No.18
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
May 4 – 10, 2017
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
Beaumont Health has
promoted Jose Kottoor to
vice president of operations
at Beaumont Hospital,
Wayne, in alignment with the
structure at the seven other
Beaumont hospitals.
See page 5.
Two armed men wearing
masks forced theirway into a
Northville Township home
at about 5:15 a.m. April 30,
one brandishing a rifle and
the other ahandgun.
See page 3.
Vol. 132, No.18
Vol. 70, No.18
Vol. 70, No.18
Vol. 17, No.18
An additional federal
grant will help the City of
Romulus to transform the
former fire station and ani-
mal shelter on Goddard
Road into a newrestaurant.
See page 4.
Vol. 132, No.18
Vol. 70, No.18
Vol. 70, No.18
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Westland voters will be
asked to go to the polls for a
primary election Aug. 8 to
reduce a field of 16 candi-
dates for four seats on the
city council to eight on the
November ballot.
See page 5.
Master
mentalist
Banachek is scheduled to
perform at The Village
Theater at Cherry Hill at
7:30 p.m. Friday, May 19 and
Saturday, May 20.
See page 2.
Vol. 17, No.18
State Rep. Jewell Jones
(D-Inkster) is currently
attending the St. Gallen
Symposium, taking place
May 3-5 in St. Gallen,
Switzerland.
See page 2.
Organizers of the 2017
Plymouth Fall Festival are
looking to add to the list of
non-profit and community
groups that participate in the
event.
See page 3.
Sherry Frazier intends to
continue her service on both
the Van Buren Board of
Education and the Van
Buren Township Board of
Trustees, despite critical
opinions of attorneys.
See page 4.
Neighborhoods in the 50-
year-old All American City are
about to get a facelift.
During his State of the City
address last week, Mayor
William R. Wild announced a
new city-wide campaign to
beautify all Westland neighbor-
hoods in a street-by street
effort.
The beautification effort will
begin with the area surround-
ing P.D. Graham Elementary
School on the western bound-
ary of the city.
Crews will be inspecting the
neighborhoods looking at 50
specific actions that could be
necessary to improve the area.
The crews will be tasked with
removing dead trees from the
right of way' trimming trees
from street lights and signs and
trimming branches that hang
over roads and sidewalks.
Residents will be asked to
bring cut tree branches to the
curb for cutting ormulching.
Signs will be repaired or
replaced and new signs
installedwhere needed.
Crews will identify road con-
ditions and identify needed
repairs including catch basins,
joints and storm manholes.
They will identify pavement
markings that may be needed
and clean stormsewers.
In addition, the city workers
will repair drainage problems,
vector catch basins, sweep the
roadways and patch potholes.
They will also inspect street-
lights to ensure they are opera-
ble and note any needed
repairs.
Dirt roads will be graded
and calcium chloride applied
where needed and guardrails
repaired or replaced as need-
ed. They will mow the grass in
the right of way next to road-
ways where needed and clean
out ditches. The crewmembers
will also identify any culverts in
the city that need repair.
Wild said the crews would
also inspect and paint hydrants
and locate curb boxes while
they also document and
replace known and discovered
service lines. Where needed,
the crews will exercise water
gates. Sanitary sewer mains
will be cleaned alongwithman-
holes.
Crews will replace broken
garbage and recycling bins
throughout the city, too. Wild
said the crews would also be
working to maintain the neigh-
borhoodparks.
As an additional effort to
improve the neighborhoods,
Wild said the crews would
inspect properties for high
grass and mow the grass if
needed. Crews will also verify
vacant home registrations and
vacant homes in the city will be
required to be in safe and
secure condition. Wild said that
non-permitted construction
and activities and rental prop-
erties would be checked by city
workers.
Inoperable vehicles will be
removed and any animal com-
plaints will be investigated, he
said.
This list of services to be
performed can soon be found
on the city website and resi-
dents will be able to track the
progress of the programonline.
The city will also be working
Plymouth Township plan-
ners have approved a new $100
million luxury condominium
development slated to be built
at St. John's Golf Course owned
by theArchdiocese of Detroit.
The
Planned
Unit
Development (PUD) project is
set for initial review by the
board of trustees at an early
May study session, according to
Township Supervisor Kurt
Heise.
Luxury homebuilder Toll
Brothers has been working with
civil engineering firms, archi-
tects and golf course designers
for the past year. Company rep-
resentatives have submitted
plans to construct a private,
gated community made up of
174 townhomes on the 200-acre
grounds located at Five Mile
andSheldon roads.
The three-bedroom two-1/2
bath units featuring various
floor plans and elevations are
designed with two-car garages
and will range in size from 2,000
to 2,700 square feet, all having
views of the golf course grounds,
according to the plans. The
buildings, comprising triplexes
of two, four and five units, will
have individual entrances and
will be accessed by a private
roadway running through the
south end of the property and
connecting to both Five Mile
andSheldon roads.
Engineers with Anderson,
Eckstein and Westrick, Inc. said
the project consists of four com-
ponents with significant
improvements to the golf course
itself. If approved, the 27-hole
golf course will be reduced to
an 18-hole course and the 240
existing retreat rooms located
in the former seminary struc-
ture will be converted to 120
luxury hotel rooms connecting
to the Inn of St. Johns. Also
planned is a 10,000 square foot
commercial office or multifami-
ly building at the southwest 3-
acre section at the corner of the
property facing SheldonRoad.
Planning
information
released by Anderson, Eckstein
and Westrick states that the
developer has prepared a traffic
study outlining upgraded new
traffic signals and right turn
lanes for access to the project.
Also under review are environ-
mental concerns for wetlands,
tree conservation and water
and sewer needs.
Members of the board of
trustees must approve the PUD
before submitting final sight
plans, said Township supervisor
Kurt Heise, indicating he's very
much in favor of the project at
St. Johns.
“The expansion at St. John's
will certainly further the entire
PlymouthCommunity as a desti-
nation to live, work and play in
southeastMichigan,” he said.
The original St. John's
Seminary dates back to 1948
when it was major religious
community in Michigan. In
1994, the archdiocese began to
revive the complex as a family
and youth conference and
retreat center after purchasing
10-acres of land fromNorthville
Township that allowed for the
expansion of the 18-hole golf
course to the present 27-hole
public course anddriving range.
The Inn at St. John's, which is
connected to the seminary
buildings, was constructed in
2006 and is held by a private
investor. Hotel Investment
Services, Inc., a private contrac-
tor, manages the hotel, confer-
ence center, and golf course.
Carl's Golfland operates the golf
store and driving range under a
lease.
The Van Buren Civic Fund
is striking out to raise funds to
help community efforts with
the 3rd Annual Detroit Tigers
Alumni charity Softball Game
set for noonMay 20.
The local team will take on
former Tigers players along
with a raffle and other enter-
tainment which will begin the
festivities at 11 a.m. at the ath-
letic field behind Van Buren
Township Hall at 46425 Tyler
Road inBelleville.
Local baseball fans will
have an opportunity to join
the former pros on the field
when children 10-17 can play
the first two innings of the
game against the Alumni
Tigers for a tax deductible
donation of $25. Adults can
suit up and play the final
seven innings against the
Tigers Alumni for a donation
of $250.
The Van Buren Civic Fund
uses donations and contribu-
tions in a number of ways to
benefit the community and the
quality of life in Van Buren
Township. The fund has made
investments and partnered
with others to accomplish
improvements in recreation,
safety, education and govern-
ment operations.
Sponsorships for the day,
players and the game are now
available. For more informa-
tion, contact Dawn Dayton,
Van Buren Civic Fund at (734)
751-2046 or visit (vanburen-
for fur-
ther information.
Play ball
Tigers Alumni to
play charity game
See
Trees,
page 5
As the City of Westland passes
the 50 year marker, we thought
it was time to give each
of the city's neighborhoods a makeover.
”
Mayor announces new beautification plans
Don Howard
Staff Writer
$100 million project planned in Plymouth
Artist's rendering of new Toll Brothers development.
Local players can take to the field for a charity game with members of the Detroit Tigers Alumni
team in Van Buren Township May 20.
