
t
Design:
• Downtown Streetscape Improvements:
Allegan Street between Grand Ave- and Capitol Ave. received a complete upgrade in streetscape improvements including new concrete sidewalks, brick pavers, trees with tree
boxes, benches, historic lamp poles, and trash cans. The PSD assisted the Department of Public Service with the City of Lansing with the design. The streetscape improvement
project cost about $209,000 and seas completed in November along with the combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) work.
The Grand Ave. streetscape project area was from Lenawee to Ottawa. streetscape improvements included concrete sidewalk and driveway approaches, brick paver pedes-
trian 4-1-jk, cP',ent the new concrete sidewalk, benches, trash cans, perennial and shrub planter boxes, tree wells, and an associated irrigation system. The streetscape
M.Drov,-7-menprc,__. cc-st abo;._. ? -Million an %.W5S mDleted in NCvern`-ler.
Beauti ication�
T;- tiommttee 'x-or{s tO I.T.Picve the appearance ofthe public right -of way, green spaces and problem areas while encouraging community involvement with beautification
projects and programs in order to make downtown a more pleasant place to be.
Goal: Provide a clean, safe, and attractive urban environment and enhance public spaces for everyone.
Priority: Improve the downtown urban experience, particularly by rnaking sidewalks and the traffic circle area more inviting.
2009 Highlights
• Capitol City Clean Sweep: This r•1au, 150 emplouees of several downtown businesses came together and hit the streets for a spring clean up of the downtown area by picking
up liter debris from area Sidewalks, parks, planters and alleywa.;s.
• Adopt A -Spot Through a partnership with the City of Lansing's Department of Public Service, the PSD created and implemented an adopt -A -Spot Program to assist with the
maintenance of ever 40 rain gardens and 100 planted gardens within the downtown area. Launched in July of 2009, Adopt -A. -Spot provides an opportunity for the business
community and volunteers to play an active and on -going role in cleaning, greening and maintaining our downtown area through adoption of a site. Sites for adoption include
rain gardens, flowerbeds, historical markers and other public spaces within the downtown area. At the end of the first year of the Adopt -A -Spot program 48% of the spots
were adopted (69 of the 152 spots) with over 150 volunteers involved in the program.
• Traffic Grcle Plantings: The traj�ic circle at Michigan Ave. and Washington Square received makeovers this spring and fall. in May the PSG held the first coordinated volunteer
planting day 4; ith the Capitol Building and downtown businesses. 10,800 plants of Salvia, Bronze Leaf Begonia, Green LeaIs
Begonia, and Dusty Miller were planted in the traffic
circle area and 195 flats of annuals were planted along the N. and S. Blocks of Washington Square. In September, perennia were planted in the trapc circle area by volunteers
that consisted of 586 yellow, orange, and purple mums, Blue Star Junipers, Piglets, and Geraniums. In addition, 290 tulip and mixed dutch iris bulbs were planted.
• Downtown Tree Master Plan: The PSD partnered with the Department of Public Service and C2AE in developing a Downtown Tree Master Plan that was completed this August.
This plan serves as a guide for tree selection, the preservation � of existing trees, primary tree species to be used in the downtown area as well as alternate tree species that
may be used and an implementation plan on a block by block basis. The Downtown Tree Master Plan is a very useful tool as the CSO program continues to have an impact
in the downtown area and as new streetscape projects continue in years to come.
• Holiday Decorations: The PSD was asked to take over downtown holiday decorations this year by the Arts Council of Greater Lansing and jumped at the opportunity. New
downtown holiday decor was installed this November for the first time in over a decade through a partnership with the Department of Public Service. New holiday decor
consisted of 216 red bows and 166 20 ft. strands of fresh cedar roping for the lamp poles on Michigan Ave., Washington Square, and a portion of Capitol Ave., 5,100 f of white
LED lights that illuminated 28 street trees along Michigan Ave. between Grand Ave. and Capitol Ave., and 4 large ornaments, Eft. in diameter, all with gold rings made for a truly
stunning display in the center of the traffic circle at Michigan ,Ave. and Washington Square.
Maintenance:
Since 2004, Lansinq Total 1 awn i Care Professionals has been contracted to sufficiently perform year-round cleanup duties, Monday — Saturday, within the "A" District of the
PSD. These duties include, but are not limited to. emptying and maintain trash receptacles, removing trash and liter, landscaping and planting, removing suers and posters,
,weekly inspection and cleaning of kiosks and performing seasonal duties. Seasonal duties include, removal of snow; ice from sidewalks, blowing and clearing of leaves
from side.;,alks and planting, moving, watering, cultivating, weeding, feeding, pruning, insect and pest control, spraying and any other procedure consistent with good
orticultural practice necessary to maintain excellent curb appeal.
• Installation of Doggie Bag Containers: In order to combat unwanted pet waste on sidewalks, planters and dower beds the PSD installed 8 Doggie Bag Dispensers on the 100
and S00 N. and S. ?docks of �U shinegcon Square and 2 Doggie Bag Dispensers were installed on Michigan Ave. one on the 500 F. Michigan Ave. block and one across the
}rGG.` in ora o` Oldsmobile m— K
Business Development:
This comFrA-ee txorks �C SUppOr, Iocal businesses through education and
marketing assistance. It strives, through market analysis to retain and recruit new
businesses that support the economic fabric of downtown Lansing.
Goal: Strengthen and unite the downtown business community.
Priority: Provide programs and opportunities to inform and engage PSD stake-
holders and the Downtown community.
2009 Highlights
• Downtown Social Hour. Introduced in Februaru 2009, Downtown Social Hour is
a monthly get together for residents, business owners, students, downtown
employees, and property owners. Downtown Social Hour is held the first
V/ednesdau of the month from 5 p.m. and rotates to a different downtown
bar/restaurant throughout the year. Each bar/restaurant offers cheap drink
specials and complimentary appetizers. Average attendance for the first season
was about 751 people and some venues seeing up to 175 guests.
• Downtown Business Huddle: Introduced in October of 2009. The Downtown
Business Huddle is a monthly forum for downtown business owners and associ-
ates to qet informed on what is going on downtown and to network with other
colleagues and merchants. The Downtown Business Huddle takes place the first
Tuesday of the month from 8-9 am. at it's new venue for 2010, MBC.
• Downtown Business Survey: The PSD put together the first annual Downtown
Business Survey for retail and commercial businesses in the "A° District of the
PSD. Eighty surveys were mailed and 22 were returned for a 28% response rate.
Survey responses help the PSD understand the challenges of doing business
within downtown. Lansing's Central Business District as well as develop programs
and services to help our businesses succeed.
Realtor/Broker Roundtable: The LEDC unveiled the recently completed Down-
town Market Study 5 Strategies Project in March. The study provides a current,
real-time snapshot of downtown Lansing today and offers a glimpse of the
downtown's potential and opportunities for the future. with special emphasis
Directed toward: business opportunities, residential opportunities, and New City
Market Opportunities. In April, the PSD organized the first Realtor/Broker Round-
table to share the Downtown Market Study 5 Strategies Project results with the
major commercial broken that do business in the downtown.
Promotions:
"{his committee works to market downtown's unique qualities by building a positive image
for the district and create a fun, vibrant environment.
Goal: Create a more positive local and regional image for the district.
Priority: Enhance the Downtown experience with creating new attractions, events, and
promotions.
009 Hiqhliqhts
- '
Co/Op Advertising Opportunities:
- GLCVB 2009 Visitors Guide Ad: The Principal Shopping District partnered with 9 businesses and featured a full -page 'destination -style- ad in the 2009 Greater Lansing Convention
Visitors Bureau Offcial Visitors Guide. 1Jearly 150.000 guides are distributed to area hotels 5 motels, such as the Radisson Hotel and the Kellogg Center; local malls and shop-
ping centers including the Lansing Mall, Meridian Mall, Lansing Center and downtown kiosks; 13 Michigan Welcome Centers; local colleges 8 universities: real estate offices: and
convention and visiting groups
- Holiday Commercial Co/Op Opportunity: PSD invested in a holiday co./op campaign to help offset the impacts of a down economy during the important holiday retail season
by partnering with 12 downtown businesses to produce 534 50 sec. commercials airing from December 1 through December 24 on Fox 47.
SDedal Events, Introduce` 1 i new events to our annual downtown Lansing event calendar, putting us at a total of 26 events in 2009 hosted by the PSD.
• Ice Sculptures on the Square took place on February 14 with over 1,500 attendees. The PSD assisted coordinating this new event with Lansing 150, which included 15 ice
sculptures lir -ing the 100 and 200 S. Blocks of Washington Square, outdoor music, a warming tent with coffee, hot chocolate, cookies, and kids activities. The PSD is expanding
on the 2009 event and creating anew winter festival called the Frost Fest debuting in February 2010.
- Blues on the Square: Blues on the Square is a free summer concert series that returned to Washington Square on Thursdays nights in downtown Lansing for its third season.
Building c, the success of its 20-3 de ut. Blues on the Square drew hundreds of spectators to downtown Lansing weekly featuring nationally known blues artists. Blues on
the Square is a _ week Blues ccntcert series made possible through a partnership with Citadel Broadcasting and the City or Lansing from June through August.
• Trick -or -Treat on the Square: The second annual Trick -or -Treat on the Square took place in October. A number of new activities and sponsors were introduced to the event
in 2009. Some near activities included slime making, a donut eating contest, Potter Park Zoo hands on animal behavior display, and a hay maze made out of 500 hay bails.
Attendance doubled from 2008 with approximately 10,000 in attendance for 2Cr09.
• Breakfast with Santa: 51 = 9149st 'z,,, h S ant;; :rnis started it t 21008 as a nee , tradition for i ansing area families the rr ,ming :after silver Bells in the Citra. Attendance tripled and v.as
j:_J C( •i:l ,, r ;r . . I: t ..i . j; it I: !h JI.I ei i,l I 1 =ire i,1,fa �. .:'I . .,i nt j i1t its new 'i TI `rSI
n� r~
~
Promotions:
Social Media: The PSD used two social media outlets, Facebook and Twitter, to promote downtown businesses, events, promotions, and recruit volunteers throughout the
y,ar. Started in February the Lansing PSD Facebook page has 420 friends and with the launch ^f Downtown Lansing on Twitter in April, there are currently 586 followers and
growing daily.
Promotions: -I0 promotional opportunities were available to downtown businesses that consisted of the Lion King Promotion with The Wharton Center, Cap City's Luck of
the Iris~i Bar Tour, Arbor Day Promotion, Businesses for Clean !later, Swish Bucks, Hard Hat Day, Construction Fence Wraps, PSD Booth at Be a Tourist in Your Own Town, Blues
or, the Square Kick -Of, and the Cast of Irvin Berlin's white Christmas caroling downtown: a few are listed below.
• Lion King Promotion: The PSD partnered with The Wharton Center and 'I 0 downtown businesses to promote the Broadway show by giving away ticket packages. Downtown
patrons entered for a chance to win Qom March 9 through March 18.
• Cap City's Luck of the Irish Bar Tour, worked with , downtown bars on a St. Patty's day pub crawl. The bar tour brought MSU, Cooley, and LCC students, residents and down-
town employees downtown to experience different bars/restaurants. The Bar Tour also- promoted the Entertainment Express Trolley connecting downtown East Lansing to
downtown Lansi^:u.
• Businesses for Clean Water. 1,0 businesses are members of Businesses for Clean Water. Businesses for Clean Water was organized by the PSD in partnership with the CSO
Control Proqram as a way for environmentally conscientious downtown businesses to express their support for the program and its end result— a cleaner, greener Lansing.
• Swish Bucks: Lansing CSO, Motion Marketing 5 Media and the PSD launched the Swish Bucks promotion to bring people downtown to patronize businesses despite the
Allegan Street Construction. 50 businesses participated in the Swish Buck promotion which ran from June 29 through September 8. $5 Swish Bucks were handed out by Swish
the Fish � on several different days, times and events this summer. $1150 out of $48175 Swish Bucks were redeemed (25.6% redemption rate).
• Cast of Irvin Berlin's White Christmas: The PSD partnered with the Wharton Center, Troppo, and Decker's Coffee Co., on December 9 to bring 9 cast members downtown to
carol at the trar,,c circle, Citu Hall, Troppo and Decker's Coffee Company.
New Program:
Team Playmakers Downtown: in order to help qet dov✓ntown employees out ofthe o7ice to get fit and connect them with the River Trail the PSD created and implemented
Team Play„akers Dc..-ntown, : hich i.icked-o in June. Team Playmakers Downtown is a public -private partnership between the PSD, Playmakers, and the Downtown YMCA
;Y:ell'ness `e-ter. Team ? 5Q.71�5-1ers rDw-Ftov:,n is a 17 �j ee% (5<a training sessions', =talking and running program that runs frr_,rn June through September every Ttesdau and
n - t,. , „ s n t t� e �s season s! r asso., � � n r -
-,ur5qur r, �u-1:� �.r.. :n r F.lo;_;ee _ ar.icipa...d r:. th Fi t , p. cu s f 1 JJ.
• • w , Page 12
F
The PSD began: the year with t le challenge of an unhealthy fund balance of $7, 126. By re-structurinq the organization the PSD was able to reallocate funds and priorities
in order to e-sure financial stability at tl=,e end of the f,s<-al year. Total Revenues for FY 2009 equaled $485,065 and total expenditures equaled $451,950 leaving an
increase of our fur balance of $55,135 for a year-end total f jnd balance of $60,261. The PSD moves ahead to FY2010 as a financially stable organization.
.2
FY 2009 Revenue
(July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009)
tL/,
Ea Peddlers License
® DLI Contract
❑ hterest hcome
❑ Special Assessments
■ Grants
o Sponsorships/MiscePaneous
Revenue
® Operating Transfer -General
Fund
307
FY 2009 Expenditures
(July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009)
57
Ea Advertising
® Beautification
❑ Equipment
I% ❑ Maintenance Contract
■ Old Town Main Street Grant
o Persomel
® Print 8 Production
❑ Professional services
■ Public Relations
IN Special Events
>97 11 Operations
PSD leadership:
The Lansing PSD Board of Directors is a volunteer group with vested interest in
achievi Ig the mission of the organization. The Board also represents business
interests ithir:. the disc ict in dealings v✓it h cit,; officials and policy -makers by
providing a unified voice and educating stakeholders on a variety of issues. The
Board is also responsible for settlnC; goals, approving the annual budget, and
establishing program policy and expectations based on current downtown
2009 Board of Directors
Vince Villec;as, President
Coldwell-Banker, Hubbell, Briarwood Realty
Doug Johns Jr., Vice President
LDJ Leasing
Bob Trezise, Treasurer
Lansing economic Development Corporation
Terry Carella, Secretary
Thomas MI. Cooleu Law School
Kris Elliott
Infinity Companies
Stacy wallace
Butzel Lon^. P.C.
Phil Clacko
Fifth Third Bank
Farhan Bha_li
Downtown Resident
Advisory Members
Eric Rosekrans, CBRE-Richard Elis
Tim Kaltenbach, Lansing City Council
Brittany Hoszkiw. Old T owni Commercial Association
Staff
Mindy Biladeau, Executive Drec '-r
Sara Pawloski. Communications r, Mar,,,'Cbng Manager
Jenn ,,ocd Co nmo•k.-n Re,,jr. izEao.00rdinator
Kaidl_inn S pt- p._a.. ):,r,_ir - _.
Downtown Revitalization Program Committee Members
Business Development
Brian Anderson, Chair: Lansing Economic Development Corporation
Pierre LaVoie, Small Business Association of Michigan
Joanne Jansz, Greater Lansing Business Monthly
Douq Johns, Jr., LDJ Leasing
Diane Sanborn, Coldwell Banker Hubbell Briarwood b Kozi Coi Bed 6 Breakfast
Jason Kildea, Gillespie Group
Jonathan P. Eyde, Global Developments LLC
Jen McCollum, Big Brothers Big Sisters
Tom Truscott, Lansing Resident
Justin Spyker, Capitol National Bank
Organization:
Phil Clacko, Chair, Fifth Third Bank
Stewart Powell, Linn 5 Owen Jewelers
Tom Stewart, Stewart Consultinq
Kimberly whitfield, Lansing Resident
Lori Lanspeary, Greater Lansing Convention 5 Visitors Bureau
Kathy Johnson, Capital Area District Library
William Nicklasovic, Lansing Community College
Design:
Joe Wright, C2AE
Marchelle Smith, Lansing Economic Development Corporation
Chad Gamble, Department of Public Service, City of Lansing
Jim Bennett, Department of Planning 5 Neighborhood Development, City of Lansing
Stephen Plumbley, Motion Marketing 5 Media
Bryan Lje,.-ski, Michigan State Historic Preservation Office
Ken Jones, Studio Intrigue
Bob Smith, Hobbs 5 Black Architects
Promotions:
Terry Carella, Thomas M. Cooley Law Schoo
Erik Larson, Impression 5 Science Center
Dana Kromer, Fox 47
Emily wenstrom, Motion. Marketing 5 Media
x�
Andrea Ragan, Lansing Economic Development Corporation
Leslie Donaldson, Greater Lansing Arts Council
Drew Bossier, Troppo
,
Michelle Fink, elision Creative
Lansing Prindpa!
Shopping District
Beautification:
Matt elite, State Capitol Building
Lori Orin, National City
Ke•:-in Johnson, Lansing Total Lawn Care
Gnn_i �,_, hac . ii_i!rucn
KelleF' `.a'iLant4-iq BC aid of ,Par'r 5 iqhi.
PUBLIC SERVICE
DEPARTMENT
732 City Hall
124 West Michigan Avenue
Lansing, Michigan 48933
(517) 483-4455
FAX: (517) 483-6082
http://publicsarvice.cityoflansingmi.com
Virg Bernero, Mayor
January 12, 2010
Mr. Paul Baerman, Chairman and
Members of the City of Lansing Public Service Board
Dear Board Members:
On behalf of our entire 170 member team it is my pleasure to present our Public Service Department
Annual Report. There is no question that we have found ourselves in extremely challenging times.
We are dozens of employees smaller, working with less revenue than in the past and have gone with
many positions unfilled to address budget deficits. Noting these facts, I firmly believe our Team
delivered an amazing quantity of work that is only equaled by the quality by which it was delivered.
There have been some amazing stories including the fast track design completion of the Tertiary Filter
Building and clarifiers 7 and 8 in time to take advantage of ARRA Act monies. This dedication by
multiple staff from all Divisions of the Department and our consultant to meet the very aggressive time
line saved the City almost $6 million. This benefit will be reaped by all of our sewer customers as it
equals a one time annual rate increase of 24%! !
The other major successes included a record breaking year for road maintenance, the continuation and
successful completion of three CSO projects, the abandonment of three of the City's remaining
regulators, installation of streetscape improvements on Allegan and Grand Avenues, a record number
of Planning and Neighbornood compliance violations mowed by O & M, the almostperfect
performance of the WWTP staff to meet our NPDES permit requirements and the successful
completion of major maintenance of the Aurelius Road bridge over the Grand River... to name a few.
The great service that we continue to deliver to all of our diverse customers is a testament to the
dedication of our Team towards "keeping the City running" and that is what we do best!
I ask that you receive and approve this report and formally forward it to the Mayor as record of our
Department's accomplishments of the Calendar year of 2009. Please do not hesitate to contact me at
(517) 4834452 with any questions regarding the report or our Department. Thank you.
Stec , eiti
Chad A. Gamble, P. = .
Director of Public Service
"Equal Opportunity Employer'
Public Service Department
The Public Service Department (PS[)) functions as the cornerstone of the City by
managing the installation, rehabilitation, operation, protection, study, and oversight
of the public infrastructure and the provision of basic municipal services to over
130,000 customers, in two counties, and three Townships.
The above activities are carried out by three Divisions of the PSD; Engineering,
Operations and Maintenance, and the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Our Team
strives to serve the public and deliver all services with a dwindling budget, aging
equipment, and an increasing service area.
Calendar year 2009 was a record breaking year in many different ways that tested
the resolve of the Department, dedication of the Team, and the creativity to keep
improving the level of service we have delivered over the last century.
Below you will find Annual Reports from each Division highlighting our successes,
lessons learned and accomplishments of 2009. I am proud and honored to work with
such a talented, creative, and dedicated Team.
Chad A. Gamble, P.E.
Director of Public Service
A. THE ADMINISTRATION & ENGINEERING DIVISION
The Engineering Division is responsible for managing most of the public infrastructure in the
City of Lansing. These activities include planning, designing, maintaining and constructing
streets, bridges, sewers and sidewalks. Other major programs that the Engineering Division is
charged with are the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) elimination program, the Sanitary Sewer
Overflow (SSO) elimination program,.the Stormwater Management program, and. environmental
remediation. In addition, sewer service is provided outside the City limits within various
sanitary sewer service districts.
This Division is also responsible for permitting all construction activities within City rights of
way. It enforces the City ordinances pertaining to the right of way, sidewalks, sewer activity,
soil erosion and sedimentation control, and telecommunications. Site plans and land use permit
requests are reviewed by this division for conformance to engineering standards and ordinances.
TheADivision also provides engineering services for other departments in the City as well as
oversight of publicly owned environmentally impacted sites around the City.
The following describes specific responsibilities and accomplishments during 2009 in the major
program areas of the division:
L Streets
The Engineering Division facilitates the maintenance and reconstruction of our City street
infrastructure by designing, overseeing, inspecting, and tracking all street construction activity.
The City street system consists of approximately 107 miles of major streets and approximately
303 miles of local streets.
y
Our Street System is managed using our Asset Management Plan. Our Asset Management Plan
was adopted by City Council and approved by the Michigan Transportation Asset Management
Council in 2007. Tile Asset Management Plan is a tool to assess current street conditions, set
target funding levels, identify candidate projects, set priorities, develop a multi -year program,
and report results. With this plan, the Public Service Department is continuing to look at our the
streets condition as a complete system, with the "right mix of fixes at the right time" approach to
street repair and shifting away from emphasis on the "worse case first" approach to -projects
In 2009, the Department oversaw the reconstruction/resurfacing of 23.6 miles of streets.
In 2009, we were fortunate to receive approximately two million dollars thru the American
Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) program. We were able to quickly prepare design
plans and bid documents for four major streets projects in addition to our already programmed
federal aid projects. In addition, our Neighborhood Infrastructure Improvement Program (NIIP)
was implemented through the sale of bonds to repair local streets that have deteriorated beyond
an acceptable level of service. Combined with our typical funding sources, these additional
finding sources enabled us to reconstruct or resurface approximately 23.6 miles of streets.
While insufficient funding levels may continue, the Asset Management Plan will help us better
understand the consequences of continued under funding as well as enabling us to apply funds
that are available in a manner which is most beneficial for the overall condition of the street
system.
In Summary:
Major street projects in 2009 included:
• Du►ickel Road near US-127 This reconstruction project was completed in conjunction
with MDOT's reconstruction and widening of the bridge over the interstate.
• Edgewood Blvd between Mat -tin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Washington Avenue This
"white topping" resurfacing project milled 4 inches of the existing asphalt pavement and
replaced it with a concrete surface. We anticipate the new concrete surface to add service
life and reducing maintenance costs.
Local Street projects included:
Micro -surfacing Protect This micro -surfacing project utilized truck mixed asphalt emulsions and
crushed stone to provide a new surface that will seal '-tile surface to keep moisture from
penetrating the pavement structure and thus prolong the service life of the existing pavement.
N.UP neighborhood projects Eleven miles of streets were identified as candidates for this
emergency bond project. Our Operations and Maintenance Division resurfaced approximately 7
miles in 2009. Two projects were bid in the fall and will be completed in Spring 2010.
2. Bridges and Skywalks
The Engineering Division is charged with the maintenance of the City's eighteen roadway and
fourteen pedestrian bridges. This includes a biennial inspection of all bridges, which was
completed in 2008 and is again due in 2010, and an annual inspection of all critical bridges.
Based on our biennial inspection, twenty seven of our bridges are in the `Good -New' category,
'four are in the `Fair' category, and one bridge is in the `Poor -Fair'. Funds were applied for the
replacement of three bridges in 2012, but were not received. We will continue to pursue funding
for the repair/maintenance of deteriorated bridges based on the results of year 2010 inspections.
The Aurelius Road Bridge over the Red Cedar River was awarded federal funds for rehabilitation
in 2009. The project was completed on time and under budget and was opened to traffic in
September 2009. Funding to rehabilitate the Pennsylvania Bridge over the Red Cedar River and
the Kalamazoo Street Bridge over the Grand River has been approved for the 2010 construction.
3. Sidewalks
There are more than 550 miles of sidewalks in City rights of way. The demands for sidewalk
repairs consistently outweigh the available fielding. The Departmeirt currently manages two
programs. One program is our annual Sidewalk Repair Program that repairs defects in the
existing sidewalk network. Another program is our Major Street Sidewalk Gap Closure Program,
designed to close the gaps in the major street sidewalk network by installing new sidewalk
according to an adopted priority list.
Our major street gap program is now in its fifth year. The original program was detailed in a
report in April 2005. Forty miles of sidewalk gaps along major streets were identified as feasible
for sidewalk installation and placed on a priority list. To date, 9.3 miles have been completed
and 1.8 miles are scheduled for 2010 construction.
A significant amount of the annual repair budget continues to be spent on updating sidewalk
ramps at intersections to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. These
include barrier free ramps with tactile surfaces at all intersections within a project area.
The department replaced 129,000 square feet of sidewalk to provide safer routes for pedestrians
and constructed 42,000 square feet of new sidewalk to fill in gaps on the major street sidewalk
network. This equates to about 6.9 miles of sidewalks. This work was performed in conjunction
with road projects, CSO projects, and sidewalk rehabilitation projects. A portion of the cost to
replace sidewalk and construct new sidewalk was assessed to property owners with the balance
paid by the City's General Fund and ACT51 Funds.
4. Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control Program
During the 2009 construction season, the Department continued implementation of the City's
approved Long-term CSO Control Program, including work on projects in Phase .IV, Segment 5
of the program and in Phase V, Segment 1 of the program.
Regarding Phase IV, Segment 5, the 2009 season included the second (and final) year of
construction on the following projects:
• the Sub -area 018 Southwest Project,
• the Sub -area 013 Northeast Project,
• the Sub -area 045 Project, and
• the Sub -area 034A Project.
In general, construction of these projects is complete with the exception of miscellaneous punch -
list items that will be completed in spring of 2010. The fifth Phase IV, Segment 5 Project, the
Downtown - Grand Ave. / Walnut St. Project, was actually completed in a single construction
season (during 2008). Of note in conjunction with this project and a streetscape was performed
from Capitol Avenue to Grand Avenue. A streescape project was also completed on Grand
Avenue from Hillsdale Street to Ottawa St. this year following the CSO project that was
completed in 2008. These improvements included extension of the brick paver template that has
been used in the downtown on the last several projects, new brick -banded pedestrian crosswalks,
extended tree box areas that will include perennial plants, and complete replacement of concrete
sidewalk from curb to buiding face. In addition the project Team was able to work with building
owners to abandon four basement vaults that extended .into the right-of-way that were
structurally deficient and leaking.
The blending of the streetscape and vault abandonment are examples of the Teams efforts not
only to address the CSO needs of a particular area but to also include new initiatives that would
fall under the "complete streets" design objective.
Of note, based upon completion of sewer separation construction of Phase IV, Segment 5, of the
program during the 2009 season, Lansing's CSO Control Program has achieved a major
milestone relative to elimination of combined sewage discharges to the Grand River.
Specifically, three CSO regulators, which are the structures that allow CSO discharges to the
rivers, were abandoned (i.e., taken out of service) during the 2009 calendar year.
The abandonment of these three CSO regulators is significant due to the fact that it is the
culmination of sewer separation efforts conducted over several years of construction and several
CSO project segments. For example, the construction that resulted in abandonment of one of
these three regulators, the 013 Regulator, started during the 2000 construction season with the
013 South Project as part of Phase III, Segment 3, of the program. Further, two of these
regulators, the 018 .Regulator and the 013 Regulator, were large contributors relative to their
estimated annual overflow volume of untreated sewage.
Regarding the estimated annual overflow volume of untreated sewage, the annual average
overflow volume to the Grand River and Red Cedar River, prior to initiation of the Lansing CSO
Control Program in 1992, was estimated at 1.65 billion gallons. Based upon sewer separation
construction prior to the 2009 season, the annual average overflow volume removed through
implementation of Lansing's CSO Control Program was estimated at 585 million gallons. The
abandonment of three CSO regulators during 2009 has resulted in the removal of an additional
367 million gallons of annual average overflow volume. Therefore, the estimated, total annual
average overflow volume removed through implementation of Lansing's CSO Control Program
is now 952 million gallons.
The three CSO regulators abandoned in 2009, including their associated annual average overfldw
volume, are:
• CSO Regulator 018 => 176.5 million gallons annually
• CSO Regulator 013 => 165.9 million gallons annually
• CSO Regulator 045 =:> 24.7 million gallons annually
Prior to implementation of the Lansing CSO Control Program in 1992, there were 41 CSO
regulators within the City of Lansing. These 41 "original" CSO regulators discharged to the
Grand River or Red Cedar River. With respect to the number of CSO regulators abandoned
through implementation of the Lansing CSO Control Program, 21 of the 41 "original" regulators
(51%) have been abandoned, including the three regulators abandoned in 2009.
Regarding construction on Phase V, Segment 1, of tine program, the 2009 season was the first
year of construction on these projects; which are:
• the Sub -area 015 North Project (a three year/season project),
• the Sub -area 034B Project (a two year/season project), and
• the Downtown — Allegan St. / Chestnut St. Project (a single season project that was
completed in 2009).
The work completed during the 2009 season on all of the projects described herein has resulted
in the construction of approximately 5.7 miles of new sanitary sewer main and 2.3 miles of storm
sewer main.
A new enhancement to the design of these projects was added during the 2009 construction
season; that of "Low Impact Design" (LID) techniques for the control of storm water runoff to
the separate storm sewer drainage system. These LID techniques will reduce the volume and
flow -rate of storm water runoff discharged to the river with the resulting benefits of reduced
stream -bank erosion and improved habitat for aquatic species (fish, etc.). In addition, these LID
techniques will also result in water -quality benefits for the river by improving the quality of the
storm water runoff through natural soil filtration prior to discharge to the river.
These LID techniques were utilized on Barnes Avenue as part of the Sub -area 034B Project, and
the specific measures included grassy swales in the boulevard areas and pervious, concrete
pavement in the parking lanes of the roadway. In addition to their functionality, LID techniques
often provide aesthetic benefits to the affected neighborhood as in the case of Barnes Avenue.
Tile Department intends to use LID techniques in the design of future CSO projects as
appropriate.
In addition to the actual construction measures, the Department in conjunction with its consulting
firms, TetraTech and C2AE, completed the design of the future Phase V, Segment 2, sewer
separation projects, including the 032 Trunk Sewer Project, the Sub -area 034C Project, and the
Downtown — Washington Square / Ottawa St. Project.
The Department also continues to focus on the elimination of sanitary sewer inflow and
infiltration (I/I) via requirements for private property inflow removal and sewer system repairs as
part of the CSO Program. The CSO Program addresses I/1 problems by aggressively
communicating with residents and landowners to try and ascertain how each home or business is
connected to the City's sewer system. Based upon the effectiveness of the CSO Program to date,
almost 99% of the private property inflow sources in the CSO construction areas have
eliminated.
Another very important activity in 2009 relative to the CSO Program was the initial stages of
development of the "Integrated Wet Weather Management Program" (.IWWM Program). The
primary purpose of the IWWM Program will be to determine whether opportunities exist for
implementation of controls to simultaneously address the regulatory and statutory requirements
that result in the necessity for the City's wet weather programs, including the CSO Program, the
City's Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) Control Program, and the City's Municipal Separate
Storm Sewer System (MS4) Program. Of course, common controls to address the requirements
of all of these programs, as opposed to separate controls, will result .in a greater emphasis on
cost-effective solutions and alternatives to address the various environmental regulations. The
City's SSO Control Program and MS4 Program are addressed more thoroughly in the following
sections.
5. Sanitary Sewer Collection System
Regarding the City's sanitary sewer collection system, the Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued to the City in 2004 an Administrative Consent Order
(ACO) requiring the abatement of sanitary sewer overflows to the surface waters of the State of
Michigan and abatement of basement flooding occurrences within the City's sewer service area.
This ACO is the impetus for the City's SSO Control Program.
Consistent with the requirements of the ACO, the Department submitted to the DEQ, prior to the
end of calendar year 2008, an.approvable "WorkPlan" for the City's SSO Control Program. To
date, the DEQ has not provided comments in response to this WorkPlan submittal.
The proposed WorkPlan provided for use of various alternatives for SSO control contingent
upon the data that will be collected during the initial phase of implementation of the program.
However, based upon initiation of the City's IWWM Program (discussed in the previous
section), the exact nature of the SSO "Control Program's control measures and the associated
milestone schedule may be revised or adjusted.
In any case, the SSO Control Program will likely involve, among other measures, conducting a
Footing Drain .Disconnection Program (.FD.D Program) in designated areas of the collection
system where localized sanitary sewer capacities exist and where chronic basement flooding
events have occurred.
Regarding basement flooding events within the City's sanitary sewer service area, the
Department has, as part of the overall IWWM Program efforts, formed a committee to evaluate
measures for abatement of basement flooding in the City's sewer service area and to develop a
public education strategy for those entities affected by chronic basement flooding events. The
public education aspects are planned for introduction to the community prior to spring of 2010.
As evidenced by some of the largemagnitude rain events in the spring of 2009, there are some
areas of the sewer service area that do experience chronic basement flooding. However, in most
cases where these basement flooding events occurred, the associated rain event exceeded the
DEQ's required design criteria for abatement of basement flooding; specifically, the 25-year, 24-
hour storm during the growing season and for normal soil moisture conditions. Therefore, many
rain events experienced in the community during 2009 were extreme magnitude events that will
typically cause sewer system capacity deficiencies and the resulting basement flooding events;
regardless of the municipality where these events occurred. Notably, these same difficulties
were experienced state-wide during 2009. In any event, the Department will work to
aggressively address the issue of chronic basement flooding through implementation of the
IWWM Program.
In addition to SSO Program activities, the Department is currently working with its consultant,
Tetra Tech, to design a large-scale rehabilitation project for the Central Interceptor and the
Sycamore/Lindbergh Interceptor, which are two of the collection system's primary means of
conveyance of the City's sewage to the Lansing Wastewater Treatment Plant. This project will
provide for rehabilitation of several thousand feet of interceptor sewer pipe, including
rehabilitation of many of the associated manhole structures and river siphons within these
reaches of the sewage collection system. Following completion of the design of rehabilitation of
the high -priority interceptor segments, the Department will put out for Wd the associated
construction project. It's anticipated that this design will be completed in late spring with
construction commencing in mid -to -late summer.
6. Storm Sewers
The City continued to participate in the Greater Lansing Regional Committee for Stormwater
Management (GLRC). This group is comprised of 18 different agencies. The goal of the GLRC
is to cooperatively achieve regulatory compliance with the Phase II Stormwater Regulations,
which are applicable to municipal stormwater discharges to the surface waters of the State of
Michigan —For the City of Lansing, the primary surface waters are the Grand River, Red Cedar
River and Looking Glass River. The City continued to participate in this effort by leading and
participating in several subcommittees.
In August of 2009, the City received its new permit from the State for continued coverage under
the new five year permit cycle. This permit is much more restrictive, and requires that the City
develop a stormwater ordinance to ensure compliance with the State's new stormwater permit
requirements.
On December 21, 2009, as required by the new stormwater discharge permit, the GLRC
submitted its Public Participation Plan to the State. This plan details how the GLRC will educate
the public on watershed and stormwater issues related to its permit requirements.
The purpose of the Illicit Discharge Elimination Plan (IDEP) is to identify cross -connections of
sanitary sewage to the City's storm sewer system. Twenty one have been identified to date, and
enforcement activities will continue through 2010.
During 2009, the City completed GPS mapping of its stormwater conveyance system. This will
allow for better tracking and subsequent removal of illegal discharges. In addition, the City
developed a database of homes with septic systems to use for inspection, tracking, and ultimate
connection to the public sanitary sewer system where possible.
7. Environmental Cleanup and Groundwater Remediation
Work continued towards the closure of five environmentally impacted sites. Closure reports for
Oldsmobile Park and Central Garage have been submitted to the State and a final closure ruling
is pending. The City .is reviewing the closure report for the City's Fire Station #9. Regarding the
Public Service Department's three Operations and Maintenance Properties, the City is reviewing
the closure report for one, the closure report is being prepared for another, and removal of the
existing in -ground fuel oil tank is recommended for the last.
A liability assessment is being prepared for the Diamond Reo site, and will be completed after
new State environmental regulations are finalized. Additional assessment and repair work may
be needed at the site.
8. Miscellaneous
The Engineering staff was also responsible for the following activities and accomplishments:
• Managing, operating, and expanding the GIS system utilizing the existing sewer index maps,
the Assessor's database and parcel index map.
• Enforcing the City's Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control program. 21 permits were issued
in 2009.
• Enforcing the City's Snow Removal Ordinance.
• Permitting of all right of way activities including 248 driveway cuts, sidewalk work, utility
installation and telecomnu.mieation/fiber optic wire installations.
• Permitting of 207 special transportation permits. With the creation of a "Motor Carrier
Enforcement Officer" within LPD, the number of permits issued has increased. -
• Permitting of all sewer activities including 302 sanitary and storm sewers; including 17 related
road cuts.
• Licensing of 89 drainlayers and 11 sewer cleaners.
• Inspecting one new sanitary sewer installation by developers, via the City's Letter of Intent
process.
• Reviewing 39 site plans, 19 SLU's, Zonings, ACT's, etc..
• Providing sewer main information, aerial photography, and street information to developers,
architects, and/or engineers.
• Responding to citizen complaints and questions regarding city ordinances.
Dean Johnson, P.E., City Engineer - .
B. THE OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE DIVISION
The Operations & Maintenance Division (O&M), of the Public Services Department is the
Division that is working for you 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing
the City of Lansing with essential municipal and infrastructure services.
The mission of the Division is to provide quality, quantifiable, cost effective, and citizen -focused
municipal, environmental and infrastructure services to the City of Lansing and other City
Departments with the purpose of making Lansing a great place to live, work, and play. Over -
75% of 0&M's budgeted funds are from state revenue and enterprise fee based services, with
less than 10% of our budget coming from General Fund, and 15% from assessments.
Our diverse team of 109 frill time and 15 seasonal members is comprised of five sections: 1.
Street and Sidewalk Maintenance, 2. Surface and Right of Way Maintenance, 3. Sewer
Maintenance and Inspection, 4.Waste Reduction Services and 5. Administrative Services.
1. Street and Sidewalk Maintenance Section
The mission of the Street and Sidewalk Maintenance Section is to maintain the streets and
sidewalks of the City of Lansing in good working order, to ensure the safe use of the
infrastructure by motorists and pedestrians alike, and to protect the public's health, welfare and
safety. In 2009 we accomplished our mission and more. We are specifically proud of our paving
efforts, increased coordination with regional partners, and the utility restoration work we
accomplished.
Paving and Street Maintenance: During 2009 we paved and overlaid approximately 7 miles of
major and local streets, paved 5 alleys, repaired concrete road joints on major streets and
performed hundreds of pothole repairs and skin patch repairs. We consistently maintained our
goal of responding to any pothole complaints within a 24 hour period, with a typical response
time of less than 2 hours. Yet we did have our share of challenges, with a critical equipment
operator vacancy, equipment failures and the fact that we are stretching the maximum life out of
some of our key equipment, resulting in numerous repairs and production delays. This year,
working closely with the Engineering Division, and Traffic Division, we participated in the
wider practice of the asset management process. The process involves rating the condition of the
roads, determining the proper repair to extend the service life, reviewing available funds and
prioritizing limited funds to where they will have the greatest effect. Further, the process`takes
into account future CSO work, planned utility work and the seasonal impact that may cause some
roads to fail earlier. The end goal is to identify the right..fix at the right time and to mitigate
isolated areas that suffered from the seasonal thaw. One of the outputs of this process is the
yearly paving list. Other paving work included site work at the Boys and Girls Club, where we
turned a tennis court into a parking lot and constructed asphalt approaches. The result of our
maintenance efforts has improved driving conditions across the City; however, we are barely
holding our ground because under current Act 51 funding conditions we remain reactive and face
an uphill battle with the number of roads requiring major maintenance greatly outpacing limited
repair funds that have not seen an increase in over 13 years. These services are funded through
Act 51 and state trunkline maintenance funds.
Utility Restoration: This was another busy year for utility restoration, with our paving and
concrete crews working closely with the Board of Water and Light, Consumers Energy and
various contractors, to ensure that utility work was properly restored in the roadway and right-of-
way. In 2009 we restored over 78,000 square feet of utility cuts, where we placed hot mix
asphalt (HMA). We also completed 21,000 square feet of cuts made during the winter. This
process involved removing the temporary material and replacing it with HMA to make a
permanent patch. We also poured sidewalk and curb in support of several sewer repairs. Our
concrete crew restored over 7,000 square feet of sidewalk. Utility restoration work was
pet -formed by both our first and second shifts out of necessity. These services are funded on a
cost recovery fee basis that is adjusted annually.
Sidewalk Repair: The concrete crew has also been very busy this year trying to keep up with the
all the utility contractors, replacing sidewalks removed through the winter and summer during
utility work. Moreover, they constructed 1,000 square feet of sidewalk for the Boys and Girls
club, placed 800 square feet of new sidewalk at Dwight Rich for Lansing School District and
also constructed bleacher pads at West Side Park for the City Parks Department. We continue to
place asphalt wedges to mitigate tripping hazards and use our concrete sidewalk grinder to take
care of trip hazards on sidewalks to try to save the cost of removing and replacing the sidewalk.
Further, in several locations where roots from trees caused a sidewalk to heave, we worked with
Parks to remove the roots and we replaced the concrete sidewalk. Sidewalk repair and
maintenance remains reactive, with the limited funding unable to meet the demand. This service
is funded through the General fund.
Bridge and Skywalk Maintenance: Our crews conduct routine repairs to expansion joints, railing
and other components to bridges and skywalks as identified by complaints or scheduled
inspections. This service is funded through Act 51 and the General fund.
The section accomplished a great deal despite the challenges we face with declining Act 51and
sidewalk repair funding, increasing material costs, aging key equipment and fewer personnel. To
mitigate challenges we rented equipment, borrowed people from other crews, and prioritized our
efforts, and focused on controlling cost to remain competitive. Therefore, despite these
challenges, that we are sure to face again through the coming years, we are proud to say we got
the job done.
2. Sewer Maintenance and Inspection Section
The mission of the sewer maintenance and inspection section is to maintain the proper operation .
of the City of Lansing's sanitary and storm sewer collection system and flood control devices.
Our focus is to protect and improve the environment while preserving the public health, welfare
and safety of the residents of Lansing. Through inspections, scheduled maintenance and
performing infrastructure repairs we were able to fulfill our mission. We are proud of the
around -the -clock services our team provided to the citizens of Lansing in 2009.
Inspection and Televising: The inspection staff responded to over 5,500 sewer complaints and
concerns reported to the division. We do our best to address these concerns, and utilize all the
resources of the 0&M division to resolve the situation. I am proud to report that 89% of the
calls were responded to within one hour. These same individuals located and staked the city
sewer system at over five thousand locations per the "Miss Dig" system. Sewer inspections this
year saw a slight decline with 450 permits completed. The sewer televising crew worked through
many challenging equipment problems to complete over twenty one miles of mainline sewers
inspected. The information collected was used by both O&M and Engineering to evaluate current
and future infrastructure repair needs. This service is fielded through the Sewer find.
Sanitary Sewer Cleaning: Sewer cleaning efforts increased by 10%, netting over 227 miles of
sanitary main hydro -cleaned utilizing three sewer trucks, one of which was in and out of service
for most of the summer. We look forward to the replacement of this truck scheduled to arrive in
the coming year. This service is funded through the Sewer fund.
Storm Sewer Cleaning: Maintenance to the storm system included the cleaning of nearly 5,000
catch basin structures and 3,100 linear feet of storm main. Further, we performed routine
cleaning of the rain gardens, monitoring the debris removed. However, the storm system
remains under funded to include cleaning open drains. Further, under current funding conditions
major maintenance will be limited. This service is funded through the General fiend.
Flood Control: This year's heavy rains truly taxed the storm and sanitary sewer collection
systems. During the May 27`h rain event we responded to numerous complaints and we
conducted several clays of bypass pumping to mitigate the flooding of Ruth Street when a storm
water retention pond, located at Scott Woods, was overwhelmed and back flowed clown Ruth
Street. Part of the effort involved constructing an emergency access road, installing a gate at the
clog park at Scott Woods and staffing continuous bypass pumping operations. During the same
rain event, lift stations were overwhelmed and a portion of Edgewood Boulevard was closed due
to high water for 2 clays. This service is funded through the General fund.
Sewer Repair: hull staffing and the reinstatement of two seasonal personnel to the construction
crew enabled us to increase our productivity and complete a back log of work orders. Over 1,000
linear feet of mainline sewer and 400 structures were repaired, drastically increasing production.
These repairs are essential to prevent sinall issues from becoming big issues, ensuring the safe
operation of the sewer system. This service is Bolded through the Sewer fund.
Efficiencies within the sewer section continue to be a priority. Many procedures were evaluated
and updated to match current staffing. Cross training of key positions has allowed us to adapt to
the changing work environment. Our diverse abilities, from inspecting to constructing, offer a
wide -array of capabilities to the City. We expect to accomplish more in the coming year despite
the many technical challenges. We are confident to report that we served the City of Lansing
well in 2009. Our efforts resulted in not only maintaining, but improving the environment
through improvements made to the sanitary sewer and storm water collection systems.
3. Surface and Right of Way Maintenance Section
The mission of the Surface and Right of Way Maintenance section is to maintain and improve
the City of Lansing right-of-way under City jurisdiction, including alleys, guard rails, and
providing internal services. We are the inter -divisional section responsible for coordinating
snow removal, with the purpose of providing a quality environment and to protect the driving
public health, welfare and safety. In 2009, the Surface Section met its goals, by making Lansing
a cleaner and safer place to be everyday.
Sweeping and Street Leaf Removal: The night crew met its goals with the sweeping of MDOT
Trunklines and Major Streets eight times and Local Streets four times in 2009. Crews swept
over 6,300 miles of street for 2009. In 2009, 8,300 cubic yards of leaves were removed from the
rights -of -way by the night crew and relocated to Crego Park for composting. Compared to the
3,500 yards picked up in 2008, this was a very impressive accomplishment. This service is
funded through Act 51 funds.
Topsoil Production: In 2009 we made 2,400 yards of topsoil from composted leaves. The
decomposed leaves were mixed with sand to make high quality topsoil that all the departments
can use for the next year. This funded through the recycling find.
Gravel Road Maintenance: Maintaining gravel streets was somewhat of a challenge this year due
to a continued vacancy in the IIeavy Equipment Operators position (grader operator). Yet this
vacancy provided us the opportunity to give other employees training and experience in the
grading of gravel roads. Weather conditions play a large role in the condition of gravel streets
and how long they stay in good shape after grading. This summer was a little wetter than
average, requiring more frequent grading. We got behind a couple times but still managed to
grade 20. 14 miles of road in 2009. Further, during the May 27"' rain event, parts of Ruth Street
were washed away, requiring an emergency repair, where our crews quickly reconstructed the
road and maintained egress routes for isolated homes. This service is funded through Act 51
funds.
Right of Wav and Code Enforcement Mowing and Vegetation Control: The mowing and
brushing season went very well, despite the challenges we faced. We normally receive four
seasonal employees to help with the mowing activity, this year we received a fifth to help with
the over 1,500 mowing violation requests we received from Code Compliance. Our crews
absorbed this additional work load with only one additional person. The mowing teams managed
to stay ahead of the growth of the vegetation and had all their areas looking good. The crews
mowed more than 800 acres this year despite the restricted mowing of trunklines. Further, we
cleared and grubbed the overgrown drain at the end of Daft Street. We also cleaned the rain
gardens several times, and have handed those duties off to the Principal Sho.pping Districts Rain
Garden Coordinator. This service is funded through Act 51, fees and state trunkline maintenance
funds.
Alley Maintenance: This year we were provided more funds for alley maintenance so we took
advantage and trimmed back many more alleys than normal. In 2009 we cut back over 25,000
lineal feet of alley compared to 5,810 for 2008. We also maintained and repaired numerous
sections of damaged guard rail and attenuators improving driver safety and the appearance of the
City. This service is funded through the General fund
Demolition: This year we demolished the old Humane Society building, a 5,000 square foot
building, at the wastewater treatment plant for Management Services. This involved
disconnecting utilities, salvaging materials, reducing the structure and hauling the debris away.
Aurelius Landfill Maintenance: The Division has successfully coordinated the maintenance and
repair of the City owned infrastructure at the Aurelius Landfill site without incident in 2009.
The landfill surface area was cleared of trees and mowed, in order to protect the landfill cover.
This service is funded through the General fund.
Miscellaneous Trash: Miscellaneous trash pick-up continued twice a week, which involves two
people and a small packer picking rap trash from 17 different locations throughout the City, such
as City Hall, Parking Ramps and trash receptacles at various locations. We collected roughly 832
cubic yards of waste this year while performing this task. As well as picking up trash and
recycling, which began this year, from City Hall, so far this year we have picked up almost 22
tons. This service is funded through the General fiord.
Routine and Emergency Traffic Control: We provided barricades for 39 special events during the
year, such as parades, block parties and running events at a cost of nearly $10,000. Also, we
rapidly responded whenever there was a need for emergency traffic control support to close
roads after an accident or fire for Lansing Police Department and Lansing Fire Department. This
service is funded through Act 51 funds.
Right of Way Hazard Abatement: Also, we responded to 450 miscellaneous complaints during
the year, most of them dealing with hazards and debris in the street. This service is funded
through an administrative and clean-up fee assessed to the property owner.
Graffiti Abatement: Over 1.15 graffiti complaints were abated this year, with 75% completed in
three business clay target. Some of the delay in response time is associated to working with the
property owners; to gain their permission to access the property and finding the right fix to
protect the vandalized surface. Further, we acquired a new power washer that we had been
renting, and this will decrease future costs. This service is funded through Lansing Police
Department funds.
Security: Our security personnel ensured that the 0&M complex was staffed and ready to
respond, 365 clays a year, during evenings and weekends. Being one of the few City phones,
other than 911, staffed 24 hours a day, they ensured that the concerns of our citizens and
emergency reports were addressed. Further, security personnel routinely serve as the conduit
between the Lansing Police Department and Lansing Fire Department for emergency support
from 0&M. Further, our security team has been re -organized as Security Maintenance Workers,
so that they will be able to respond to complaints on weekends with the assistance. of a
supervisor. This service is funded through a mixture of Service Garage and operating funds.
Regardless of the challenges we faced in 2009, we prioritized our efforts and provided quality
support to the City of Lansing, other City Departments and our citizen customers and as our
vacancies are filled, we will be better prepared and able to serve the City in all aspects of what
we do.
4. Waste Reduction Services Section
The mission of Waste Reduction Services (WRS) is to provide an efficient recycling, yard waste,
and refuse collection system. These programs encourage envirorunentally responsible behavior
learned through consistent outreach efforts, as well as continuous, community -based educational
activities, all of which contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment and enhance the quality
of life for those who live and work in the City of Lansing. The programs offered by WRS
continue to be popular and highly utilized by Lansing residents. The number of trash cart
customers continues to grow, recycling participation remains high and the yardwaste collection
program's fall season was marked by good weather and very high volumes of leaves.
Outreach: WRS's flagship promotional piece, the bi-annual Greensheet newsletter, continues to
be widely read as it is sent to each single family home. The Greensheet has proven to be our
most effective tool for informing Lansing residents about programs, services and issues which
can improve the quality of life in our city. Citizens have access to a wide range of information
from WRS through the website, hotline and office. Thousands of inquiries have been responded
to by staff to date so far in 2009. WRS staff have also interacted with thousands of citizens at
the MSU Home and Garden Show, Earth Day events and a variety of other venues.
Additionally, many community presentations were provided to churches, citizen groups and
neighborhood organizations. The Master Co.mposter Program was taught to 52 participants at the
Fenner Nature Center. The e-mail listserve that provides recycling and solid waste program
updates and special events information has nearly 2,000 registered users. WRS staff continue to
explore and enhance opportunities for increasing awareness of our programs through the internet
and other electronic means. This service is funded through the Recycling fiend.
Promotion, Education, Coordination and Marketing: In addition to comnnulity education, the
Assistant .Recycling Coordinator routinely visits schools and provides free programs promoting
recycling and waste reduction. In 2009, there were 21 hands-on, interactive recycling
presentations conducted in classrooms across Lansing and more being scheduled all the time.
There are currently 46 public, private and charter schools participating in the curbside recycling
program. We believe this is one of the most important parts of our education program, as the
students who participate in their schools recycling efforts are likely to transfer that behavior to
their home and encourage their families to participate in the curbside recycling program.
Numerous testimonials have verified this fact. WRS also provides free environmental education
resources to Lansing School District teachers through the Traveling Green Trunk program, a
collection of videos, activity books, curriculum guides and other resources which are delivered to
teachers upon request via the District's warehouse/courier mail system. Though reduced in scope
due to budget considerations, Urban Options continues to provide presentations on
vermicomposting in Lansing Schools under a contract with WRS. The contract with Urban
Options also includes services relating to the popular mid -scale vermicomposting program which
allows students to feed their cafeteria food waste to worms housed in 4x8 bins in the school yard.
We currently have 6 such bins in educational institutions in the city. This service is funded
through the Recycling fund.
Refuse Collection: Our refuse collection system is the longest continually operating pay -as -you -
throw (PAYT) program in the United States. PAYT systems have been proven effective at
encouraging recycling and waste reduction. In 2009, 29,322 cubic yards of refuse was collected
and delivered to Granger's landfill. More and more citizens are choosing the City's convenient
blue trash cart service. In 2009, we set a new record high for cart subscriptions, reaching 5,733
Blue Billy cart customers. A strong customer base also remains for the blue city trash bags. Bag
sales continue to increase annually. This year 235,350 bags were sold, resulting in $411,862.50
in revenue, which is a slight decline from last year due to the increase in cart customers. This
service is funded through sales.
Bulk Collection: Collection of furniture, appliances and other large items continued as well. Li
an attempt to help disadvantaged citizens and to help keep the city clean, free bulk stickers are
provided to those who qualify. In 2009, 1,375 bulk stickers were sold and or were distributed to
low income residents. This benefit'is funded through a general fund. Total revenue for bulk
stickers was $71,976 and is funded through sales.
Yardwaste: The yardwaste program delivered 12,768 cubic yards of leaves, grass and brush to
Granger's yard waste facility in 2009. Another 9,500 cubic yards of leaves, collected curbside,
was taken to Crego Park for composting. Not only does this reduce the cost of taking it to a yard
waste facility at a cost of $8.50 per cubic yard, the resulting compost will also be utilized for
various applications around the City, further saving money on the avoided purchase of additional
topsoil. This service is funded through the Recycling fiend.
Recycling: The convenient and popular curbside recycling program collected 1,800 tons in 2009.
Additionally, WRS operates the drop off center, located on South Street, which provides an
Opportunity for businesses and apartment dwellers to recycle, as well as for everyone to have
somewhere to take materials such as cardboard that we are unable to accept at the curbside. A
larger container for cardboard was added and the original container is now used to collect
newspaper at the site. The popularity of the site continues to increase and in 2009 the amount
collected stands at 270 tons, over double of that collected just two years ago. Efforts to divert
more waste from City offices have also been made in 2009. There have been over 29 tons of
materials collected from City offices. Employee education and administrative support played a
key role in the success of this program. Additional recovery efforts include the popular "Reuse -
A -Shoe" program. The City of Lansing continues to be the only community in the State of
Michigan that has partnered with Nike and the National Recycling Coalition to collect old
athletic shoes through this national .program. Over I tons of shoes were collected in 2009. We
are still pursing single stream recycling, having gone out to bid for the processing of materials
when the recycling market had crashed, and decided to let the market recover. The goal is to
reissue requests for proposal in FY 10 with the hope that we will realize greater competition for
the material we collected. This service is funded through the Recycling fiend.
Right of Wav :Enforcement: WRS is also responsible for the enforcement of the solid waste and
right-of-way ordinance. Our enforcement staff has been reduced from two employees to one, but
complaints continue to be responded to in an efficient manner. The enforcement worker has
performed 2,885 inspections, issued 1,544 24-hour notices, 409 violations, and turned in 46
violations for cleanups in 2009. These efforts help to keep Lansing's neighborhoods clean and
safe. This service is funded through the Recycling and General funds.
Special Events: A number of special event requests are made each year. WRS believes in
providing services to those that hold their events in the City of Lansing to further promote our
services and to reinforce recycling efforts in our community. To that end, we provided carts and
recycling containers at the following events: the Lansing 150 Parade, LBWL Chili Cook Off,
Ele's Race, the Mayor's River Walk, Blues on the Square, Blues Fest, the African -American
Parade, Silver Bells in the City, Independence Day Parade, and the City of Lansing employee
picnic. This service is funded through the Recycling and General funds.
Regional Partnerships: Regional programming continues to be a vital part of our efforts,
partnering with other communities to serve a broad group of citizens, businesses, schools and
others. These efforts include four special recycling collections for computers and electronics
(one of which was free), books and other hard to recycle items. Over 160 tons of material was
collected in 2009, a significant amount of material considering that these collections have been
held since 2000 and there are now a variety of alternative recycling options available for items
like old computers. Working with the Regional Recycling Coordination Committee (R2C2), two
events offering rainbarrels at discounted prices were held this year. One of the sales also offered
compost bins at low prices. These events were very well attended and will result in thousands of
cubic yards of yardwaste being handled on -site by homeowners and hundreds of thousands of
gallons of stormwater never reaching the river. A collection of horticultural plastics was held in
July and offered an opportunity to recover a hard -to -recycle material for remanufacture by a
company in this region. This service is funded through the Recycling and General funds.
Waste Reduction Awards Program: Additionally, The City of Lansing has continued working
with a diverse group of professionals to coordinate the Tri-County Waste Reduction Awards
Program (WRAP), which sponsors an annual award ceremony and workshop. In April 2009,
WRAP recognized six businesses and individuals by presenting them with a beautiful award
made out of recycled glass. The WRS team continues to build on over a century of commitment
to keep Lansing clean and green. This service is funded through the Recycling and General
funds.
5. Administrative Services Section
The mission of the administrative services section is to provide quality customer service to the
citizens of Lansing and professional internal services to the O&M Division, to include dispatch,
clerical support, complaint database management, human resource support, financial reporting,
inventory control, and Act 51 fund monitoring, with the purpose of addressing the concerns of
citizens and complying with State and City accounting requirements and in support of protecting
the public health, welfare and safety. We are proud of our team's accomplishments over.the past
year, focusing on process improvements, cost savings and customer service.
Customer Service: The clerical staff continue to excel in their duties. The vast majority of their
work is completed on or ahead of time, thanks in large part to their willingness to act as a team
and engage in cross -training whenever time permits. It is unusual to have a request go unfulfilled
due to the absence of any one team member as happens in other departments and divisions. They
continue to go above and beyond for all of our customers, whether they be internal or external,
and we have received several letters from citizens voicing gratitude for help received from one of
our staff members this year, and not one formal complaint.
Four Day Work Week: In July we implemented a four day work week for the clerical staff.
Although this has not resulted in a reduction to staff costs, the organization has realized some
tangible benefits. The first of these is the increase in the amount of cross training that has been
accomplished over the last 5 months. Less than half of our administrative duties could be
performed by all staff members just one year ago. Now we can safely say that we have achieved
an 80% cross training rate, and our efforts continue to reach 100%. The reason we have been
able to accomplish so much in this area is that three of the four staff have an extra two hours per
day on the four days they work to accomplish their tasks without interruption. They complete
their tasks more quickly and therefore some time for cross -training has become available when
phone and counter traffic are slow. The four day work week has also limited the amount of time
off taken by the clerical staff. With the extra day per week to themselves, they rarely schedule
time off work for personal appointments, and they take fewer incidental days because they
already get a long weekend. Last, morale is the highest it has been in the last seven years.
Efficiencies: We continue to strive to streamline our operations and identify new efficiencies.
We accomplish the same amount of work with four team members that we accomplished with
five just two years ago. This is due to automating many of our operations that used to be done
manually, working with field staff and supervision to identify areas where we are duplicating
efforts, and making better use of available software to accomplish our tasks. We continually
look for ways to do our jobs better and faster, while also increasing our quality of work.
Operations and Maintenance Administrative staff is one of the most dedicated and hard working
groups in the City of Lansing. We are proud to report that the Administrative Section has had
another successful year serving the community.
6. Winter Maintenance
One of most important roles of the Division is the salting and plowing ofthe City's streets,
bridges and City owned sidewalks during the winter months, keeping the roads and sidewalks
safe for the driving and walking public. The winter months of 2008-2009 were busy with
multiple salting and plowing events due the above normal snow fall, reaching up to 72 inches.
Further, we saw our increased coordination with regional partners pay off, with greater internal
coordination and outreach to our partners and customers, to include the production of a winter
maintenance video shown on City TV.
Street Clearing: 2008-2009 was a near record year for the number of plow events, with 11
partial plows and 7 full plows, including curb -backs. We expended over 9,400 tons of salt, at $44
per ton, to keep the streets safe. However, winter maintenance costs are skyrocketing, with salt
jumping 20% per year and while seeing decreased operating funds from Act 51.. Under these
fiscal realities, we are forced to look at how we do business and the equipment we use. As salt
reaches $50 a ton we must be better able to control its application, and we have requested that in
future that the Fleet Division of the Finance Department procure salt trucks with ground speed
control so that we can conserve salt and explore advances in the use of liquid additives. This
service is funded through Act 51 and state trunkline maintenance funds.
Sidewalk Clearing: Working closely with Parks Department, we effectively cleared City owned
sidewalks that we are responsible for, meeting the intent of the ordinance, of removing snow and
placing salt. This effort has been improved with the addition of a new Bombardier sidewalk
Plow to supplement our force of sidewalk clearing equipment. Sidewalk clearance is performed
by the Sewer and Streets Sections. Also, we continued to place sand barrels at key school'
crossing areas, clear key crosswalk approaches, and salt and shovel skywalk landings. This
service is funded through the General fund.
Scott House, Operations and Maintenance Superintendent
C. THE WASTEWATER DIVISION
The wastewater division is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the combined sewer
overflow facilities (regulators), storm and sanitary sewer pumping stations, and the wastewater
treatment plant. Our division is also responsible for the administration of the City's National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit, a part of which is maintaining an
Industrial Pretreatment Program that monitors the local business and industry discharges.
To help educate the community about wastewater treatment and our positive impact on the
environment, many facility tours are given throughout the year.
1. Wastewater Treatment
In 2009 the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) successfully treated 6.95 billion gallons of
raw sewage and processed it into clean water, which was discharged into the Grand River. The
treatment process generated 7,906 dry tons of residual solids. A total of 3,526 dry tons were land
filled. The other 4,380 dry tons were converted to biosolids by lime stabilizing, and then applied
to farm land as a soil conditioner and nutrient source (fertilizer) for agricultural crops.
.Due to significant rain events that increased wet weather flows into the plant, there were 5
retention basin overflow events in 2009. Two of these events occurred over three days in March
and April. ,
The Treatment Plant was in compliance with the City's NPDES Permit throughout the year
except for two minor violations involving fecal coliform exceedance during wet weather basin
discharges in February and April. Noting the number of significant rain events received this is
an excellent record and measure of our overall conformance to the very strict limitations that are
placed on the water that we discharge back to the Grand River after removing a majority of the
Pollutants.
Plant improvements in 2009 centered around the installation of four new stainless steel bar
screens at the headworks of the plant. The bar screens will protect the downstream plant
equipment from large obstructions that may make it to the WWTP via the collection system
(sewer mains, manholes, households, businesses). Additionally, the relatively narrow 3/8" bar
gaps will catch much of the rag -like and stringy materials that the plant receives each day that
foul plant mixers, bind mechanical rakes, plug pumps and interfere with the solids handling
operation.
2. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
Maintenance and minor upgrades were performed on the Supervisory Control and Data
Acquisition (SCADA) system. This system allows us to remotely monitor and operate many of
the WWTP and pump station facilities equipment. In addition it also tracks the operations of and
allows remote control of many of our large pump stations, The Division continues to automate
processes where it makes sense, and it is financially practical and possible to do so.
3. Wastewater Laboratory
The function of the Wastewater Treatment Plant laboratory is to determine the effectiveness and
efficiency of the plant treatment processes and to verify the quality of the water discharged to the
Grand River. The Wastewater Treatment Plant Laboratory conducted over 28,000 analyses on
more than 40 different pollutants, providing data for plant operation, Combined Sewer
Overflows (CSO), Industrial Surveillance and NPDES compliance monitoring. This includes
significant wet weather events that required several hundred additional microbiological (Fecal
Coliform) measurements to comply with our NPDES permit.
Under terms of the NP.DES permit effective December 1, 2008, additional in-house and
contracted testing requirements were performed in August 2009. Testing included: Whole
Effluent Toxicity (WET), Volatile and Semi -volatile Organic Compounds, Hardness, Phenols,
.Mercury, Cyanide and 14 metals.
Each year, the :Laboratory is required to participate in an Annual Performance Evaluation by the
Environmental Protection Agency. Again, along with support laboratories, the Wastewater
Treatment Plant Laboratory performed exceptionally well on ALL twenty Discharge Monitoring
.Report - Quality Assurance (DMR-QA) parameters submitted. This is attributed to the strong
Quality Control/Quality Assurance program and laboratory staffs dedication to excellence.
In addition to routine laboratory activities, a cursory review of laboratory data management
software (Water Information Management System —WIMS) was initiated. This effort was made
in anticipation of the need to further enhance and improve the challenging task of compliance
data handling.
Earlier changes made in 2008 continue to provide cost savings to the laboratory by: reducing the
amount of hazardous chemicals purchased, stored and used in the lab and by improving data
quality and safe working conditions.
4. Compliance .Monitoring
In April of 2009 we submitted the Industrial pretreatment annual report to the MDEQ in
compliance with our NPDES permit. The industrial pretreatment program had no violations and
no major issues.
In October we submitted the annual biosolids report to the MDEQ under the requirements of the
EPA Part 503 Rules. Data is also submitted in the Monthly Operating Report to the MDEQ to
meet the requirements of the Residuals Management Program contained in the NPDES Permit.
5. Plant Maintenance and Pumping Stations (Field Operations)
The Wastewater Division Field Operations staff monitors, maintains and operates 27 sanitary
sewer pumping stations, one air injection station, and four stormwater pumping stations which
serve both the City and surrounding Townships.
The Plant Maintenance Department completed over 1,600 work orders addressing preventive
maintenance and an additional 185 corrective or emergency work orders. Field operation staff
responded to 98 emergency calls to keep the pump stations operating to prevent back-ups in the
collection system.
6. CSO Regulators and Monitoring
The Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Project Plan continued to move forward and is further
addressed in the City Engineer's information. Projects required by the Final Combined Sewer
Overflow Control Program of .1992 are being completed in compliance with the construction
schedule as prescribed in the NPDES Permit.
CSO Overflow Reports continue to be submitted to the Surface Water Quality Division of the
MDEQ on a monthly basis. The local health departments and the Lansing State Journal are
called during each event to provide notification of the discharge to the public. The reporting and
testing requirements are specified in the NPDES discharge permit.
7. Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP)
Of the 15 non -domestic users monitored, some 46 industrial samples were collected and over
220 analyses were conducted to ensure the protection of the Wastewater Treatment Plant, public
health, and the environment. The IPP group performed all mandated annual inspections of
Categorical Industrial Users and Significant Industrial Users, while also helping to strengthen
relationships between City IPP personnel and industrial personnel. Numerous discharge permits
were issued or renewed, and a new categorical industry (Neogen Corporation) was inspected and
monitored. IPP Staff also continued to assist in the identification of sewer locations and
environmental monitoring at the General Motors demolition sites in Lansing and Lansing
Township.
Monitoring & Enforcement of Industry:
The IPP monitored 15 non -domestic users in 2009 of which:
* 14 of the users are Significant Industrial Users and
* 12 of the 14 are also federally classified as Categorical Users.
8. Future
Design of major improvements to the Tertiary Filter building and replacement of Final Tanks 7
and 8 has been underway for over a year. The last several months of the design have been fast
tracked in order to make them comply with the submittal requirements for the State Revolving
loan Fund (SRF) program. Subsequent to this projects approval for SRF funding we were
informed that it may be qualified to receive American Reinvestment and Recovery Act loan
principal forgiveness grant.
The project team did indeed meet all of the accelerated project deadlines and submittals and the
City was informed by the MDEQ that it would receive SRF funding for this project in addition to
40% of the principal forgiven of this loan. This translates into almost $6.0 million in savings to
our sewer customers. Construction is scheduled to begin in the winter of 2010. The Tertiary
building has not had a major upgrade since going on-line over 30 years ago. The flow capacity
thru the Tertiary filter building will be doubled by upgrading the existing filters with improved
technology. Additionally the project has a "green" flavor by the incorporation of improved
electrical components and better insulation, plus a general power savings due to a more efficient
operation.
Paul Stokes, Wastewater Superintendent