Friday, January 19, 2024     |     www.detroitmi.gov

Mayor Duggan, Visit Detroit kick off On the Clock Tour at Winterfest ahead of 2024 NFL Draft

Mayor Mike Duggan joined Visit Detroit, the Detroit Sports Commission and local partners to kick off the On The Clock Tour during the annual Winterfest event.

The On the Clock Tour is a neighborhood event program bringing the fun and excitement of football to residents across the seven districts in the city ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft in April.

Developed by the Mayor’s Office and Detroit Parks and Recreation Division, the annual Winterfest features a variety of traditional winter activities. This year came with additional football-focused events, including an appearance by Roary, the Detroit Lions’ mascot, Lions’ interactive inflatables, running the 40-yard dash, and the chance to kick a field goal.

More community events and programs will be held in the coming months before the NFL Draft kicks off in downtown Detroit. Learn more on the Visit Detroit NFL Draft page here.

Applications are now open for Detroiters to apply for the Neighborhood Beautification Program (NBP), which awards grants ranging from $500 to $15,000 to beautify vacant land across the city.

The NBP provides funding for block clubs, neighborhood associations, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based groups that currently own vacant land to complete a project in the community. For those who hope to participate but do not yet own land, NBP staff can assist organizations with purchasing or leasing lots owned by the Detroit Land Bank Authority.

These photos show the transformation of the Marjorie Street Garden, thanks to the Neighborhood Beautification Program. The project was one of the first to receive funding in 2022. 

The NBP grants support three types of projects:

• Community Gardens
• Public Space Improvements
• Clean-Up Activities

The program has awarded 99 grants totaling $1.24 million across every City Council district since fall 2022, and $3.51 million in grants remain available through 2025. The deadline to apply for funding this year is February 23.

The City of Detroit is reminding residents that respite locations and warming centers are available to provide relief from the cold. Four warming centers are open around the clock for those who are homeless and need shelter during cold weather.

Warming Centers
Four warming centers are now open now to provide shelter from the cold weather, plus two meals, showers, sleeping accommodations, and housing assistance services to residents experiencing homelessness.

To access these warming centers or year-round emergency shelters, residents should call the City of Detroit’s Housing Services Helpline at 866-313-2520 during the hours of 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday-Friday.  Veterans seeking shelter should call 866-313-2520 from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Mondays-Friday.

The warming centers are:

• Cass Community Social Services – Serves families and women
• Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries – Serves families and women
• Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries – Serves single males
• Joseph Walker Williams Recreation Center – Serves men, women, and families

Respite Locations
In addition to the overnight warming centers listed above, the City of Detroit is providing recreation centers as respite locations, which are open during normal operating hours. Additionally, Detroit Public Library branches are available during their normal operating hours for residents to stay warm.

Detroit Animal Control strongly urges pet owners to bring animals inside, especially during extreme weather

As frigid temperatures sweep the city, Detroit Animal Control (DAC) and the Health Department remind pet owners that temperatures below freezing and wind chill can be dangerous, even deadly, for domesticated pets.

This is why DAC is urging pet owners to bring in their pets; however, if people leave their pets outdoors for any length of time, they are required by Michigan state law to provide them with adequate food, water, and shelter.

Failing to provide proper provisions for pets can result in misdemeanor animal cruelty violations, carrying a sentence of up to 93 days in jail, up to a $1,000 fine, community service, and loss of pet ownership for a specified amount of time.

If it’s too cold for you to stand at the door without your coat, it’s probably too cold for your dog, so pay attention to their behavior while outdoors. If you notice your dog whining, shivering, or appearing anxious, or they stop playing and seem to be looking for places to burrow, it’s time to bring them in.

Detroit Health Department offering free radon test kits during Radon Action Month

The Detroit Health Department is giving away free radon test kits from now through February to assist with keeping Detroiters safe during Radon Action Month. After March 1, residents can purchase radon kits for $10 from the Detroit Health Department.

January is Radon Action Month. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking in the United States. Radon has no odor or taste and can build up in the air inside of any home or building.

Testing is the only way to learn whether your home has a high level of radon. Testing is recommended every two to five years. If a home has a high radon level, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends installing a radon reduction system.

Radon test kits are available at the Detroit Health Department building at 100 Mack on the third floor. Kits can also be found at local hardware stores, home improvement centers, and other retail stores.

For more information, visit Michigan.gov/radon.

Sign up for Detroit Connected app, gain access to local channels

The City of Detroit Media Services Department’s app, called Detroit Connected, allows Detroiters to watch City Channels 10, 21, 22, and 68 on their phones and devices, without a cable connection. Along with the service provided on the City website, this app now gives residents multiple places to keep up-to-date on local news.

The new app is now available on Roku, Amazon Firestick, Google Play, and the Apple App Store, and can be used on both televisions and smartphones. The linktree for all the services is here: link.

With Detroit Connected, residents can view live television, including City Council meetings, press conferences, groundbreakings and similar public events. The channels can also be viewed on the City website, giving residents multiple convenient choices.

Detroiters with the app can also watch videos of previous live events, including City Council, Detroit Board of Police Commissioners, and City Planning Commission meetings, along with press conferences from Mayor Mike Duggan and other City officials.

Residents can sign up for Detroit Alerts 365 to receive emergency alerts

City residents can sign up for Detroit Alerts 365, which sends Detroit-specific emergency notifications through the CodeRED emergency notification system. This free system allows individuals to choose how they would like to receive alerts — via telephone, text message, and/or email.

There are several benefits to enrolling in Detroit Alerts 365:

• Notifications are on the go with individuals, who receive important alerts and non-emergency notifications, based on their address directly to your cell phone, home phone, text, or email
• Individuals will receive notifications targeted to residents in a specific area experiencing emergency conditions
• Personal data is secure in the CodeRED system
  
  

In addition to registering for Detroit Alerts 365, residents can download the CodeRED Mobile Alert App to receive emergency alerts based on your current location.

To register, go to detroitalerts365.org or text DetroitAlerts365 to 99411.

$14.5 million in grants slated for neighborhood developments

Mayor Mike Duggan talks with Invest Detroit President Dave Blaskiewicz and Michigan Economic Development Corporation Executive Vice President Michele Wildman inside the former Jefferson School, which is being redeveloped to include a new headquarters for Invest Detroit.

The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) was awarded $14.5 million by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) through the Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) 2.0 program. The grant will provide crucial gap financing to support five major mixed-use development projects in downtown Detroit and key neighborhood commercial corridors.

The five projects, totaling over $255 million in investment, will add density in impact areas through a combination of commercial space, market-rate housing and workforce housing. Developers were selected based on project location, readiness to proceed, organizational capacity, long-term community impacts, financial viability and local/regional strategic alignment.

Four of the five projects are expected to start construction in the first quarter of 2024. The Jefferson School is already under construction and halfway through completion.

Perennial Corktown apartments celebrate grand opening

Mayor Duggan joined local leaders last week to celebrate the opening of the new Perennial Corktown Apartments with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The newest apartment building in the city of Detroit will have a total of 195 units available for rent. There are 188 apartment units ranging from studio to two bedrooms and seven townhomes ranging from two bedrooms to three bedrooms.

The apartment building is seven stories, and each townhome is three stories tall with a private roof deck per unit.