The recent termination of a
part-time park manager in
Plymouth Township has called
the employment practices of the
recently defeated former town-
ship administration into question.
The relationship between the
part-time park manager, former
Parks and Grants Director Mike
Mitchell and former Supervisor
Shannon Price has been criti-
cized by veteran employees who
described the situation as a
“patronage job gone awry.”
Current Supervisor Kurt
Heise, who defeated Price last
November, would only comment
that the employee is no longer in
the employ of the township and
said it would be inappropriate for
him to comment on investigations
that couldbe ongoing.
Records obtained in a
Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) request by The Eagle
show seasonal employee
Matthew Kidd was paid a gross
total of $19,623.80 for 661.5 hours
of work in the months of October,
November and December 2016,
racking up more than 181 hours
of overtime in the off-season fall
and winter period. Records show
Kiddwas paid $22.44 an hour and
time and one half for overtime,
receiving an average of $1,635.31
weekly for his part-time parks
job.
Several township employees
expressed concern and ques-
tioned Kidd's overtime hours in
those post primary election
months when Price was defeated
byHeise.
Kidd served at the pleasure of
Price, reporting to Mitchell. All
three were active with the
Republican Party in Livonia, and
were well acquainted, according
to employees. Mitchell was
Price's aide during his time on
the Wayne County Commission
before his controversial appoint-
ment to the supervisor's job.
Kidd was hired for his job late
in the season by Human
Resources Director JoAnn
Coobatis, immediately after she
had terminated the previous
manager Eric Anderson.
Anderson was released by
Coobatis and Mitchell on March
28, 2016 at the same meeting dur-
ing which Kidd was hired.
Mitchell denied Anderson was
fired and Price reiterated
Mitchell's stance and added that
Anderson was “just a seasonal
employee--andnot calledback.”
Anderson was considered by
other employees to have been a
“whistleblower” because of his
complaints about the manage-
ment of the parks department
and some student seasonal
employees hired by former
TreasurerRonEdwards as “polit-
ical paybacks.” Anderson's com-
plaints immediately preceded his
firing.
In November, Mitchell was
advised in a letter that his
absence from work since Oct. 21
constituted job abandonment
under township policy and that
his employment was terminated.
The letter asked for the return of
his keys, IDbadge, cell phone and
iPad. Information provided in
response to the FOIA request
indicates that Mitchell was paid
$2,353.85 on Nov. 10, the date of
the termination letter. He was
paid a total of $16,476.95 from
July 31 until Nov. 6, the final date
in that pay period.
Heise confirmed Kidd was no
longer employed by the township
but was reticent to discuss the
details of his employment or the
nature of his assignment, only
saying Kidd's official job title was
that of part-time “Parks
Foreman” and that he was con-
sidered an “at-will” employee.
“Mr. Kidd's services are no
longer required--he was hired as
seasonal employee,” Heise said,
adding he had no knowledge of
the job responsibility or descrip-
tion prepared by Mitchell and
Price. Heise also declined to
comment about whether Kidd's
overtime was excessive or out of
line. “I'm not going to say any-
thing or comment further on
investigations that are happening
or taking place right now,” Heise
said.
Heise did, however, reportedly
call Anderson in for an interview
Mondaymorning.
A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
3
January 12, 2017
P
LYMOUTH
CITY OF ROMULUS
RFI 16/17-15 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FROM ENGINEERING
FIRMS FOR WICK ROAD PHASE II CONSTRUCTION
ENGINEERING SERVICES
The City of Romulus is requesting responses to this request for information (RFI) for the purpose of
gathering written qualifications for providing construction engineering and testing services for the
reconstruction of Wick Road from Vining Road to Wickham Road. The construction engineering for
this project will include all surveying, staking, field inspection, construction administration and
quality control testing in accordance with MDOT requirements, specifications and guidelines for the
reconstruction of approximately 3,600 linear feet of roadway, pavement removal, grading, utility
structure adjustments, storm sewer installation, concrete pavement, pavement marking installation
and restoration. Engineers must be on MDOT's pre-qualification list for road construction engi-
neering and have working experience with Field Manager software and the MERL Program. The
City will be following the most current version of the MDOT vendor selection guidelines for serv-
ice contracts.
(1) The draft G.I. package for this project will be available viewing at the City Clerk's Office
located on the lower level of the Romulus City Hall Offices, 11111 Wayne Road, beginning
12:00 pm, Monday, January 9, 2017
(2) Documents to be used for the submission of qualifications can be downloaded from the from
the MITN system (
. Until the expiration date of this solicitation, it is
incumbent upon the Respondent to check the website for additional information and/or adden-
da.
(3) To be considered, Four (4) copies of the submission must be submitted in a sealed envelope
(one marked "Original" and three copies marked "Copy") and received in the City of Romulus
Clerk's Office no later than 2:30 pm, Tuesday, January 31, 2017. At approximately 2:45 all
timely received submissions will be publically acknowledged as received.
(4)
ENVELOPES MUST BE ADDRESSED:
DO NOT OPEN - RFI RESPONSE
CITY OF ROMULUS CLERK'S OFFICE
RFI 16/17-15 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FROM ENGINEERING FIRMS
FOR WICK ROAD PHASE II CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING SERVICES
11111 S. Wayne Road
Romulus, Michigan 48174
(5) Written questions regarding the substance of the RFI or scope of services must be submitted
via e-mail, by 12:00 pm, Friday, January 20, 2017 to Roberto J. Scappaticci, Department of
Public Works Director,
.
(6) The City reserves the right to reject all submissions and to waive irregularities.
(7) No submission may be withdrawn for a period of 120 calendar days after the scheduled
closing time for receipt of the submissions.
Please Publish: January 12, 2017
RM011217-0126 2.5 x 6.077
MINUTES OF REGULAR ROMULUS CITY COUNCIL MEETING
December 27, 2016
Romulus City Hall Council Chambers, 11111 Wayne Rd. Romulus, MI 48174
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Mayor Pro Tem John Barden.
Pledge of Allegiance
Roll Call
Present:
Kathleen Abdo, John Barden, Linda Choate, Harry Crout, Celeste Roscoe.
Excused:
Sylvia Makowski, William Wadsworth.
Administrative Officials in Attendance:
LeRoy D. Burcroff
Ellen L. Craig-Bragg, Clerk
Excused:
Stacy Paige, Treasurer
1.
Moved by
Crout,
seconded by
Abdo
to accept the agenda as presented.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
16-508 2A.
Moved by
Abdo,
seconded by
Choate
to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Romulus
City Council held on December 12, 2016.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
16-509 2B.
Moved by
Choate
, seconded by
Roscoe
to approve the minutes of the special meeting (public hear-
ing) for Demolition List 16-01 held on December 12, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
3. Petitioner:
None.
4. Chairperson’s Report:
Mayor Pro-Tem Barden asked Mayor Burcroff to give an update on the outlet mall and grocery store.
Mayor Burcroff commented that the mall is still a live project and looks good for 2017. Mayor Burcroff and
Community Development Director, Tim Keyes, traveled to Lansing to get information about grants, etc. in
regards to marketing projects such as the grocery store.
16-510 4A.
Moved by
Roscoe,
seconded by
Crout
to adopt a memorial resolution for the family of
Evelyn Campbell.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
4.
Moved by
Roscoe,
seconded by
Choate
to accept the Chairperson’s Report.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
5. Mayor’s Report:
Jazmine Danci, Community Outreach Director, gave an update on upcoming City events which included the
announcement of the Citizens Academy coming up in the spring. The MLK Walk will be held on Jan. 16, 2017.
The Mayor’s State of the City Address will be held on Jan. 19, 2017 at the RAC; tickets are available for $20.00
and all proceeds will go to the 2017 Romulus Summer Programs.
16-511 5A1.
Moved by
Crout,
seconded by
Choate
to adopt a memorial resolution for the family of Charles
Hiveley.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
16-512 5A.
Moved by
Choate,
seconded by
Crout
to concur with the administration and authorize the mayor
and clerk to enter into the FY 2017 Strategic Initiative Agreement with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement
Task Forces program for the overtime reimbursement of $5,000.00 as a result of having an officer assigned to the
FBI Task Force Chiefs Unit full time.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
16-513 5B.
Moved by
Roscoe,
seconded by
Crout
to concur with the administration and extend the bid to pur-
chase, on an as-needed basis, cold patch materials for the repair of local and major roads from Cadillac Asphalt
(formerly Barrett Paving Materials, a Romulus business) through May 1, 2017 and with Ajax Materials through
December 31, 2017 under the DCC bid at a per ton price of $108.25.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
6A. Clerk’s Report:
16-514 6A1.
Moved by
Roscoe,
seconded by
Choate
to approve first reading to amend Ordinance Chapter 38,
Section 38-1, Community Parks and Neighborhood Parks and Section 38-2 Hours, to allow for seasonal
closure of parks.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
16-515 6A2.
Moved by
Abdo,
seconded by
Roscoe
to schedule two public hearings for anticipated 2017-2018
CDBG Projects – first public hearing: Jan. 23, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. and second public hearing on Feb. 13,
2017 at 7:00 p.m. to be held in the Romulus City Hall Council Chambers.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
16-516 6A3.
Moved by
Crout,
seconded by
Choate
to adopt a memorial resolution for the family of Vinnie Mae
Fenderson-Phillips.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
16-517 6A4.
Moved by
Abdo,
seconded by
Choate
to adopt a memorial resolution for the family of Juanita
Helen Jackson.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
6B. Treasurer’s Report
7. Public Comment: None.
8. Unfinished Business
9. New Business
10. Communication
16-518 11.
Moved by
Choate,
seconded by
Crout
to pay Warrant 16-24 in the amount of $1,260,589.89.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
12.
Moved by
Roscoe,
seconded by
Abdo
to adjourn the regular meeting of the Romulus City Council.
Motion Carried Unanimously
.
I, Ellen L. Craig-Bragg, Clerk for the City of Romulus, Michigan do hereby certify the foregoing to be a true
copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the Romulus City Council held on December 27, 2016.
RM011217-0128 2.5 x 8.151
NOTICE
PLYMOUTH CHARTER TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS
If you experience an overflow or backup of a sewage disposal system or storm water system, you must file a written claim with
the Plymouth Charter Township Department of Public Works within 45 days after the overflow or backup was discovered. Notice
should be mailed to Plymouth Charter Township, Department of Public Works, 9955 N. Haggerty Rd., Plymouth, Michigan
48170. Failure to provide the written notice will prevent recovery of damages. Contact the Department of Public Works, 734-
354-3270, Extension 3, for assistance immediately upon discovery of an overflow or backup.
Thank You
PLYMOUTH CHARTER TOWNSHIP
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
JERRY VORVA
Clerk, Charter Township of Plymouth
Publish: January 12 & 19, 2017
PT011217-0101 2.5 x 1.75
The City of Plymouth will cel-
ebrate a special anniversary this
year, marking the 150th anniver-
sary of the founding of the com-
munity.
The event is of special signifi-
cance to thePlymouthHistorical
Museum where a year-long spe-
cial exhibit highlighting the peo-
ple and stories of the past will
open tomorrow, Jan. 13.
The new exhibit “Celebrating
Plymouth-150 years” will be
open from 1-4 p.m. tomorrow,
followed by an evening Wine &
Appetizer reception for mem-
bers from6-8 p.m.
“It is a very exciting year for
themuseumas we celebrate this
community milestone,” said Liz
Kerstens, executive director.
The exhibit will continue to
change throughout the year to
feature various decades in the
150-year history of the city.
This first installment of the
exhibit will be centered around
the early years of Plymouth,
community pioneers and life in
the area during the late 19th and
early 20th centuries.
Visitors are sure to enjoy
tales of names they will recog-
nize on street signs and build-
ings throughout town, Kerstens
noted.
Paula Holmes, museum vol-
unteer, said she is looking for-
ward to the new exhibit to learn
about her town and its history.
“I love it when I find the
name of a person and then I see
that name on a building or a
street sign,” Holmes said. “It's
something special about living
in a small town.”
“It's about 150 years of
Plymouth in this continually
unfolding exhibit,” said Jan
Dersey, exhibits volunteer.
“Visitors can look forward to a
quilt display, small collections
from local residents and
mementos from iconic business-
es likeDaly's.”
The exhibit will also address
the way Plymouth has dealt with
fires through the years. It
includes highlights from local
churches - some gone and some
still here. Locally famous people
will be represented: Lapham,
Draper, Penniman and Dr.
Patterson along with other busi-
ness leaders, merchants, crafts-
men, and educators.
“It's wonderful work the
exhibit people do to create a
realistic representation of what
lifewas like,”Holmes said. “A lot
of research goes into each exhib-
it. Everything is very factual. You
learn somuch.”
“One hundred fifty years cov-
ers so much history we have to
keep updating and changing, vis-
itors should definitely come
more than once,”Dersey said.
The Plymouth Historical
Museum is located at 155 S.
Main Street in downtown
Plymouth.
Admission prices, museum
hours and special event ticket
information can be found at
Don Howard
Staff Writer
Museum exhibit marks 150th city anniversary
I'm not going to say anything
or comment further on
investigations that are
happening or taking
place right now.
”
Director’s absence, employee’s overtime questioned
Church display
Dr. Albert Patterson
Early class photo
