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No. 15
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
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April 11 – 17, 2013
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
Ron Roberts is hoping to
get three proposals to change
the Wayne City Charter to a
strong mayor, term limited,
precinct represented form of
government.
See page 3.
United Brass Manufactur-
ing, Inc. will get a 50-percent
tax abatement on newmachin-
ery designed to upgrade the
facility, approved by Romulus
City Council members last
week.
See page 5.
Contract workers from
Texas used a rented aerial
boom to remove antenna pan-
els from the Lake Pointe water
tower in Plymouth Township
last week.
See page 4.
The landscape at Five Mile
and Beck roads in Northville
will soon change, following
approval of a contract to
demolish the former Robert
Scott Correctional Facility.
See page 4.
Some new efforts to cross
train Van Buren Township
Public Safety officers to com-
plete tasks that were previous-
ly only performed by one
department or the other are in
place.
See page 5.
Vol. 128, No. 15
Vol. 66, No. 15
Vol. 66, No. 15
Vol. 13, No. 15
Vol. 128, No. 15
Vol. 66, No. 15
Vol. 66, No. 15
The National Kidney
Foundation of Michigan
Inkster Partnership for a
Healthier Communitywill host
a meeting for city residents at
11:30 a.m. April 23.
See page 5.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Westland Mayor William
Wild presented his $57 million
balanced budget that includes
a $5 million surplus with no
city layoffs to members of the
city council last week.
See page 3.
A Wayne man was pro-
nounced dead at the scene of a
traffic crash Saturday night in
CantonTownship.
See page 3.
Vol. 13, No. 15
Romulus Mayor Alan Lambert
spoke in person at the city council
meeting Monday night, reaffirm-
ing his decision to remain in office
despite a request from the city
council to stepdown.
Council members approved a
resolution asking the mayor to
resign or take a leave of absence
from his office last week, in the
wake of an investigation that
caused the Michigan State Police
to execute a searchwarrant on his
home twoweeks ago.
“I've decided to remain in
office to do the job I was elected to
do,” Lambert said. “I need to con-
tinue to do my job for the people
who elected me, for the people
who continue to have faith in me
and all of the people who live and
work here.”
Lambert, after ushering the
city council through the regular
agenda, spoke for about five min-
utes, reading from a written state-
ment. He then excused himself
from the meeting because he said
he didn't want to cause further
disruption.
Lambert urged residents to let
the investigation run its course
before coming to any conclusions.
He said he has cooperated fully
with law enforcement, but said he
had no further details that he
couldprovide.
“I have not been charged with
anything and, in fact, I am not
even certain about the details of
the investigation or what they're
looking for or what they say I did
wrong,” Lambert said. “There are
several rumors floating around
town, but it would be pointless to
try to address all of those rumors.
“I could say I'mpresumed inno-
cent until proven guilty, but I've
not even been accused of any
crime, so it would be premature to
even say that at this point,” he
added.
Lambert reiterated that he had
done nothing wrong, and remind-
ed residents that he has served
the city, in one capacity or another,
formore than 30 years.
“I would hope that my years of
service would at least withstand
rampant speculation and rumor,”
Lambert said. “I love the city and
would never do anything to hurt
the city or the people that live
here.”
The council, meanwhile, took
some heat from residents who
Plymouth residents who went to see Oz the
Great and Powerful, the latest Hollywood
installment of the Wizard of Oz series, may
have been surprised to see a very familiar
face in the film.
Then again, it may not have been Dan
Gruenwald's face that his former classmates
andneighbors recognized.
Gruenwald, 36, attended Central Middle
School in Plymouth and graduated from
Canton High School in 1995. He was always
easy to find whether he was playing basket-
ball or baseball because he is only 4-feet, 2-
inches tall. His height never held himback, or
stopped him, he said, and he enjoyed sports
and coached the junior varsitywrestling team.
In fact, it was his height that landed him a
role in the Disney blockbuster which is still
showing in area theaters.
In 2011, Gruenwald spotted an ad in the
Detroit Free Press announcing a casting call
for extras for a new movie to be filmed at
MichiganMotionPictureStudios inPontiac.
“The only requirement was you had to be
4-feet, 10-inches or under and I'm 4-feet, 2-
inches,” Gruenwald said. He showedup at the
open call and endured the initial 3-hour inter-
view and exacting measurement tests at the
studio. “Some people hunched overwhile oth-
ers stood on their toes,” he said.
The nearly 100 hopeful performers who
were able to meet the height test were also
evaluated for their ability to perform rigorous
physical activity andweighed.
While Gruenwald easily passed the physi-
cal tests, he was over the 128 pound weight
limit and worried he would be rejected. He
said hewasn't sure he's get a role at his weight
of 148 pounds.
In the weeks before the next scheduled
casting interview, Gruenwald said he went on
a crash diet and lost 20 pounds. He knew the
studio was looking for extras that could sing,
dance and perform stunts, and he had no for-
mal training with song and dance routines or
acting, but felt he could probably handle all
the physical stunts.
It took several weeks, but eventually,
Gruenwald was notified that he had been cast
in the film and was expected to attend chore-
ography classes for four gruelingweeks.
“There was lots of memorization,” he
recalled. Then, too, Gruenwald was made to
look much older with a two hour make-up
appointment every day.
With the blessing of his boss, he took a
leave of absence for one month from his job.
That absence turned into more than two
months as filmingwas completed.
“I gambled on the outcome, a once-in-a-
lifetime opportunity to be in a classic Walt
Disney movie,” Gruenwald said, “and it was a
great experience.”
He was selected to play the part of three
different Munchkins. The stunts Gruenwald
performed were very “grueling”, he said. “My
shoulderswere all bruised.”
Before the year ended and filming was
Belleville and Van Buren
Township residents who received
emergency medical who treat-
ment from the fire department
between March 2 and April 5 may
need to seek further medical
attention.
Van Buren Fire Chief Dan
Besson issued awarning this week
after a case of MRSA, (Methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
commonly referred to as the flesh-
eating disease, was confirmed in
the department.
According to Besson, a depart-
ment EMTwas diagnosedwith the
disease April 5. Besson said in a
prepared release that when the
department responded to a call for
medical help onMarch 5, a female
patient informed those treating
her that she had an active case of
the disease. One of those exposed
to the woman subsequently devel-
oped a classic sore and immedi-
ately sought medical attention.
Tests confirmed April 5 that the
infection was MRSA, Besson said
in a prepared release.
The first contact with the dis-
ease was immediately reported to
the Wayne County Health
Department as was the recently
diagnosed infection of the fire-
fighter.
Besson immediately notified all
fire department personnel who
had been in contact with this fire-
fighter of the danger of infection,
according to the release, and
township fire stations were imme-
diately scheduled for a profession-
al cleaning by a company that uses
EPA-approved anti-bacterial
cleanser that has a specific disin-
fectant cleaner forMRSA.
“While this is an isolatedMRSA
case at this point, given the length
of time between the initial contact
and the diagnosis, Van Buren
Township is taking the precaution
of notifying the public who may
have received emergency medical
services from March 2 through
See
Warning,
page 2
Making it big
Local man debuts in
major Disney movie
See
Mayor,
page 2
See
Actor,
page 2
According to Besson, a department
EMT was diagnosed with the disease April 5.
”
There are several rumors floating
around town, but it would be pointless
to try to address all of those rumors.
”
Residents warned of MRSA infection
Dan Gruenwald
Plymouth resident Tim Gruenwald, far left, as he appears onscreen in Oz The Great and
Powerful, his acting debut.
Romulus mayor tells council: I will remain in office