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May 2 – 8, 2019 NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST 75¢

No. 18 www .associatednewspapers.net

THE BELLEVILLE New Plymouth plant promises 441 jobs
ENTERPRISE
ENTERPRISE
Vol. 134, No. 18 The secret developer in ing it will kickstart a part of our
Sumpter Township dis- Plymouth Township has now ” township that has been under-
tributed Eastern White Pine been identified as Webasto Roof We're hoping it will kickstart utilized in recent years and spur
Tree Seedlings to area resi- Systems Inc., a German automo- a part of our township that more development in the
dents to help celebrate Earth tive supplier with major con- Schoolcraft and Haggerty Road
Day. A state grant funded the tracts from Ford Motor Co. and has been underutilized in recent years... area.”
purchase of the trees. Fiat Chrysler US. Indiana and Ohio also
See page 6. The company manufactures offered incentive packages, but
automotive roof systems and Development Corp. approved a Township and Fenton, respec- Webasto chose Michigan based
will reportedly invest $47.9 mil- $2.7 million performance based tively. The company employs on criteria of customer and sup-
THE CANTON lion in a new manufacturing grant to the company. Webasto is more than 800 in the state. ply chain locations, labor force,
EAGLE plant on Haggerty Road near projecting to double its revenue Webasto SE is the 61st largest facility availability, logistics cost
EAGLE
Webasto Roof Systems parent
Schoolcraft in the township and
and overall business environ-
in the next two to three years,
Vol. 72, No. 18 create 441 new jobs in the area. according to documents provid- global auto supplier with $3.9 ment, officials said. Plymouth
Members of the Plymouth ed to the Michigan Economic billion in sales in 2017, accord- Township also offered the
Canton Township Board Township Board of Trustees Development Corp. ing to Automotive News' Top expected property tax abate-
of Trustee members dis- established an Industrial Webasto operates its U.S. Suppliers report. ment.
cussed a Michigan Township Development District (IDD) for headquarters out of Rochester “We're very happy about this Webasto has more than 800
Association (MTA) request to three parcels of land and were Hills and subsidiaries Webasto project,” Plymouth Township employees at other locations in
consider nonpartisan town- expected to approve a property Convertibles USA Inc. and Supervisor Kurt Heise said. “It's Michigan, including in Fenton,
ship elections. tax abatement for the project. Webasto Thermo & Comfort going to create new jobs and Plymouth Township and
See page 3. The Michigan Economic North America Inc. in Plymouth improve our tax base. We're hop- Rochester Hills.

LEDGER STAR Prologue
THE INKSTER
LEDGER STAR

Vol. 72, No. 18
A lucky set of family birth- Northville welcomes
day numbers paid off for an
Inkster woman after winning new library director
half of a $156,090 Fantasy 5
jackpot from the Michigan
Lottery recently. Julie Brown
See page 5. Staff Writer
As director of the Northville District
THE NORTHVILLE Library, Laura Mancini sees libraries as
EAGLE bastions of learning and equal opportuni-
EAGLE
ty.
Vol. 19, No. 18 “The library's the one place you can go
to get everything you need. And it's avail-
Northville township offi-
cials have agreed to move able to everyone,” said Mancini, a Troy
toward development of hik- native who took over from Anne Laura Mancini
ing and biking trails on a por- Mannisto, interim director, in mid-
tion of the former Northville January. She sees a generational shift with that ref- research,” says Mancini.
Psychiatric Hospital proper- “It is the great equalizer. You can walk erence, with younger people replying, As a librarian, she and colleagues cele-
ty. into a library and have the same access to “Who?” brate and embrace the computer as well
See page 4. information as everyone else,” she said. Maintenance issues are a challenge in as internet use and tablets. She and fel-
She was most recently the Oakland the 23-year-old library structure. She and low librarians recognize there's unequal
County director of Library Services, hold- colleagues are striving to maintain access access to resources which libraries help
THE PLYMOUTH ing that role from 2003 to the end of 2018. and use with minimal disruption. to address.
EAGLE information science degree and a bache- ing what needs to be done,” Mancini said. anything you can't learn. The sky's the
EAGLE
“A lot of it is scheduling and prioritiz-
She earned a master of library and
“If you know how to read, there isn't
Vol. 19, No. 18 lor of arts degree in history, both from The staff adapts, she added, with the limit,” she said.
Spring Clean Up Day in Wayne State University. goal of serving customers as effectively as Her parents were “blue collar, immi-
the City of Plymouth will be “I've always been very interested in the possible. grant class” and not heavily intellectual,
May 4 and residents can dis- process of research,” said Mancini. “You “I worked for county government so it she notes, but emphasized reading for
pose of household items of can't do research without the library. was a different dynamic. I'm loving it here their children.
nearly all sizes at no addi- Everyone has access to information, and in Northville,” she said. “It's really a fan- Mancini's joining the Northville Rotary
tional cost. free information. They can come here tastic place to be.” Club. She's recently been to events of the
See page 4. and look at whatever they want. That's She credits the staff, patrons and board Northville Chamber of Commerce,
been a cornerstone of American democ- of trustees. Northville Novi American Association of
racy.” She's heard for years the statement of University Women and others.
THE ROMULUS She tips her hat to Mannisto and pred- the printed book disappearing. Mancini “I'm so interested in getting to know
ROMAN
ROMAN ecessor Julie Herrin Laliberte, library compares that to the stove staying when the community because it is their library.
Vol. 134, No. 18 director: “They passed the baton to me. I the microwave came along, as well as the It's so critically important as we move for-
was fortunate to come to a library that
ward. I want it to be a continuous conver-
radio staying with the advent of televi-
Members of the Romulus was in great shape,” said Mancini. sion. sation” with residents of both city and
City Council approved an She chuckles when asked if she's relat- “Information is not dependent solely township, she added.
overlay district recently that ed to musical composer Henry Mancini, on format. Personally, I love to read
will pave the way for addi- noting, “I refer to him as Uncle Hank.” books. You also have all the online See Library, page 4
tional upscale development
within the city.
See page 6. ‘Review’ of Sumpter treasurer's office OK'd

THE WAYNE Members of the Sumpter ” Lutz and Zeal, although he said
EAGLE Township Board of Trustees The finance director told me that this he did not have a date for the
EAGLE
unanimously approved an inde-
audit.
Vol. 72, No. 18 pendent review of the treasurer's is now such a mess of misapplied and commingled He noted that it is not only
The new Wayne Memorial office during their regular meet- funds that he doubts even the auditors Wayne County that has not
High School Athletic Hall of ing last week. will be able to straighten it out, received the collected tax rev-
Fame will be officially dedi- Concerns about procedures enue but the local schools and
cated next month during a and performance in the office of several other taxing entities. He
public ceremony later this the treasurer were brought to for late disbursement with anoth- Morgan, who served as the added that Bednark has been
month. members of the board of trustees er payment due soon if the funds township treasurer for nearly 20 less than cooperative with Holtz,
See page 7. and Supervisor John W. Morgan are not sent to the county. years before becoming supervi- whose job included the monitor-
by outgoing Finance Director Township Treasurer Kenneth sor, said while Bednark may not ing of all financial transactions.
Scott Holtz. Holtz claimed he dis- Bednark denies the allegations have seen “a piece of paper” the The township is required by
THE WESTLAND covered irregularities of county and says they are “all fabrica- procedures are very clear. law to keep the tax money in a
EAGLE
EAGLE tax transfer procedures which tions.” “The rules are very clear from separate bank account and then
“There are no penalties. This
Vol. 72, No. 18 will result in interest costs to the is bad information. These are all the county. That is a fact,” remit the collected tax to the
township. Morgan said that the
county and other taxing entities
Morgan said. He said he has
For the ninth year, Mayor township treasurer's office had fabrications. There is no docu- serious concerns about the in the prescribed time. If the
William R. Wild is reaching collected tax revenue but failed mentation of these numbers,” reported failure of Bednark's funds are not remitted, the coun-
out to Westland businesses to to promptly disburse the funds to Bednark said. “I have not seen a office to follow correct proce- ty charges the taxing entity, in
partner in his youth works Wayne County within the man- piece of paper that says we owe dures. this case the township, a 1-per-
program finding jobs for dated two-week prescribed time. this money. You have to under- Morgan said the “review” cent interest fee each month due
teens in the city. He said the township has already stand this is a politically heated would be performed by the town-
See page 5. incurred an $16,400 interest fee environment.” ship auditing firm, Post, Smythe, See Review, page 6

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