[Docta_Love]

^^Yea right on thanks detroitsky for doing a metro update as well as that sweet city one.

Wilson Foundation to invest $5 million for public parks in Southeast Michigan

By KURT NAGL
Crain's Detroit Business
March 01, 2018


-Detroit-based nonprofit working with KaBOOM! and Tony Hawk Foundation
-Built to Play initiative will take place over the next several years
-Work on public spaces to begin this spring


The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation plans to invest up to $5 million in a new initiative that aims to build two "destination" playgrounds, as many as 10 skateparks and several play spaces across Southeast Michigan.

The Detroit-based foundation is working with nonprofit groups Tony Hawk Foundation and KaBOOM! for the initiative called Built to Play, which will take place over the next several years, said Jim Boyle, vice president of communications and strategy for the foundation. It also includes an up to $5 million investment in western New York, the foundation's other focus area.

....

To work toward that goal, the foundation is providing funds for nonprofits or municipalities through the Tony Hawk Foundation to build up to 10 skateparks, and through KaBOOM! to build two large playgrounds and up to 10 play space installations.

KaBOOM! is to release more information about applications to build public spaces this month and plans to award grants in August. Design for the two playgrounds will begin this spring and builds are to take place July-October, according to a news release from the foundation.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...s-in-southeast

Businesses in downtown Birmingham brace for Old Woodward closure

By KURT NAGL
Crain's Detroit Business
March 01, 2018


-Project scheduled to run from end of March through July
-New road, sidewalks, sewer lines, water main and lighting planned
-City, partners plan patron incentives to mitigate losses



Beginning late March, Old Woodward Avenue in downtown Birmingham will be closed to traffic for four months as crews work to replace the road, sewer system, sidewalks and water main.




The main four-block stretch through the city's swanky center, from Brown Street to Oakland Avenue, is scheduled to close to vehicle traffic in late March for at least four months. And Maple Road will be restricted to one or two driving lanes, with no room available for stopping or parking.

The $7 million overhaul of downtown Birmingham's aging infrastructure has been in the works for a while, but that has not made it much easier to bear for business owners who rely on foot and vehicle traffic to survive and who have to figure out logistics challenges of receiving deliveries.

At the same time, a $3.4 million state construction project planned to start in April on Woodward Avenue from 14 Mile to Quarton roads will almost certainly make it even tougher to access the city's downtown.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...odward-closure

Consumers Energy to stop burning coal by 2040
Utility plans to generate 40% of its power from renewables

By John Flesher AP Environmental Writer
Crain's Detroit Business
February 19, 2018





Consumers Energy Co. will phase out electricity production from coal by 2040 to slash emissions of heat-trapping gases that cause global warming, the Michigan utility's president and CEO announced Monday.

The utility plans to generate 40 percent of its power from renewable sources such as wind and solar energy by then, Patti Poppe said in an interview ahead of the public announcement. She said the utility will also will rely on natural gas, hydropower and improved efficiency to meet customer needs.

Jackson-based Consumers Energy and Detroit-based DTE Energy Co., which supply most of Michigan's electricity, are among many U.S. providers moving away from coal even as President Donald Trump's administration boosts fossil fuels and seeks to unravel former President Barack Obama's policies that promoted cleaner power.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...g-coal-by-2040