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No. 1
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
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January 2 – 7, 2015
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
Nominations are now
being accepted for the 2014
Wayne
Chamber
of
Commerce business of the
Year and Business Person of
theYear.
See page 4.
Judge David M. Parrott
took his official oath of office
administered by Romulus
City Clerk Ellen Craig Bragg
at the regular meeting of the
city council last week.
See page 3.
Plymouth District Library
will be an active member of
the line up of attractions at
the Plymouth Ice Festival
and offer a free jazz concert
onSaturday afternoon.
See page 5.
No injuries were reported
when fire destroyed a home
in the Maple Hills neighbor-
hood of Northville Township
lastMonday.
See page 5.
A 39-year-old Van Buren
Township man remains in
critical condition after being
struck by a car on Christmas
Day.
See page 5.
Vol. 130, No. 1
Vol. 68, No. 1
Vol. 68, No. 1
Vol. 15, No. 1
Vol. 130, No. 1
Vol. 68, No. 1
Vol. 68, No. 1
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
A group of volunteers is
organizing a spaghetti din-
ner to help pay the funeral
expenses of a 12-year-old
killedby a train inWayne.
See page 4.
There will be two auto
shows in the area this
January, one in downtown
Detroit and the other at the
Canton library where the
2015 Dream Vehicle LEGO
contest is planned.
See page 3.
Vol. 15, No. 1
The Leanna Hicks Inkster
Public Library will be con-
tinuing Lego Nights at 4:30
p.m. Tuesdays and Storytime
will followat 5:30 p.m.
See page 4.
As the City of Romulus wel-
comed the announcement of a
new outlet shopping mall being
planned near the airport,
Canton Township officials
learned that the same develop-
ment would not be constructed
in that community.
Mayor LeRoy Burcroff
announced the proposed plans
for the open-air shopping center
during the Dec. 22 meeting of
theRomulus CityCouncil.
“This is good news for us, but
not such good news for Canton,”
he said.
Canton Township officials
received notification by email
last Wednesday that Paragon
Outlet Partners LLC has can-
celled plans to build a center at
I-275 and Ford Road, a project
Canton officials had been work-
ing on for several months.
Representatives from Paragon
initially indicated that the now-
cancelled outlet would encom-
pass 375-000 square feet of retail
space and house up to 100
stores.
That development will now
apparently go into Romulus in a
site near Wick and Vining roads,
according to Burcroff. Paragon
has joined forces with New
England Development, based in
Newton, Mass., the developer
working on the Romulus proj-
ect, and the two will join forces
to build the new outlet mall in
Romulus, Burcroff said.
The Romulus mall is expect-
ed to encompass 325,000 square
feet of retail space off Interstate
94, opposite the airport. The
new center is expected to open
in 2016, according to New
England Development repre-
sentatives, and feature 75 of “the
best brand names in retail.” The
plan includes shaded pedestri-
an concourses and Detroit-
inspired architecture, according
to a preparednews release.
The Romulus location
planned for Outlets of Michigan
is ideal, Douglas Karp, execu-
tive vice president of New
England Development, said in
the news release.
“It is right across from a
major airport that serves 32 mil-
lion passengers each year, on
the major highway between
Detroit and Chicago and will be
the closest outlet center in
Michigan to the Canadian bor-
der,” he said.
Currently, the developer has
operating outlet centers in
Maine,
Maryland,
Massachusetts,
New
Hampshire,
New
York,
Pennsylvania, Virginia, North
Carolina, Florida and centers
planned for Arkansas and Iowa.
In abandoning the Canton
Township project, Paragon
Outlet Partners, LLC, stated in a
prepared statement that there
Auditors from Plante Moran
found several problem areas in
preparing the audit of Plymouth
Township financial records
finally submitted in December,
five months past the June 30
deadline.
In a letter to township offi-
cials dated Dec. 1, Martin J.
Olejnik and Kari L. Shea, audi-
tors from Plante Moran, said
that while there were no signifi-
cant material weakness in the
township accounting practices,
auditors encountered consider-
able delay in receiving informa-
tion and necessary documents.
Auditors urged officials to sub-
mit all year-end journal entries
and audit schedules by May 1 of
each year to meet government
the filing requirement. Noting
internal flaws in accounting
practices, the auditors said
there was “...an opportunity for
the Township to further
strengthen internal control to
increase operating efficiencies.”
During the Plante Moran
audit presentation at the Dec. 9
board of trustees meeting,
Olejnik said, “These are weak-
nesses in your procedures-that
are not inplace.”
Olejnik and Shea noted that
the township accounting was
insufficient having only one per-
son to prepare bank reconcilia-
tions and another to review the
same. They said bank reconcili-
ations were often void of signa-
tures and dates to show when
they were prepared or
reviewed.
Township officials said that
the five-month delay in the
required financial audit was
caused by a lack of documenta-
tion from the City of Plymouth
regarding amounts owed to the
township for legacy costs in the
Plymouth Community Fire
Department, a figure hotly dis-
putedby theCity of Plymouth.
“We wouldn't have this prob-
lem if it hadn't been for the City
of Plymouth,” said Township
Treasurer Ron Edwards during
theDecember audit discussion.
See
Audit,
page 2
”
This is good news for us,
but not such good news for Canton.
See
Mall,
page 3
Auditors find problems with reporting procedures
So n‘ice’
Ice Festival returns to Plymouth
The decorations have been
taken down, gifts put away, sev-
eral toys already broken and the
holidays for 2014 are officially in
the past.
Time to celebrate 2015 with
the 33rd Annual Plymouth Ice
Festival arriving next Friday
throughout downtown and
KelloggPark.
“It will be a great festival.
There will be something for
everyone,” noted organizer and
producer James Geitzen of JAG
Entertainment.
From the moment the ice rib-
bon is cut by officials at 7 Friday
night, and the Fire and Ice tow-
ers, sponsored by Reyka Vodka,
are lit for the first time at about
7:30 p.m., people can begin to
enjoy the first festival of the year
and the largest free ice festival
in the state.
Moved to an earlier weekend
this year, the Ice Festival will be
open from 3-10 p.m. Friday, from
10 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Saturday
and from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on
Sunday.
Geitzen said that while the
Fire and Ice towers are a huge
attraction, with flames engulfed
inside the blocks of ice lighting
up the sky, the event that always
draws the largest crowd to the
festival is the dueling chainsaws
competition set for 7 p.m.
Saturday on the main stage in
KelloggPark.
“That event, by far, draws the
largest crowd every year. There
are these guys, armed with run-
ning chainsaws, dueling it out to
see who can carve their block of
ice the fastest. People love it,”
Geitzen said. “It really is amaz-
ing towatch.”
Geitzen said visitors this year
will also be sure to enjoy The
Detroit Red Wings interactive
display which will allow people
to find out just how fast they can
shoot a hockey puck and how
accurate their wrist shot actual-
ly is.
“Health Alliance Plan
teamed up with the Red Wings
to bring the displays. I think it
will be a lot of fun. After all, this
is ahockey town.”
Sun and Snow will again be
offering free cross-country ski-
ing instruction and allowvisitors
to strap on the right-size gear
and give the sport a try.
Seasoned professional will be
on hand, courtesy of Blue Care
Network of Michigan and Sun
and Snow Sports, to offer les-
sons and demonstrations. Then
give kids a chance to try it for
themselves. The Cross Country
Zone will be open throughout
the entire festival, Geitzen said.
Obviously, Geitzen said, there
will be live entertainment in the
park throughout the weekend,
including awards ceremonies,
presentations and music, spon-
sored on the Main Stage by
Community Financial Credit
Union.
The DTE Energy Hot Spot
Warming Tent under the
Gathering directly across from
Kellogg Park will feature more
than 20 local vendors and busi-
nesses alongwitha sitting area.
Genisys Credit Union is spon-
soring the individual and team
College Carving Competitions
this year. The individual event
takes place from 9 a.m. until
noon on Saturday and the team
carving competition will take
place from 8 a.m. until noon on
Sunday. The awards to the win-
nerswill be presented at 1 p.m.
The sculptures will be dis-
played in front of businesses
throughout the downtown area,
he said, and merchants have
been more than generous in
funding the carvings.
“People don't realize some-
times that the businesses pay for
these ice carvings, they aren't
just a free part of the event.
They do it to help add to the
atmosphere of the event and
make the festival more attrac-
tive for everybody.”
The other big attraction of
theweekend, Geitzen said, is the
Party Lot behind E.G. Nick's on
Forest Avenue. This year, the
ice bar will again be serving
Svedka Vodka specialties in
front of the restaurant, while the
Party Lot in the rear will feature
live entertainment, drinks and
the atmosphere of fun that has
made the tent such a popular
attraction.
“It's the place to be for the
evening crowd, that's for sure,”
Geitzen said. “These guys really
knowhow tohave a good time.”
Sponsors of the 2015 festival
include HAP, Metro Detroit
GMC Buick Dealers, Ally
Financial, Johnson Controls,
Genysis Credit Union, St. John
Providence Health System, the
U.S. Army, the Boston Beer Co.,
Blue Care Network, Fox 2 News
and radio station 93.9TheRiver.
The festival website is ply-
mouthicefestival.com.
Outlet mall project leaves Canton for Romulus
Don Howard
Staff Writer