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Simpson Open House and Planning Commission (make-up)

September 1, 2009 By Bill Rice

Flat Rock Municipal Building - Flat Rock, MIUnfortunately, there are two important meetings tonight with conflicting schedules.

Simpson Middle School Open House

The first meeting is the Simpson Middle School open house. I will be attending with my oldest who is about to start his first year at Simpson. I am really looking forward to meeting all his teachers.

I have my volunteer form all filled out and I am looking forward to participating in the education experience over there too. I have always made it a priority to participate in the classrooms and extra-curricular activities of each of my children. Obviously education is a passion of mine, but I think even the smallest parent participation in the schools or at events makes the schools and the students perform better.

Flat Rock Planning Commission

The second meeting is the Planning Commission meeting, scheduled as a make-up to the August 24, 2009 cancellation. Unfortunately, both events are at 7:00 p.m. (I may still try to pop in on the end of that meeting).

There are a couple of interesting items on the agenda. The one I am hearing the most discussion about is the proposal to close/vacate East Seneca and North Evergreeen. My understanding is this is being considered to form a campus and join Bobcean and the Flat Rock High School grounds.

One of the primary concerns seems to be the alteration of traffic patterns and creating potential congestion choke points. Apparently there have been some traffic studies to address these concerns. I would be interested to see the process. If anyone goes please let me know the process and the results of that agenda item.

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section.

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Flat Rock City Planning Commission Meeting

August 25, 2009 By Bill Rice

Okay, there is always a little bad with the good. We have a wonderful city and incredible people, but sometimes we aren’t quite firing on all cylinders. Last night was one of those times.

This was my first Flat Rock planning commission meeting (although I am no stranger to city planning, having served on one several years ago) and I left a bit embarrassed. There weren’t enough planning commission members to constitute a quorum. Now that in and of itself in not a terrible thing. After all it is the summer and people are trying to squeeze in those last much need vacations before school starts, but here is the problem…

  • Most didn’t communicate their planned or unplanned absence
  • The room was full of people needing action from the commission (city officials, builders, even future residents)
  • Apparently, a couple members (appointees) rarely attend or communicate their intended absence
  • The dutiful, faithfully executing, appointed commission members that did attend were left holding the bag and the humiliation

Hopefully, the commission will quickly schedule a special meeting, make another apology to the people in attendance, and ensure this doesn’t happen again.

We have accomplished so much and built a fabulous community. The planning commission is a critical piece in continuing to make our city a great place to live. I am sure the Commission members will get things back on track.

Proposed Meeting Agenda (in case you would like to attend the next meeting):

  • Final Site Plan for T-Mobile, LLC
  • Celtic Farms Amendment
  • Proposed Vacating East Seneca and North Evergreen (I know several folks have mentioned interest in this)
  • Discussion on Zoning Ordinance from City Planner
  • Various Correspondence

Update: I received a prompt and apologetic letter from the planning commission today rescheduling the meeting for Tuesday September 1, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall. Good form!

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Talking Flat Rock Baseball

August 25, 2009 By Bill Rice

100_3551The Flat Rock Baseball Braves (minors division) team got together over the weekend for some miniature golf and batting cages. We won the best “float” in the Opening Day parade last year.

It was fun to see all the kids and the parents again. There were lots of discussions about great summers and vacations. Of course we talked about school approaching. All the kids seem ready to get back and a fair amount of the parents are pretty excited too.

Since I had the ear of some of the most involved in Flat Rock Baseball I did what I do…started asking questions.

Where are we going to play baseball this year?

If you have a child that plays in the Flat Rock baseball league you know we lost a lot of ball fields as the school construction started. Fitting in games and practices for all the teams was already a challenge.

So, what’s the plan?

There is one, but it is going to require several fresh starts. There is approval for new fields to be built at Simpson Middle School. However, the challenge is getting it done on a very small budget.

Maybe you can help? Here is what the immediate (by September 2009) needs are:

  • A bulldozer to pull out the grass for the diamonds and grade for winter settling
  • A lot of dirt to level the playing surfaces (we may have this problem solved)

Then of course as the season gets closer we will need hands to build out the fields and get them ready to Play Ball!

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New School Year – New Face to Many of our Flat Rock Schools

August 25, 2009 By Bill Rice

Bobcean Elementary SchoolBack to school in Flat Rock is going to look a whole lot different this year. You have probably noticed the construction around almost every school in Flat Rock. These various projects are going to provide some great new features to our schools: needed classrooms, easier bus and drop-off access, new gym facilities, state-of-the-art media centers, more parking, new soccer fields.

Fortunately, the timing probably couldn’t have been better. The downturn in the economy right after these projects and supporting millage were approved could have starved out updates to our schools for years to come–leaving them in a state of decline.

Even though you might not have supported the initiatives, now that they are here it is nice to know that Flat Rock children will continue to lead the downriver area with some of the best and most progressive education programs, as well as the best facilities.

Barnes Elementary - ConstructionIn my discussions with Flat Rock school administration (and the a few folks on the construction crews) it looks like most of the projects will be complete by the first day of school. The exception is Barnes Elementary, which should be done in late October–hopefully in time for Halloween Fun Night!

Update/Correction: I was told that probably only the Barnes office area will be done by October, but hey that’s pretty cool. I am amazed at the speed and low impact (considering the scale) these projects have had on the execution of education.

Teachers and Principles–it’s fair to disagree :) You are managing it incredibly well!

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