No. 4
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
Jan. 26 – Feb. 1, 2017
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
Motorists in Wayne best
check their speedometers as
there are now Michigan
State Police cars patrolling
throughout the city.
See page 5.
Northville Public Schools
students from kindergarten
through high school honored
Dr. Martin Luther King's con-
tributions to the world and
theCivil RightsMovement.
See page 4.
Vol. 132, No. 4
Vol. 70, No. 4
Vol. 70, No. 4
Vol. 17, No. 4
The
Downriver
Association of Code Officials
(DRACO) showed their
appreciation for the
Romulus community by
recently making two dona-
tions to local charities.
See page 2.
Vol. 132, No. 4
Vol. 70, No. 4
Vol. 70, No. 4
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
The Westland Area
Jaycees, also active inWayne
and Garden City, have elect-
ed new officers and estab-
lished goals for 2017.
See page 5.
Rep. Kristy Pagan (D-
Canton), who is in her sec-
ond term representing the
21st House District, was offi-
cially sworn into office early
thismonth.
See page 3.
Vol. 17, No. 4
State Rep. Jewell Jones
(D-Inkster) has been selected
to serve as Deputy House
Democratic
Caucus
Chairperson in his first term
in the statehouse.
See page 2.
Plymouth Arts and
Recreation Complex (PARC)
directors announced last
week that $2.3 million of the
$3.3 million cost for Central
Middle School has been
paid.
See page 3.
After a high-speed vehicle
and short foot chase, Van
Buren Township Police offi-
cers arrested a man caught
stealing a utility trailer earli-
er thismonth.
See page 4.
Members of the Plymouth
City Commission recently
approved a Tolling Agreement,
a legal document that will
enable negotiation of the dis-
pute with Plymouth Township
about fire department legacy
costs.
The agreement, approved
unanimously, was reviewed by
city attorney Robert Marzano,
and subsequently presented
for a commission vote. The
agreement provides for a set-
tlement of the issues without
litigation or any admission of
fault, liability orwrongdoing.
City and township officials
who have been embroiled in a
derisive dispute about the fire
department retiree benefits
said they plan to move forward
in an earnest attempt to contin-
ue negotiations and postpone a
pending lawsuit filed by the
prior township administration.
The Tolling Agreement follows
years of discord after the disso-
lution of a 17-year joint fire
services agreement between
the two municipalities that
ended in 2010. Prior to the
November general election,
township attorneys filed the
five-count lawsuit alleging the
city refused to pay its obliga-
tion to the township for post-
termination health care costs,
medical benefits and retire-
ment related costs for “over
two dozen employees” who
performed services under the
subject fire department agree-
ment.
The lawsuit named the City
of Plymouth as defendants and
alleges the city breached a
1994 Intergovernmental Fire
Services Agreement (IGA)--
later modified in 1999-- and the
breach has incurred damages
in excess of $25,000. The town-
ship further claimed the city
had a contractual obligation
and violated the State
Constitution as it relates to the
pension and retirement system
and retained monies wrongful-
ly paid by the township toward
the city portion of the shared
costs.
The IGA was the initial con-
tract between the city and the
township that regulated the
joint fire operation, known as
the Plymouth Community Fire
Department, from 1995 to 2010
when the city elected to part-
ner with Northville City Fire
Department, an all volunteer-
on-call department.
Newly-elected Plymouth
Township Supervisor Kurt
Heise authorized township
attorney Kevin Bennett to cre-
ate the Tolling Agreement after
securing approval from the
See
Lawsuit,
page 3
Don Howard
Staff Writer
Canton residents who want to
learn more about how their
police department works will
have that opportunity during the
upcoming Citizens Police
Academy in the township.
Individuals who attend the
academy will have the opportu-
nity to learn the policies and
operational procedures of the
department through presenta-
tions, demonstrations and
hands-on activities. Students'
personal knowledge of law the
role of law enforcement in the
criminal justice system will be
enhanced, as well as their
understanding of thetraining
and education required for
police officers to effectively han-
dle the challenges of police
work.
“Academy participants will
gain insight into the difficult
challenges law enforcement
personnel face on a daily basis
through interesting and inform-
ative instruction,” said Canton
Public Safety Director Joshua
Meier.
The overall mission of the
Citizens Police Academy is to
develop positive relationships
between citizens and police offi-
cers, enhancing cooperation,
understanding and general good
will, he added.
“Because the Citizens Police
Academy has been so well
received, we've decided test
pilot a mini-Citizens Fire
Academy this year,” said Meier.
“Participants will have the
opportunity to enjoy two addi-
tional weeks consisting of cross-
over academy sessions with the
fire department,”Meier said.
This year, the Citizens Police
Academy will take place from 6-
9 p.m. on Thursdays for eight
weeks beginning April 6 and
continuing throughMay 25.
Class size is limited for this
free program. Applicants are
limited toCantonTownship resi-
dents who are at least 21 years
of age. Applicants must have no
felony convictions andnomisde-
meanor convictions in the past
three years, Applicants will be
subject to a background check.
Applications for the academy
will accepted online at
,
from Feb. 1-28 or in person at
the front desk of the Canton
Police Department located at
1150 S. CantonCenterRoad.
More information is available
by contacting Special Services
Sgt. Ed Johnson at (734) 394-
5411.
Canton plans 2nd Citizens Police Academy
The agreement allows both parties
to waive a right to claim that litigation
should be dismissed due
to the expiration of a statute of limitations...
”
Township, city agree to settlement talks
Demolition of the former Detroit House
of Corrections on Five Mile Road was set to
begin on Monday, according to Plymouth
TownshipSupervisorKurtHeise.
Heise, while a state representative, spon-
sored the legislation to provide funding from
the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track
Authority to pay for the razing of the struc-
tures which local officials have publicly
called “an eyesore.”
Last May, Gov. Rick Snyder signed a plan
to transfer $4million to the fast track fund to
begin preparation work at the 125-acre site
which housed the Detroit House of
Corrections from the early 1900s until mid
1980. The land was used as a rubbish dump
from the 1920 until the 1950s and the build-
ings have been vacant since 2004.
“The demolition will run through
September and completely remove all of the
buildings and fencing and clear everything
down to grade. This is much better than I
anticipated. Obviously there are still envi-
ronmental issues below the surface that
exist,”Heise said.
“It would have been almost impossible to
market the land with the big ugly buildings
standing in the way. There many entities
interested in the site. We have been working
with Northville Township all along the way
on this and the Five Mile Corridor. This was
a key factor,” he added.
Demolition at
DeHoCo under way
Westland OK’s $8.4 million senior living center
Arial view of former DeHoCo site.
Photo by Lynn Gregg
A new $8.4 million invest-
ment in Westland has been
unanimously approved by
members of the city council.
The council approved the
final site plans for Ciena
Skilled Nursing Facility, a sen-
ior living center, planned for
2209 Newburgh Road, the site
of the former Feister RV build-
ing which has been demol-
ished.
The facility will sit on a 9-
acre parcel of land and plans
include a single-story, 76,000
square-foot building consisting
of 32 semi-private rooms, 50 pri-
vate rooms and six private
bariatric rooms with short-term
rehabilitation and skilled nurs-
ing. The building amenities
include physical and occupa-
tional therapy areas, dining
rooms, multi-purpose rooms,
kitchen facilities, laundry serv-
ices, an employee lounge, stor-
age and an administration area.
“The investment is expected
to total $8.4 million and create
approximately 60 fill-time con-
struction jobs over the antici-
pated one-year construction
duration,” commented Mayor
William Wild. “Ciena will
employ approximately 120 full
and part-time employees once
the facility is open.”
The building will be con-
structed with a brick exterior
with accents of stone and siding
and have a shingled roof,
according to plans. The plans
include 149 parking spaceswith
another 41 spaces possible in
an area at the northwest corner
of the building.
The project is part of a $16
million
Planned
Unit
Development (PUD) that will
include commercial retail,
restaurant and office space on
the Ford Road side of the site
which will be finalized later
this year.
Ciena Skilled Nursing Center
