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February 13, 2014
I
NKSTER
- W
AYNE
- W
ESTLAND
Inkster library re-opens with February programs
Inkster City Council rescinds water shut-off policy
Relay for Life meeting set
Shopping Center expansion OK’d
The Leanna Hicks Inkster Public
Library is now open after being closed for
twoweeks in January for roof repairs.
According to Youth Services Librarian
Angela Scott, the library has planned pro-
grams for Black History Month and
Valentine's Day, along with new programs
for children, teens and adults.
She saidBlackHistoryMonth events will
include a presentation by African drummer
Jeffrey Nzoma from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Feb. 22.
The performance was arranged in collabo-
ration with Starfish Family Services and
will be interactive so audience participa-
tion is expected.
From 6-7 p.m. Feb. 26, storyteller Gwen
Lewis, a members of the Detroit
Association of Black Storytellers, will visit
the library to present a folktale. The event
is open to the public.
New children's programs include Family
Literacy Night at McDonald's, at Inkster
Road and CherryHill, from4-7 p.m. Feb. 12.
There will be activities for children of all
ages. Pre-registration for this event is avail-
able at McDonald's or at the library, Scott
said.
The library is also hosting Lego nights
from 4-5 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday
for children 10 and younger.
Starfish will host Come Stay and Play
from 10:30 a.m. until noon for children 5
and younger on Feb. 17 and 24. This is an
open play time with toys, a story and activi-
ties and crafts with Starfish representative
SuePowers.
Crafty Storytime takes place from 5-6
p.m. every Tuesday for children 10 and
younger and Preschool Storytime takes
place from 3-4 p.m. every Thursday for chil-
dren 5 and younger Storytime usually
includes educational games and activities,
Scott said.
The Teen Club Kick Off Meeting for
teens 13-19 will take place at 2 p.m. Feb. 15.
The meeting includes free pizza while the
members map out the agenda for the club
for the next sixmonths.
The library board members meet at 4
p.m. Feb. 20 in the community room, Scott
said.
She suggested that residents “like” the
library onFacebook to stay up to date on all
library programs and events or check out
the events page at: http://inksterlibrary.org/
events.html.
Relay for Life organizers have planned an
organizational meeting beginning with regis-
tration at 6:30 p.m. March 6 at the Wayne
Recreation Center on Howe Road near
Annapolis. The kick-off program will take
place between 7-8 p.m.
The 2014 Westland-Wayne American
Cancer Society Relay for Life event will take
place Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8.
This year will mark the 13th years of
Westland participation and the second year
withWayne.
Participants will spend 24-hours walking
the track in Attwood Park and stay overnight
in a tent during the 24-hour fundraiser.
Event chairpersonMeriemKadi said any-
one who is at all interested or even thinks
they might want to get involved in the event
should come to themeeting.
Team members obtain pledges in
advance of the event and during their time
on site. Last year, Kadi said, 23 teams gener-
ated $64,000 for the American Cancer
Society.
"We are hoping for 25 teams this year and
$70,000," she said.
For more information, visit www.face-
book.com/RFLWestlandWayne.
Members of the Westland City Council
unanimously approved plans for an expan-
sion atWestlandShoppingCenter.
A site plan for construction of a 3,427
square-foot addition on the south side of the
mall betweenKohl's and JCPenney was OK'd
by council members at a recentmeeting. The
project will be part of a 10,400 square-foot
ULTA Beauty store soon to open at the cen-
ter.
Westland Planning and Building Director
Bruce Thompson said that this was a good
project and that many older malls don't
upgrade or expand.
In the past year, Westland Shopping
Center has installed a new digital marquee
sign and upgraded the entrances to the park-
ing lots.
The proposed expansion will take up six
current parking spaces and move the mall
sidewalk further south. The ULTA Beauty
store will have an entrance into the mall but
will not have a direct exterior entrance.
Thompson said the plans show that the
materials used will match the current mall
exterior.
Eric Monson was officially sworn in
Feb. 3 as the newest member of the
WestlandPoliceDepartment.
Monson, who was sworn in during a
regular meeting of the Westland City
Council, was hired as a Police Service
Aide by theWestland Police Department
in January of 2013. After completing the
Westland Police In-Service training, he
began the police field training program.
Monson graduated from the
Washtenaw Police Academy, where he
earned his Michigan Commission on
Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES)
certification. Monson also has a degree
in Criminal Justice from Washtenaw
Community College.
"The Westland Police Department
prides itself on a tradition of hard work
and professionalism. I am confident that
Mr. Monsonwill be an exceptional police
officer and serve our Westland commu-
nity well," said Police Chief Jeff
Jedrusik.
New police officer introduced
Members of the Inkster City
Council unanimously approved a
suggestion from Treasurer Mark
Stuhldreyer to rescind the current
water shut-off policy in the city.
Councilman Marcus Hendricks
said that the city has an ordinance
in place which already supersedes
the policy, so the council members
agreed to rescind the policy that
had a $350 limit before water
could be shut off by the city at the
Feb. 3meeting.
“Less than $350 in delinquency,
there was no shut off,” Hendricks
said. “Now, there is no threshold
on the amount. Any amount of
delinquency could be subject to
shut off,” he said.
Hendricks explained that the
provisions of the current ordi-
nance require that residents
receive a delinquency noticewhen
they fail to pay water bills within
the time allowed by the city. “Once
they have received a delinquency
notice, then if there has been no
payment or partial payment with-
in five days, they will receive a
shut off notice. After that notice,
water can be shut off,” Hendricks
said.
Hendricks said that the council
members are in the process of
changing the ordinance to allow
for hardship cases and to allow for
payment arrangements and par-
tial payment provisions for resi-
dents facing delinquent water
bills.
“We directed the administra-
tion to come back to us with a pro-
posed revised ordinance within 30
days,” he said, “so I expect we will
see something very soon.”
Westland Police Chief Jeff Jedrusik, left, new officer Eric Monson and Mayor William
Wild were all smiles at Munson's swearing-in recently.