A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
4
January 14, 2016
I
NKSTER
- W
AYNE
- W
ESTLAND
City hall project honored
North Pole golf classic set
Legends ‘grandparents’ are
thanked by program director
The new Westland City Hall has been
honored by the Downriver Branch of the
AmericanPublicWorks Association.
The national association which has
state and regional chapters attempts to
bring public works officials together with
leading industrial representatives to dis-
cuss innovations in equipment and infra-
structure, according to a prepared
release.
“Westland's City Hall project has
received acclaim and awards from multi-
ple organizations,” commented Mayor
WilliamR. Wild. “It has strengthened the
city's profile as one of Southeast
Michigan's leading innovative and envi-
ronmentally conscientious cities.”
Each year APWA requests nominations
which demonstrate innovations in equip-
ment and infrastructure being imple-
mented locally. The Westland City Hall
nomination cited the renovation of a
blighted big box store in the middle of the
city “Shop and Dine” district and into a
modern, energy-efficient city hall. This
retrofit saved a significant portion of the
64,000 square-foot commercial building
from being razed and solved a decades-
old problem of replacing the former
undersized city hall.
This green-mindedness along with fea-
tures incorporated into the design by
OHM Advisors, including the installation
of window walls along the length of the
southern wall, along with skylights and
self-extinguishing lights, gained high
marks from the judging panel. The new,
larger city hall replaced the former
cramped 13,500 square foot building
which served the City of Westland since
1966. This allowed many city depart-
ments to be joined at one location, provid-
ing the convenience to residents of a
“one-stop shop”. Officials evaluated sev-
eral alternative locations, but none were
as cost effective as the retrofit which took
a defunct building and turned it into a
leading green-infrastructure functional
facility.
The Westland City Hall project will
now be considered for the American
Public Works Association state level
award and could continue to the national
level.
“We are pleased to be able to recognize
the City of Westland's green design initia-
tives through the Structural Project of the
Year Award,” commented John
Thompson, president of LiquiForce,
APWA Downriver Chapter. “The revital-
ization of a vacant building into a vibrant
fully functioning public facility to serve
the residents sets a precedent for other
communities.”
The Wayne Commission on Aging and
Friends of the The Northpole Classic will
host the annual golf outing for 2016 begin-
ning with check-in at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan.
30 at Westland Municipal Golf Course,
located at 500 Merriman Road. Play will
begin at 10 a.m.
The fee is $25 per golfer which
includes nine holes of golf, a hot dog, bag
of chips and two beverages.
There will also be a raffle for prizes
among those brave enough to do battle
with Mother Nature in January which
organizers claim is part of the fun of the
event.
Registration forms are available at the
HYPE Recreation Center, formerly the
Wayne Community Center, throughWayne
Senior Services.
The building is located at 4635 Howe
Road inWayne.
Pre-registration is urged before Jan. 26
as space is limited.
Cash or checks made payable to the
City of Wayne will be accepted but no
credit cards.
For further information, call Wayne
Senior Services at (734)721-7460 Funds
from the event will be used to help sup-
port theWayneSenior Services office.
The foster grandparents who partici-
pate in the Inkster Legends basketball
camps are one of the key elements in the
program, said Legends Director Fred
Smiley.
“The foster grandparents play a key
role in all of our events. At the camps, they
make us all proud because we are still
learning form them. They make sure the
kids say thank you and please while get-
ting refreshments and a lunch. They pass
out shirts for the camp and help with the
applications,” Smiley said.
“At the recent Christmas giveaway, the
foster grandparents helped check people
in.”
Smiley said the foster grandparents
program began with 10 volunteers from
the community in 1997. While four of the
original grandparents have died, Dorothy
Riley, now more than 90 and residing in a
nursing home, “still cherishes her
Legends shirt and her fond memories” of
the times she spent helping the youngsters
at the camps, he said.
“The foster grandparents, along with
all of our great coaching staff and all of
our volunteers make up our team. The
reason we've been so successful for 18
years is because everyone that works with
us takes ownership in the program and
those that make sure all the kids are
respectful to everyone.We need everyone's
best effort to be successful” Smiley said.
Super star
Chelsea Blackburn of Westland has been honored twice for her prowess on the
ice with her hockey team at Stevenson College in Maryland. The sophomore has
been named to the college weekly honor roll for two consecutive weeks after
totaling four points consisting of one assist and three goals in a single game.
Blackburn, 20, graduated from Wayne Memorial High School in 2013 and is a life
long Westland resident. She has won 10 of 30 face-offs and recorded a plus-three
rating on her college team. She leads division three with nine goals after totaling
11 points in the past five games played. She is also tied for second in the division
with two shorthanded goals and averages of 1.83 points per game. She is the
daughter of Tim and Donna Blackburn and is pursuing a nursing degree at col-
lege.
Calendar of events
Soccer registration is under way
Plymouth spring soccer regis-
tration will take place during the
entire month of January at the
recreation office from 11:30 a.m.
until 4 p.m. Monday through
Friday on online 24/7. Last day of
registration is Jan. 31 an the last
day of in-office registration is Jan.
29.
To register online, players or
parents must have an email
address on file, a username, and a
password; for first time users this
can be set-up by the recreation
department by email at recre-
[mail-
to:recreation@ci.plymouth.mi.us]
, or call (734)455-6620, or visit the
Soccer Webpage, which has regis-
tration forms and a link to online
registration at:
-
m o u t h . m i . u s / s o c c e r
ex.aspx?NID=655] .
The recreation office is located
at 525Farmer inPlymouth.
Blankets are needed
Plymouth Community United
Way is holding a Blanket Drive in
support of the homeless commu-
nity through tomorrow.
Blanketsmust be new, or hand-
made, and can be dropped at the
PlymouthCommunityUnitedWay
office. The address is 960 W. Ann
Arbor Trail, Suite 2, Plymouth, MI
48170.
For more information, call
Randi Williams at (734) 453-6879,
ext. 7 or e-mail
Hot Reads for ColdNights
The Adult Winter Reading
Program will be under way at the
Romulus Community Library
throughMarch 30.
Readers should register at the
front desk to receive a reading log
and record each book read by
March 30 when a reception
including food, hot cocoa and
prize drawings will take place at
6:30 p.m.
The library is located at 11121
Wayne Road in Romulus. For
more information, call (734) 942-
7589.
Museumseeks volunteers
The Wayne Historical Museum
is seeking volunteers to help with
various jobs including tour
guides, display assistants and pro-
motions.
Training will be provided and
volunteers can choose their
schedules andhours.
Applications are available at
the museum from 1-4 p.m. on
Thursday and Friday. For more
information, call (734) 722-0113.
Bricks for sale
Memorial bricks to be installed
at the veteran's memorial in the
City of Romulus are for sale, to
honor those who have served in
the armed services of our country.
Bricks on the veteran'swall are
priced at $125 with two lines of
text and bricks on the walkway
with two lines are $75. Larger size
walkway bricks are available for
$100 and include four lines of
text.
Orders for the bricks are being
accepted at the treasurer's office
in Romulus City Hall, 11111
Wayne Road in Romulus, the
Romulus Chamber of Commerce
office at 11189 Shook Road in
Romulus or the Romulus VFW
Post 9568, 39270 W. Huron River
Dr. InRomulus.
For more information, contact
the treasurer's office, (734) 942-
7580.
Storytimes begin at library
Family Storytime for children
4-10-years old will take place at
6:30 p.m. Mondays through Feb.
22 at the Belleville District
Library.
Toddler Times Storytime for
children 2-4 years of age will take
place at 11 a.m. Tuesdays through
Feb. 23 and Thursday Toddler
Times Storytime is scheduled for
11 a.m. Thursdays through Feb.
25.
The library is located at 167
Fourth St. in Belleville. For more
information, call (734) 699-3291.
School planning sessions set
Wayne Westland school admin-
istrators are developing a strate-
gic plan to guide the direction of
the district through the next 5 to
10 years.
That plan will include the aid
of local residents in shaping those
dreams for the future of students
in the district.
A series of 2-hourmeetings has
been scheduled through the end
of January andwill culminate in a
presentation to members of the
board of education in spring 2016.
Meetings are set for:
• Jan. 19, 1 p.m., Community
Meeting (open to all community
members), Jefferson-Barns
Community Vitality Center, 31250
Dorsey, inWestland.
• Jan. 19, 6 p.m., Community
Meeting (open to all community
members), Wayne City Hall, 3355
S.WayneRoad, inWayne.
• Jan. 28, 6 p.m., Parent
Meeting (all parents welcome),
Taft-Galloway
Elementary
School, 4035Gloria, inWayne.
Suggestions can also be sub-
mitted
to
-
planning-information/.
More information about the
meetings and the process is avail-
able from Cheryl Watson or Sue
Rawson at (734) 419-2010.
Painting classes available
Acrylic Painting Classes for
adults with Denise Cassidy Wood
will take place from noon until 2
p.m. beginning Jan. 14 and contin-
ue for sixweeks.
The cost is $100 for members
of the Plymouth Community Arts
Council and $110 for non-mem-
bers.
Classes will take place at the
arts council building, 774 North
Sheldon Road in Plymouth. For
more information, access ply-
moutharts.com.
Danceworkshops offered
Los Angeles-based choreogra-
phers from Flow 40 Dance
Workshops will coach students in
classes from 1-6:30 p.m. Jan. 16
and from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
Jan. 17 at Central CityDance, 6700
N. CantonCenterRoad inCanton.
Four levels of classes for stu-
dents ranging in age from 6-18
years and will include jazz, tap,
ballet, hip hop, lyrical, contempo-
rary, and musical theatre. Each
hour focuses on technique and
having fun in a positive learning
environment.
Master Choreographers Nick
Drago, Grant Chenok, and EJ
Ferencakwill teach.
For more information, access
wwwcentralcitydance.com.
Butterflies are topic
Pollinator
Preservation
Strategies for the Home Garden
will be the topic at the 7 p.m. Jan.
29 meeting of the Southeast
Michigan Butterfly Association at
the Nankin Mills Nature Center
inWestland.
Cheryl English, advanced mas-
ter gardener certified through
Michigan State University
Extension, will be speaking on
pollinator preservation strategies
for home gardens. Formore infor-
mation, call (734) 223-5510 or visit
Wild game dinner planned
The Wayne County Fair
Association, Inc. Will host a Wild
Game Benefit Dinner beginning
at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Wayne
County Fairgrounds, 10871 Quirk
Road inBelleville.
Dinner will be served at 6:15
p.m.
Presale tickets are priced at
$30 and tickets purchased at the
door are priced at $35. There will
be door prizes and raffles and all
proceeds will be used for the
upkeep of the Wayne County
Fairgrounds.
For more information, call
Mary Zellner, (734) 942-1684 or
TomBusenbark, (734) 799-3692.
Chorus sets practices
Members of the Belleville
Community Chorus will resume
practices for their spring session
at 7 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Belleville
United Methodist Church, 417
Charles St.
New members of the chorus
are being sought and anyone
interested in joining should
arrive at 6:30 p.m. so the chorus
director can place their voice in
the group.
Rehearsals take place at the
church at 7 p.m. every Monday.
For questions contact Lori Day at
(734)
660-0797
or
see
Belleville Kiwanis tomeet
Belleville Kiwanis members
meet at 6:30 p.m. the second and
fourth Tuesday of each month.
The next meeting with be Jan. 26
at Wayne County Community
College West Campus, Room C-
104, 9555Haggerty, Belleville.
Individuals interested in join-
ing the club should contact Larry
Memmer
at
Inspire Theatre
presents lady pirates
Inspire Theater will present
The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree
weekends from Jan. 29 through
Feb. 14 at theWestland Center for
the Arts, 33455 Warren Road in
Westland.
The play features the crew of
the Kala Mae in their swashbuck-
ling musical tale of Captain Bree
and her lady pirates roaming the
Seven Seas in search of adven-
ture, love and laughter.
Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. on
Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m.
onSundays.
Tickets, priced at $16 for the
musical comedy, are available by
calling (734)751-7057 or access
InspireTheatre.com.
Library sells used books
Friends of the Romulus
Library are planning a used book
sale open from10 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Jan. 14; from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Jan. 15 and 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Jan. 16.
As always, Saturday is $3 Bag
Day.
Proceeds support library pro-
grams for adults, teens and chil-
dren.
The library is located at 11121
Wayne Road in Romulus. For
more information, call (734) 942-
7589.
