No. 04
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
Jan. 28 – Feb. 3, 2016
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
Lori Fodale has been
hired as the new Economic
Development Director in
Wayne after serving in
Westland for eight years in
the same capacity.
See page 4.
Students
across
Northville Public Schools
continued to honor Dr.
Martin Luther King's, life
and legacy in a variety of
ways throughout January.
See page 5.
Fire department union
officials say there has been
no progress in negotiations
for a contract with the City of
Belleville and they have filed
for binding arbitration.
See page 2.
Vol. 131, No. 04
Vol. 69, No. 04
Vol. 69, No. 04
Vol. 16, No. 04
The Mayors' Ball, hosted
by Romulus Mayor LeRoy D.
Burcroff and Belleville
Mayor Kerreen Conley, is
planned for 5 p.m. until mid-
night, SaturdayMarch 12.
See page 3.
Vol. 131, No. 04
Vol. 69, No. 04
Vol. 69, No. 04
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Students in the DECA
club at John Glenn High
School won 30 medals at the
District Conference at
EasternMichigan University
recently and will advance in
competition.
See page 4.
The annual Valentine's
Day tradition, The Butterfly
Balls, will take place Feb. 5
and 6 at the Summit on the
Park in Canton and tickets
are nowon sale..
See page 5.
Vol. 16, No. 24
The June teenth Chapter
of Detroit donated a $500
check to the Inkster Legends
Christmas Giveaway in sup-
port of fundraising efforts
during the last holiday sea-
son.
See page 2.
Political season has
already begun in Plymouth
Township with the criticism
of a presumptive candidate
for supervisor on an internet
site.
See page 6.
Members of the Westland City
Council approved a rezoning to
allow for the development of
land at the corner of Ford and
Newburgh roads which will
include a skilled-care nursing
facility and other retail business-
es.
Council members unanimous-
ly agreed to rezone the 12.5 acres,
the former site of the Feister
Auto and RV business, to allow
Ciena Healthcare to purchase
the land from current owner
Glenn Shaw, Jr. for the planned
76,000 square foot construction.
Nearby residents in the
Carolon Condominiums had
originally opposed the rezoning
at a recent meeting of the plan-
ning commission. The residents
cited concerns about possible
noise and increased traffic from
the new center. To ameliorate
those concerns, Ciena purchased
an additional parcel of land clos-
est
to
the
Carolon
Condominiums and agreed to
use it as a buffer between the
new construction and the exist-
ing homes. Ciena will install a
detention basin and add to the
See
Land,
page 4
It's a huge win/win
for everyone involved.
Council President James Godbout
”
New health center, retail development OK’d
A 1.2 billion dollar reduc-
tion in the Federal Drug Asset
Forfeiture
Program
announced last November,
after the enactment of The
Bipartisan Budget Act, has sus-
pended equitable fund sharing
to police agencies across the
U.S. including those in
Plymouth Township and
Northville.
Federal officials have
already begun implementing
cost reduction measures
according to a letter datedDec.
21, 2015 sent to state and local
lawenforcement agencies. The
equitable sharing asset forfei-
ture program through the
Department of Justice was
designed as an incentive for
state and local governments to
seize the property of criminal
suspects, according to officials.
The program, critics said,
widely criticized outside of law
enforcement circles, allowed
enforcement agencies like the
Drug
Enforcement
Administration (DEA) to get
around state law limitations on
asset forfeitures and therefore
seize more assets, sometimes
keeping 80 percent of the
value. Criminal suspects, the
subjects of the seizures, includ-
ed many who have never been
charged with any crime, nor
prosecuted, according to offi-
cials.
According to published
accounts, property owners in
some states were denied an
opportunity to challenge the
seizures and law enforcement
agencies were able to hold on
to their assets formanymonths
without a hearing. Their attor-
neys labeled the program
If we can no longer share assets with state and
local governments, then we can't afford to have
people assigned to a DEA task force.
”
Drug forfeiture funding is suspended
See
Funds,
page 6
Don Howard
Staff Writer
Solid state
Leaders report progress
in local communities
At “halftime,” things are
looking good for the City of
Romulus.
Mayor Leroy Burcroff gave
his annual State of the City
address last week, comparing
his four-year term to the four
quarters of a football game.
With two years-or two quarters-
under his belt, he said he's
proud of the things that have
been accomplished and eager
for the progress to come.
Highlights include the
expansion of public-private
partnerships that brought new
parks and programs to the city,
additional economic develop-
ment and enhanced communi-
cation between the city and
residents.
In economic development,
he said the city is working with
developers, still, on the pro-
posed Outlets of Michigan
retail outlet mall, and hoped to
see some progress this year.
Due to its proximity to I-94, the
project requires federal
approval for additional access
points. He said they're also
working to land some addition-
al anchor tenants that would
ensure that when the project is
ready to go it will be filled from
day one.
“They don't have all the ten-
ants locked in yet,” he said.
“We still feel good about it; we
haven't head anything that tells
us theywon'tmove forward.”
The city is alsoworkingwith
a new tenant for the former
Romulus Marketplace in
downtown.
Romulus returned two
recreation facilities to resi-
dents with the re-opening of
Park#1, located near the inter-
section of Beverly and Henry
Ruff roads, as St. John's Lodge
Park, and the redevelopment
of the dilapidated tennis and
roller hockey court at Elmer
Johnson Park into the city's
second dog park. This one, now
named US Ecology Dog Park,
was funded by a Romulus-
based business, US Ecology,
which bought the dog exercise
equipment and top soil.
The city partnered with
another business, Westside
Beer Distributors, on a new
project called Paint The Town,
which used donated supplies
and volunteers to repair the
home of a Romulus resident
and veteran. Working with the
Rolling Thunder Chapter 5
members, city employees and
members of local St. John's
Lodge #44, about 40 volunteers
from the company helped out
in the project.
Burcroff also created a new
committee made up of employ-
ees and residents that brain-
stormed ideas for new events
as well as ways to build up
attendance at current events.
Through the committee, events
like the Sounds in Downtown,
Free August Youth Days at
local parks were implements
and the adult co-ed summer
softball league was reinstated
at Elmer Johnson Park, as well
asmany other fun initiatives.
Also completed in 2015
were
the
Downtown
Streetscape and Goddard
Canton Township Supervisor Phil LaJoy, right, receives congratu-
lations from Plymouth Noon Rotary Club President Russ Jones
after a preview of his upcoming State of the Township address.
Romulus Mayor LeRoy Burcroff (above) delivers his annual State
of the City address to a packed audience recently.
See
Message,
page 3
Canton
Township
Supervisor Phil LaJoy gave
members of the Plymouth
Noon Rotary Club a preview
of his State of the Township
address planned for March 2.
The
supervisor,
who
announced that he will not
seek reelection earlier this
year, encouraged the audi-
ence to attend his annual
address, but did offer several
hints as to the message he
wouldbe delivering.
LaJoy, a former state repre-
sentative and township
trustee, told the assembled
crowd that “Canton Township
financially and otherwise is in
good shape.”
He lauded the reactions of
township employees faced
with the Dec. 23 tornado that
damaged several industrial
buildings on Lilley Road near
Joy.
“There was no warning
whatsoever,” LaJoy told the
crowd. “The good news is no
onewas hurt.”
He said that about 24 busi-
nesses suffered damage and
that Canton staff people were
working on Christmas Eve.
“Our emergency management
procedures went well. You
always have to be ready.”
LaJoy teased the crowd
withnews of impending finan-
cial development in the town-
ship but cautioned them that
there were things he “could
See
State,
page 3
Canton supervisor speaks to Plymouth Rotary Club
