Oakland County Offers Citizen Planner Course in September

Oakland County Offers Citizen Planner Course in September (press release, June 24, 2013) The Oakland County Department of Economic Development & Community Affairs, in partnership with the Michigan State University Extension – Oakland, presents the Michigan Citizen Planner Classroom Series in September and October. Michigan Citizen Planner offers the Fundamentals of Planning and Zoning, a…

The Great Fracking Debate in Oakland County (video)

The discussion took place in West Bloomfield Township, a community that passed a moratorium on fracking last year after Township Supervisor Michele Economou Ureste sat in on a land auction where rights to Michigan’s resources were bid out to oil and gas companies.

With some of the land being in Oakland County, municipal and county officials like Economou Ureste had concerns about the potential for fracking so close to home. Northern Oakland County has several lakes…

Teachers Can Register for Active Shooter Training through County

Experts from Oakland County Homeland Security Division and the Sheriff’s Office will conduct five training sessions for school personnel on how to react in an active shooter situation in January and February.

“Dec. 14, 2012 is emblazoned on our memories forever,” Patterson said. “Many died in the Newtown, Conn. tragedy. But many others survived because teachers knew just what to do with a shooter in the building.”

Helaine Zack Swears In…

Zack is now representing Huntington Woods, part of Oak Park, Royal Oak Township, Hazel Park and Ferndale.

Zack said she is looking forward to working within the new communities, including Ferndale. “First, I plan to attend Council or Commission meetings monthly to present what is going on in the County and how certain County programs can help local residents. I will try to attend as many local community events as possible to meet, greet and listen to concerns of residents…

Art is for Everyone Picks Ferndale for HQ

23233 Woodward has a new, but temporary, tenant. The building is the Oakland County Headquarters for the Art is for Everyone Campaign, whose goal is to encourage support of the Aug. 7th ballot proposal to provide taxpayer support for the Detroit Institute of Arts. The millage will cost the owner of a $150,000 home about $15 a year, and the money will be used to operate the museum and its programming.

Let the Fracking Begin:

The State of Michigan has opened up leases for land to be used for gas and mineral rights, including areas in North Oakland County. The leases do not permit above-ground development, but leaseholders could access gas through sideways drilling or fracking. Oakland County Commissioners Craig Covey, D-Ferndale, and Jim Nash, D-Farmington Hills, have been pushing for the Commission to request a temporary moratorium on fracking in Oakland County until more research can be done on the effects.