No. 33
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
August 11 - 17, 2011
w w w . a s s o c i a t e d n e w s p a p e r s . n e t
City officials and residents
of all ages gathered for the offi-
cial dedication of the newWalz
Park playground last week
which features adult fitness
equipment.
See page 4.
The Romulus Athletic
Center is one of the nominees
for best health club center in
Metro Detroit in an internet
survey but voters have only
until tomorrow to ensure the
title.
See page 3.
In addition to refreshments
and lots of information, there
will be performances by the
instructors and assistants at
the Plymouth Uptown Players
openhouse nextWednesday.
See page 5.
Casual T's, a Model T
Chapter, will be displaying
their historic Model T's at Mill
Race Village inNorthville this
Sunday.
See page 5.
Keystone Academy stu-
dents, and some staff mem-
bers, have been enjoying using
the library at the Belleville
school during the summer to
stay cool and keep sharp.
See page 3.
Vol. 126, No. 33
Vol. 64, No. 33
Vol. 64, No. 33
Vol. 11, No. 33
Vol. 11, No. 33
Vol. 126, No. 33
Vol. 64, No. 33
Vol. 64, No. 32
The third annual Health
Fair sponsored by the Eta
Omega Chapter of Alpha
KappaAlpha Sororitywill take
place Saturday, Aug. 13 at the
Booker Dozier Recreation
Complex.
See page 4.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Vacant houses on Genessee,
Hillsdale, Oscoda and Dryden
in the Norwayne subdivision
will be demolished as blighted
properties, purchased through
tax aversion or back taxes.
See page 4.
There are 180 students at
Wayne Memorial High School
who've been singing a happy tune,
very quietly, for about aweek.
Both choir director and band
director are just as elated and
their school principal is incredi-
bly proud of themall.
As a result of a 30-second video
starring the music department
students and their directors, the
school will be presented with a
check for $20,000 tomorrowby Big
Lots Chairman and CEO Steve
Fishman and Senior Vice
President of Marketing Rob
Claxton.
The company asked participat-
ing schools to submit a video and
a brief essay explaining why one
of their school programs was in
need of financial support. Then
from June 6 through July 4, the
public voted for their favorite
video at the Big Lots website.
More than 230,000 votes were cast
among the 116 schools that
entered to determine the 35 win-
ners. Nothing came close to the
success of the students at Wayne
Memorial who were chosen by an
overwhelming margin as winners
of the grand prize of $20,000 for
their program.
“When they called to notify us
we won, they wouldn't reveal how
many votes we received,” said
Valerie Orr, principal at Wayne
Memorial., “but they did say that
voting for us could have stopped
two weeks ago and we still would
havewon.”
The video is, without question,
touching, inspirational and above
all, sincere. It is the work of
Andrew Connor, a graduate of the
Wayne-Westland district who
learned his videography skills at
the William D. Ford Technical
Center. While working as the
graphics technician for the dis-
trict since 2003, Connor has been
pursuing his college degree at
Ferris State University and will
begin his student teaching later
this year at William D. Ford,
wherehe graduated.
Connor said the success of the
project is due to the students and
the passion everyone involved
has for the program at Wayne
Memorial.
“We had some planning meet-
ings and did some pre-interviews
with the students and the over-
whelming theme was always the
passion everyone had for the pro-
gram. Over and over, from the stu-
dents, I kept hearing that 'this is a
family',” he said. “Their passion
for music and this program, their
focus, is just amazing. Their inter-
viewswere fantastic.”
The video theme is the Zebra
Music Family and from the open-
ing shots, the students and the
music take center stage.
Matt Diroff, the band director
and Brandon Tomblin, the choir
director, both speak briefly about
the program and what it means to
the students, but it is the young
people who captured the atten-
tion and the hearts of voters
across the country.
One of those students is
Brandon Harnos, 18, who gradu-
ated in June. In the video, he
speaks about music being a uni-
versal language and what the pro-
gram means to him. His passion
See
Video,
page 2
The Spotlight Still Got It
Players, a troupe of actors over
the age of 50, will bring
Murder Can BeHabit Forming
to the stage for five perform-
ances beginningAug. 17.
See page 5.
Music to their ears
Wayne Memorial High School video wins $20,000
The hot weather has done noth-
ing to cool down water rates and
use throughout the area.
Plymouth Township Supervisor
Richard Reaume recently asked
residents in an e-mail to restrict
water use to non-peak hours of 12-
6.
He explained that the rate for
water next year set by the Detroit
Water and Sewerage Department
will be determined by the amount
of water used in the township dur-
ing peak demand days and hours
during the summer.
He suggested that residents shift
outdoor and indoor water usage to
the non-peak hours of 12-6, espe-
cially during the dry, hot summer
days.
“Set your irrigation systems to
the non-peak hours of midnight
and 6 a.m.,” he suggested and for
manually watering of the lawn or
garden, washing vehicles and other
water usage, like dishwasher, wash-
ing machine, filling pools, use noon
to 6 p.m. as a rule.”
He stressed that there are no
water restrictions, but using water
during the non-peak hours of 12
and 6will helpprevent double-digit
water rate increases next year.
At the July meeting, members of
the Plymouth Township Board of
Trustees voted to pass on only part
of the Detroit water increase to res-
idents. They approved an 8 percent
rate increase, according to
Reaume. That will take the water
rate in the township to $3.80, the
sewer rate to $5.25 for a total rate of
$9.05 per thousand gallons.
In Canton, where residents saw
a 7 percent hike in May, the rate is
$3.99 for water and $6.40 for sewer
for a total of $10.39 per thousand
gallons. Officials there have sug-
gested residents use the odd-even
system for outdoor watering to help
cut use onpeak days.
That means those with odd
number house addresses water
outside only on oddnumbereddays
and those with even numbered
addresseswater on evendays.
Belleville residents saw an 8
percent increase in city water and
sewer rates approved by members
of the city council recently, and will
get newwater meters to ensure the
charges are correct.
The outside city auditor for the
city cited the rate increases by the
Detroit Water and Sewerage
Department as the reason for the
increase.
The new system of meters,
according to Director of Public
Services Keith Boc, will eliminate
some problems with the water sys-
tem and the high rate of water loss
currently experienced in the city.
They estimated the loss to be about
25 percent or about $40,000-$60,000
annually.
In the City of Plymouth, the
water rate is $4.48 and the sewer
charge is $5.88 for a total of $10.36
per thousand gallons. InNorthville
Township, the water rate is $4.71
for water and $4.37 for sewer for a
total of $9.08. In the City of
Northville, the rate for water is
$4.82, for sewer the rate is $4.25 for
a total of $9.08.
In June, Westland water cus-
tomers saw a combined rate
increase of 46 cents. They now pay
$3.58 for water and $4.43 for sewer
per thousand gallons. Westland
also has a voluntary odd-even out-
side watering program suggested
for residents to keep rates down
during peak use times.
Neighboring Wayne also raised
rates beginning July 1. Customers
there now pay $4.43 per thousand
gallons for water and $5.55 for
sewer use and a fixed service cost
See
Water,
page 2
Students from the Wayne Memorial High School music programs appeared on stage in the final image on
their winning Zebra Music Family video. Several students, including Brandon Harnos, below, spoke about the
program.
Set your irrigation systems to the
non-peak hours of midnight and 6 a.m.
”
Water rates rise throughout communities