As Washtenaw County moves forward in developing its first four-year budget that requires nearly $7 million in structural cuts, several members of the Board of Commissioners expressed a desire for more power in the process during a Thursday budget retreat.

"When the budget comes to us, we have two meetings to say yes," Commissioner Alicia Ping, R-Saline, said. "If we don't, we're in serious trouble. It's the way the timing happens: If we can't have a voice ahead of time, it's too late."

County administrative staff under the direction of Administrator Verna McDaniel compile a budget based the recommendations and priorities of the board.

"Legally it's the responsibility of the county administrator to bring a budget," said Commissioner Conan Smith, D-Ann Arbor. "The commissioners have expressed an interest in having a greater hand, given the four-year time frame."

The board expressed its desire for a greater hand in the budget process to determine which programs are cut and which are saved.

Washtenaw County commissioners (L-R) Andy LaBarre, Kent Martinez-Kratz, Conan Smith and Dan Smith participate in an exercise Thursday to determine the board's budget priorities.

Amy Biolchini | AnnArbor.com

The exercise revealed the board strongly favors ensuring community safety net services and increasing economic opportunity and workforce development.

Maximizing mobility for county residents and reducing the county's environmental impact were on the second tier of priorities, while internal labor force and sustainability efforts were at the bottom.

Few specific programs were discussed at the Thursday retreat, and commissioners Ronnie Peterson, D-Ypsilanti, and Rolland Sizemore, D-Ypsilanti Township were absent.

Many of the commissioners gently expressed their frustration with the general topics being discussed at the retreat, and conveyed their desire to talk in more real terms.

Commissioner Felicia Brabec, D-Pittsfield Township, said she thinks the board needs to work in determining how the budget priorities translate into specific programs. Commissioner Andy LaBarre, D-Ann Arbor, agreed.

“I want to see numbers and options and where this is really going to hurt,” LaBarre said.

Smith advocated for future budget sessions to be conducted in small committees comprising of staff members and several commissioners instead of the large group format.

“We’re not getting down to brass tacks,” Smith said. “We don’t have enough expertise around the table to answer the questions that we have.”

Commissioner Kent Martinez-Kratz, D-Chelsea, said he thought the budget process needed more communication between Administrator McDaniel and the board.

McDaniel was absent from the Thursday meeting, as she was attending her daughter's college graduation.

Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.

The building at 210-216 S. Fourth sold this week to investor Joe Barbat.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

After a foreclosure, the building at 210-216 S. Fourth Ave., just north of East Liberty Street, was sold to local investor Joe Barbat this week for a price that hasn’t yet been disclosed. Barbat, who has been silent about his plans for the property so far, is also the CEO of the Wireless Toyz franchise chain and real estate firm Barbat Holdings LLC.

As Barbat looks at how to redevelop, lease and possibly expand the Town Center Plaza building, here are some things he should consider:

• The building is in a prime location and it has potential.

When Carol Sun closed her 17-year-old Eastern Accents bakery at 214 S. Fourth in March, she said she had extensive issues with the way the building was managed by its former landlord, Dale Newman. She said it was plagued with maintenance issues that were often ignored.

But under new ownership, that could change, and the building could provide opportunity for businesses looking for space in downtown’s tight real estate market.

At one point, the building at 210-216 S. Fourth was known as the "Fourth Main Arcade" and it had a pedestrian walkway in the middle, but Thacher said that wasn't part of the original building's design.

Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com

Tenants in Town Center Plaza include Bandito’s Mexican Restaurant, Salon Vertigo, Easy Pay Direct, Arbormoon Software and Ann Arbor Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy. It has several first and second floor vacancies that are now being marketed for lease with Colliers International’s Ann Arbor office, including two street-level spaces.

The building could play a key role in activating Fourth Avenue, which acts as a connector between downtown and the Kerrytown district. The block also has a number of independent restaurants and retailers.

“We think the building has tremendous potential,” said Arbormoon Software founder Dave Koziol. “It’s in a fabulous location.”

Added Bandito’s owner Ken Sing: “I’m just hoping (the ownership change) is for the best.” He said hopes to keep his Mexican restaurant in the building under the new owners.

• The facade needs a makeover.

Constructed in the 1920s, the roughly 20,000-square-foot Town Center Plaza building is considered a non-contributing building in the Main Street Historic District, said City Planner Jill Thacher.

She said the current aluminum facade was installed after a fire in the 1950s caused significant damage to the building. Although Barbat would need Historic District Commission approval to replace the facade, Thacher said the commission would “probably appreciate” an improvement.

• Expansion is possible, but limited.

Colliers’ Jim Chaconas said Barbat is considering how to give new life to the building. Architect Brad Moore of J Bradley Moore & Associates is in the process of evaluating the site.

Because the building is non-contributing, Thacher said the new owner has some leeway when it comes to redevelopment or expansion. She said it also might be possible to demolish and reconstruct the building, although Chaconas said it’s structurally intact.

It would be possible to construct some sort of addition on the Town Center Plaza building, which is currently two stories.

Kyle Mattson | AnnArbor.com

The property is located in the city’s D1 zoning, but because it’s in the Main Street Historic District, there are limitations on a building expansion. The historic guidelines say the addition’s footprint should not exceed half of the original building’s footprint, or half of the original building’s total floor area, but Thacher said that rule applies most often to standalone structures.

“This is a pretty deep building, so it might be possible to add some height on the back, but of course it all depends on the size and design. The impact on surrounding historic resources would also be taken into consideration,” Thacher said.

Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.

Ypsilanti officials have denied fire officials the opportunity to be placed on a future city council agenda, citing negotiation concerns.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

The Ypsilanti City Council has declined to hear a presentation from local and statewide fire officials arguing against the creation of a hybrid public safety model and one council member said she believes the decision is a form of censorship.

City Council Member Susan Moeller requested the presentation be added to a future council meeting after being approached by Ypsilanti Fire Union President Ken Hobbs. Moeller thinks the possible creation of a hybrid model should be discussed more in depth in the public, since it would affect citizens.

In order to have a presentation added to an agenda, a council member must first propose the addition and it must be seconded by another council member. Moeller said she failed to secure a second.

"I think it's terrible," Moeller said. "... It's nothing illegal about them coming to speak. They just don't want to hear them."

The city and fire department are negotiating a new contract now, but progress has been slow according to Mayor Paul Schreiber. The contract expired nearly a year ago on June 30.

Schreiber said he doesn't support the fire officials giving a public presentation because he believes it would cross the line of negotiating in a public atmosphere. Schreiber acknowledged that emails, one of which he says was confidential, were exchanged regarding the presentation but declined to comment on the specifics.

"How appropriate is it to have a member of the union or the bargaining unit speaking to city council?" Schreiber said. "The city charter tasked the city manager with handling the negotiations and as far as having a bargaining unit make a presentation to council, it brings budget negotiations to the public.

"This is a union negotiation and I don’t think it's good for the fire department or the city to be negotiating in public. There's nothing that keeps Ken Hobbs from coming or speaking during audience participation."

Hobbs, Chair of the Michigan Professional Firefighters Public Safety Committee Monty Nye and others wanted to present documentation they believe shows why the hybrid department would be ineffective and detrimental on city operations.

Earlier this year, City Manager Ralph Lange announced the city would pursue creating a hybrid police and fire department. Lange said the two departments would be stand-alone, but supplemented with cross-trained public safety officers who would be equipped to do both jobs.

The Ypsilanti hybrid model would cross-train police officers and firefighters to perform both duties. Officials said present city employees would have the option of being cross-trained.

Several firefighters and former Fire Chief Jon Ichesco have openly voiced their opposition to the hybrid model and urged the city to move forward with regionalization.

Moeller said she asked earlier this month for the addition and several council members told her they didn't believe the presentation was appropriate. Moeller again asked council members in a Tuesday email to reconsider, but she has yet to hear anything.

"I thought I could talk them into it personally and I asked them to reconsider," Moeller said. "No one has seconded it."

Moeller said some council members said the alternative would be for each individual who wanted to present to speak during the audience participation portion of a council meeting for the allowed three minutes. Moeller said that isn't feasible because they have an entire presentation prepared and the public participation portion wouldn't allow for enough time.

"I'm very unhappy," Moeller said. "When groups are told they can't speak, it’s a form of censorship."

Hobbs said he wanted to present now while the city is going through budget sessions and to give the public more of an opportunity to learn about what he believes a hybrid model entails. Hobbs said he believes the city has yet to give residents an opportunity to chime in on what's being discussed.

"There’s really not a good time for us to approach the subject because it's not on the agenda and not something they’re openly discussing," Hobbs said. "We waited until they started having these budget sessions and thought it would be a good time to do a presentation on why we're against it. That model will end up costing them more money."

City Manager Ralph Lange, pictured left, and Mayor Paul Schreiber, right, have said the hybrid model would help the city regain its financial footing.

Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com

Hobbs said the presentation would not have included anything related to negotiations, but instead costs and figures he believes council should consider before moving forward with the model.

"I just wanted to present to council the information we have on public safety and the costs so that they could take that into consideration," Hobbs said. "We’re doing it from a financial standpoint, not a negotiation standpoint. You're in budget hearings and you’re going to make a budget decision. Give us an opportunity to present and show you why it's not a benefit to you."

Council Member Pete Murdock said he also wasn't in favor of a public presentation.

"We don't do contract negotiations at the council table," Murdock said. "... We're in the middle of contract negotiations and staff is responsible for doing the negotiations. We gave them direction in terms of how to proceed and that's how we do negotiations."

Despite not being in favor of the public presentation, Murdock said the fire officials are welcome to speak during the three-minute audience participation segment of council. Murdock said he believes there have been opportunities for the public to speak either for or against the model.

"There's opportunities to do that all of the time," Murdock said. "I just think it's inappropriate for us to be doing that because we're in contract negotiations."

Council Member Pete Murdock is not in favor of having fire officials present before council.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

Moeller said she is against the creation of a hybrid department because she doesn't see any cost savings and she believes it would affect how services are delivered.

"I feel that I represent my ward and I was elected by my citizens and I asked them about it and a lot of the citizens from Ward 2 wrote me that they didn’t favor it and I feel that I'm really representing the citizens and not just my own personal opinion. Just from looking at the numbers, it doesn’t look like it will save money."

Early estimates show it will cost the city between $30,000 and $34,000 each to cross-train police officers and firefighters. Yet, the city projects it would save $2.1 million over the next five years.

The city will spend about $663,480 during the next four years to train new and existing officers, about $75,000 on uniforms and equipments, as well as other fees amounting to $943,480. The city believes it will find about $210,315 in short-term savings in one year or less of the program being put in place.

When asked whether the city can move forward with the model after it was denied a nearly $1 million grant from the Michigan Department of Treasury, Murdock said the city is looking at ways to pay for the model.

"The question is can we afford to do anything?" Murdock said. "I think Ralph has laid out how he plans to cover police and fire with the scaled down proposal and that’s part of his budget process."

Moeller said she supports the hiring of more police personnel, but is concerned that the public safety officers would be paid well above what current employees are.

"I'm supportive of having more police in Ypsilanti, but the way it works is a PSO person would earn 22 percent more than a firefighter," she said. "Right now police earn 15 more percent than fire. I don’t think it’s a budget savings because everyone has to train and there still might be overtime costs. It hasn’t been really clarified that it’s a budget savings."

Schreiber said he supports the creation of a hybrid model.

"From everything I've seen so far, I'm in support of it," Schreiber said. "The thing I found so striking is when Chief Amy Walker said a lot of the times the police end up being the first respondents, she said she would have loved to have some fire gear in the trunk and get in there.

"Mr. Lange is continuing to pursue it because he feels he has enough support from council to pursue it. It's certainly not a done deal."

Murdock said the hybrid model is the road the city is going down.

"That's the proposal the city manager had from the very beginning," Murdock said. "We're allowing him to pursue it. We have to resolve the issues with contract in order to do it and it's been almost a month since we've met. They want to negotiate it somewhere else other than the table where it's supposed to be."

Nye, who also is a firefighter in Meridian Township, said he's seen the hybrid and public safety model and fail across the country. Nye said Meridian Township once had a public safety department, but ended up going back to the traditional model of two completely separate departments.

"It’s the same failed concept," Nye said. "We just wanted to come with facts and figures and they don’t want to hear it. They’re refusing to let the firefighters present documentation. We are asking them to just be open and be truthful. Let the public hear about this."

Katrease Stafford covers Ypsilanti for AnnArbor.com.Reach her at katreasestafford@annarbor.com or 734-623-2548 and follow her on twitter.

• Related story: Budget cuts: Ann Arbor schools to cut high school busing, charge kids for 7th hour

Ann Arbor school board members OK'd slashing a $70,000 discretionary food budget from the general fund Wednesday night — all except a $5,000 allowance for food for board meetings.

Trustee Andy Thomas fought to have the school board give up its $5,000 food budget Wednesday night.

Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com file photo

Executive sessions also occur and are scheduled for before regular meetings, which begin at 7 p.m.

"We need to step it up. … Pack an apple," said board Secretary Andy Thomas, when met with protests from his fellow trustees about his suggestion to cut the board's $5,000 food budget.

"You better bring a whole lot of apples then," exclaimed Trustee Susan Baskett.

The board "works hard, works very late" and trustees come to the meetings straight from their respective jobs, said board President Deb Mexicotte. She added the food also feeds members of the administration and district staff who also are required to come straight from work and stay until midnight or later, when the board is done.

"When you talk about the public relations aspect of that… " Thomas said, shaking his head, of how keeping the board's money for meals but getting rid of funds for other events and meetings will be perceived in the community. But Thomas was interrupted by Mexicotte.

"When you talk about public relations, you have to talk about being reasonable," she said, stressing that the $5,000 is pennies in the broad scheme of the budget and helps the board and central administrators function more effectively.

Baskett said the board really does not ask for much and receives only a small stipend for its service. She said trustees earn about $130 per month for attending meetings.

The food, when there is extra, also is offered to members of the audience at the meetings.

Amy Osinski, executive assistance to the BOE, said at the end of the meetings the leftover food, which is not typical, must be discarded for health and safety reasons due to the length of time the food sits out.

Thomas was outnumbered, and the board took its $5,000 food budget off the chopping block for the 2013-14 academic year. Trustee Irene Patalan was in favor of saving the board's budget, but said she would like to know more about whether there are other groups who meet under similar circumstances and perhaps work just as hard and should be able to keep their food budgets, too.

The remaining $65,000 in discretionary food costs are from all of the food-related line items combined throughout the district's departments, said AAPS Communications Director Liz Margolis. For example, Margolis said she has a food budget of $1,500, which she hardly ever uses but is part of the district's $65,000 total.

She said this money is used to provide snacks for events and meetings throughout the district in the various buildings and departments. One such event is the "Opening Day," first-day-back-for-teachers celebration that annually takes place at Pioneer High School and includes staff from around the district.

Margolis said the district asks for and receives donations for this event each year. Chartwells, Ann Arbor Public Schools' contracted food provider, is hired to supply drinks, muffins, bagels, fruit, coffee and water for the district's staff. She said although the district receives donations from vendors for this annual kickoff, the district typically has to fund between $500 and $1,000 additionally. This money comes from the communications department's $1,500 line item, Margolis said.

Chartwells also caters the Board of Education's meetings. Osinski, who orders the food, said for the regular meetings, food is ordered for 15 people at a cost of about $80 per meeting.

Coffee, soft drinks and bottled water are standard at each meeting. Regular meetings offer a plate of sandwiches; a snack, such as fruit or trail mix; and a dessert.

At executive sessions, the menu is a salad, roll, hot entree and dessert ordered for 15 at a cost of $150 per meeting. At study sessions — which generally include presentations or informational items from administration that involves other members of the district's staff — food is ordered for 25 people ($250 per meeting). The menu also is a salad, roll, hot entree and dessert, Osinski said.

Prior to the Community, Huron, Pioneer and Skyline high school graduations, there are snacks and beverages provided for the board and administration. This cost is $300, Osinski said.

The board's $5,000 budget this year also paid for coffee, cookies and punch for 150 people at two meet-and-greet events when former Clague Middle School Principal Cindy Leaman was named the new principal at Pioneer High School.

Information about how much of the $70,000 discretionary food budget was spent in the 2011-12 school year was not available Thursday.

Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.

University of Michigan regents approved a one-year freeze on its parking permit rates and three years of increases to its two highest-tier passes.

The Board of Regents approved parking rates for 2013 to 2017 during their public meeting Thursday held at U-M's Dearborn campus.

A rendering of the structure approved for Wall Street.

University of Michigan rendering

U-M Chief Financial Officer Timothy Slottow said revenue from parking passes will go toward managing and expanding the parking system, paying for free bus passes for employees and funding a renovation project for the school's unions and gyms.

He said the school is able to have a one-year freeze because U-M Parking and Transportation Services of has "some efficiencies" in its operations.

"We don't have to increase rates in order to manage the system" this year, Slottow said, joking: "I haven't received any thank you's yet from faculty and staff."

For 2014 fiscal year, rates will stay at current levels for the two tiers of passes that allow drivers to park within walking distance of core areas of campus, which annually are $1,577 for gold permits and $667 for blue permits. By 2017 the cost will have increased 12.5 percent to $1,774 for gold permits and 8.25 percent to $722 for blue permits.

For yellow and oranges passes —the two lowest-level permits that cost $153 and $76, respectively and usually require parkers to bus into core campus areas— costs will remain unchanged until 2017, when they'll rise 3 percent.

The university also will raise its contribution to employee's parking cost to $163 by 2017, a $13 increase.

This year 1,676 employees have gold passes, 14,651 have blue passes, 7,244 have yellow passes and 2,762 have orange passes.

Rates for permits to city structures in Ann Arbor are $1,680 per year.

Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.

2012 U-M film and English grad Perry Janes has won a Student Academy Award for the film he wrote/directed, "Zug."

Photo by Connie Huang

With three winners in each category (alternative, animation, documentary, narrative, foreign film), the competition culminates with all the winners convening for a week of industry activities in Los Angeles and an awards ceremony (hosted by Bob Saget) on Saturday, June 8, when each filmmaker will learn whether he/she has earned a gold, silver, or bronze medal in his/her category.

Janes, who grew up in different parts of metro Detroit (most recently Royal Oak), based “Zug” on a short story he’d written about two young men who are dared by classmates to visit mysterious Zug Island.

“That’s the coming of age, narrative, literal story of the film,” Janes said. “The thematic idea of the film is that Detroit is a really polarizing place that people talk about in terms of extremes, when the reality of the place is … that these are regular people just living in the city, living their lives. These are two boys who, by virtue of having one foot in the city, one foot outside of it, get sucked into those mythic narratives. And then Zug becomes an allegory for testing them, and affirming the maybe more comforting reality underneath the way that people talk about (Detroit).”

Janes raised more than $10,000 for the film via Kickstarter, and the overall budget ran to approximately $16,000. There were about 13 days of shooting, but because so many of the artists involved were students, the shooting was spread over the course of the fall and winter of 2011-12.

And although “Zug” may sound and look like a traditionally narrative film, it was declared a winner in the “alternative” division of the Student Academy Awards.

“I think traditionally, historically, the alternative category has leaned more toward experimental films, but in a way, it also serves as a category for any film that deviates from classic narrartive structure,” said Janes. “Our film - we’ve been submitting to film festivals throughout year, and one of the responses we’ve gotten is that the structure of the film has thrown off some screeners. We open and close (the film) with some documentary elements - interviews with local Detroiters. So when it came time to submit the film to the Student Academy Awards, we thought, let’s take a swing at the alternative category. And it seemed to work.”

In 2012, Janes not only graduated from U-M with degrees in English and film, but he also won three Hopwood Awards: the Hopwood Screenplay Award; the Hopwood Undergraduate Poetry Award; and the Kasdan Scholarship in Creative Writing. Janes has since used the money from these awards to give himself a “fellowship year” in Ann Arbor while he focuses on writing a poetry collection and a full-length screenplay.

“I think that in terms of the career moves I make, where I live and where I’m working, I’ll always be particularly focused on film, but I’ll always be writing, too,” said Janes. “I can write poetry anywhere, I can write fiction anywhere, and those are things that, just by doing the work, open up their own doors, whereas film - there are a lot of other moving parts in that world.”

The stars of “Zug” are U-M grads RJ Brown (now appearing on “The Carrie Diaries”) and Jeffrey Freelon, and the film premiered at the 2012 Vancouver International Film Festival.

Janes also recently learned that “Zug” will have its American premiere at the Palm Springs International Shorts Fest in June. So given that, and Janes’ Student Academy Award winner activities in Los Angeles, June is shaping up to be a big month.

But the Student Academy Award might not be happening if Janes hadn’t poked through the film’s email account.

“You go through a regional competition before you’re passed on to nationals, and we’d submitted for regionals and hadn’t heard anything back,” said Janes. “I checked our film email one day, and just on a whim, I decided to check the spam box, and the notice that we had become a finalist and then a winner in the regional competition had gone into the spam folder. And I got lucky. The woman who was the correspondent for the regionals called me, and we were able to get (the national competition officials) the necessary materials in time. It was a little scary.”

Jenn McKee is an entertainment reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.

Police confirmed Friday they are investigating an alleged assault and break-in at a home in Whitmore Lake in which intruders, one of whom was masked, struck a woman in the forehead.

Green Oak Township police Chief Bob Brookins said the incident occurred around 4 p.m. May 6 at a home near the intersection of North Main Street and North Shore Road.

A 25-year-old woman was home alone at the time when two suspects broke in, Brookins said.

“She reported one was masked and one was not,” the chief said. “She said she was hit by one of the individuals in her forehead.” The two suspects then proceeded to steal a television and other electronics before fleeing.

The woman did not need medical treatment.

Brookins said he thinks the family was targeted and that the suspects and the victim may be acquainted. Police are still actively investigating the incident and did not want to release any more information.

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John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.

It's time for a town-wide ice cream social on the front lawn of Pioneer High School this Saturday, May 18, when Picnic Pops offers live music, presented by student bands and orchestras from the AAPS system.

More details appear on the Picnic Pops website:

Under a big tent, the various music ensembles present a "pops" style program of popular tunes. A tradition since 1961, this spring music event is a great way to celebrate the accomplishments of our student music ensembles. The concert is free, and the food and games are at bargain prices. Come enjoy the music, food, and fun!

The music ensembles perform under the big tent. Chairs are provided just outside the tent, but half the fun is bringing your own lawn chair, strollers, or blankets and making yourself at home.

In the tradition of old-fashioned socials, Picnic Pops features games and activities for all ages. There's plenty to do for younger children, and for some reason, the games featuring prizes of soda pop or whole cakes (donated by the Pioneer music community) are the most popular with the pre-teen and teenage crowd!

There's even a cake decorating contest each year. Who knew music students could also be so talented in the kitchen?

Of course, the event would not be complete without hot dogs, pizza, popcorn, and ice cream, all of which can be enjoyed at the tables set-up under the tent while listening to the music. If the weather doesn't cooperate, Picnic Pops simply moves indoors with music in the auditorium, and food & fun in the lobby.

Here's the music schedule for this year's Picnic Pops:

10:00 a.m. Skyline Varsity Band 10:30 a.m. Huron Symphony Band 11:15 a.m. Forsythe 11:45 a.m. Skyline Concert Band 12:15 p.m. Huron Concert Band 12:45 p.m. Clague 1:15 p.m. Huron Varsity Band 1:45 p.m. Skyline Symphony Band 2:30 p.m. Tappan 3:00 p..m. Slauson 3:30 p.m. Ann Arbor Open 4:00 p.m. Pioneer Concert Band 4:30 p.m. Pioneer Varsity Band 5:00 p.m. Pioneer Symphony Band

Jenn McKee is an entertainment reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.

State Rep. Adam Zemke, D-Ann Arbor, has introduced a bill that would reverse the state's ban on extending health benefits to domestic partners of public employees.

The legislation, House Bill 4742, would repeal Public Act 297 of 2011, which enacted the ban. The bill has been referred to the House Government Operations Committee.

Adam Zemke

Many Democrats and gay rights supporters have called the state's ban discriminatory and overreaching, while some Republicans argue it's a matter of fiscal responsibility and it reflects the will of Michigan voters who decided in 2004 to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

While gay marriage remains constitutionally prohibited in Michigan, a new poll suggests a majority of state voters, if given the option today, would reverse the ban they approved in 2004.

As of its introduction, Zemke's bill had 33 co-sponsors, including state Reps. Gretchen Driskell, D-Saline; Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor; and David Rutledge, D-Superior Township.

Zemke said the reach of PA 297 goes beyond a fundamental unfairness. He believes the act hinders the state's ability to attract and retain a talented workforce.

"Business and higher education leaders have cited PA 297 for its adverse impact, particularly on Michigan's attractiveness to young professionals, as they consider pursuing opportunities outside of Michigan," he said. "At the end of the day, I can think of zero reasons for the state to continue authorizing such blatant discrimination."

A spokesperson for the House Republicans could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday afternoon.

Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.

The fix-it stand that was installed outside of the city Municipal Center

Fix-it stand at 301 E. Huron

The city of Ann Arbor is showing downtown cyclists some love on this year's Bike to Work Day, an annual event sponsored by The League of American Bicyclists.

The city installed a bicycle “fix-it' stand Friday morning in front of the Ann Arbor Municipal Center at 301 E. Huron St., according to a press release.

The stand, which is located next to the Justice Center's bike racks, contains a variety of tools including an air pump and a hanger arm which gives commuting cyclists the ability to repair and maintain their bikes.

A commuting station was set up this morning by Downtown’s Commuter Challenge Program, a competition throughout the month of May that encourages Ann Arbor employees to walk, bike, carpool, or take public transportation to work.

Commuters that stopped by one of the eight stations located around town enjoyed free food and the chance to win prizes. Those that stopped by the City Hall station were also able to learn about the new fix-it station.

University of Michigan Police are investigating four larcenies reported this week, including a smash-and-grab in a university carport Friday morning.

The first report came at 11:12 a.m. Monday, according to a crime summary. A bike was reported stolen between May 3 and 13 at the bus shelter at 1111 Geddes Ave. The bike was locked with a cable lock and was no longer in the area when the owner went to retrieve it Monday. There are no suspects.

A cellphone was reported stolen between 2:10 and 2:14 p.m. Monday from the Duderstadt Center, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd. The cellphone was stolen from a lower-level study area, according to police. An Asian man in his 20s with black hair and wearing a white T-shirt is a person of interest in the case, according to police.

An MCard was stolen out of an unattended purse under a desk in the Biomedical Science Research Building, 109 Zina Pitcher Road, between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. The incident was reported about 2 p.m. Wednesday, police said. There are no suspects.

Police also are investigating an incident classified as a larceny from a vehicle. A vehicle parked in the Thayer Carport, 216 Thayer, was broken into sometime between midnight and 5:50 a.m. Friday. A window to the vehicle was broken.

It’s unknown at this point if anything was stolen from the vehicle. There was no suspect description released by police.

Anyone with information on any of these incidents is encouraged to call the University of Michigan Police Department at 734-763-1131.

View 218 N Thayer St in a larger map

Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.

That Tre Brown was yelling in frustration after a being edged out at the finish line of Friday's Division 1 track and field regional is a testament to just how far he’s come.

The Pioneer senior was running neck-and-neck with Lincoln’s Robie Webster in the 110-meter hurdles final when his knee clipped the ninth hurdle. That threw his timing off, and caused him to crash into the final hurdle and settle for a close second at followed by a loud yell.

“It was just so frustrating because the whole race I was just like ‘I got him, I got him, I got him’, and then he got me right at the finish line,” Brown said. “It was a yell like ‘What did I just do to myself?”

But a half hour later, Brown was happy once again. He took the 300-meter hurdles by more than seven tenths of a second. And that runner-up 100 hurdles finish was still good enough to qualify for the state meet.

Before this year, Brown had only qualified for the regional meet once before, and hadn’t finished higher than fifth. If it wasn't for that ninth hurdle, he would have been the only male athlete Friday at Saline to take two individual regional titles.

It's been a season Brown can’t quite explain it. He’s shaved a half second from the 110 hurdles and three seconds from his 300 hurdles.

“I have no idea,” Brown said of his time dropping. “Honestly it’s been like that for all of my races this year.”

Brown’s was one of many standout performances Friday afternoon. Saline took both the boys and girls team titles --The girls scored 190 points while the boys scored 122. Pioneer finished runner-up on both the boys and the girls sides.

The state qualifiers now advance to the Division 1 state meet June 1 at East Kentwood High School.

For the Saline girls, Randi Bennett won both throwing events and Quenee Dale won the 100-meter hurdles and was runner-up in the 100 dash.

And the Hornets won the three longest races of the day with three different runners. Elianna Schwayder won the 1,600, narrowly beating out Huron’s Kennedy Beazley, who stumbled in the last 10 meters.

Hornets freshmen won the other two, with Hannah Cummings taking the 800 and Gillian Walter taking the 3,200.

“They were great in middle school and we knew what we were getting, some really top-quality people coming,” Saline distance coach Mike Smith said of his freshmen.

The Saline boys managed to take the team title without a 3,200-meter relay event win. The rest of its points came through a multitude of finishers in the 2-8 spots, including John Smutny, second in the shot put and third in the discus, and Andrew Kitto, the 800 runner-up

Pioneer, meanwhile, won a pair of individual regional titles: they finished first and second in the 1,600, with Costa Willets taking a regional title, along with Brown’s hurdles title.

“We did fantastic, it was the best overall team performance we’ve had all year, the guys really responded well to the pressure of being at the regional,” Pioneer coach Don Sleeman said.

The best individual performance of the day went to Ypsilanti’s Endia Francois, who won three regional titles: the 200, 400 and the high jump.

Other area standout performances included Ypsilanti's Malik Peacock, who won the 100-meter dash and was runner-up in the 200.

One of the largest margins of victory of the way was by Lincoln’s Tyree Waller, who won the long jump by nearly a foot. That jump that was still 10 inches shorter than his best of the year.

At last year’s state meet, Waller jumped a 23-4, but was beat on the last jump of the day when Saline’s Steven Bastien jumped two inches longer.

This year, he’s not leaving anything to chance.

“I’m hoping to jump in the 24 range at states,” Waller said.

Dexter’s Noah Gary also took the pole vault with a big win, clearing 15-7, nearly two feet more than any other competitor.

Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kyleaustin@annarbor.com or 734-623-2535. Follow him on Twitter @KAustin_AA.

After nearly every pitch she throws, University of Michigan sophomore pitcher Sara Driesenga walks to the back of the mound, bends down, wipes her hand in the dirt and dusts it off on her pants. She grabs the ball from her mitt and throws it back in as she steps to the mound. She takes a deep breath, sets and delivers the pitch.

It’s a routine that keeps her focused and calm. On Friday night that routine was nearly perfect as Driesenga retired the first 17 batters she faced and allowed just two hits on the night leading the Wolverines to a 5-0 victory over Valparaiso in the opening round of the NCAA Regional at Alumni Field.

“I just took it one pitch at a time. The defense was doing a great job and I trusted them to do their job,” Driesenga said. “If it happened, it happened, if didn’t…which it didn’t, which is fine and we still won.

“(The routine) definitely helps me a lot. My routine is just what gets me in it and gets my mindset in the right place and helps me focus on that next pitch.”

Boxscore

Driesenga lost the perfect game with two outs in the top of the sixth inning when Valparaiso junior Amanda Wisniewski (a .147 hitter on the season) hit a bloop single to right field that dropped just in front of senior Jaclyn Crummey. Driesenga pitched seven innings giving up the two hits while striking out six for the win.

Michigan pitcher Sara Driesenga was nearly perfect in Michigan's 5-0 win over Valparaiso on Friday, May 17.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

Senior Ashley Lane gave the Wolverines a three-run lead in the bottom of the first inning with a line-drive home run to left field, her 17th of the season. Lane’s home run came just after freshman Sierra Romero was nearly picked off of first base with two outs in the inning. Romero was briefly caught in a pickle, but got back to the bag before being tagged. On the next pitch, Lane drove the ball over the fence and the Wolverines never looked back.

“It was a set play but then again it wasn’t,” Romero said. “(First base coach) Bonnie (Tholl) told me ‘if they throw down to second base, don’t let them get you out.’ So once the throw went down and I got in a pickle, I just took the base that they gave me.”

Lane finished the game 2-for-2 with four RBIs, but left the game after the third inning with an injury she suffered while sliding into second base. Hutchins didn’t say what sort of injury Lane suffered, but said she expects her back in the lineup on Saturday.

Romero went 2-for-2 on the night as well with a double and two runs scored. Junior Lyndsay Doyle went 2-for-3 with a double, one run scored and one RBI.

With the win, Michigan advances to play the University of California, which knocked off Central Michigan 8-1 earlier in the day. That game will start at noon. The winner of that game advances to Sunday’s final, while the loser will face the winner of CMU vs. Valparaiso for a chance to play in the finals.

With Cal up next, Hutchins said her team is ready.

“It should be fun. I’m looking forward to it,” she said.

Matt Durr is a freelance sports reporter for AnnArbor.com.

Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson and several other prestigious Michigan football alumni are in Ann Arbor for the weekend to raise money for C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. On Friday Woodson and company met with fans at the M Den while Sports Talk 1050 WTKA wrapped up the broadcast of its annual Mott Takeover telethon.

Courtney Sacco is a photographer for AnnArbor.com.

Mary Chapin Carpenter

So, she did what most songwriters do—she processed the pain of those experiences by writing about them—or, in some cases, writing about the emotions conjured by those travails. The result, "Ashes and Roses," released last fall, is an album about grief and loss, but it also has an arc, and chronicles the journey we go through in order to come out whole on the other side—hopefully in a more positive state, or further along on the road to healing.

Given all of those real-life traumas that inspired the songs, "Ashes and Roses" is the most emotionally intense, and most personal, album of Carpenter's career.

She will be singing many of those songs when she comes to the Power Center on Tuesday for a duo performance with her old friend and musical cohort Shawn Colvin.

Her father, Chapin Carpenter Jr., worked as an executive for Life magazine. Carpenter was born in Princeton, New Jersey, but spent some time growing up in Japan, where her father was as part of his job. Eventually, the family settled in Washington, D.C.

Carpenter began as a folk-music artist in the 1980s, but eventually began adding country and pop elements in a way that that made inroads with the country audience, and she became a country-radio star in the early '90s.

She won five Grammy Awards and was named the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year in 1992 and 1993. In the '90s, she also notched a handful of gold, platinum and muti-platinum albums, on the strength of hits like “Never Had it So Good,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” “Down at the Twist and Shout” and “I Feel Lucky.”

Her songs have also been recorded by many other singers, in various genres, including Joan Baez, Wynonna, Maura O’Connell, Mary Black, Dianne Reeves. And one of her biggest hits was her cover of Lucinda Williams' "Passionate Kisses."

But as we know, country radio—and the Nashville country-music biz—are fickle, youth-obsessed, and fixated on the flavor-of-the-moment. So, Carpenter's music fell out of favor on country radio and with the Nashville major-label machine. Like many maturing artists, she went the indie-label route, and forgot about trying to score country hits. In 2006, she signed with Rounder Records and began releasing albums on its Zoe imprint—the Grammy-nominated "The Calling" (2007), "Come Darkness Come Light: 12 Songs of Christmas" (2008), and her most recent Grammy-nominated album, "The Age of Miracles" (2010).

On "Ashes and Roses," Carpenter navigates the emotional impact of the traumas and losses she went through on songs with titles like “One Who’s Not Enough,” “What to Keep and What to Throw Away,” "Chasing What’s Already Gone,” "New Year's Day," "I Tried Going West," "Soul Companion, and "Old Love,"

“What to Keep and What to Throw Away" and “One Who’s Not Enough” sift through the emtional and psychic rubble left over after going through heartbreaking losses, but also hint at a way forward. The ambient “Chasing What’s Already Gone” looks back and tries to learn lessons from those experiences, and also includes a line about dreaming about her father.

On the uptempo, foursquare "I Tried Going West,” the singer hopes that a homecoming will provide solace for her broken heart. “Soul Companion,” a duet with James Taylor, sketches the singer's efforts to connect with others again after spending time alone to process her feelings. On the subtle “Old Love,” she hopes to find lasting love. The elegiac, painterly “New Year’s Day” finds her expressing positivity and a sense of rebirth . And the leadoff track, "Transcendental Reunion,” on the surface, describes he details of trans-Atlantic air travel—boarding, departure, landing, baggage check, etc. But the song has a spiritual subtext.

"The reason it's the first song on the record is because I feel like it sets up all the other songs that follow it," Carpenter told CMT.com. "I think some people have thought it was just talking about a trip overseas, but there are a few layers to it—the whole idea of being suspended in the air, in life, not sure where you're going to touch down, not sure what's going to be there when you get there."

Carpenter has been struck by how much the album has resonated with listeners who can identify with the individual experiences and the overall theme.

"It's just humbling, the expressions that people, men and women, have said about (how) they relate to this record," Carpenter told the Chicago Tribune. "The issues that I talk about — parents, divorce, illness — are such deep pockets of our lives at a certain age. It's no coincidence that we do feel that these things connect us. There is some comfort and sense of fellowship in enduring hardships."

Kevin Ransom is a freelance writer who covers music for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at KevinRansom10@aol.com.

Chris Mile, president of the 18-year-old Miles of Golf in Pittsfield Township, has considered expanding his golf shop, practice facility and training academy for several years.

So when a similar golf facility was listed for sale in the Cincinnati area, Mile knew it was the perfect opportunity.

“It’s a great facility,” he said. “It’s so similar to what we have here and that’s really what attracted us to it. We felt we could literally take everything we do here down to that facility.”

Pittsfield Township's Miles of Golf is expanding to Cincinnati

Miles of Golf Facebook page

Located at 3113 Carpenter Road, Miles of Golf is a 10,000-square-foot golf shop that specializes in club fitting, a 27-acre practice facility and a golf academy. The company submitted a proposal to the city of Ann Arbor in 2010 to take over the city-owned Huron Hills Golf Course, but the plan was rejected.

“After that didn’t pan out with the city, we were still looking for another location,” Mile said.

The expansion won’t change operations at the Pittsfield Township Miles of Golf location, but it does mean the business can grow its customer base. Mile said customers come from across Michigan, Indiana and parts of Ohio to visit the location in Pittsfield Township.

“We didn’t feel it made sense to open another facility in Detroit because we depend on a draw from further away,” he explained.

He said business has continued to grow at Miles of Golf, even when the industry took a hit during the recession.

“We’re obviously a very local business (in the Ann Arbor area), and we want to keep that kind of atmosphere,” he said. “We know a lot of people coming into the store by name. …We’re hoping to duplicate that in Cincinnati.”

Pete Smith, a Miles of Golf manager, moved to Cincinnati to help run the new facility, which is located at 6400 Dixie Highway in Fairfield. Miles of Golf purchased the property.

The range and teaching academy are now open, and the golf shop and club fitting center will open in early 2014.

Mile said the facility is in good condition, but it needs some minor work and new golf ball dispensing equipment. He said he will need to hire additional employees once the golf shop opens in 2014.

Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.

Ann Arbor's hot-but-cloudy weekend is expected to lead to week of rain and storms, according to the National Weather Service.

Saturday will be mostly cloudy with a high of 77 degrees and a low of 53 degrees and winds 5 to 9 mph are expected to become lighter around midnight. Mostly sunny skies with a high near 81 degrees and a low around 61 degrees is expected for Sunday.

The week will begin with a chance of showers and thunderstorms on Monday. Temperatures will remain high around 84 degrees with a low of 66 and a 50 percent chance of precipitation. Showers and thunderstorms are likely for Tuesday with a high near 78 degrees and a low of 59.

Temperatures will fall back down to the low 70s on Wednesday with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. The rain is set to continue through the week, with a high of 65 degrees on Thursday.

After a week of rain and storms, there will be a break in the clouds with a sunny, 65-degree Friday.

Fill a pool with giant amounts of chocolate pudding.

Pay for the genetic engineering of a real-life unicorn.

Do something boring like pay off your debt, send your kids to college or start a charity that could, like, solve world hunger or something.

All of these things can (might?) be done if you win the now-all-time-high Powerball jackpot of $600 million, according to the Powerball website.

The next drawing is Saturday and the world waits with bated breath to see who will be the next mega-rich and mega-lucky winner.

Well, not that lucky — the Powerball website says the jackpot is only worth $376.9 million in cash — only.

The last drawing on Wednesday paid out almost $47,00,000 in non-jackpot prizes around the country and nearly 2.7 million people could count themselves as winners. However, no one claimed the biggest prize.

Michigan already has seen its share of luck so far in the latest lottery craze. A $1 million ticket was sold in tiny Blanchard, sending the locals into a lottery-fueled delirium, according to MLive.

Get creative and tell us what you'd buy with the money if you got the lucky numbers on Saturday in the comments.

Good luck, lottery-playing Ann Arborites. You’ll need it.

Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Superior Township unveiled its new universally accessible hoop house Thursday, which it will use to help patients who have traumatic brain injuries rehabilitate through gardening.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

At St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Superior Township, those elements will soon foster growth of a different sort.

Thanks to a new universally accessible hoop house unveiled Thursday afternoon, patients with traumatic brain injuries will be able to rebuild their motor skills and their lives by gardening.

It’s a method of care farming, in which farming practices are used in a therapeutic and healing way.

“It’s all about body, mind and spirit,” said Rob Casalou, CEO of St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, speaking before a small crowd of hospital staff and several patients Thursday afternoon at the official opening of the hoop house.

Rob Casalou, CEO of St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, speaks Thursday at the opening of the new hoop house.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

There are two hoop houses on the property. For the third house, the hospital designed it to be universally accessible and incorporate physical rehabilitation features.

Beyond the practical uses of the hoop house, hospital officials hope it can serve as a community space for patients to relax and interact with their families.

Dave Raymond, the director of planning and design for St. Joseph Mercy Health System, said the construction of the accessible hoop house was a dream that’s been in the making for a long time.

Together with staff from the Eisenhower Center, the hoop house was carefully designed with a number of special features.

The Eisenhower Center provides residential rehabilitation services to individuals with traumatic brain injuries. Its campus is set in Manchester on a 62-acre farm and has multiple residential, recreational and vocational options.

Though they may not be immediately apparent to the casual visitor, many design functions are intended to help patients reach their physical therapy goals.

The new hoop house has a solid floor throughout, which transitions from fake turf to compressed stone to a wooden deck.

A traditional hoop house would enclose plants that grow in long rows on the ground.

In this modified hoop house, plants grow in box planters that are arranged in low shelves around the hoop house that make it easy for people to interact with - whether they’re young, old, sitting in a chair or wheelchair or standing up.

Planter boxes have been specifically designed to allow universal access in the new hoop house.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

Hand-pedal machines will be rigged to strings of lights throughout the hoop house that will light up when a patient uses the machine, said John Cornack, president of the Eisenhower Center.

Stationary bicycles in the hoop house are also connected to a special system that pumps water from rain barrels through an irrigation system in the hoop house.

The facility is entirely self-sufficient, as it’s powered by a solar panel and all the water used is from runoff from the building that’s collected in a holding tank.

Much of the hoop house was constructed by patients at the Eisenhower Center, including 28-year-old J.J. Blanke.

Blanke—who built planter boxes, laid out the floor and wooden deck of the hoop house—said that kind of work that the Eisenhower Center makes possible for him is extremely valuable in his life-long rehabilitation process.

After an accident at the age of 7, Blanke said he had to completely re-learn how to walk and talk. He’s been through five different rehabilitation centers—and the Eisenhower Center has been the only program that’s given him a real sense of normalcy and feeling of accomplishment in his therapy work, Blanke said.

Blanke said he looks forward to seeing some of the people he knows with more limiting disabilities to be able to do their therapy in the hoop house.

The hoop house will be a great stress reliever for patients, Raymond said. Special features include a fairy garden, a fish pond and a sound system for music therapy.

Ceramic tiles decorate the plant boxes, which the patients can make in a hospital setting and then bring to the hoop house once they’re ready for rehabilitation.

There are still many modifications that can be made to the structure to increase its use and functionality for patients, Raymond said.

The universally accessible hoop house is a fully functioning greenhouse producing food for the kitchen at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, as the other two hoop houses are on the property now. About 100 pounds of fresh greens have been produced from the new house already, Cornack said.

Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.

The 1,4 dioxane plume in Ann Arbor and Scio Township as of Nov. 2012.

Courtesy of CARD

The company is perhaps more well-known locally by its previous name, Gelman Life Sciences, and for thousands of pounds of 1,4 dioxane that leaked into the groundwater more than 30 years ago — spreading a plume of contamination across miles of western Ann Arbor and parts of Scio Township.

Pall acquired Gelman in 1997 and is legally responsible for the cleanup.

The facility at 600 S. Wagner Road could be sold or leased without disturbing the remediation process, said Sybil Kolon, environmental quality analyst for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

If the property was put up for sale, Pall would have to put a deed restriction on the property to notify all future owners of the contamination on the site, and to outline guidelines for future use.

“Even if a party is not liable, they have to manage it in such a way that (the contamination) is not exposed,” Kolon said.

E. Spaulding Clark, Scio Township supervisor, said there have been rumors of employee turnover and decreased operations at Pall Life Sciences for several years.

“It’s my impression that over a fair number of years, Pall has been moving its operations from the Ann Arbor area and consolidating them elsewhere,” Clark said. “The handwriting has been on the wall for the long time.”

Gelman Life Science’s Scio Township holdings had an assessed value of $6.9 million in 2013 — slightly more than the 2012 assessed value of $6.1 million. The property’s assessed value is the third largest in the township, according to Washtenaw County’s Equalization Department.

Pall Life Sciences at 600 S. Wagner Rd. in Scio Township.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com file photo

Pall attempted to put three of the five buildings on the market in 2009.

The contaminated groundwater is treated in a building on-site at the Pall Life Sciences facility. Two holding lagoons on-site are used in the water treatment process.

Michael Gebhard is with the Coalition for Action on Remediation of Dioxane (CARD) and is a former environmental analyst for Washtenaw County.

“As a whole, there’s nothing to suggest that they would stop doing cleanup,” Gebhard said. “There’s a concern that they’ll do less than they are doing (now).”

Save for a team of employees directly involved with the environmental remediation of the 1,4 dioxane plume, Pall Corp. will be closing down its Ann Arbor business in phases beginning July 7.

Of the 71 employees at the facility, 55 have been given layoff notices.

“Closing does not affect our relationship,” Kolon said. “They’re responsible for handling all the remediation approved by the DEQ. The fact that they’re leaving town does not affect that.”

Scio Township Supervisor Clark said he’s heard from the head of the environmental remediation at Pall, Farsad Fotouhi, that there will be a staff of about 20 people that will remain on the site.

Gelman used a reported 800,000 pounds of 1,4 dioxane — an industrial solvent — in the production of its filters from 1966 to 1986. The chemical was disposed of in shallow ponds, sprayed over land and in injection wells.

The contamination spread in several directions outwards from the site through groundwater aquifers and affected thousands of homes in a court-ordered prohibition zone in the northwest section of Ann Arbor. Those homes can’t use their groundwater or dig wells.

• Download a map of the plume and well locations

There are about 17 injection wells pumping water out of the ground through a pipeline and to a treatment facility at Pall Life Science’s South Wagner Road facility.

In January, February and March, more than 300 pounds of 1,4 dioxane were removed and 75.7 million gallons of water were pumped from the contaminated aquifers to Pall’s treatment center.

Since May 1997, the company’s remediation efforts have removed more than 88,800 pounds of 1,4 dioxane.

After being treated, the water is discharged to Honey Creek. The water output is permitted through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.

Remediation of the contamination was determined through 1992 agreement decided in court, which was amended in 2011 through another court action.

Up until March 2011, Pall was required to do a full cleanup of the 1,4 dioxane plume in all soil and groundwater to a level of 85 ppb (parts per billion).

The plume was divided in to western and eastern portions, with South Wagner Road as the dividing line. The court changed Pall’s remediation requirement for the western system from 85 ppb to 2,800 ppb, Gebhard said.

Pall is now treating less of the water from the groundwater in the western half of the plume -- resulting in less flow from the pumps to the treatment center.

“We understand the community is not happy that the company doesn’t have to do a full cleanup,” Kolon said. “As the regulatory agency, we have to let (Pall) do what is allowed by law.”

One of the 2011 amendments added a financial assurance mechanism to the agreement, which requires the company to provide financial documents to the DEQ that show they’ll be able to fund the remediation for the next 30 years.

The 30-year stipulation is not a time limit for the remediation, Kolon said.

Pall has its own lab to analyze samples from the monitoring wells.

“This is allowed, though it’s not necessarily normal,” Kolon said. “We’ve had some concerns with some of the quality of reporting.”

The DEQ has inspected Pall’s labs. Difference between samples analyzed by both Pall and the DEQ varied up to 20 to 30 percent, Kolon said. However, the data was not immediately concerning given the DEQ’s existing knowledge of the plume’s location, Kolon said.

At one time, Pall made their data sampling information available online. The company has since removed the access for the public and the DEQ, though Kolon said the DEQ is working to make its own data website for the dioxane plume.

The DEQ receives data from Pall’s samples and reviews it monthly.

Kolon said the DEQ is planning to the meet with Pall in the coming weeks because of sampling data that shows concentrations of 1,4 dioxane increasing in a well on the south side of the prohibition zone in Ann Arbor.

The DEQ would ask for additional monitoring wells to be installed in the area to see if the plume was moving beyond the prohibition’s buffer zone, Kolon said.

“If we see evidence that the plume is expanding, (the DEQ) would be back in court if (Pall) didn’t take steps necessary to increase the extraction,” Kolon said.

View Pall Life Sciences in a larger map

Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.