NIN IDI \ 46F ,,,1 hO I II( Ann Arbor, Michigan Tuesday, September 13, 2011 michigandaily.com BORDERS BYGONE REGENTS PREVIEW Regents to talk Crisler renovations at meeting LEFT: A sign outside the Borders flagship store on East Liberty Street thanks customers for their support throughout the years. The store closed yesterday after being in business for 40 years. RIGHT: A security officer outside Borders yesterday. The company, which was founded by brothers Tom and Louis Borders in Ann Arbor in 1971, is liquidating 399 stores nationwide. An auction of the company's intellectual property rights is scheduled to take place tomorrow. CITY GOVERNMENT New A2 city administrator di scusses future challenges Board to also discuss new Medical School departments By KAITLIN WILLIAMS Daily StaffReporter The University's Board of Regents will kick off the new school year with discussions of rumpus renovations anod expan- sions during its meeting in the Fleming. Administration Build- ing Thursday afternoon. At the forefront of the agenda is a proposal to approve the next phase of renovations to Crisler Arena. In a communication to the regents, Timothy Slottow, the University's executive vice presi- dent and chief financial officer, and University Athletic Direc- tor Dave Brandon recommended that the regents authorize the Crisler Arena project for outside bids and award construction con- tracts. The regents approved the schematic design of the project at their monthly meeting in May. Brandon and Slottow also recom- mended that the regents approve the submission of bids that are within the proposed $52 million budget for the project. The 63,000-square-foot addi- tion to the arena will include new entrances and retail, ticket and private club areas. Another 54,000-square-foot addition will add handicap-accessible seats, additional restrooms, concession stands and other "fan amenities," the communication states. Construction on the arena is scheduled to he complete in win- ter 2014. BOARD TO VOTE ON TWO MEDICAL SCHOOL DEPTS. The University Medical School is r'questing the regents' approval to establish two new departments: the Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics and the Depart- ment of Cardiac Surgery. According to Medical School Dean James Woolliscroft and Ora Pescovitz, the University's executive vice president for med- ical affairs, the establishment of the departments will be instru- mental to the University's aca- demic growth. See REGENTS, Page5 Steve Powers to assume post on Thursday By ADAM RUBENFIRE DailyStaff Reporter Steve Powers,the newly hired city administrator, will make the switch from overseeing a county in the Upper Peninsula to looking after operations in Ann Arbor when he begins his new position on Thursday. Powers will take the place of Roger Fraser, who left the city in April to work in the state Department of Treasury. Pow- ers, who most recently served as county administrator in Mar- quette County in the Upper Pen- insula, said one of his primary tasks as Ann Arbor's city admin- istrator will be ensuring the city continues to operate effectively despite city budget cuts. In an interview yesterday, Powers said though this will be his first job as a city administra- tor, he's confident that he has gained extensive experience for the job through his work as a county administrator. "The similarities between city and county management are greater than the differences," Powers said. "It's working with people, it's working with bud- gets, it's providing services." Still, Powers said he wants to learn more about the needs of Ann Arbor residents. "I'm going to be taking the first 100 days to listen and observe," he said. Powers noted that Ann Arbor, like many municipalities across the state, has been forced to make budget cuts recently. For the 2012 fiscal year, the Ann Arbor police and fire depart- ments will have to cut 30 posi- tions, though most of them See ADMINISTRATOR, Page 5 STATEWIDE SMOKING BAN Ann Arbor bars refrain from banning state lawmakers A birds-eye view of campus construction Establishments would keep them out of certain restaurants today. across state see Almost a year and a half after the implementation of Michi- profit losses due to gan's Smoke Free Air Law, a group of Michigan bar owners smoking law has begun to protest the legis- lation by refusing to allow state By HALEY GLATTHORN legislators into their establish- Daily StaffReporter ments. However, while these restaurant owners have seen When voting in favor of reduced profits because of the the statewide smoking ban in ban, many Ann Arbor bars have . December 2009, Michigan leg- seen an increase in revenue islators didn't know their vote because of it. Stephen Mace, executive director of Protect Private Property Rights in Michigan, said his organization repre- sents approximately 500 bars and restaurants throughout the state that lost business due to the smoking ban, which was officially implemented on May 1, 2010. He added that though legislators attempted to provide a more pleasurable, smoke-free atmosphere for customers, they ignored the smokers that com- See BARS, Page5 UNIVERSITY CONSTRUCTION Construction of pedestrian mall on 700 block of Monroe Street remains stalled Dominick's owner expresses concern about project By CHELSEA LANDRY For the Daily Students and faculty looking for a more pedestrian-friendly pathway near the Law School may have to wait a little longer. The University's plan to cre- ate a pedestrian mall on Mon- roe Street between State Street and Oakland Avenue still awaits approval by the city of Ann Arbor. Originally proposed in 2008, the pedestrian mall would con- nect Weill Hall and South Hall - a new Law School building slated to open in January - of the University's Law School and reduce traffic. The project, expected to cost about $3 million, would result in a pedestrian mall similar to existing ones on campus such as Ingalls Mall. Jim Kosteva, the University's director of community rela- tions, said though there aren't anyupdates on the construction See MONROE, Page 5 WEATHER HI 71 TOMORROW 'LO 45 GOT A NEWS TIP? NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Call 734-418-4115or e-mail SACUA talks importance of governing bodies news@michigandaily.com and let us know. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE WIRE INDEX AP NEWS .................. 2 CLASSIFIEDS..............6 Vol.CXXIl,No.6 OPINION.....................4 ARTS..................., ..6 02011TheMichigan Daily NEWS .........................5S SPORTS................8 michigondoily~com