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5
February 25, 2016
P
LYMOUTH
‘Debate’ draws heated response from city official
Nearly 70 residents crowded
the meeting room at the
PlymouthLibrary last Thursday
where a community forum,
advertised on social media and
purported to be about taxing
authorities, special assessment
districts (SADs), and downtown
development
authorities
(DDAs), escalated into a some-
what heated debate regarding
the Plymouth Arts and
Recreation Complex (PARC)
and the animosity of township
officials toward the city.
Program speakers were
Plymouth Township Supervisor
Shannon Price and Don
Soenen, the philanthropist who
is the driving force behind and
president of PARC, a project to
re-purpose Central Middle
School into a multi-use commu-
nity facility. Price contended
last week that the forum, set up
by Republican Precinct
Delegate Estelle Oliansky, “was
not a debate,” despite that char-
acterization on some social
media sites.
Price appeared somewhat
confounded when during the
course of the discussion, his
comments and assertions
regarding acrimony between
the city and township were
directly challenged by
Plymouth City Commissioner
Colleen Pobur from the audi-
ence.
Plymouth Township officials
have been adamant about not
participating in the PARC proj-
ect and the board of trustees,
led by Treasurer Ron Edwards,
last year agreed to a resolution
preventing any involvement
with the city until November
2016, after the general election.
In 2014, board members also
agreed to Edwards' proposed
$50,000 in funding for a recre-
ation survey of township resi-
dents that has not yet taken
place. The township is also in
the midst of a $2.5 million con-
troversial recreation plan that
has drawn much public criti-
cism and protests from resi-
dents.
Pobur, apparently prompted
by Price's remarks regarding
the city of Plymouth, introduced
herself to the audience and
Price and challenged Price's
repeated comments about the
strained city-township relation-
ship.
“The city is not fighting with
the township, Mr. Price,” Pobur
said. “Why don't youmake a res-
olution to abolish that resolu-
tion…we are making good
progress on the (fire depart-
ment) legacy costs and I think
that's a good example.
“It's a disingenuous thorn in
our paw that there's a resolu-
tion on the books in the town-
ship that says we will not use
what's in the higher good for all
citizens and work collaborative-
ly with the city,” she said
emphatically.
Price defended the board
resolution saying it was in place
beforehewas appointed.
“You say that was before you
came here, but now, you're
here…” Pobur responded.
“I don't see where there's a
member of the board that
would be interested in un-doing
a resolution. We're still looking
at a long-term solution, we've
made a lot of progress but we
haven't gotten any commit-
ment…” saidPrice
“That's not true,” Pobur
retorted.
“Rather than have a big
debate we need to move for-
ward in a positive way as
opposed to having to having to
go back…there's a lot of animos-
ity and we're trying to keep
calm, we're trying to move for-
ward…that's what we're trying
to do,” Price said in response to
Pobur's comments.
The meeting was quickly
closed by moderators following
the confrontation between
Pobur andPrice.
The discussion began earlier
in the evening with cursory
comments by Price regarding
the fundamental elements of
SADs and DDAs while Soenen,
detailed the progress made to
restore the downtownPlymouth
facility by volunteers, the contri-
butions from citizens and the
3,000 current users who support
the arts and recreation complex
in the former school building
where 14 community groups are
nowhoused.
“We need a facility for the
greater Plymouth community
that addresses both the arts and
recreation needs,” explained
Soenen. He added that a pro-
posedmillagewould fund about
$20-$25 million in needed struc-
tural repairs at the building
which was purchased from the
school district for about $3.3
million.
Price responded, “PARC is a
great idea, but where is the fea-
sibility study?” Price said he
wasn't in support of or against
PARC, but needed more infor-
mation. He said the township
needs a business plan before
officials go to voters for a mill-
age to support the complex, cit-
ing a $3.5 million liability
caused by the acrimonious split
of the city and township fire
department.
Plymouth
Township has since hired for-
mer attorney general Mike Cox
to attempt to recoup claimed
fire department legacy costs.
His remarks regarding the
current status of those negotia-
tions with the city apparently
triggeredPobur's rebuttals.
Soenen said earlier in the
discussion that he favored a
teameffort between the city, the
township, the school district
and PARC representatives to
conduct a “One Plymouth” arts
and recreation survey- needs
assessment, in an effort to
develop a plan tomove forward.
Soenen also said long-term
leases and agreements are now
generating more than 65 per-
cent of the current operating
revenue at PARC but felt the
Plymouth community cannot
afford two recreational facili-
ties with a combined popula-
tion of only 36,000 residents.
“We need to get Plymouth
Township engaged in this
process,” Soenen said.
As the discussion became
more heated, he suggested that
thePARC supportersmight sim-
ply wait two years before seek-
ing participation from township
officials, indicating that “things
could change.”
“There's no point in me com-
ing back to the township,” he
told Price. “You know what
they're going to do with it (the
business plan). We're not going
back until this situation really
improves, then maybe we'll get
somewhere,” Soenen said.
“We're doing OK, our opera-
tions are just fine.” Soenen said
as moderators moved to quickly
close the meeting following the
exchange between Pobur and
Price.
crime, her admittance was not
allowed by Callahan who ruled
that she obviously didnot under-
stand her rights when she spoke
to police investigators and
admittedwhat shehaddone.
Callahan's ruling was upheld
by an appellate court where
judges agreed that she did not
understand her rights at the
time of her confession and did
not knowingly waive her consti-
tutional rights before the inter-
rogation by detectives was con-
ducted.
A gag order was issued by
Callahan in the case following
the appearance of her parents,
Jeffrey andLaurene Sikorski, on
a local TV station discussing the
case. The three children were
adopted about 12 years ago from
Poland and Sikorski's parents
have alleged that she suffers
from post traumatic stress syn-
drome as a result of the abuse
she suffered. She was 5 at the
time of the adoption.
Sikorski, who was charged as
an adult by Wayne County
Prosecutor Kym Worthy who
said her decision was based on
the content of the graphic texts,
entered the guilty plea to the
single charge on the first day of
her trial.
Rivera, now24, was convicted
and sentenced in August to life
inprison.
Don Howard
Staff Writer
Attack
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