Page 4 - The Eagle 03 22 12

ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS OF MICHIGAN PAGE 4 March 22, 2012
INKSTER - WAYNE - WESTLAND
Starfish names 6 new board of directors members
Westland names 3 new commissioners to zoning board
One mill doesn't go as far as it
used to in the City ofWayne, but offi-
cials havemanaged to get their road
money'sworth-andmore.
Since the approval of the road
millage in 2007, the city has used the
funds to leveragemore than $28mil-
lion across 24 different projects.
“In a city the size of Wayne, that
is massive,” City Engineer Ramzi
El-Gharib told the city councilmem-
bers recently.
City voters approved a 1-mill levy
for 25 years in 2007 to fund road and
sidewalk improvements and
repairs. When it was approved, 1
mill generated about $630,000 annu-
ally for the city. In 2012, El-Gharib
estimated a mill would generate
less than $400,000-a result in declin-
ing revenues from property values
that continue to fall.
Even so, the city was able to use
those funds to leverage grants and
pair up with expenditures from
other funds to pay for several major
projects, and evenmoreminor ones.
“We did the majority of what we
promised the citizens we would do,”
saidEl-Gharib.
The city spent about $2.8 million
in road millage funds to get the $28
million in road and infrastructure
work. State and federal grants,
along with expenditures from the
Downtown Development Authority
(DDA) budget and Water and Sewer
Fund accounted for the rest.
Major projects included recon-
structing Glenwood Road,
Newburgh Road and Elizabeth
Street from Michigan Avenue to
Annapolis, along with replacing
HoweRoad and the two ramps from
Michigan Avenue to Wayne Road.
The reconstruction of Michigan
Avenue fromHayes west to the rail-
road viaducts was completed during
that time, too.
El-Gharib said the city used local
funds to leverage about $4.5 million
in Surface Treatment Program
(STP) grants from the state and
WayneCounty.
“We were lucky to receive these
types of grants because the grants
were almost double what we had
from the road millage funds during
this period,” he said.
The DDA paid for about $1.2 mil-
lion of the with $5.7 million
Michigan Avenue project. The
Michigan Department of
Transportation (MDOT) funded the
balance.
This year, the road millage will
fund the local match of the
Elizabeth Road project between
Glenwood and Michigan Avenue;
that's about a $525,000 project of
which the city will only pay
$100,000. The remainder of the road
millage will fund pavement replace-
ment projects in the area of
Eastlawn, between Gertrude and
Clinton, along with portions of
Adams Circle.
Next year, officials anticipate the
repaving of Annapolis Road
between Venoy and Wayne or
Elizabeth-depending on available
funding. The project will cost about
$1.4 million, and Wayne will con-
tribute only about $200,000 toward
it.
Inkster-based Starfish Family
Services, a nonprofit organization
dedicated to creating brighter
futures for the children of at-risk
families, has named six new mem-
bers to the board of directors.
Dr. Daniel A.C. Frattarelli of
Oakwood Hospital and Medical
Center, Errol Hau of Freedom One
Financial Group, retired automotive
executive Bill Mitchell, Julie E.
Robertson of Honigman Miller
Schwartz &Cohn, Larry R. Shulman
of Bodman, and retired Ford Motor
Co. executive AJ Wagner will serve
on the board for the 2012 year said
Starfish Chief Executive Officer Ann
Kalass.
Frattarelli, a Canton resident,
serves as vice-chief of the Oakwood
Hospital and Medical Center
Department of Pediatrics in
Dearborn.
Hau, a Clarkston resident, over-
sees Freedom One Financial
Group's 401(k) sales, advisory and
marketing departments.
Mitchell, a Brighton resident and
long time Starfish supporter, returns
to the StarfishBoard of Directors for
his 10th year of service. After found-
ingMBAssociates, Inc., an engineer-
ing and manufacturers firm, and in
part founding Plastic Trim, Inc., an
automotive trim manufacturer,
Mitchell retired in 2000 to contribute
to a wide variety of community and
youth initiatives, Kalass said.
Robertson, a Huntington Woods
resident, is a partner of Michigan-
based business law firm, Honigman,
Miller, Schwartz and Cohn, LLP. A
highly regarded professional who
specializes in healthcare, Robertson
will bring her professional expertise
and passion for children to Starfish,
according toKalass.
Shulman is a member of
Michigan business law firmBodman
PLC. Aknown expert inbanking and
finance law, as well as an active
member of professional, civic and
community organizations in metro
Detroit, Shulman brings broad busi-
ness and philanthropic perspectives
toStarfish, she said.
Wagner, a Northville resident, is
president and CEO of AJ Wagner
and Associates, LLC, a business con-
sulting organization. He retired as
President of Ford Motor Credit Co.
North America and Vice President
of FordMotor Co.
For more information, visit
www.starfishonline.org.
Members of the Westland City
Council appointed three newmem-
bers to the Zoning Board of
Appeals (ZBA) at the Feb. 6, city
councilmeeting.
Brian Cameron was appointed
by acclamation as commissioner to
the Zoning Board of Appeals to fill
an unexpired three year term to
expireMay 16, 2014.
Benny McGough was also
appointed by acclamation as a
commissioner to the Zoning Board
of Appeals to fill an unexpired
three year term, term to expire
May 12, 2013.
Alan Marszalek was appointed
by acclamation as alternate com-
missioner to the Zoning Board of
Appeals to fill an unexpired three
(3) year term, whichwill also expire
May 12, 2013.
Council members also con-
firmed Mayor William R. Wild's re-
appointment of Jennifer Thor to
the Brownfield Redevelopment
Authority for a three (3) year term,
term to expire Feb. 18, 2015 and
Katherine Pare' to the Brownfield
Redevelopment Authority for a
three year term, which also expires
Feb. 18, 2015. Both Thor and Pare'
have served on the Brownfield
Redevelopment Authority since
2002.
We did the majority of what
we promised the citizens we would do.”
Millage funds $28 million in city projects