Page 1 - eagle112719

November 27 – December 4, 2019 NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST 75¢

No. 47 www .associatednewspapers.net

THE BELLEVILLE Public safety director sues Canton Township
ENTERPRISE
ENTERPRISE
Vol. 134, No. 47 Public Safety Director Joshua Kienbaum, Hardy, Viviano, Authority has cited an exception
Meier has filed a lawsuit against Pelton and Forrest to represent to the township insurance cover-
Property owners in the Canton Township claiming an the municipality in the case age and has declined to provide
City of Belleville will see a 2- error in the calculation of his filed in Third Circuit Court. The legal defense in the matter.
mill increase for funding pension amount. hiring was approved by a vote of “Due to the nature of the
pubic safety on the winter Meier filed the lawsuit Nov. 7 the board following a closed-ses- complaint in this lawsuit,” the
tax bills set to be mailed next and named as defendants sion meeting last week. release continued, “it was deter-
month. Township Supervisor Pat Meier originally brought the mined that hiring outside coun-
See page 2. Williams, Human Resources issue to the attention of the sel would be the best interest of
Manager Kerreen Conley, the merit commission last July, the community.”
members of the board of claiming that the interpretation The board members
THE CANTON trustees and the township merit of the pension rules is incorrect. approved anticipated legal fees
EAGLE commission. Court filings indi- The merit commission met ranging from $335 to $225 per
EAGLE
Vol. 72, No. 47 cate that Meier's pension formu- again in September and voted to hour based on individual attor-
After a 28-year career la multiplier was reduced by .3 refer the issue to the board of ney’s hourly fees for the defense,
with the Canton Public percent, decreased from 2.8 to trustees. The board members in addition to an additional 5-10
percent charge of the total
subsequently voted 6-1 to sup-
2.5. The multiplier factor deter-
Safety Department, Police mines the size of the lifetime port the township position on hourly fees. The fees will be Joshua Meier
Lt. Patrick Sullivan has annuity a pensioner receives, the 2.5 multiplier factor and paid from the police and fire police explorer while still in
retired from the force. usually a percentage of compen- denied Meier's request to have budget, according to an official high school. He was a public
See page 4.
sation multiplied by years of the 2.8 multiplier restored. release from the township. safety service officer, a firefight-
service. In a prepared release, the Meier has been public safety er/paramedic, deputy chief and
The township has retained township stated that Michigan director since May of 2016 and fire chief during his 19 year
THE INKSTER the services of the law firm Municipal Risk Management began his career as a volunteer tenure with the township.
LEDGER STAR
LEDGER STAR
Vol. 72, No. 47
Canton Township, Inkster
and Westland are among the
$10 million investment
Comcast Corp. plans to
invest to open 10 new Xfinity
stores in southeast and mid-
Michigan.
See page 4.

THE NORTHVILLE
EAGLE
EAGLE

Vol. 19, No. 47
Santa will pay weekend
visits to Maybury Farm this
year from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Dec. 7, 8 and 14 and 15.
See page 3.

THE PLYMOUTH Canton Municipal Services Director Jade Smith, left, former Canton Supervisor Phil LaJoy, Wayne County Executive Chief of Staff Assad
EAGLE Turfe, Wayne County Director of Public Services Beverly Watts, Wayne County Commissioner Melissa Daub, Canton Clerk Michael
EAGLE
Siegrist, Canton Supervisor Pat Williams, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, Canton Trustee Anne Marie Graham-Hudak, Canton
Vol. 19, No. 47 Treasurer Dian Slavens, Canton Trustee Sommer Foster, Canton Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Paden, and Canton Trustee
Steve Sneideman celebrate the reopening of the long-closed bridge on Lilley Road.
The Plymouth Historical
Museum will be a lot more Re-opening of Lilley Road bridge is celebrated
comfortable for visitors fol-
lowing a $40,000 grant from It took more than 2 ½ years, ed that the historic structure
the Margaret Dunning but last week, officials celebrat- could not be saved and would
Foundation. ed the re-opening of the newly- have to be completely rebuilt.
See page 3.
reconstructed Lilley Road Elizabeth Taylor, a field engi-
Bridge. neering manager for the Wayne
Among those on hand at an County Roads Commission, who
THE ROMULUS official ribbon cutting at the led the project. said the bridge-
ROMAN bridge were Canton Township replacement project went
ROMAN
smoothly.
Supervisor Pat Williams, Wayne
Vol. 134, No. 47 County Executive Warren “We followed the (Michigan
Again this year, Romulus Evans, Wayne County Department of Environment,
Memorial Cemetery will par- Commissioner Melissa Daub, Great Lakes and Energy) proto-
ticipate in National Wreaths and Wayne County Director of col because the structure is
Across America event set for Public Services Beverly Watts. crossing a waterway, obviously,
noon, Dec. 14. The bridge, on Lilley Road so there were some permitting
See page 2. north of Michigan Avenue, was issues that we had.” Elizabeth Taylor, field engineering manager for the Wayne County
closed by county officials in The bridge earned a spot on Roads Commission, drives the first vehicle across the new bridge
April, 2017 due to safety con- the National Register of with passengers Township Supervisor Pat Williams and County
THE WAYNE cerns. Inspectors and engineers Historic Places in 1999, com- commissioner Melissa Daub. Photo by Dave Willett
EAGLE cited weakened steel support memorating the design and The bridge was moved to Lilley will become more frequent
EAGLE
beams and a badly deteriorated
unique construction. According
Road in 1933, according to histo-
throughout the county as the
Vol. 72, No. 47 concrete deck at the 100-year- to historical documents, the rians. structures age. “Which is why
Wayne County Executive
It will be a big day for old structure which spans the bridge was built in 1923 on Warren Evans commented that we need to come up with addi-
tional ways to fund these proj-
Telegraph Road, but was moved
Rouge River. After closer
small business this week as inspection, engineers conclud- when Telegraph was widened. the reconstruction of bridges ects,” Evans said.
Wayne Main Street and the
Wayne Downtown
brate Small Business Local company signs $500 million Ford joint partnership
Development Authority cele-
Saturday. Rivian, the electric vehicle been in internal development for est advocates, and we are excited tioned at the time that there
See page 5.
company located in Plymouth quite some time and the compa- to use our technology to get more were no ties between Rivian and
Township, and Ford Motor Co. ny will not change those plans. electric vehicles on the road.” Ford.
have formed a strategic partner- Instead, Ford will use the Rivian As part of the agreement, Rivian will still continue its
THE WESTLAND ship worth more than $500 mil- skateboard platform for an all- Ford Executive Vice President efforts to build its own vehicles
EAGLE
EAGLE lion. Together, the two automak- new vehicle. Joe Hinrichs will join the Rivian in addition to the Ford deal,
“This strategic partnership
Vol. 72, No. 47 ers have agreed to jointly devel- marks another key milestone in board of directors. according to the company. The
Rivian highly-praised R1T pick-
op a new, all-electric Ford vehi-
The talks had been rumored
There will be $10,000 in cle built on the Rivian “skate- our drive to accelerate the tran- for several months. In February, up and R1S SUV have both been
shopping sprees and multi- board” platform. sition to sustainable mobility,” a Rivian-based pickup was the subject of interest by
ple other prizes during the Ford will not use the Rivian said Rivian founder and CEO RJ found to be re-bodied as a Ford investors and consumers around
annual City of Westland technology for the upcoming all- Scaringe last week. “Ford has a F-150 pickup, which was origi- the world-earlier this year,
Shop & Dine campaign cur- electric F-150 pickup truck. The long-standing commitment to nally believed to be a Rivian test Rivian successfully raised $700
rently under way. automaker clarified that the sustainability, with Bill Ford mule based on comments made million in capital, headlined by
See page 5. Ford battery electric F-150 has being one of the industry's earli- by Scaringe. The CEO men- retail giant Amazon.

For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.