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January 30, 2014
B
ELLEVILLE
- C
ANTON
- P
LYMOUTH
Lion’s Club chooses
‘Peace’ poster winners
City OKs new condominiums
Belleville car shows approved
Three young local artists were awarded
cash prizes recently for their winning
entries in the Lions Club International
PeacePoster Contest.
Grace Ma from East Middle School in
the Plymouth-Canton schools won the dis-
trict competition and was awarded $100
from the Lions Club. Colin Knudsen, 12,
from West Middle School in the Plymouth-
Canton schools took second place and was
awarded $75 and Julie Marshall, 12, from
McBride Middle School in Belleville took
thirdplacehonors and a $50 prize.
Rosemary Maul, the chairperson of the
Peace Poster Contest for the Canton Lions
Club, which covers Belleville, Canton and
Van Buren Township, said entries are
accepted from students 11-13 years of age.
Lions International chooses the theme of
the contest each year. The theme this year
wasOurWorld-OurFuture.
Maul said she makes presentations at
the schools in Belleville, Van Buren
Township and Canton about the poster
contest, advising teachers and urging stu-
dents to enter the competition.
Canton Lions President Larry Wegrzyn
said he was impressed by the expression
and creativity of the students at both West
andBellevillemiddle schools
“It is obvious that these young people
have strong ideas about what peace means
to them. I'm so proud that we were able to
provide themwith the opportunity to share
their visions,” he said.
Ma's entry will now go on to the state
Lions Club competition and should she
win there, her poster would be judged
against entries from Lions Clubs world-
wide. Thewinner of the international prize
will be awarded a trip to United Nations
headquarters in New York City where the
young artist will be honored with a lunch-
eon. There will also be a cash prize of
$5,000. Lions Clubs also present 23 merit
prizes of $500 each in the international
competition.
The students will also be honored by
their individual schools for their achieve-
ments, notedMaul.
An $18.5 million loft apartment develop-
ment got the final nod from members of the
Plymouth City Commission last week, clear-
ing the way for construction to begin in late
spring or early summer.
Starkweather Station, a partnership
between DevMar Development LLC and
Burton-Katzman LLC, is slated to be built on
an almost 6-acre site along Plymouth Road
east of Holbrook where the vacant 20,000-
square-foot Columbian Mutual Insurance
building is currently located. The project
will be the first multi-family housing devel-
opment to be constructed in Plymouth in
nearly a decade, according to the develop-
ers.
Designed by award-winning architects
Fusco, Shaffer and Pappas, Starkweather
will consist of two, four-story apartment
buildings, plus two single-family houses. In
total there will be 62 two-bedroom apart-
ments and 31 one-bedroom apartments built
on the site.
The apartments will be town-lofts with
their own private access and loft apartments
that have shared hallways and elevators.
They will range from 800 to 1,330 square feet
and have 10-foot high ceilings, high-end
amenities, such as wood flooring, granite
countertops, stainless steel appliances, in-
unit washers and dryers, and outdoor patios
or balconies, developers said.
The luxury community will be connected
to Plymouth's Old Village by a walking path
that leads through a lush open green space
flowing into Caster Park on Holbrook. The
developers plan to preserve many large,
mature trees andwillmake improvements to
the park, planting new trees, adding benches
and constructing a pavilion, they said.
Mark DeMaria, principal for DevMar,
said the developers wanted to create a beau-
tiful setting that is connected to and comple-
ments Plymouth'sOldVillage anddowntown.
“We were attracted to the character of
Plymouth, the hub of the downtown with its
wonderful shops, restaurants and communi-
ty-oriented events,” DeMaria said. “We knew
that the people looking to live in
Starkweather Station would want to have
easy access to everything Plymouth has to
offer.”
City manager Paul Sincock said the city
gave the project unanimous approval
because the infill project blends well into
the existing community and is an excellent
use of the site.
The developers worked closely with the
city planner, planning commission, and city
commission to ensure the project comple-
mented the character of the community, he
said.
Area residents will again be able to go
“Cruzin on the Bayou” in downtown
Belleville this summer.
Members of the Belleville City Council
recently approved a request from Brian
Copsey to have the shows from 5-9 p.m.
every Monday between June and
September. The car shows will take lace on
Main Street between Third and Fifth
streets.
As they did last year, council members
also approved the use of Fourth and Roys
streets between Main Street and the alley
to deal with the overflowof cars.
Copsey told the council members that
he would like to include more non-profit
groups in the show, particularly since, he
said, Fourth Street Square offers a large
area for groups to set up displays. He said
that the Friends of the Michigan Animal
Rescue took part in some of the shows last
year.
Copsey said that he felt businesses in
the area and near the show sitewould ben-
efit from it but that the involvement of non-
profitswouldbe beneficial for the groups.
John Leroy, principal at McBride Middle School in Belleville, winner Julie Marshall, Canton
Lions Club President Larry Wegrzyn and Peace Poster Chairman Rosemary Maul are all
smiles.
Lions Club President Larry Wegrzyn and Peace Poster Chairman Rosemary Maul, congratu-
late winner Colin Knudsen while mother, Kathy Knudsen and West Middle School principal
Clint Smiley look on.