Photo of the Day

Thanks to Brad Osmond.

BV Construction

Does anyone know when the construction on Webber Street in Buena Vista is scheduled to be complete? Just wondering....

New Goodwill Store?

There was an ad in the classifieds this past Sunday looking for part-time workers for a new Goodwill store opening in Saginaw. Interested people can apply at the current location on S. Michigan. The last time I was in the store, I saw they had removed the Goodwill Optical, but I did not know about them moving to a new location. Anyone know where the new Goodwill will be?

360 Main Street Update

360 Main Street seems to have found its stride and is updating daily. Recent articles include a review of Michael Sikkema's Futuring, an interview with Hell's Half Mile Festival Director Alan LaFave, an article on local Celt-punk band the Tosspints, an argument for breastfeeding, and a review of two cds: Orpheum Bell's Pearls, and Musique Noire's Good Hair. You can read it all here.

Also, you can tune into Q 90.1 tomorrow morning at 9am to hear Brad Osmond, Jeanne Lesinski, and me talk about 360 Main Street on "FM Forum" with Jennifer VandeZande.

New Business Controversy?

My #1 Sagtastic correspondent wrote in last night to say the latest development with the CarpetWorld building is that in addition to a Verizon, there will also be a coffee shop going in, with speculation being that it will be "a corporate coffee chain of some sort." This seems largely controversial (or poorly planned)--opening a coffee shop right next door to the hugely successful Magic Bean. I can't see a corporate coffee shop pulling away any of the Bean's customers, but perhaps it will serve a new clientele of people who only like namebrand coffee. (Didn't one of the Olsen twins turn a large Starbucks cup into an accessory a few years ago?) I am also unclear, and failed to ask, if this new coffee shop will be inside the Verizon store or if the building is being converted to two commercial spaces. I am assuming the second. Time will tell.

Election Day

Just a reminder that today is an election day, and there are some scandalous proposals on the ballot in the City of Saginaw.  Review Magazine came out a few weeks ago backing "No" on all eight proposals and I think, for the most part, I am leaning that way too.  Though, if proposal one passes, it means I could run for City Council next time around...not that that is something I have any interest in doing.  

Okay, so here is a break down on the proposals:

1:  Reduce the required number of years living in the city for an individual to run for City Council from three to one.

2:  Allow the council to meet twice monthly instead of every two weeks.

3 & 4:  Regarding minutes from council meetings, discontinue the requirement to publish the minutes in The Saginaw News and charge the public for copies of the minutes.

Proposals 5 & 6:  Addressing the city manager position, change the number of council members needed to hire and fire the manager from a simple majority to a two-thirds majority.

Proposal 7:  Increase the threshold for requiring sealed bids for purchases from $2,000 or more to $10,000 or more.  If passed, the city manager would need the council's approval for  bids that exceed the latter amount.

Proposal 8:  Eliminate the tax cap.

I find proposals 3 & 4 to be most disturbing.  Making it more difficult to access information that should be provided to a city's citizens (this is still a democracy, isn't it?) could only contribute to greater council secrecy.  Prop 7 also contributes to secrecy and creates an opportunity for shady business deals (or am I just a cynic?  Maybe I have watched The Wire too much.  Or, you know, Detroit.).  

Most people, based on the signs in the yard in my neighborhood, seem to be most concerned about voting no on Proposal 8.  What are your thoughts?

Carpet World to Become Verizon Store?

A number of people have written in asking about the work being done on the Carpet World building in Saginaw Township. I heard that it is going to be a Verizon Wireless, though I do not have confirmation. One of the men working on the building passed this info on to a friend, but there have been no reports of it in the paper or anywhere else.

Also, work has begun at the old House of Oak site. My inclination is to dislike whatever goes up on that site for the dirty way they went about tearing down the historic building.

On another note, thinking about old buildings: I was out at The Savoy last night, and it was the first time my boyfriend had ever been there. He was very much enjoying checking out the old images of Saginaw that hang in the restaurant side. They are definitely worth taking a look at, if you haven't seen them before.