Friday, June 28, 2024     |     www.detroitmi.gov

Mayor Duggan joined lifelong State Fair resident, Jean Holt, who spoke on the City of Detroit’s commitment to transform the neighborhood and provide energy efficiency upgrades to neighbors.

Residents in three Detroit neighborhoods who have lived for decades adjacent to some of Detroit’s worst blight got a clear message from Mayor Mike Duggan: You have not been forgotten.

This week, the Mayor joined Department of Neighborhoods Director Ray Solomon, City Councilmembers Coleman A. Young II and Fred DurhaI, and residents to announce that the Gratiot/Findlay, Van Dyke/Lynch and State Fair communities were selected as the first three solar neighborhoods.

Combined, the three areas would create a total of 103.9 acres of solar arrays and bring Detroit halfway to its goal of creating approximately 200 acres of solar arrays to generate enough clean energy to be used by all City municipal buildings. Detroit’s 127 municipal buildings consume 33 megawatts of electricity from traditional sources. Detroit would need to build 200 acres of solar arrays to generate 33 megawatts of renewable energy to offset the power demands of City buildings. There are 159 documented owner-occupied homes in the areas adjoining the new solar fields. The homeowners selected the boundaries of the adjoining community benefits zones. Those homeowners will receive home improvements ranging from $15,000 to $25,000 (depending on the number of solar acres). The eligible home improvements are energy-efficiency upgrades to the homes These homeowners who stayed will get the double benefit of having the most blighted areas replaced by solar fields and will have their neighborhood homes upgraded with new investment.

Mayor Duggan, along with family and former students of Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson, unveiled a statue and dedicated a plaza to the memory of the Tuskegee Airman who helped win World War II and returned home to rise above discrimination to become a celebrated educator.

The event took place at the plaza on Jefferson Field at the corner of Spinoza Drive and Joy Road in Rouge Park, where Lt. Col. Jefferson flew model airplanes later in his life. The plaza is open to the public.

Jefferson’s flying unit, called Red Tails for the colors on their plane tails, escorted bombers into action in Europe – and lost so few planes that bombers requested the unit for flying runs. Jefferson was shot down and kept as a POW before being released and returning to Detroit, where he had a stellar career as a teacher and vice principal. He also helped found a Tuskegee Airmen chapter of former pilots in Detroit. The City unveiled the statue in hopes that it will increase tourism at Detroit’s largest park while also honoring forgotten soldiers who helped win World War II. Jefferson and the Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II. They set the stage for civil rights advocates to continue the struggle to end racial discrimination during the Civil Rights Movement.

Mayor Duggan and local leaders joined Round 1 Down Payment Assistance Program recipients Megan & Micah Williams, and their 1-year-old daughter.

Saturdays in the D kicks off 2024 with $150,000 donation from Ally Financial

The City of Detroit and Ally Financial announced this week that the nation’s largest digital-only bank will contribute $150,000 to support Saturdays in the D, a free summer camp for Detroit youth and an adult learning program.

In addition to contributing financial support of the Detroit enrichment program, Ally will provide financial literacy and education assistance for the adult portion of the program later in the summer.

Saturdays in the D is a six-week summer camp program that kicked off June 10. In partnership with the University of Michigan, Saturdays in the D provides Detroit youth with opportunities to learn about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math).

The adult learning program begins July 6 and is designed to provide education and training to individuals looking to improve their job prospects and advance their careers. The program offers a variety of courses ranging from computer literacy to professional development.

Both the youth and adult programs aim to inspire and encourage participants to pursue careers in these fields and develop important life skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving.

Registration for both camps and adult courses can be found at saturdaysinthed.org.

Mayor Duggan congratulates Motor City Match winner, Scarlett Idema, on the opening of Medicina Scarlett.

Mayor Duggan and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) marked the grand opening of Medicina Scarlett, a bilingual medical service provider and the latest Motor City Match grant recipient this week.

The medical service provider was established to meet the healthcare needs of its diverse community, where over 29,000 households speak Spanish as their primary language, according to Data USA.

Founded by board-certified family nurse practitioner Scarlett Idema, Medicina Scarlett is her way of building medical trust and serving the health and well-being needs of the Southwest Detroit community. As Idema notes, many cultural and social aspects can impact health and healthcare; at present, 90 percent of the patients being seen are Spanish-speaking.

Located at 8631 W. Vernor, the 2,100-square-foot facility offers convenient patient access. Medicina Scarlett plans to introduce in-house laboratory and pharmacy services later this year. These additions aim to reduce medical costs for patients.

Mayor Duggan, Council President Sheffield, Councilman Durhal, and DEGC President and CEO Kevin Johnson joined the winners of Motor City Match Round 27 this week.

Mayor Duggan and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) awarded over $1 million in grants to 16 new local businesses in Motor City Match’s 27th round this week.

This round introduces the groundbreaking Community Violence Intervention (CVI) track, awarding $75,000 in grants and assistance to four businesses led by individuals committed to positive change, marking a new collaboration with local CVI organizations.

The CVI track, a partnership between the City and six Shotstoppers CVI groups, supports entrepreneurs mentored by community violence intervention organizations.

The track aims to formalize and expand qualified businesses, aligning economic growth with community safety goals. It empowers participants, including returning citizens, to achieve sustainable business success while positively impacting their communities.

In total, 76 Detroit businesses representing all seven council districts received support during the 27th round of Motor City Match.

Since 2015, Motor City Match has awarded more than 2,095 businesses, resulting in 168 new brick-and-mortar businesses operating throughout the city of Detroit.

City celebrates fifth anniversary of Detroit ACE, announces Honors Medal winners

The City of Detroit celebrated the fifth anniversary of its Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship (Detroit ACE) by announcing the 2024 Detroit ACE Honors winners, celebrating fine and performing artists who have given 25 years or more of service to local arts.

ACE also announced a campaign to improve branding and funding for Detroit’s creative workforce, one of the best in the country. Called Creativity Takes Courage, the call-out is to encourage continued support not just for stellar veteran artists, but also to support young and emerging artists who are becoming excellent only to be forced to take their excellence elsewhere to have successful careers.

The 2024 ACE Honorees were selected by a panel comprising former winners and arts leaders, which winnowed a list of 59 nominees to five. Detroit ACE hopes to honor five new honorees every year, as does the Kennedy Center on which the program is modeled.

The 2024 ACE Honors Medal winners are:

• Marion Hayden
• Hubert Massey
• George N’Namdi
• Madelyn Porter
• Alvin Waddles

The awards salute lifetime achievement and celebrate artists and arts patrons who have contributed 25 years or more of exceptional service to Detroit arts and culture.

Detroit ACE oversees the City’s investment in the fine and performing arts, culture and history with a special focus on support and increased opportunities for the local creative workforce. Learn more about Detroit ACE here.

Community organizations and federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies will gather at O’Hair Park on June 29 (Rain Date: June 30) for the

annual Peacenic. The event will run from 3 to 7 p.m.

Peacenic is part of the One Detroit Violence Reduction Partnership, a coalition of community and law enforcement partners working together to develop and execute the best strategies to reduce violent crime. The strategy has three components—enforcement, prevention, and reentry.

Residents are encouraged to register for the event by visiting the following website: eventcreate.com/e/june29city-of-detroit-host-peacen.

If you are interested in being a vital member of a team that helps Detroiters get to where they need to be, apply for driver or non-driver positions.

The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) is looking for dedicated employees who can provide excellent customer service while being the motor that moves the city of Detroit. The City offers a competitive salary, health and dental plans, a pension package, and more.

Operator duties include operating motor coaches and wheelchair lifts, collecting and ensuring correct fare, providing location and stop information when necessary, maintaining a clean vehicle, completing route paperwork, and maintaining a route schedule.

Minimum qualifications include completion of high school or G.E.D. and a valid Michigan driver’s license. See full qualifications at the job posting here.

Governor, Mayor, and partners break ground on $29.3-million Dr. Violet T. Lewis Village Development, bringing 100+ affordable homes to seniors

Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Mayor Mike Duggan, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate and other City and State officials joined Dr. Violet Ponders, granddaughter of college founder Dr. Violet T. Lewis, to break ground on the $29.3-million Dr. Violet T. Lewis Village affordable senior apartment community.

Dr. Violet T. Lewis Village will be 100 percent affordable, with apartment rents ranging from 30-80 percent of area median income (AMI).

Additionally, there are five project-based voucher apartments in the adaptive reuse buildings, which target people with even lower incomes.

Construction is anticipated to take 16 months, weather permitting. Learn more at (313) 270-9150 or pvm.org/locations/dr-violet-t-lewis-village/.

New data from Detroit’s ShotStoppers community violence intervention (CVI) program shows that five of the City’s six CVI Zones – areas that consistently experience the most violent crime – saw significant reductions in homicides and non-fatal shootings during the program’s third quarter.

The report looks at homicides and shootings in the CVI and non-CVI areas for the timeframe of February 1 – April 30, 2024, and compares them against the same period one year earlier. Four of the five organizations seeing a reduction in violent crime earned the program’s quarterly performance bonus based on the data.

While many cities provide funding for CVI programs, what makes Detroit so unique is its performance-based approach that measures and rewards outcomes. Based on the results so far, the City has extended the program for another year for four of the six groups that achieved significant declines.

East Warren continues to transform as Mayor joined officials and partners for Public Market groundbreaking

Mayor Duggan joined City officials, East Warren Development Corporation, Invest Detroit, the Gilbert Family Foundation and community members to celebrate a great investment in the East Warren Ave corridor, one of Detroit’s Strategic Neighborhood Fund (SNF) neighborhoods.

Last week’s groundbreaking of the East Warren Public Market is one of many milestones the community has recently celebrated, including the completion of an $8.8-million streetscape, multiple Motor City Match business openings, and progress on an 18-unit affordable housing development.

East Warren Public Market will be a hub for local vendors and small business owners to network and sell their products year-round. The 10,000-square-foot building will feature a small grocery market, retail spaces for vendors and budding entrepreneurs, a community gathering space, and a farmer’s market.