A sanitation worker, mailman and basset hound all helped Dearborn police with the arrest of two men who broke into a home Friday in the area of Mohawk and Rockford in Dearborn.

We have lost track of the number of recent home robberies in Dearborn (there were five alone in one neighborhood on Thanksgiving) but if anyone needed additional proof as to why cutting the number of police we have in Dearborn as a cost-saving measure is a bad idea this is it.

The quick arrest of three suspects by Dearborn police also shows how important it is for residents to call police any time they see something or someone suspicious in their neighborhoods.

Acting on tips received from an observant Republic Waste employee, who was working Friday and notified police of a suspicious vehicle in the neighborhood, along with a U.S. Postal worker who was on break eating lunch in his vehicle, Dearborn police were able to swarm the area and catch the two suspects and their getaway driver only minutes after they fled the home they tried to rob.

“I would like to thank the Republic Waste employee whose keen observation and immediate call to the police led to the arrest of the suspects,” said Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad in a statement provided to DeepsaidWhat.com.

The break-in occurred at lunch hour when two men kicked open a locked backdoor at the two-story brick home. But what they didn’t know was that the resident was home, along with the family’s basset hound who immediately began barking after the door smashed open.

According to Dearborn police, the resident was upstairs when he heard a loud noise about 12:15 p.m.  He quickly went to investigate and heard voices stating “we gotta go!” The homeowner observed the two suspects fleeing on foot. So, too, did the postal worker, who also called police.

Dearborn police, who were already patrolling in the area, were able to quickly descend on the neighborhood and nab the bad guys.

The homeowner tells Deepsaidwhat.com that police were at his door within minutes after he placed the call to 911. He said the response time was “phenomenal”.

The outcome was a good one and shows the important role a community plays in providing tips to police so they arrest the thugs that have been preying on homeowners across our city.

Well done, Dearborn Police.

Parking restrictions lifted, except in a snow emergency

Dearborn officials are reminding residents that Public Service Days have ended for 2011 and will begin again on April 2, 2012. That means parking restrictions on Public Service Days/trash collection days are lifted for the winter.

When Public Service Days are in effect, drivers are required to keep their parked vehicles off residential streets if it is a trash collection day in that Dearborn neighborhood.

This allows for the smoother delivery of seasonal city services, such as street sweeping, as well as the curbside collection of trash, compost and recycling materials.

Although the parking restrictions are lifted until April 2012, residents are reminded that during a snow emergency, parked vehicles must be off the streets or be ticketed. This is to allow safe and efficient street plowing.

It is also a good idea to remove parked vehicles during any heavy snowfall, whether a snow emergency is declared or not.

Call the Snow Emergency Hotline at 943-2444 for details.

The Dearborn Historical Museum’s book compiling the best Dearborn stories from residents and former residents is now on sale (a book signing is Dec. 10), a perfect gift for the holidays.

The book, the first of its kind ever compiled by the museum, is titled Best Dearborn Stories: Voices From Henry Ford’s Hometown. The book will be sold at the museum’s gift shop at the McFadden-Ross House, 915 Brady.

Profits from sales of the book will go to the museum, which has begun a membership drive to help keep its doors open after city funds run out during the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.

We have been featuring excerpts from the new book over the past few weeks. This third installment is written by Joseph F. Bugeia.

Thank you, Dearborn Public Schools

By Joseph F. Bugeia

The first 10 years of my life our family lived in southwest Detroit. When I became school age I attended a parochial school. In addition to strong discipline and the teachers forcing me to write right-handed, (I was naturally left-handed) I started to stutter, and it got progressively worse each year.

Desiring to move to a nicer neighborhood in the suburbs, my parents and I moved to Dearborn the summer before I entered the sixth grade. It was my parents’ intention that I continue at a parochial school. They found out, however, that the parish line ran down the alley behind our home, and as a result I had to attend Maples Junior High School.

On my first day at Maples, the teacher asked all new students to stand up and introduce themselves to their classmates. Because of my stuttering, it was a most traumatic experience. The teacher asked me to see her after class, at which time she indicated she was going to put me in a speech therapy class.

The speech therapy teacher determined that I had difficulty with the “th” sound, and she worked with me for several months during which time my stuttering problem improved a great deal.

In the ninth grade I ran for Student Council President. The campaigning for the position involved speaking to several classes. I won the election and even gave a speech on behalf of our class when we graduated from junior high. My stuttering problem was corrected.

During my three years at Fordson High School I had no stuttering problems. After graduation I started going to night classes at Dearborn Junior College (now HFCC). While there two great things happened: one, I determined I could do college level work, and two, I met my future wife, Mary.

After completing my Associates Degree in Commerce, I transferred to the University of Michigan receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration degree two years later.

In 1956 I was hired by Ford Motor Company. During my Ford career I held many positions requiring speaking to a variety of employee groups up to and including senior management. While working I completed an MBA from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. I had a very rewarding 38 year career with Ford in Human Resources. A major highlight of my career was meeting with Mr. Henry Ford II to handle his retirement.

When I look back at our family move to Dearborn, I wonder, “What if the parish limits had included our home,” and “What if my first teacher at Maples had not enrolled me in the speech therapy class?” AGAIN, THANK YOU-DEARBORN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

The paid parking conundrum in downtown West Dearborn could be helped with the introduction of a free valet parking system for the entire downtown district, at least that is a plan being shopped by Cambridge Real Estate and Fakhoury Ventures.

In a letter to Deepsaidwhat.com, Yasir Kaskorkis, the property manager for Cambridge Real Estate, says he and Fakhoury Ventures have been working with the ECD and DDA to help support a free valet parking system. It is an interesting idea.  His letter begins below.

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Yasir Kaskorkis and I am a property manager for Cambridge Real Estate, who also oversees all Fakhoury Properties in Downtown West Dearborn. As many of you are aware, there has been a decline in patronage to the downtown district since the necessary paid parking increases took effect in July. Besides the economic conditions, a competitive project in Allen Park (with free parking) and a decrease in business population have affected us tremendously. You will all agree the businesses in the district with no paid parking are at a significant competitive advantage to those who require their patrons to pay.

Paid parking has been a controversial topic, and it looks as though it will continue to be for some time. As business people, we must learn to work within our constraints. That is why over the past several months Cambridge Real Estate and Fakhoury Ventures have been working with the ECD and DDA to help support a free valet parking system for the entire downtown district (the first of its kind in the Metro-Detroit area). We will be requesting marketing funds from the DDA to help fund this operation. The funds will serve to alleviate the burden of operating the system from the business owners and to promote the free valet parking system. These are funds we desperately need in order to make this project successful. The amount of funds put forth by the business owners will be dependent on the amount of funds approved by the DDA. As we inch closer to accomplishing our goal, we politely request your support for the district wide valet system. Your patrons will be treated to free valet and will no longer have to be concerned with parking fees. We have plans to promote the free valet system through various media outlets, in attempts to gain back the clientele that once brought prosperity to Downtown West Dearborn.

The more parking rates increase, the more difficult it will be to attract customers and retain current business. The time to act is now; we need your support more than ever. We ask that you spread the word in an attempt to bring people together to make Downtown West Dearborn a destination spot in the Metro-Detroit area. Everyone is affected by lack of business, from your managers to your employees. Our goal is to enhance downtown West Dearborn to make it a viable retail destination, and with your help we can make this happen. We look forward to a constructive working relationship with all of the parties involved. Please call and/or email your Dearborn Councilman and Woman or your DDA Board Member.

Thank you,

Yasir Kaskorkis

22022 Michigan Avenue

The City of Dearborn received the highest rating possible by the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Center for Innovation Research (iLabs) for fostering entrepreneurial growth and economic development.

Dearborn was honored as a five-star community through the program known as eCities for its efforts to promote investment and for its support of businesses pursuing innovative endeavors.

This is the first time that Dearborn has been named a five-star community by the UM-D’s iLabs, having earned a commendable four-star designation in 2010.

Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. said the five-star designation reflects the city’s commitment to encouraging a dynamic and diversified economy.

“Dearborn continues to promote economic development and commercial investment. We also have a great track record of smoothing the way for innovative approaches. We appreciate this distinguished recognition of our efforts,” O’Reilly said.

“We are fortunate that there is a high level of interest among a variety of large and small companies who value the business climate in Dearborn and are investing here. This is illustrated by the 300 commercial re-occupancies we saw in the past year,” O’Reilly said.

Most notably, Severstal North America recently engaged in a $1.5 billion investment, formalizing its North American Headquarters in Dearborn. The 2010 addition of more than $700 million in steel finishing elevates this advanced manufacturing center to a global leader in steel technology.

O’Reilly said, “Severstal’s investment in their operations in Dearborn extends the life of this plant by at least 50 years and retains nearly 2,000 local jobs. This is great news for Dearborn and southeast Michigan.”

Dearborn was honored along with 43 other communities recognized by iLabs at a ceremony at UM-Dearborn on Nov. 16.

In addition to Dearborn, 20 other cities were named five-star communities, including Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, Grand Haven, Farmington, Kalamazoo, Rochester Hills and Southfield.

“We are pleased to have participation from so many communities throughout the state in eCities 2011,” said Tim Davis, director of iLabs.

“The focus of this project is assisting local communities by identifying best practices and methods that they can implement, which will aid with job growth strategies, economic diversification, and development of entrepreneurs,” he said.

The annual eCities research project, which began in 2007, uses data supplied by the participants, as well as other public records, to assemble a six-factor, 32-item index of entrepreneurial activity, looking at such factors as clustering, incentives, growth, policies, community and education.

The study focuses on entrepreneurship because of its importance to expansion and diversification of Michigan’s regional economies and the impact small businesses have on job creation. To date, 138 communities across Michigan have participated in the study.

Let’s hope Dearborn can leverage this award as a way to attract other businesses to locate in our city.

It may not make Guinness World Records, but the Dearborn Historical Museum is planning what it calls the “world’s largest book signing” Dec. 10 at Henry Ford Community College.

The event is the official introduction of the museum’s new book, Best Dearborn Stories: Voices From Henry Ford’s Hometown. The book is a collection of anecdotes and reminiscences from 154 writers, most of them residents and former residents. We have been posting excerpts from the book here at Deepsaidwhat.com

The signing, expected to draw more than 100 of the writers who contributed stories to the anthology, will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at HFCC’s Andrew A. Mazzara Administrative Services and Conference Center. The book is the latest fund-raising effort aimed at keeping the museum’s doors open.

“The largest book signing I could find online had 87 authors,” said L. Glenn O’Kray, vice chair of the Dearborn Historical Commission and coordinator on the project. “We’ve already got enough commitments from our writers to satisfy me that we’ll have well over 100 on hand. And we’re all going to be wearing T-shirts identifying each of us as a Best Dearborn Stories ‘famous author.’ ”

The book is the product of an unusually fast turn-around for a multi-author compilation – less than 10 weeks from inception to publication. O’Kray conceived the project after reading an Oct. 2 article in the Times about a “Rapid Response” strategy for setting and reaching goals in 100 days or less. He secured funds from the nonprofit Museum Guild of Dearborn for the book, located a printer and a designer, and collaborated with two other commissioners in collecting and editing the stories. Final proofs of the book went to the printer Nov. 18.

Priced at $19.95 in soft cover, the 382-page book includes stories about digging up bones in the back yard, breaking into labs to rescue animals, hiding in church after lock-up time, substituting for Ford during a portrait sitting, getting cussed out by Hubbard, and discovering that a hockey opponent who kept falling down in practice had a hat trick up his sleeve.

The historical museum consists of three public buildings, two of them associated with the former U.S. Arsenal at Dearbornville, which was built in the 1830s. It has operated with city funds since opening as a museum in 1950. However, despite voter approval of two millage increases in November, the city is proceeding with plans to continue trimming services.

After the museum’s current city subsidy runs out during the fiscal year ending in June, it will have to rely on cash reserves that previously had been earmarked for renovation of a facility to be used for exhibits and storage. Those reserves, if used for museum operation, are expected to be depleted by 2014.

The museum has raised $35,000 since it began a new membership drive in July, and it is planning to begin a major fund-raising campaign next year, including the sale of naming rights to its buildings. Book orders and donations may be sent to the museum at 915 S. Brady, Dearborn, MI 48124. Call 313-565-3000 or email [email protected] for information.

What does the future hold for downtown West Dearborn and . . .

Drive through downtown Dearborn, both east and west, and you’ll find plenty of vacant buildings.

Will these vacant buildings ever be filled with viable retail business that will bring people back to our city to shop?

The short answer? No.

At least that is the opinion of one planner in a column in Saturday’s New York Times.

Christopher B. Leinberger, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and professor of practice in urban and regional planning at the University of Michigan, says that the “boarded-up and vacant strip malls . . . forlorn monuments to the real estate crash are not going to come back to life, even when the economy recovers. And that’s because the demand for the housing that once supported commercial activity in many exurbs isn’t coming back, either.”

Leinberger writes that the most expensive housing today is in the high-density, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods of the center city and inner suburbs.

. . . downtown East Dearborn.

“Simply put, there has been a profound structural shift — a reversal of what took place in the 1950s, when drivable suburbs boomed and flourished as center cities emptied and withered,” he writes.

“The shift is durable and lasting because of a major demographic event: the convergence of the two largest generations in American history, the baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) and the millennials (born between 1979 and 1996), which today represent half of the total population.

“Many boomers are now empty nesters and approaching retirement. Generally this means that they will downsize their housing in the near future. Boomers want to live in a walkable urban downtown, a suburban town center or a small town, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Realtors.

“The millennials are just now beginning to emerge from the nest — at least those who can afford to live on their own. This coming-of-age cohort also favors urban downtowns and suburban town centers — for lifestyle reasons and the convenience of not having to own cars.

Over all, only 12 percent of future homebuyers want the drivable suburban-fringe houses that are in such oversupply, according to the Realtors survey. This lack of demand all but guarantees continued price declines. Boomers selling their fringe housing will only add to the glut. Nothing the federal government can do will reverse this.”

It’s a depressing column, for sure. But not one we are willing to entirely accept. While our elected officials have made a lot of poor decisions in a short amount of time that Dearborn will suffer from for years to come, it is hard to image Detroit somehow becoming a destination, at least not in the short term.

There is some good news. Leinberger says there is great pent-up demand for walkable, centrally located neighborhoods (we would say Dearborn offers this). He says the transformation of suburbia can be seen in places like Arlington County, Va., Bellevue, Wash., and Pasadena, Calif., “where strip malls have been bulldozed and replaced by higher-density mixed-use developments with good transit connections.”

“The cities and inner-ring suburbs that will be the foundation of the recovery require significant investment at a time of government retrenchment. Bus and light-rail systems, bike lanes and pedestrian improvements — what traffic engineers dismissively call “alternative transportation” — are vital. So is the repair of infrastructure like roads and bridges. Places as diverse as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Charlotte, Denver and Washington have recently voted to pay for “alternative transportation,” mindful of the dividends to be reaped. As Congress works to reauthorize highway and transit legislation, it must give metropolitan areas greater flexibility for financing transportation, rather than mandating that the vast bulk of the money can be used only for roads.

“For too long, we over-invested in the wrong places. Those retail centers and subdivisions will never be worth what they cost to build. We have to stop throwing good money after bad. It is time to instead build what the market wants: mixed-income, walkable cities and suburbs that will support the knowledge economy, promote environmental sustainability and create jobs.”

To read the complete article, click HERE.

The Dearborn Historical Museum’s book compiling the best Dearborn stories from residents and former residents will soon go on sale, a perfect gift for the holidays.

The book, the first of its kind ever compiled by the museum, is titled Best Dearborn Stories: Voices From Henry Ford’s Hometown. The book will be sold at the museum’s gift shop at the McFadden-Ross House, 915 Brady.

Profits from sales of the book will go to the museum, which has begun a membership drive to help keep its doors open after city funds run out during the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.

We will feature excerpts from the new book over the next couple of weeks. This second excerpt is from a piece written by Freda Berce who has lived in Dearborn for 65 years. The 87-year-old resident compiled a list of her favorite place of yore. Unfortunately, many of her favorite places have long since been replaced or no longer exist. Longtime residents will instantly recognize the names and locations. It’s a great list.

Berce’s story below is one of more than 100 that appears in the Best Dearborn Stories: Voices From Henry Ford’s Hometown.

Favorite Places in Dearborn

By Freda M. Berce

East Dearborn

• Woodworth House – great dining and dancing.
• Circle Theater – Warren Avenue.
• Checker Inn – Schaefer Avenue. Great large elevated dance floor.
• Carmen Theater – Schaefer Road. Soda fountain on second floor.
• Wyoming Drive In Theater – Wyoming. Still there.
• Harry Miller Flowers — Michigan Avenue. The place for buying flowers.
• Korte’s Bar – Michigan Avenue. Dancing and dining outdoors.
• Dearborn Youth Center — Michigan Avenue. Roller skating.
• U.S. Naval Barracks — had sailors galore.
• Michigan Avenue & Schaefer — traffic officers directing traffic.
• The Rotunda — exhibition hall on Schaefer Road. Sadly burned down.
• McMahon’s Cocktail Lounge – Schaefer Road. Beautiful. The place to go on dates.
• Ford Foundation — the place to live in East Dearborn.

West Dearborn

•  Eurich Furniture — Michigan Avenue. Had old fashioned soda fountain and sold penny candy.
• Meyer Seafood Restaurant — Michigan Avenue. Great food.
• Holiday Inn — Michigan Avenue at Outer Drive.
• Chambertin’s — located in the Holiday Inn. Great food.
• Calvin Theater — Michigan Avenue.
• Twin Ponds — Oakwood Boulevard by Ford engineering buildings. Great skating.
• Muirheads — Michigan at Military. Best toy store and Santa with Sleigh for children’s memory pictures.
• The Maples Bowling Alley — Michigan Avenue.
• Michigan Avenue — beautiful Christmas decorations and crowds of shoppers.
• Ford Field — Brady Street. Ice skating and Class “A” baseball games which brought hundreds of spectators every weekend, sitting in the stands and hillside.
• Greenfield Village — Oakwood Boulevard. Most memorable when Henry Ford I passed away. My sister and I waited for hours to view his body. The line was miles long (and we wore high heel shoes then—whew!).
• Dearborn Hills — the place to live in West Dearborn years ago.
• Michigan Avenue & Monroe — traffic officers directing traffic!

Say goodbye to another Dearborn landmark. After 26 years of serving Dearborn, Dee’s Hallmark on Michigan Avenue will close its doors sometime after the holiday season.

Dee's Hallmark is closing after 26 years serving Dearborn.

The owners, Don and Dee Belcher, are closing the store so they can retire. Clerks in the store say paid parking, which has hurt business, helped expedite the couple’s retirement plans.

The store plans to have a liquidation sale sometime in January 2012. The building has been for sale for more than two years, listing at that time for $640,000.

When we wrote about the building being put on the sales block two years ago, Mr. Belcher said in a note he would do all he could to remain open even if it meant moving to a new location.

“My commitment to survival has always been strong but after closing (3) other stores and using the money to keep Dee’s going there was not enough left to (purchase the building Dee’s is currently located),” Mr. Belcher wrote in 2009. “It is common knowledge that this is not the best time to sell commercial property as evidenced by the many vacancies in our area. However should it sell I will make every effort to negotiate a favorable lease agreement with the new owner. If that is not possible I will look to relocate as close to my current location as I can. A smarter man would have given up long ago I think I’m just to dumb to know when it’s time to quit!!!!”

Dee’s hung on for as long as they could.  Like any business, costs go up each year.  That can be offset with additional sales but with nothing around Dee’s to help draw new customers, remaining open was no longer a good business equation.

We will miss what was easily the best card shop in Dearborn.

Vacant lots owned by the City of Dearborn are available for purchase for the construction of new homes.

To see a list of available properties, visit www.cityofdearborn.org

While these lots can represent a good value to potential buyers, there are guidelines to follow:

•The properties may be purchased for the minimum bid price.

•The properties are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

•If you wish to purchase any of the properties, please submit your written request, including your name, address and phone number, directly to: Licia Yangouyian, Assistant Corporation Counsel, 13615 Michigan Ave., Ste. 8, Dearborn, MI 48126.

•You must submit a $500 deposit for each property that you wish to purchase.

•Buyers are required to comply with the City’s Guidelines for Land Sales, a copy of which is available at the Legal Department, 3rd Floor, East Wing of City Hall, 13615 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, MI 48126.

•The lots must be paid in full by certified check or money order at the time of the closing.

•The City requires the buyer to begin construction of a new single-family house on residential property within 12 months of accepting the offer.

•All bids submitted are subject to approval by the Dearborn City Council.

•Buyer must comply with zoning laws and will not be granted any variance.

For more information, call the city’s Legal Department at 943-2035.