The Eagle 05 17 18 - page 5

One of the most historic businesses in
Romulus, once known as 'City Hall West,'
will mark 75 years of history with a special
celebration thisweekend.
Walter's Bar and Romulus Lanes - two
popular family-owned businesses in the
center of the city - will celebrate 75 years in
the community with a party starting at 3
p.m. Saturday, May 19, and continuing until
1 in themorning Sunday, May 20.
Located in the same building at 37452 W.
Huron River Dr. near the intersection
known as “Five Points,” the public celebra-
tion will include a variety of outdoor events
and invite patrons - both past and new - to
recall some of the good old days. The party
is open to the public.
Weather permitting, the day will feature
an outdoor fowling (bowling with a football)
tournament fundraiser for charity from 3
p.m. to dusk. There will be games of “corn-
hole” andhorseshoes.
A disc jockey will play music during the
afternoon and a live band, Tenth Street
Tuesday, will performat night. A tent will be
set up in the parking lot close to the build-
ing.
Beverages and food will be served.
There will be no charge for the food, but
donations will be accepted and given to
charity.
About the only “usual” indoor activity
not scheduled that day is bowling.
The businesses are back in the Wagle
and Perecki family ownership after an
absence of 15 years. Stephanie and Rob
Wagle and their son, Matthew, are the own-
ers and main employees with Stephanie's
mother, Sylvia Perecki, serving as silent
partner. Daughter Amanda also pitches in
as a waitress, bartender and kitchen helper.
There are eight part-timeworkers in all.
Stephanie Wagle's grandfather, Walter
Perecki, opened Walter's Bar in 1943 and
opened Romulus Lanes two years later.
After Walter died of leukemia in 1956, the
businesses were operated by his widow,
Helen, and their son, Eugene. Eugene and
Sylviaweremarried in 1962 and ran the bar
andbowling alley until 2001.
The businesses were sold on a land con-
tract to George Forsey and Mike Beaudrie
in 2001. When the partnership dissolved,
Beaudrie became sole operator, changing
the name of the bar to Michael B's, until
2015, when ownership reverted to the
Wagles andPereckis.
“We own the building, but the communi-
ty owns the memories,” Stephanie Wagle
said. “We're kind of the caretakers here. We
own the business, but it's the community's
bowling alley.”
The history of Romulus is tied to the 12-
lane bowling alley, which housed its first
league, the Romulus Merchants League,
starting in 1945. Five-man teams represent-
ing Kopas Grocery, Burcroff Upholstery,
Kahil's Hardware, Ra-Ma Electric and
Unger's Implements were the champions
through themid-1950s.
“Everyone bowled here,” Matthew said.
“My grandmother (Sylvia) has been bowling
since 1962 and still bowls in two leagues.”
The bowling alley is home to the
Romulus High School team, the annual
Animal Shelter fundraising outing and
other charity events.
The family has plenty of memories from
generation to generation, too. Stephanie
said she started working when she was
about 8 years old and eventually took care
of the children's bowling leagues. Brothers
Terry and Mike worked as mechanics. Fast
forward to Matthew, who started bowling as
a youngster, too.
Back in the day, Walter's became known
as “City Hall West” during the administra-
tion of the late Romulus Mayor William
Oakley.
“The mayor was here for lunch pretty
much every day in themid-'80s,”Wagle said.
“All the business people would come here.
Therewas only one other bar in town.”
The city administrations change, but
Romulus Lanes remains a family-friendly
institution.
“Mayor (LeRoy) Burcroff's history is tied
here, too,” Rob said. “His dad's team won
the men's league. His kids went to school
with our kids. You talk about community -
everybody's paths are intertwinedhere.”
The Wagle family has made impressive
and necessary upgrades to the bar and
bowling since becoming name owners
again. The bar name returned to “Walter's”
and the phone number returned to 941-1640
- the original Walter's number. A new heat-
ing and cooling system was installed. The
kitchen and rest roomswere remodeled.
Last year, 14 pin-setting machines were
purchased from the for-
mer Taylor Lanes, which
is now a church, replac-
ing machines that had
been in use since 1956.
The exterior has been
repainted and a new
awning has been
installed.
There are ties to the
past, including some
enlarged photos from the
“good olddays.”
Wagle estimated more
than 4,000 man hours
have been spent on improvements - and
they're just getting started.
When the family reclaimed the business-
es, Stephanie gave up her job as a Romulus
elementary school teacher and Matthew
gave up his job as a retail supervisor for Old
Navy in Canton. Rob continues working as
a registered nurse at Uof MHospital - all in
addition to giving countless hours to
Walter's and the bowling alley.
“We're definitely ingrained in the com-
munity,” Rob Wagle said. “We all grew up
here and respect the roots - the heritage -
here. My dad used to drink here with his
friends. We have a lot of memories. We take
pretty seriously that we're the caretakers of
that. We treat people decently andwhenwe
see people we want to know how they're
doing and get caught up on their day. Know
that we appreciate your business.”
ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS OF MICHIGAN PAGE 5 May 17, 2018
Rolling along
Family business marks 75 years in city
Construction closes 4th street
B ELLEVILLE - ROMULUS
CITY OF ROMULUS
BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING
WEDNESDAY, June 6, 2018 7:00 p.m.
Notice is hereby given that the City of Romulus Board of Zoning Appeals will hold a public hear-
ing at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 6, 2018 at the Romulus City Hall, 11111 Wayne Road to con-
sider the following petitions:
1. BZA-2018-008; D & G Building requesting a variance from Section 14.03(c), Orientation of
Overhead Doors of the Zoning Ordinance to allow four overhead doors to face a public right-of-
way. In the M-2, General Industrial District, the ordinance only allows overhead doors to face a
roadway if the building is set back over 200 feet. The proposed building is set back 110 feet. The
subject property is located at 11457 Hannan (Parcel ID #80-074-01-0147-303). The applicant is
proposing the construction of an 80,000-sq.ft. industrial building.
2. BZA-2018-009; Taplin Group requesting a use variance in accordance with Section 22.03(d) of
the Zoning Ordinance for the outdoor storage of equipment, vehicles, conex boxes and roll-off
boxes. Outdoor storage is not permitted in the M-1, Light Industrial District on sites without a
building. The subject property is located at 6835 Metroplex Dr. (Parcel ID #80-100-52-000).
3. BZA-2018-010; S & F Foods requesting a variance from Section 14.03(c), Orientation of
Overhead Doors of the Zoning Ordinance to allow three overhead doors to face Beverly Road.
The ordinance does not allow overhead doors to face a public right-of-way in the M-1, Light
Industrial District. The subject property is located at 29411 Beverly (Parcel ID #80-008-99-0010-
703). The applicant is proposing a 7,100- sq.ft. building addition and new pavement.
Copies of the applications are available for review at City Hall during regular business hours which
are 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. All interested parties are encouraged to attend and
will be given an opportunity to comment on said requests. Written comments may be submitted and
should be addressed to Carol Maise, City Planner, Planning Department, 11111 Wayne Road,
Romulus, MI 48174-1485.
Ellen Craig-Bragg, City Clerk
City of Romulus, Michigan
Publish: May 17, 2018 RM0298 - 051018 2.5 x 5.41
MINUTES OF REGULAR ROMULUS CITY COUNCIL MEETING
April 23, 2018
Romulus City Hall Council Chambers, 11111 Wayne Rd. Romulus, MI 48174
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Mayor Pro-Tem John Barden.
Pledge of Allegiance
Roll Call: Kathy Abdo, John Barden, Celeste Roscoe, Tina Talley, William Wadsworth, Eva Webb, Virginia
Williams.
Administrative Officials in Attendance:
LeRoy D. Burcroff, Mayor
Ellen L. Craig-Bragg, Clerk
Stacy Paige, Treasurer
1. Moved by Talley, seconded by Abdo to accept the agenda as amended. Motion Carried Unanimously.
18-135 2A. Moved by Wadsworth, seconded by Abdo to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the
Romulus City Council held on April 9, 2018. Motion Carried Unanimously.
18-136 2B. Moved by Abdo, seconded by Roscoe to approve the minutes of the special meeting of the Romulus
City Council held on April 9, 2018 – open session, Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority Definitive Transfer
Agreement and 2018/2019 City Budget. Motion Carried Unanimously.
3. Petitioner: None.
4. Chairperson’s Report:
4. Moved by Roscoe, seconded by Talley to accept the Chairperson’s Report. Motion Carried Unanimously.
5. Mayor’s Report:
Mayor Burcroff presented a video of upcoming City events.
18-137 5A (1) . Moved by Wadsworth, seconded by Roscoe to concur with the administration and award Bid
ITB 17/18-21 to the low bidder, D.V.M. Utilities, Inc., for water main improvements located along Middlebelt
Road for the City of Romulus Department of Public Works in the amount of $528,216.75. Motion Carried
Unanimously .
18-138 5A (2). Moved by Roscoe, seconded by Talley to concur with the administration and authorize a ten per-
cent (10%) ($52,822) contingency to allow for written change orders in the event that unforeseen work not cur-
rently included in the scope of the work of the contract is identified. Motion Carried Unanimously.
18-139 5B. Moved by Roscoe, seconded by Wadsworth to authorize payment for the Senior Alliance 2018
Fiscal Year match for 2017 statistics in the amount of $1,838.00. Motion Carried Unanimously.
18-140 5C. Moved by Abdo, seconded by Webb to concur with the administration and adopt a resolution author-
izing the City’s representative to vote in favor of the purchase of the Downriver Sanitary Treatment system. The
vote would be in favor of the acquisition of the system to control the City’s destiny with rates and costs of the
City’s waste discharge for that district. Motion Carried Unanimously.
18-141 5D. Moved by Wadsworth, seconded by Williams to concur with the administration and reinstate the
Citizens Advisory Council and reappoint Eva Webb and Sharon Walker; and, appoint Jodie Kain,
Wayne Laginess, Gerald Wendland, and Heather Mahon to the DDA Plan Downtown Citizens Advisory Council.
Motion Carried Unanimously.
18-142 5E . Moved by Roscoe, seconded by Williams to concur with the administration and authorize the City
to waive the requirements of the Romulus Code of Ordinances (Section 39 and 6) regarding soliciting bids and
publishing the invitation to bid in the City’s official newspaper and authorize the emergency repair/replacement
of the Pool South Air Handler Unit at the Romulus Athletic Center by the current HVAC service contractor,
Campbell, Inc. in the amount of $61,120.00. Motion Carried Unanimously.
6A. Clerk’s Report:
18-143 6A. Moved by Wadsworth, seconded by Webb to adopt a memorial resolution for the family of Warren
Bonam. Motion Carried Unanimously.
18-144 6A1. Moved by Abdo, seconded by Webb to approve second reading, final adoption of Budget
Amendment 17/18-31, Technology Services Fund, which was introduced at the Council meeting of April 9, 2018.
Motion Carried Unanimously.
18-145 6A2. Moved by Roscoe, seconded by Webb to schedule a joint study session with City Council and the
Planning Commission on May 14, 2018 at 6:45 p.m. to discuss Vining Road Development District Economic
Strategic Plan. Motion Carried Unanimously.
18-144 6A1. Moved by Abdo, seconded by Webb to approve second reading, final adoption of Budget
Amendment 17/18-31, Technology Services Fund, which was introduced at the Council meeting of April 9, 2018.
Motion Carried Unanimously.
18-145 6A2. Moved by Roscoe, seconded by Webb to schedule a joint study session with City Council and the
Planning Commission on May 14, 2018 at 6:45 p.m. to discuss Vining Road Development District Economic
Strategic Plan. Motion Carried Unanimously.
18-146 6A3. Moved by Webb, seconded by Wadsworth to concur with the recommendation of District Court
Judge Tina Brooks-Green to appoint Attorney Lisa Robinson-Martin as a magistrate for the 34 th District Court
effective immediately. Motion Carried Unanimously.
6B. Treasurer’s Report: None.
7. Public Comment:
A resident spoke about trains being parked on the Wick Road railroad crossing for extended periods of time on
a daily basis. A resident who resides at Birch Run spoke about the illegal dumping of trash on nearby City prop-
erty. Helen Gregory, from Romulus Civic League, spoke about the League’s Sixth Annual 1k/2k Fitness Walk
that will be held on Saturday, April 28, 2018 beginning with a warm-up at 9:30 a.m. and the walk to begin at
10:00 a.m. A resident thanked City of Romulus Senior Services Director, Rose Swidan, for providing soup to the
seniors during the recent power outage.
8. Unfinished Business:
Councilman Wadsworth thanked everyone who participated in the Pucks for Pets Animal Shelter fundraiser; and,
thanked Chief of Police, Jadie Settles, for all his efforts in making the event a great success. Mayor Burcroff
informed that he is currently working with Huron Township Supervisor Glaab to devise a long-term solve to the
train problem that motorists are experiencing in both communities. Mayor Burcroff commented that he will
check on the illegal dumping that is occurring at Birch Run; and, he also thanked Senior Services Director, Rose
Swidan, for all her efforts to senior citizens during the recent power outage.
9. New Business: None.
10. Communication:
Councilman Wadsworth spoke about the May 11 th Bowl-A-Thon fundraiser with proceeds to go to the Romulus
Animal Shelter.
18-147 11 . Moved by Abdo, seconded by Talley to pay Warrant 18-08 in the amount of $1,670,696.96. Motion
Carried Unanimously.
12. Moved by Wadsworth, seconded by Roscoe to adjourn the regular meeting of the Romulus City Council.
Motion Carried Unanimously.
I, Ellen L. Craig-Bragg, Clerk for the City of Romulus, Michigan do hereby certify the foregoing to be a true
copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the Romulus City Council held on April 23, 2018. RM0299 - 051018 2.5 x 11.055
Rob (left), Amanda, Stephanie and Matt Wagle will host a 75th anniversary party this
weekend at Walter's Bar and Romulus Lanes.
The family thinks this photo is from the late 1940s.
Fourth Street in downtown Belleville
will be closed to traffic for two years to
accommodate construction of the new
library.
Members of the Belleville City Council
unanimously agreed to the closure during
a recent meeting. Fourth Street will be
closed from Main Street to the alley dur-
ing construction of the $14 million library
building. Sidewalks in the area will
remain open.
The library is expected to be complete
in the spring of 2020.
Sections of Roys and Charles streets
that abut the construction site will be
used for construction vehicle parking. A
fencewill be installed onMain Street, and
flagmen will help direct traffic as con-
struction trucks arrive on the site. Matt
Ratzow of O'Neal Construction said that
two-way traffic will be allowed in the alley
from Third Street to the current library
site. Parking barriers will be removed to
accommodate handicapped parking next
to the library building.
The construction fence will also be
removed during the Rosie the Riveter at
the Belleville Area Museum June 9. The
fencewill be re-installed after the event.
Construction will shut down during the
upcoming Strawberry Festival, Ratzow
said, as requestedby the city.
A partial vacation of Fourth Street,
from Charles Street to the alley, was also
approved by the council members. In
addition, deeds for the city parking lot and
a future parking site were also approved.
The larger area will be jointly owned by
the library and the city, and the smaller lot
will become the property of the library.