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WBPD has new temporary lobby
WEST BLOOMFIELD — According to an email from West Bloomfield Police Chief Curt Lawson, on July 20, the West Bloomfield Police Department closed its front lobby for the second phase of a remodel and expansion project.
A temporary lobby has been opened in the rear of the WBPD.
The lobby is staffed 24/7.
Signs have been placed outside of the building to direct residents to the new, temporary location, with dedicated parking having been made available.
The new lobby is expected to be open in mid-October.
“The public can expect to see a modern lobby with a customer friendly counter designed to better interact with our Team Members,” the email states.
WB library offers ‘Human Books’
WEST BLOOMFIELD — On Saturday, Aug. 12, visitors to the West Bloomfield Township Public Library will be able to “borrow a person.”
A group of “human books” will be available in the Main Branch meeting room 11 a.m.-3 p.m. to have conversations with visitors about their life experiences.
The release states that the event is hosted in cooperation with the Human Library organization, “which aims to create more inclusive communities through conversations that challenge stigmas and stereotypes.”
The release goes on to state that the Human Library creates a safe space for dialogue between individuals who might not otherwise have an opportunity to talk together.
“At a time when many individuals grapple with social isolation and our country seems divided, it’s important to have conversations with our neighbors and better understand their life experiences,” Victoria Edwards, a library marketing specialist, stated via the release. “It helps remind us that we’re all human and we’re not as different from each other as we might think.”
According to the release, visitors can drop by anytime during the event and start at a table outside the meeting room, where they will receive guidance from the librarians on topics available for lending.
Once visitors have selected which “Human Book” they’d like to talk to, they can sit and have an open conversation with them for about 30 minutes. Titles are available on a first come, first served basis.
The event is free and open to the public, with no registration required. For more information, call (248) 682-2120.
Childhood center scheduled to host open house
WEST BLOOMFIELD — The Sarah & Irving Pitt Early Childhood Center, located at The J-Detroit in West Bloomfield, is scheduled to host an open house 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9, for prospective students and their parents, according to a press release.
The preschool, which was founded in 1976 and accepts children as young as newborns up to pre-K 4-year-olds, will restart its enrichment program for the coming academic year.
Enrichment programs had been on pause since the pandemic, but gym, music, cooking and Hebrew and Judaic classes are now offered.
According to the release, the $100 enrollment fee is being waived for new students to help reduce the overall cost, and new families that sign up by Sept. 1 will get two weeks of free school.
Scholarships are available through funding from donors, and grants are distributed dependent on family income, the release states.
On average, approximately two-thirds of the students are Jewish and a third of the students are not, with 30 dedicated teaching staff members, some of whom have been with the school for more than 20 years, the release states.
To sign up for the open house and for more information on the Sarah & Irving Pitt Early Childhood Center, go to jccdet.org/pitt-ecc.
MDOT shares freeway update
FARMINGTON HILLS — Michigan Department of Transportation contract crews working on the Interstate 696 Restore the Reuther Rebuilding Michigan project are beginning to rebuild major freeway interchange ramps, according to a press release from MDOT.
Through late August, the southbound M-10 ramp to eastbound I-696 is scheduled to be closed while it is being rebuilt.
Southbound M-10 traffic traveling to eastbound I-696 will be detoured via eastbound 10 Mile Road to northbound 10 Mile, northbound Lahser Road and eastbound Coral Gables Street to eastbound I-696, according to the release.
“This $275 million project includes rebuilding the roadway from the base up, including storm sewer replacement work, and rebuilding ramps at Orchard Lake Road, American Drive, Franklin Road and US-24 (Telegraph Road),” the release states. “This year, eastbound I-696 is being rebuilt from I-275 to east of US-24 (Telegraph Road). The westbound lanes will be rebuilt in 2024.”
Project details can be found at drivingoakland.com.
Funding for the project is made possible by the Rebuilding Michigan program “to rebuild the state highways and bridges that are critical to the state’s economy and carry the most traffic. The investment strategy is aimed at fixes that result in longer useful lives and improve the condition of the state’s infrastructure,” the release states.
Based on economic modeling, this investment is expected to directly and indirectly support about 3,328 jobs, according to the release.
Nicely Theatre Group set to hold open auditions
WEST BLOOMFIELD — The Nicely Theatre Group is scheduled to hold auditions for a production of the multiple Tony Award-winning musical “A Chorus Line.”
According to a press release, the auditions are open to non-equity actors 18 and older.
The production “fuses complex song, dance and compellingly authentic drama, and is widely recognized by audiences and critics alike as a true classic,” the release states.
The audition dates are scheduled for 6-10 p.m. Aug. 17, 18 and 21 at the Berman Center for the Performing Arts, on West Maple Road.
Audition information can be found at nicelytheatregroup.org.
