Community Guide:
Partnership with the Community
- Washtenaw Development Council
- Recycling Partnership
- Joint Police Training
- Waste Management
- Transportation Services
- Donating Historic Properties
- Disaster Preparedness in Washtenaw County
- Road Repairs
- Community Policing
- Occupational Safety
- Storm Siren System
- United Way
- Community Plunge
- Forest Street Structure Partnership
- Polling place in Union
- Alternative Parking Arrangements
- Wetland Donation
- Safewalk and Northwalk
- Fire Station
- State Steet Study
- GIS Database
- Snow Removal
- Ann Arbor Artfair
- Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Economic Impact and Payments
Washtenaw Development Council The University is a contributing member of this public/private organization that undertakes efforts to retain and create employment opportunities in Washtenaw County. Most recently, the University has partnered with WDC, the City of Ann Arbor, the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce and private local businesses to establish the lTZone. This downtown facility is intended to be a locus for collaboration and development of information technology-based companies and employment. Top
Recycling partnership The University is the largest client for the City-owned recycling Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and Waste Transfer Station. A 10-year contract between the UM, the City and the company that operates the facility assures recycling volumes, making the facility more cost effective for the City. Working with the Ann Arbor Solid Waste Department, the U-M's Housing Division and Waste Management office have prepared a handbook to teach University students and staff about recycling on campus and about the MRF.Top
Joint police training The U-M Department of Public Safety, in conjunction with the Ann Arbor Police Department, conducts quarterly training sessions for officers in the Ann Arbor community. The sessions are designed to provide investigators and detectives with the most up-to-date investigative tactics. The two agencies also team up for Joint Bike Patrol, allowing officers to oversee a large area in and around the University campus. Top
Waste management The Washtenaw County Department of Public Works awarded a grant to U-M Waste Management to run a pilot program to collect food prep waste from three residence hall kitchens and take it to the City of Ann Arbor compost facility. The grant was co-written with the City's Solid Waste Department. The grant awarded money to the City for the labor to manage the compost site and to the University to purchase equipment and fund the collection operation. The demonstration project will help establish statewide policies on vegetative waste composting. Top
Transportation services The University shares many bus stops with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority to ensure passengers smooth transfers between systems. AATA also provides Park-and-Ride service to the campus, with the University subsidizing employee costs; this service is particularly popular with hospital employ A Park-and-Ride lot on Green Road sits on land provided by the University, while AATA helped pay to construct the commuter lot. In another part of town, the city donated property for a parking lot on Fuller Road, and the U-M paid to build the lot. Along South State Street, the University provided land and constructed a parking lot at a cost of approximately $600,000, while AATA buses provide transportation for commuters. Top
Donating historic properties The University has donated or saved a number of historic Ann Arbor homes. The Tuomy House, an 1854 house, and its property were donated to the Michigan Historical Society in 1982. The Kellogg-Warden House, a circa-1835 house, was donated to the Washtenaw County Historical Society; funding also was provided to assist in moving it from Wall Street to its current location on Main Street. The University moved the 1837 Burnham House from Wall Street to Nichols Arboretum for use as a public interpretive center. The University also has offered old houses for sale before they are demolished. Top
Disaster preparedness in Washtenaw County Should a toxic disaster strike anywhere in the County, the Office of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health and University Hospital's Emergency Department have established a disaster preparedness system to respond to emergency situations resulting in large numbers of victims contaminated by toxic materials. Top
Road Repairs The University has teamed with the City to repair and repave a number of roads and parking lots throughout the community. The University has contributed to repaving areas of State Street, Stadium Boulevard and Main Street, among other roadways. Top
Community policing Mason Hall on Central Campus is a law enforcement branch office maintained by both the Department of Public Safety and the Ann Arbor Police Department. From here, the two departments jointly manage their community policing efforts. Top
Occupational safety Occupational Safety and Environmental Health staff work with the Ann Arbor Fire Department on familiarizing firefighters with confined spaces located on campus. Confined spaces are work places with limited or restricted entries and exits, such as tunnels, tanks or vaults.
A series of training sessions have been conducted to discuss the U-M's confined space program with firefighters and how the University and the fire department would coordinate response to emergencies in those areas. Top
Storm siren system The City and University jointly paid for a new severe weather warning system to replace an outdated, inefficient system. Top
United Way University faculty, staff and students contribute more than $1 million annually to Washtenaw United Way. University contributions account for one-seventh of the county agency's annual goal. The United Way funds numerous human service agencies. Top
Community Plunge Hundreds of campus volunteers - students, faculty and staff - dive into public service through Community Plunge, an annual activity that sees participants lend a hand to organizations throughout Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. Service work includes helping the homeless, cleaning the banks of the Huron River and visiting senior citizens at nursing homes. As evidenced later in Recycling Partnership this guide, Community Plunge is but one example of the University's long-standing commitment to community service. Top
Forest Street structure partnership The City and University are joining in an unprecedented cooperative venture to construct a new and larger parking structure to replace the aging Cityowned facility on Forest Street in the popular South University business district. The multi-million dollar partnership calls for proportional ownership of the structure in a contractual arrangement that could be a model for other University and City cooperative projects. The structure will accommodate shoppers, area workers, faculty and staff. Top
Polling place in Union Students and other City residents in the campus area can cast their ballot in any municipal, state or federal election in the Michigan Union. The U-M is pleased to provide this convenient location in the interest of encouraging the broadest possible voter participation. Top
Alternative parking arrangements During periods of reconstruction of City parking structures, customers, owners and employees are inconvenienced by the loss of their regular or preferred parking. The University has worked extensively with respective merchant associations, the Downtown Development Authority and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority to provide alternative parking and transportation options for these patrons. The options include providing access to University parking structures during periods of reduced use by University staff. Top
Wetland donation A 4-acre parcel of land located near Huron Parkway and Glazier Way was conveyed by the University to the City in the summer of 1999. The donation was made in the interest of having the City manage the long-term stewardship of the environmentally sensitive fen located on the property. Top
Safewalk and Northwalk Two student-run teams provide evening walking escorts anywhere within a 20-minute radius of the Shapiro Undergraduate Library on Central Campus or Bursley Hall on North Campus. Safewalk operates on Central Campus, while Northwalk serves North Campus. There is no charge for the service. A number of campus and surrounding area neighborhoods have seen lighting improvements installed through the encouragement of Safewalk volunteers. Top
Fire station Fire protection for the northeastern portion of Ann Arbor and North Campus is enhanced by the City staffed Fire Station provided by the University on Beal Avenue near Plymouth Road. The fire station is on University property and is offered for Ann Arbor Fire Department use without any charge. The University has assumed complete responsibility for maintenance as well as the utilities associated with the operation of the facility. Top
State Street study Working with the City's Downtown Development Authority and the State Street Area Association, several University schools launched a cooperative effort to stimulate the renaissance of a vital gateway to the campus: the State Street business district. The study, to be completed in 2000, involves the School of Business, the School of Public Policy and the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. The groups are working together to determine an appropriate retail mix for this eclectic area of Ann Arbor. Top
GIS database The University and the City have both enjoyed the use of detailed land use, building and property information via the recently updated Geographic Information System (GIS) Database. The University contributed a proportional amount toward the costs of establishing and updating this highly sophisticated system of land museums, festivals, special collections and sporting use information. The database, located at City offices, is used by both the City and University in numerous applications involving site construction, utilities and transportation. Top
Snow removal Every winter the University clears the sidewalks and pathways of snow to enable students and staff to safely make their way across campus. Frequently, and always in cases of particularly heavy snowfalls, the University extends its services to include the clearing of numerous City-owned sidewalks and streets in and around the campus. The University also maintains more than 12 miles of streets, roads and access drives used by campus and community alike. Top
Ann Arbor Art Fair The annual Ann Arbor Art Fair -- actually a collection of three fairs -- is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of patrons every July. Direct University participation varies. Art School students are provided display space. Large numbers of booths border the Central Campus Diag and University property is often used to accommodate ancillary services such as electrical generation, parking spaces for artists or educational activity areas. The Michigan Union helps keep art patrons well fed through its array of food providers who occupy space in front of the building and on adjoining walkways. The University is pleased to join other community partners in making the small sacrifices, like changing transportation routes or altering delivery schedules, that contribute to making the Art Fair a quality event. Top
Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Washtenaw County hosts more than 2.5 million visitors each year. The University is a contributing partner with the Ann Arbor Convention and Visitors Bureau in its successful efforts to promote the area. Bureau and University event planners combine to produce a seamless staff that works to insure a quality experience for visitors. Many of the campus cultural productions events are featured in the Bureau's advertising and attraction efforts. Top
Economic impact and payments University payroll and purchases together with student and visitor expenditures all support area businesses. The 28,000 University employees and 36,000 students combine for an economic impact of more than $3 billion in the greater Ann Arbor area. The payroll distributed to employees residing in Washtenaw County exceeds $1.1 billion. Purchase orders written to vendors in the County total nearly $150 million. The University also expends substantial sums on City services, including more than $5 million on water and sewer. Top
James Kosteva, Director
Office of Community Relations
Fleming Administration Building, 503 Thompson Street,
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1340
(734) 764-7901 Fax (734) 764-3316
copyright@2005 The Regents of the University of Michigan
Last Updated: 05 August 2005