Friday, May 29, 2015

Don't Become A Victim

Dearborn has started a Lock It or Lose It campaign in order to inform Dearborn residents that you can do your part in avoiding becoming a victim of crime. While the Lock It or Lose It campaign focuses on vehicle larceny, which Dearborn  Police Chief Ron Haddad has stated are now up to about 700 a year in the City of Dearborn, another alarming trend has been home invasion. It would seem that criminals have determined that if Dearborn is complacent about locking our cars, then maybe we don't lock our houses either.
Just this Thursday a friend of mine, whom I will not name here, and who lives in the Highland Neighborhood of Dearborn posted this on Facebook:

"Last night at about 2:30 am we woke up when the doorbell starts ringing and knocking on the front door. Went to investigate and no one was there. Then we saw 3 or 4 guys in the backyard pushing on a window. I turned on the yard light and they scattered, and sped off in a newer black Explorer with their headlights off. Police responded within a couple minutes." "Saw our neighbors security video of the perps. About 8 of them and had 2 cars. checking out house by house. neighbors yards, then mine. then took off when I hit the yard lights."

Does this mean Dearborn has become an unsafe city to live in? No I don't think so, but in order to insure it doesn't truly become that way we all need to be vigilant. We must lock our cars. We must lock our house windows when we're not home. Believe me, I'm the first one to admit that locking your windows is a pain. Just this week I rode bikes with my kids to school; I returned home to find I forget my house key. In the past I have been known to pull a screen and get in through a window. On this day I had locked all the windows and I was stuck outside, but at least I knew the crooks wouldn't be getting in either. Yes maybe the days are gone of leaving your back door perpetually unlocked, but honestly we live in a major metropolitan area, did those days ever truly exist? As the warm summer months come we'll be tempted to let the house air out while we're gone, but we must let the criminals know that Dearborn is not easy pickings and that we are on the look out.

If you see any suspicious activity or crime in progress call 911 immediately!

If you want to help with the S.O.D.A. Neighborhood Watch program please contact Regan Ford, myself, or submit a message in the Contact Us form on the full web version of this site.

Timothy Harrison
S.O.D.A. Vice President

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

“Lock It or Lose It”

In an effort to reduce thefts from cars this summer and beyond, the Dearborn Police Department has launched a campaign to remind residents: If you don’t lock your car, you’re making it a target for crime.

- Don’t leave valuables in an unattended vehicle.
- If that’s not possible, lock the materials in the trunk of the car, or at least place them out of clear view.
- Always lock unattended vehicles.
- Notify police of any suspicious activity by calling the Police Non-Emergency Tip Line at 313-943-3030.

If you see an active crime taking place immediately call 911
Do not confront anyone yourself.

For more information about “Lock It or Lose It” see the City of Dearborn website:
Lock It Or Lose It campaign aims to decrease thefts from vehicles

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Memorial Day 2015

This Memorial Day we celebrate and honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
S.O.D.A. salutes our neighbors who have served in our name.

Happy Memorial Day!

Friday, May 22, 2015

May Raffle Winners

Congratulations to our May Meeting raffle giveaway Winners!

Member Raffle
Tickets to a Detroit Tigers game courtesy of Wayne County Commission Chair Gary Woronchak.

Winner: George Turley

To win the member raffle you must be a paid member and present at the monthly meeting
Member names drawn but not present:
- Bobbie and Steve Crites
- Chris Sylvester

Attendance Raffle
Gift certificate to Fisher's Flower Shop

Winner: Betty Godfrey

The attendance raffle can be won by anyone in attendance at the meeting.

50/50 Raffle

Winner: Mike Albano

Thank you to Mike for donating his winnings back to the association!

Thursday, May 21, 2015

May S.O.D.A. Meeting & Neighborhood Watch

The May S.O.D.A. Meeting
Thursday May 21st @ 7:00pm
in the auditorium at Whitmore-Bolles Elementary
21501 Whitmore St, Dearborn, MI 48124

We're happy to announce that we should have a special guest. State Representative and Dearborn resident George Darany has communicated that he is going to try and make it to the May meeting.

There will also be Neighborhood Watch committee meeting at the end of the general meeting for some updates on the neighborhood watch activities.

Facebook Event - May Meeting

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Win Free Stuff

Did you know you could win free stuff including tickets to major sporting events just for attending a S.O.D.A. meeting?
Past prizes have included Detroit Tigers tickets, Detroit Red Wings regular season & playoff tickets, gift cards and gift baskets from local businesses.
  • Member Raffle for any paid members in attendance.
  • Attendance Raffle for ANYONE in attendance.
The only requirement for winning is attending the association meeting. For the Member Raffle we pull names from the entire member list until we pull the name of a paid member in attendance. For the Attendance Raffle we draw names of anyone that signed in when attending the meeting. You must be present to win.

*All prizes are donated by our supporters and business advertisers.


Thursday, May 14, 2015

S.O.D.A. POP


S.O.D.A.'s Trivia Team
2nd and 4th Thursdays @ 9pm
Free! Fun! No Commitment!

Bailey's Dearborn
22091 Michigan Ave (@ Mason)

- Adults only (no minors allowed in bar after 10pm)
- Free parking nearby
- Free to play, buy your own food and beverage
- No pressure to perform--it's a team game!
- You will be expected to follow guidelines and game rules
- No commitment to come every event. Come on the weeks you can.
- Any gift card prizes won ($10 - $30) will be used to order food to be shared by everyone attending the following event at the discretion of the team captain.

Please RSVP to ensure there is enough seating for everyone.

Contact Criss Tolliver for more information and to RSVP
crissandsteve@hotmail.com
(313) 304-2648

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Summary of 2016 Budget Meeting for Pools

Some of this information was posted on other sites, but I wanted to give a summary of what was discussed for those not on Facebook.

The meeting was moved to the Council Chambers in anticipation of a larger crowd. Only about 12 people show up including myself, Regan Ford, Ryan Woods, and Gary Woronchak.

The recommendation from the city administration is to build a new large pool at Ford Woods and a splash pad at Whitmore-Bolles. $218,400 from the Wayne County Parks Millage plus $30,000 from the City of Dearborn general fund would be used to build the splash pad.  The meeting was not a public forum, but they did ask for Gary Woronchak's opinion on what the County's money, which he secured, should be used toward. Gary said he would like to see a splash pad or a pool, but personally would prefer a pool for sentimental reasons. He concluded that any decisions would of course be up to the city / council and should not be based on his recommendation.  After much discussion it seems the council is not inclined to approve ANY new splash pads until they see the results of the two current ones which have yet to be operational due to their late completion last year. Councilman Bazzy is pushing for a pool at Whitmore-Bolles, it seems most of the council is split or uncertain either way, Councilman Shooshanian seems inclined to not have neighborhood pools at all. The Mayor is pushing for a large zero entry pool with lap lanes and "comfort station" (locker rooms) at Ford Woods at a proposed cost of $3.0 million. Since the closing of the Hemlock pool usage at the current Ford Woods pool has dramatically increased.
Councilman Bazzy afterwards said he wasn't convinced that there is full support on the council to even approve the large pool for Ford Woods.

New pool liners are to be installed this fall in the lap pool and diving well at Dunworth as part of the current 2015 budget.

Crowley pool will be razed as repairs are now estimated at upwards of $200,000. The pool liner is heaving and cost to repair is just not feasible. Demolition costs are estimated at $40,000.

It is assumed the original lifespan of the current neighborhood pools that are left was 25-30 years, they are now at 60 years of operation. The city's current stance on the existing neighborhood pools is they will remain operational until such point that repairs are cost prohibitive. Basically repairs less than $40,000 could be done. There is some debate as to whether or not parts can be found to fix the aging pools. The Mayor claims that parts to repair are not being manufactured and hard to find. This may or may not be the case. Given their age the death sentence seems to have been written. It's just a matter of time before they will be closed, could be 1 year, could be 10 years, but probably sooner than later.

There will be a public forum budget meeting on June 2nd at 6:30 pm at the DAC. Residents will be allowed to voice their opinions at that meeting.

As an additional note, it looks like they're going to tear down the fountain in front of the Centennial Library which has not been functional for some time and create the new memorial park there instead of on the soccer field next to the Dearborn Administrative Center. There are no plans now to construct a new enterence road for the DAC or any other construction at this time on the soccer field between the DAC and the library. Also they look to explore the possibility of adding an indoor soccer venue attached to the east side the Preforming Arts Center. No funds other than that for the exploratory commission are being pursued.

This is just a summary of what I got from the meeting.
If there is any inaccuracy please let me know and I will edit this post.

Timothy Harrison
S.O.D.A. Vice President

Monday, May 11, 2015

Dale Van Dorp "The Voice of Dearborn"

Dearborn has lost a legend. It is with a heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of Dale Van Dorp "The Voice of Dearborn".  Dale died Sunday evening at 10:30 pm after a long bout with cancer.
One of our area's greatest performers Dale was a charter member of the Dearborn Theatre Hall of Fame and Dearborn Area Theatre Association.
To most Dearborn residents Dale was most recognized as "The Voice of Dearborn", Dale would MC many city events and anyone that has ever been to Dearborn Homecoming would recognize his deep welcoming voice. For 34 years Dale would inform of us about upcoming acts at Stage B, remind us kids to head to the Police Command Post if we got lost, and count down to a resounding "Happy Homecoming Dearborn!" before another amazing fireworks display. Homecoming will never be the same without Dale's voice echoing across Ford Field.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dale's family and friends.
Dale Van Dorp (1952 - 2015)

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Dearborn 2016 Budget Meeting

Come this Tuesday, May 12th 2015, to the city budget meeting to let the City of Dearborn know you believe pools will enhance the quality of life for our residents.
Several months ago the Dearborn Recreation Commission included Whitmore-Bolles as part of their recommendation for new pools in the city.
2016 Budget Meeting
6:00 pm at the Dearborn Administrative Center
16901 Michigan Ave., Conference Room 1A

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Park Clean-Up 2015

Between 9:30am and 11:30am on May 2nd we were able to clean up trash and debris from three parks. Penn Vassar Park, Oxford Park, and Schemansky Park. We had about 40 total people show up including neighbors, Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts, and their parents. Thank you to all who came out to help.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Member Picnic 2015

S.O.D.A. Member Picnic

Hot Dogs, beverages, kids games and more will be provided!

This is an association member only event.

Invites were sent by email to all paid association members for the S.O.D.A. Member picnic. If you are a paid member and did not receive an invite please contact one of the board members or submit a comment in the Contact Us form on side bar of the full version of this website.
Not a paid member yet?
Sign Up Here: S.O.D.A. Membership Signup