Insituform®

If you have been around Grant Street or North Main Street between North Street and Sibley Road during the past couple of weeks you have probably noticed some work going on in the sewers and large trucks with Insituform® marked on the side. This is a $121,000 project to line two sanitary sewer mains in the City. They finished the last section of sanitary sewer today on North Main Street between North Street and Buchanan Street.

Insituform® is a trenchless cured-in-place-pipe technology. I first became familiar with this process when I served in Riverview, Michigan. The City of Riverview used Insituform to line most of its older sanitary sewer mains in a $13 million effort to reduce the amount of inflow and infiltration of storm water into the system.

Here is a link to animation showing how the Insituform® process works. This process is very cost-effective since we do not have to dig up the road to replace the sewer line. The process usually takes a day or less (instead of days or weeks for other methods) and when it is done we have a brand new sanitary sewer pipe that will last for decades.

While the new pipe is slightly smaller than the old pipe, the flow through the new pipe is much better. [Trivia note: In situ is Latin meaning "in the original position." Therefore, Insituform® means "to form in the original position" or "to form in place."]

Sometimes, it is more cost-effective to use other methods for rehabilitating or replacing a sewer pipe such as performing an "open cut" replacement of a pipe. An above ground method is usually best if the line is in an open field or other open area that is easily accessible where there is not much infrastructure or obstructions above the sewer. Also, when the size of the sewer line needs to be increased, some other methods are used.

George Staffan

There are a number of families that are synonymous with Chelsea. One of those families is the Staffan family. The Staffans go back over 150 years when Frank A. Staffan established a funeral home in Chelsea. The funeral home exists today as the Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home.

George Staffan was the fourth generation of Staffans to own the funeral home. This funeral home was host to George's funeral last week after he died at his home in Luzerne, Michigan on New Year's Day at the age of 95.

George lived near City Hall and I would frequently see him and was able to spend some time with him when he was out an about at City Hall or in the downtown. George was remarkable for a person of his age. His mind was very sharp and he was in good physical condition.

George will be missed. He leaves an amazing legacy in our City including parts of the site where the Chelsea District Library is located.

Godspeed to you George and may God bless your family!

Merry Christmas!!

Click on this link for a special holiday message! Enjoy!

Public Act 338 of 2006 Ceremonial Signing

On Thursday, I had the honor of being invited by State Representative Pam Byrnes to attend a bill signing by Governor Jennifer Granholm. I posted about this legislation that Representive Byrnes introduced over a year ago.

This legislation started as House Bill 4853 and morphed into Senate Bill 1182 and was eventually adopted into law as Public Act 338 of 2006. This Act will allow cities and villages in the State of Michigan to combine their street funds to use those funds on the streets where the funds are most needed.

It may seem like a minor technicality, but this Act will have an enormous impact on street maintenance activities in Chelsea and all Michigan cities and villages. A suggestion that I made to Representative Byrnes at one of her coffees in Chelsea led to her introducing this legislation. Because my suggestion was the inspiration for the bill, I was invited to attend the ceremonial bill signing with the Governor. Representative Byrnes and her staff are to be congratulated on their hard work to have this bill passed.

I was presented with an original signed copy of the Act and a pen used by Governor Granholm. After the Governor signed the Act, I had a short conversation with her about Chelsea, the Purple Rose Theatre, and our downtown and commercial areas. After the signing ceremony I was invited by Representative Byrnes to the House Chambers as the House of Representatives convened into session. Representative Byrnes was recognized and introduced me as I stood in the gallery above. I received a welcome from the Representatives with applause.

I was unable to stay very long since I had to return to Chelsea. It was a very exciting day!

Chelsea's New Department Heads

Chelsea has three new department heads. On the right is Chief of Police Ed Toth. Chief Toth is retired from the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department where he was a lieutenant in charge of western Washtenaw County operations.

In the middle is Public Works Superintendent Craig Maier. Craig was the Foreman in the Department of Public Works before he was promoted to Superintendent.

On the left is the newest member of the senior management team, Director of Administrative Services Kim Garland. Kim is a resident of the City of Chelsea and was a senior manager at Deloitte & Touche before she accepted the position with the City of Chelsea.

Magnificent McKune Memorial Library Open

The Chelsea area's newly-expanded library has been open for nearly a month in its location in downtown Chelsea. Here are some photos of the interior of the new library:


First floor entryway.


Stairway to second floor.


Children's area on first floor.


Second floor landing with teen area in background.


Line of computers on the second floor.


Fireplace and reading area on second floor.


Study areas on second floor.


A changing exhibit of historical Chelsea photos will be placed along the main stairway.


The McKune house has been converted into a meeting room.


One of the neat features of the McKune House is the "ghost writings" on the walls. Quotes from authors as well as McKune family members are on the wall in very light paint.

Truncated Domes

Neil Lau from Visul Corporation installs their truncated dome product at the corner of Main and South streets near the post office. The purpose of the truncated domes is to provide a tactile surface warning of the location of the street for persons with visual disabilities. Detectable warnings were originally required in 1991, but the installation of detectable warnings was suspended to allow for research on the best type of detectable warning. In 2001, the truncated dome surface was chosen as the best type of detectable warning. Since that time, all new curb ramps must have truncated domes.

Unfortunately, the technology for truncated dome surfaces has not been perfected. The cheapest method is to stamp the surface into newly-poured concrete. However, as seen above, this method doesn't hold up well to snow shovels/plows and different weather conditions.

You can see other truncated dome products at the Washington Street Education Center and near the McKune Memorial Library. The tiles for the truncated domes near the Post Office are made from a combination of polyurathane and limestone dust. The tiles are glued to the surface with an adhesive. The company has had good success with the durability of the tiles to winter weather, snow plows, rain, etc.

The installation near the Post Office is a demonstration to determine how well it holds up through the winter and how well it adheres to the brick paver surface. The cost of the tiles and adhesive is $128, excluding any labor and equipment costs for installation. Eight of these surfaces are required at each four-way intersection. Multiply $1,024 by each four-way intersection in the City, then you will have some idea of the cost to retrofit every sidewalk in the City.

Mighty Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald

For a small town like Chelsea, we have an abundance of cultural activities that many communities much larger than us do not have. One example was a program that was a partnership between the Chelsea District Library and Cranesbill Books to bring in Michael Schumacher, author of Mighty Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. This is the description from the book jacket:

When the Edmund Fitzgerald nosedived to the bottom of Lake Superior, twenty-nine men perished. No witnesses survived, and speculation ran rampant. Thirty years later, the ship's demise remains one of the great unsolved mysteries in maritime history. Michael Schumacher examines this iconic ship's productive life and untimely end. The specifics of what happened to the "Mighty Fitz" in the early hours of November 10, 1975, will never be known. What we do know: The Edmund Fitzgerald, a colossal ore carrier, had been fighting its way through a pounding November storm on Lake Superior when she started to lose ground. The Fitz's radar went out, and she was taking on water. Despite gale force winds and thirty-foot seas, there was no reason to think the Fitz wouldn't find safe harbor at Whitefish Point, Michigan. Captain Bernie Cooper of the Arthur Anderson had been in steady contact with Ernest McSorley, the Fitz's captain. The two ships had been traveling together through the storm, and the last word from McSorley was, "We are holding our own." By all indications, the crew had no idea they were in mortal danger, and they plunged to Lake Superior's bottom before they could call for help. A massive search ensued but failed to find a single survivor. Michael Schumacher relays the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, its many years on the waters of the Great Lakes, its tragic final day, and the search effort and investigation, as well as the speculation and the controversy that followed in the wake of the disaster.

Michael Schumacher spoke about his book, the tragedy of the sinking, and his research. The book has just been released in paperback and I bought a copy and it was personally signed by the author.

It is great to live in Chelsea and to be able to walk to one of these events from my home. I expect that since the library has reopened in the downtown that I will be walking over to more events and activities.

Chelsea also has a connection with another book on the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck: The Edmund Fitzgerald: The Song of the Bell by Kathy-Jo Wargin is a children's book published by Chelsea-based Sleeping Bear Press.

It's Like Playing a Jackhammer

Katy has been practicing on a new musical instrument called a contrabassoon. Katy started playing the bassoon last year and was very excited when she heard that Chelsea High School was acquiring a new contrabassoon and that she might have the opportunity to play it.

This instrument is huge. The case is around five feet long and doesn't fit very easily in the back seat of the car.

The notes coming from this instrument are very deep and rich. The vibrations made by the notes makes it seem like you are playing a jackhammer.

The music program in the Chelsea School District was able to purchase the contrabassoon and other instruments with funds from the most recent bond issue. Music is an important program in the Chelsea School District and the students are fortunate to be able to experience some instruments that many students do not get to play until they are in college.

Chelsea Community Hospital Professional Building

The Professional Building at Chelsea Community Hospital, 14650 East Old US-12, recently opened its doors on the hospital's campus. The Professional Building includes hospital services and offices that have relocated to this updated facility including laboratory services, ChelseaCare Pharmacy, some x-ray/imaging services, endoscopy, interventional pain, and Chelsea Surgical Associates (Drs. Jennifer Kulick and Suzanne Jones). Other offices included in the building include the Women's Health Center (Dr. Douglas Portz), Chelsea Back Care (Drs. Lawrence Handelsman, Brian Chodoroff, Adam Agranoff, Alexandra Theisen, and Ryan Carver), Michigan Brain & Spine Institute/Michigan Pain Specialists (Drs. Louis Bojrab, John Chatas, Edward Washabaugh III, Geoffrey Thomas, Jason Brodkey, Martin Buckingham, Mark Falahee, Douglas Geiger, and Jeffrey Pinto), Chelsea Dermatology (Drs. Gill and Gustin), and Dr. Weimert (Ear, Nose and Throat).

The Professional Building is a state-of-the-art medical facility including the latest in medical equipment including digital imaging. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the facility did not have the white walls and linoleum floors seen in many other facilities. The colors were warm and friendly down to the rich wooden floors. At left is a photo of the endoscopy recovery area.

Chelsea Community Hospital has always been an important part of the City of Chelsea and the Chelsea area. We are very fortunate to have modern and high-quality medical facilities so close to home. Chelsea Community Hospital is a place to watch. The Professional Building is just the start of some exciting changes to their campus.