Troy Doesn't Own Transit Center Land, Says Appeals Court

The half-built, $6 million project could be in jeopardy following the ruling in favor of Grand/Sakwa Properties.

The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a developer who claims that the city of Troy does not own the land where its regional transit center is currently being built. Real estate developers Grand/Sakwa Properties originally donated the 77 acres, south of Maple and Coolidge roads in Troy, back in 2000, with an agreement to get the transit center funded within 10 years. The court ruled that the Troy City Council's approved plan to fund the center, contentiously agreed upon in January 2012, was too late to meet the June 2, 2010 deadline.  "The City of Troy has built this Transit Center on a parcel of land it does not own now and has never owned," Grand/Sakwa spokesperson Mort Meisner said Friday. "Next steps are unclear." A consent …

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PSS

5:45 pm on Monday, May 13, 2013

loser   more ›

City Accepting Applications for Vacant Council Seat

Applications are due to the City Clerk’s Office by Wednesday, Nov. 28 at noon.

Former Troy City Manager John Szerlag Faces Criticism in Florida

Some Cape Coral residents are reportedly accusing Cape Coral City Manager John Szerlag and his staff of making controversial comments during a meeting that was mistakenly broadcast live over cable access last week.

Former Troy City Manager and current Cape Coral, FL City Manager John Szerlag is reportedly facing criticism in Cape Coral after audio from a meeting with his staff members was mistakenly broadcast live over cable access on July 18. Szerlag denies accusations that he insinuated that the mayor and a city councilman "didn't matter" when it came to their opinions on a controversial utilities expansion project, calling the accusations "absurd," according to the News Press. Cape Coral city officials told The Cape Coral Daily Breeze that the meeting, while broadcast live, was not recorded. Cape Coral City Councilman Chris Chulakes-Leetz and Cape Coral Mayor John Sullivan say they were mentioned by name during the meeting, the audio from which …

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Troy Council Focuses on Police Services, Fund Balance at Budget Meeting

Continued funding of the Troy Historic village is also on the table with a second budget study session scheduled for Monday evening.

Monday's subdued Troy City Council special budget study session at City Hall gave council members an opportunity to study, discuss and even debate portions of the 2012-13 proposed budget, with the hottest topics being cuts to the Troy Police Department and continued funding of the Troy Museum & Historic Village. The session was led by Troy City Manager John Szerlag and Tom Darling, acting director of Financial and Administrative Services; about 15 members of the public also attended the meeting. Overall, Troy's city budget will decrease by 6.4 percent, from $141.3 million this fiscal year to a projected $132.3 million next fiscal year, Darling said. "In the public sector, when the economy goes down, demand goes up," Szerlag explained. …

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On the Agenda: Transit Center Subcontract, Council Rules of Procedure

Troy City Council meets at 7:30 tonight at Troy City Hall.

Troy City Council will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Troy City Hall. During tonight's meeting, Council will vote on a resolution to adopt the updated City Council Rules of Procedure (please see attached pdf file) as well as a resolution to approve a Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) subcontract with Tooles Clark to serve as the Construction Manager at Risk for the Transit Center Project, among other things. Below is the agenda with links to supporting documentation; the agenda packet is also attached to this article. For your convenience, the meeting will also be live-streamed right here starting at 7:30 p.m. Call to Order A-01 Call to Order Roll Call B-01 Roll Call Certificates of Recognition and Special Presentations C-01 …

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Troy City Council Calls Special Meeting to Decide Fate of Transit Center

The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers at Troy City Hall.

Troy City Council will again deliberate the fate of the proposed multi-modal transit center in a special meeting to be held Tuesday evening. An email from the city of Troy sent Saturday afternoon reads: Be advised that the Troy City Council will hold a Special Meeting on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 7:30 PM in the Council Chambers at Troy City Hall, 500 W. Big Beaver, Troy, Michigan, (248) 524-3300. The purpose of the meeting is to deliberate and vote on the Transit Center Project. This notice is hereby posted as required by Section 4 of the Open Meetings Act, (MCLA 15.261 et seq.). Council, which voted 4-3 not to approve a subcontract for the design of the multi-modal transit center on Dec. 19, was scheduled to vote on a revised proposal …

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Troy Mayor Said 'Disturbing Things' in Meeting, Gay-Straight Alliance Leader Says

Janice Daniels' reference to homosexuality being dangerous to mental health disturbed leaders of the Troy High School Gay-Straight Alliance, whom the mayor met with on Monday.

Troy Mayor Janice Daniels again met with members of the Troy High School Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Monday afternoon in an effort to reach an understanding after Daniels' anti-gay Facebook slur garnered statewide and nationwide attention last month. The meeting, however, left several members of the GSA and their supporters disappointed. “There were a lot of disturbing things that were said in that meeting," said GSA member and Troy High School senior Skye Curtis. According to Curtis and others who attended the meeting – including GSA member Zach Kilgore and lesbian couple Amy and Tina Weber – Daniels, while discussing mental health and suicide among members of the LGBT community, at one point suggested putting together a panel of …

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Bill Lynn

2:25 pm on Saturday, January 28, 2012

Point of fact. The APA replaced "homosexuality" in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) in 1973 and replaced it with "ego-dystonic homosexuality" which was removed entirely from the DSM in 1986. Since then, the field of psychiatry has not recognized homosexuality alone as a mental illness. Which isn't to say that members of the LGBT community aren't affected by other forms of mental …   more ›

Replay: Troy City Council Votes Down Transit Center

Troy Patch reported live during Troy's City Council meeting Monday night. Here is the replay of the live chat.

UPDATE: The Troy City Council voted down the contract to design the Troy Transit Center, effectively squashing the project and ensuring the $8.4 million federal grant will be returned to be used elsewhere. Complete coverage of the transit center story Patch will be livestreaming tonight's Troy City Council meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. You can also join in the conversation right here starting at 7 p.m. The council is expected to vote tonight on whether it wishes to continue with plans to construct an $8.4 million transit center or scrap the project entirely. The council is also expected to hear public comment regarding the recent controversy surrounding Troy Mayor Janice Daniels. The meeting is open to the public, …

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Letter to the Editor: The Code of Ethics

Eve Parsons of Troy submitted this letter to the editor in an effort to clarify the contents of the Troy City Council's Code of Ethics and "to keep the dialogue going on what is a very important issue.'

  By Eve Parsons I'm aware of the Troy City Council's Code of Ethics which took over 2 1/2 years(!) of discussion to formulate and was finally signed and adopted by the previous mayor and City Council on Oct. 18, 2010. This document (attached here in PDF) addresses items such as meeting attendance, being informed on issues and respecting confidentiality of information.  However, respect for all people and refraining from hate speech are not included.  Therefore, it appears that the document is incomplete and City Council needs to bring it up to a standard which will more accurately reflect the values the Troy Community holds dear.  Only then, can this piece of paper be called a "Code of Ethics."   Since lately much has been said about …

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Troy Residents Comment on Transit Center; Vote Expected Dec. 19

The $8.4 million transit center is slated to be built with federal funds; council is expected to vote Dec. 19 on whether to move forward – or scrap the project.

Troy City Council heard from area residents Monday night offering their opinions on the proposed Troy Multi-Modal Transit Facility. Council had encouraged people to come forward with opinions at Monday night's City Council meeting in advance of making a decision on whether the project would move forward or be scrapped. On Nov. 21, council ended its meeting without taking any action to alter the fate of an $8.4 million transit center that is slated to be built with funding from the Federal Railroad Administration. The transit center project would replace the current Amtrak station located in Birmingham. The new facility would allow for connections to other modes of transportation, including a SMART bus terminal and potential connections …

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Karen Schoonover

9:53 am on Saturday, December 17, 2011

Love your points for the transit center Cathy. I have an ominous feeling that there are going to be many speakers at the December 19th City Council Meeting AGAINST the transit center. Please have your say (this time around) City of Troy voters and sign up to comment regarding the pros of the transit center. If you can't make the meeting, email City Council! I just did.   more ›