A2 City News Community Newsletter

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​ A2 City Ne​​w​​s​, January 20​25​ (PDF), Volume 19, Nu​mber 1 (ori​ginally distributed Jan. 6, 2025, via e​mail to "community new​sletter: A2 City News" subscribers​​)​​ ​​​​​​​

A200 th​​anks

Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate Ann Arbor's 200th birthday at the A200 Bicentennial Closing Celebration Dec. 14! Your presence and support helped make the event a resounding success — a truly fitting and memorable way to honor our city's incredible milestone.

The evening brought our community together with entertainment, refreshments and meaningful reflections on the bicentennial activities and commemorative initiatives that have defined this special year. It was heartwarming to see our shared pride in Ann Arbor's past, present and future.

We're also grateful for the ticket proceeds, which will support the impactful Ann Arbor Legacy Projects, ensuring a lasting benefit for our community. Special thanks to our event sponsors — the City of Ann Arbor, DTE, Bank of Ann Arbor and Michigan Schools and Government Credit Union — for their partnership in making this celebration possible.

As we say goodbye to the bicentennial, don't miss your chance to watch Community Television Network's video recap of the year's celebrations! 

Thank you, once again, for making this celebration such a remarkable success. Here's to Ann Arbor's bright future!

— Milton Dohoney Jr., Ann Arbor City Administrator

(Happy!) New Year, new g​​oals: Sign up for group swim lessons at Mack Indoor Pool

Conquer the water in 2025! Whether your goal is to learn the basics, improve your technique or level up your skills, Mack Indoor Pool (715 Brooks St. inside Ann Arbor Open School) offers group swim lessons for all ages and abilities. The next session begins Jan. 11 and goes through Feb. 26. Sign up online for your next session! 

NEW for 2025: Adult-only beginner swim lessons — Make this your year to learn to swim. The beginner classes are designed specifically for adults looking to build confidence and learn essential swimming skills.

Session 3: Jan. 7–Feb. 25 | Tuesdays, 7:30–8:30 p.m.

Session 4: Jan. 11–Feb. 28 | Fridays, 7:30–8:30 p.m.

The fee for eight lessons is $120 for residents and $154 for nonresidents. Take the plunge and sign up today! 

Check out location details and explore Mack Indoor Pool's other programming information. 

Washtenaw County win​​ter warming sites

Temporary, weather-related warming sites and shelters continue to be offered by Washtenaw County, in support of the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County and the Continuum of Care Winter Sheltering Operations, through April 13, 2025 (pending weather conditions). Visit the county online for complete and consistently updated information and resources. 

Find your Snow ​​Match

The city is helping residents prepare for winter weather, and the responsibilities that come with the ice and snow, with the launch of the 2024–25 A2 Snow Match program. Residents can sign up now for this season's A2 Snow Match — either as a volunteer or a recipient — to be paired with a nearby neighbor to assist, or to be assisted, with sidewalk snow removal.

Recipients of the volunteer assistance must be city residents 55+ years of age or older OR who self-identify as having a disability AND who do not have access to resources — neither finances to hire a service nor nearby family members or friends to help out with snow removal tasks. Volunteers are matched with homes within a 10-minute (half-mile) walk from their location.

Registration is open now for residents to volunteer –or– for residents who would like to receive snow-clearing help.

Winter composting program res​​umes

Now that regular, weekly compost collections have ended for the season in Ann Arbor, the once-monthly winter collection of food scraps in compost carts will resume. Winter compost curbside collections will take place the weeks of Jan. 6, Feb. 3, and March 3, 2025. Carts will be collected on residents' regular solid waste collection day. Go online for details, including helpful hints and tips. 

Christmas tree free drop-o​​ff sites

Christmas tree disposal drop-off locations are now open in Ann Arbor through Monday, Jan. 20. Four park locations are accepting undecorated Christmas tree drop offs during normal park hours, 6 a.m.–10 p.m.

• Bicentennial Park (Southeast Area Park) located on Ellsworth at Platt — Trees may be left at the dirt lot north of the basketball courts.
• West Park parking lot off Chapin near West Huron Street
• Gallup boat launch parking lot (not the Gallup livery), entrance on the southeast side of Geddes Road, East of Huron Parkway 
• Olson Park parking lot, 1515 Dhu Varren Road, near Pontiac Trail

The collected trees will be chipped on a regular basis at the park sites. Please remember all tree stands, nails, lights, ornaments, tinsel and plastic items must be removed from the trees and discarded before dropping off. Anything left on the tree can ruin the processing equipment, spoil the landscaping mulch and worse, harm the operators. Since wreaths and evergreen roping (garland) are generally made with wire or plastic backing, these items should not be dropped off and should instead be placed inside trash carts.

Go online for more information.

Free residential sand/sa​​lt

During the winter, the city provides residents with up to 5 gallons of a sand/salt mixture, per visit, at locations around Ann Arbor (PDF). Residents must bring their own shovel and bucket as well as load material themselves from the marked boxes. Sand/salt mixture is not for contractors or landscapers.

Locations:

• Veterans Memorial Park
• Gallup Park
• Allmendinger Park
• Buhr Park
• Burns Park
• Leslie Park

Winter rem​​​​​​inders

Snow and ice man​agement

Please review these reminders regarding snow and ice management. According to city code: 

Residential pro​​perty

• Within 24 hours after the end of each accumulation of snow greater than 1 inch, adjacent sidewalks, concrete bus stop walks and crosswalk ramps must be cleared by the owner or occupant. 
• Any ice accumulation, within 18 hours of forming, must be treated with sand, salt or other substance to prevent it from becoming slippery. 
• The city is not responsible for clearing mailboxes of snow and/or ice.

Non-residential pr​operty

• All snow and ice which has accumulated prior to 6 a.m. on a sidewalk adjacent to property not zoned residential shall be removed by the owner or occupant by noon the same day.
• The owner or occupant of the property shall also remove snow and ice from walks and ramps at bus stops or that lead to a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
• Provided that when ice has so formed upon any sidewalk, walk or ramp that it cannot be removed, then the owner or occupant shall keep the same effectively sprinkled with sand, salt or other suitable substance in such manner as to prevent the ice from being dangerous, until such time as it can be removed, and then it shall be promptly removed.
• Residents/property owners will receive only one warning, per season, before incurring fines.

For more information, visit www.a2gov.org/sidewalksnow. To report a problem sidewalk, please use the A2 Fix It app at www.a2gov.org/a2fixit or call 734.794.6942.

Help keep fire hydra​nts clear

Residents who are able are also being asked to help keep fire hydrants adjacent to their property or in their neighborhoods free from snow and ice. Leaving a 3-foot clearing around hydrants can provide easy access to firefighters in the event of fire. The city thanks you in advance for your assistance!

See more winter-readiness information on the michigan.gov website, including the "How to Prepare for a Winter Storm" packet.

City awarded $10 m​​illion grant for geothermal heating and cooling system

The City of Ann Arbor has been awarded a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Community Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) to begin implementing a community geothermal heating and cooling system in the Bryant neighborhood. The city has been partnering with the Bryant neighborhood since 2021 to justly and equitably implement cutting-edge, energy-efficient infrastructure and resources that bring energy cost savings to lower-income city residents.

Geothermal community-scale heating and cooling systems use geothermal energy to provide climate control to buildings, including residences and businesses through an underground distribution network. Using geothermal energy for heating and cooling can help communities meet their energy needs, drive down costs and can create local jobs. Learn more about this exciting news! 

A2ZERO Cookbook calls for co​​mmunity content

The City of Ann Arbor is calling all chefs, cooks and foodies! The city office of sustainability and innovations is creating a community cookbook chock full of tips and recipes focused on plant-based or plant-forward dishes, that use methods to prevent wasted food and that feature local, seasonal ingredients. Community members are invited to submit their recipes and tips for inclusion in the cookbook!

The deadline to submit to the cookbook is Saturday, Feb. 1, at 11:59 p.m. Find complete details and how to send in your content on the cookbook webpage. Once completed, the A2ZERO Cookbook will be free to the public.

CTN hig​​​hlights

Discover CTN's wide range of programs available to watch online now!

Adventures in Parenthood — Beating Disaster, Carrie Conrad, Founder/Instructor for Beating Disaster talks self-defense courses for women and children 

Ann Arbor Inclusive — Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy (WACA) has been providing advocacy services for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities for 75 years. Their work supports their mission: to empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to participate fully in community life through advocacy, education and support. 

Best of CTN 2024 — Highlights of CTN's coverage of sports, meetings, CTN series and special events in 2024 

FYI — Megan Lunsford with Recycle Ann Arbor talks about the Boost Reuse Program; Ann Arbor's destination verification with Wheel the World; and the pop-up dog park at Veteran's Memorial Park 

Green Light — Alan Piñon, director of communications and marketing, and Jenna Steele, sustainability program assistant, both from the University of Michigan, discuss the university's community read of Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story From Despair to Possibility. 

Happy Birthday Ann Arbor — Look back at Ann Arbor's bicentennial year. 

Santa Satellite Network 2024 

Senior Moments — The year review of 2024 programs including interviews with Ritchie Coleman of Pittsfield Township Public Safety, Ann Arbor musician Betsy Beckerman, Mark A. Harris, exercise instructor, and more. 

Ward Talk — Host Bonnie wraps up the year With Mayor Christopher Taylor in the studio. 

What is a Comprehensive Land Use Plan? 

Traffic-safet​​​y corridors

Three new safety corridors have now been established in Ann Arbor as part of Vision Zero efforts to reduce traffic crashes. The Ann Arbor Police Department has an increased focus on enforcing traffic laws in the following areas:

Washtenaw Corridor — From Geddes Avenue to Huron Parkway

Packard Corridor — From Fifth Avenue to Turnberry Drive

Jackson Corridor — From Burwood Avenue to Gralake Avenue

All travelling through these areas, and in all areas, are being asked to help by cooperating with safety laws and practices and by encouraging others to do the same. See safety reminders and learn more about this effort. ​

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