No. 18
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
May 5 – 11, 2016
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
Tempers and patience are
apparently running as thin
as available funding in the
proposed Wayne city budget
as arguments flared regard-
ingmeetings lastmonth.
See page 3.
The
Northville
Educational Foundation and
the Mothers' Club of
Northville have found a way
to thank special teachers in
the district and help raise
funds.
See page 7.
Vol. 131, No. 18
Vol. 69, No. 18
Vol. 69, No. 18
Vol. 16, No. 18
Anewbusiness is heading
to downtown Romulus,
bringing a signature taste to
the community at a new
microbrewery on Goddard
Road.
See page 6.
Vol. 131, No. 18
Vol. 69, No. 18
Vol. 69, No. 18
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
This year, Westland Parks
and Recreation can save
area residents nearly $20
per adult ticket for Cedar
Point along with other holi-
day savings.
See page 7.
Canton Leisure Services
is hosting the annual Family
Fishing Derby from 9 a.m.
until 1 p.m. Saturday, May 7
at Heritage Park which will
be stocked with rainbow
trout andbluegills.
See page 5.
Vol. 16, No. 24
Inkster police are contin-
uing their investigation into
the death of a 21-month-old
boy found dead in a bathtub
last week and have released
themother fromcustody.
See page 3.
The first of five planned
buildings in the newest hous-
ing
development
in
Plymouth is on schedule
with a model scheduled to
openby the end of June.
See page 4.
Three Belleville High
School graduates, Reva
Ruthruff, Victor Hogan and
Paul Ryznar, were honored
as distinguished alumni of
the school during cere-
monies last Friday.
See page 2.
The demolition of the former
Detroit House of Corrections
facility in Plymouth Township
awaits only the signature of Gov.
RickSnyder.
Last week, the state Senate
unanimously approved legisla-
tion that will provide up to $4
million to demolish the two
unsightly buildings located on
FiveMileRoad.
“The support for the
DeHoCo demolition is great to
see, as the community agrees
this site is long overdue for
remediation,” said Rep. Kurt
Heise, R-Plymouth Township.
“The state of Michigan has a
responsibility to remove this
unsightly eyesore that has been
hindering economic develop-
ment and job creation along the
FiveMileRoad corridor.”
House Bill 5163 would close
the Urban Land Assembly Load
Fund (ULALF) and transfer
approximately $4 million to the
Michigan Land Bank Fast Track
Fund. The Fast Track Fund cur-
rently controls the property that
has been unused for approxi-
mately 30 years.
Heise emphasized that addi-
tional federal, state and local
funding would be needed to
remove the two buildings on the
property and completely reha-
bilitate the site for possible
future development.
“This legislation is perhaps
the most significant step,” said
Heise. “The support this bill has
received, from the Plymouth
Community Chamber of
Commerce to Wayne County to
Michigan Talent and Economic
Development, along with the
strong majority votes in the
Legislature tells me we can get
this done. I look forward to get-
ting Gov. Rick Snyder's signature
on this legislation.”
The state of Michigan has
a responsibility to remove
this unsightly eyesore...
”
State OKs DeHoCo demolition funds
Some very special friends
will converge on the Rouge
River this month to help pro-
tect the waterway and the envi-
ronment.
Volunteers will join mem-
bers of Friends of the Rouge to
transform 28 project sites along
the Rouge River in 17 commu-
nities during the 30th annual
Rouge Rescue event May 21.
Additional work days will also
take place at various locations
throughoutMay and June.
“This year's Rouge Rescue
event is special because it cele-
brates 30 years of progress in
both water quality and commu-
nity involvement,” said Cyndi
Ross, river restoration program
manager for Friends of the
Rouge. “It's rewarding to see
the community come together
to make positive change in the
watershed, but our efforts are
far from over, and we can't do it
alone.”
Friends of the Rouge is
recruiting more than 2,000 vol-
unteers to participate in the
river restoration effort to
improve the ecosystem within
the Rouge River watershed.
Volunteers will help with habi-
tat restoration by removing
trash, debris, and invasive
species, planting native trees
and wildflowers, and building
and maintaining land and
water trails.
“After 29 years of cleanup
efforts, we're seeing less dump-
ing and more recreation along
the river,” Ross added. “We also
have a wider variety of wildlife
along the river than 30 years
ago. Today, more than 75
species of fish and amphibians
call the river home, one of the
tell-tale signs of improvement.”
Last year during the Rouge
Rescue, volunteers were
responsible for removing 110
cubic yards of trash and 230
cubic yards of invasive species
as well as planting more than
2,300 native plants and main-
taining more than 3,000 feet of
trails, Ross said.
Since 1986, more than 57,000
Friends of the Rouge volun-
teers have contributed more
than 140,000 hours at Rouge
Rescue events and removed
enough trash to fill more than
2,000 garbage trucks, she
added.
Communities benefiting
from the 2016 Rouge Rescue
include
Beverly
Hills,
Birmingham,
Canton,
Dearborn, Dearborn Heights,
Detroit, Farmington Hills,
Livonia, Northville, Northville
Township, Novi, Plymouth,
Plymouth
Township,
Southfield, Wayne, and
Westland.
Major sponsors for the 2016
Rouge Rescue include
Americana Foundation, Bosch
Community Fund, Consumers
Energy Foundation, Denso
International America, Inc.,
Erb Family Foundation, ITC
Holdings
Corp.,
Lush
Cosmetics, Masco Corporation
Foundation, and Pure Oakland
Water.
For more information about
Rouge Rescue or to volunteer
for a project site near you, visit
.
Judges at the Michigan
Supreme Court have denied the
appeal of Plymouth Township for
a rehearing of the township claim
to 190 acres of property improp-
erly purchased at a tax foreclo-
sure sale inSeptember of 2011.
The Supreme Court issued the
judgment in an official order
Tuesday in which the justices
stated that the motion for imme-
diate consideration of the appeal
or an expedited hearing was
granted but that the application
of the township to appeal the
lower court decision was denied,
"because we are not persuaded
that the questions presented
shouldbe reviewedby the court."
Township attorney Kevin
Bennett and special counsel for
the township Michael Cox had
convinced the members of the
township board to appeal the
February 2015 decision of Circuit
Court Judge Robert Columbo
which was previously upheld by
the Michigan State Court of
Appeals in January.
The long-running dispute cen-
ters on ownership of the land
which was part of a 323-acre par-
cel south of FiveMile and west of
Ridge Road. After being notified
by the township of non-payment
of taxes on the land, the Wayne
County Treasurer foreclosed on
the property, erroneously record-
ed as belonging to Demco 54, and
offered the site at a tax sale. The
township then purchased the
land for $606,000 from the county
at the sale. The actual owner of
the land was the City of Detroit
where attorneys subsequently
sued the township to regain the
property, on the tax rolls at one
time formore than $15million.
The property had been split
into two parcels, one purchased
by Demco and the other remain-
ing the property of Detroit. Tax
notices allegedly went to Demco
which did not pay any tax on
either portion of the land. There
can be no further appeal of the
Supreme Court decision and the
title to the land must be returned
toDetroit.
To recoup the $606,000 paid
for the land, the township will
now have to pursue legal redress
or negotiation with Wayne
County.
County officials have contend-
ed since the tax sale was first
contested by Detroit that their
actions were based solely on
information submitted to them
from Plymouth Township and
that the county has no liability in
the issue.
Friendly
persuasion
Annual Rouge
Rescue seeking
area volunteers
Supreme court rejects township land appeal
Past years have seen area volunteers remove hundreds of cubic yards of trash and invasive
species of plants from the Rouge River and surrounding banks. Volunteers are needed again this
year.
