A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
6
May 28, 2015
P
LYMOUTH
insisted the contract be immedi-
ately awarded to them.
In one of several heated
exchanges, Trustee Bob
Doroshewitz questioned the
number of resident homes that
would need containers and
questioned who would own the
containers and maintain them.
He was told there are 8,600
homes in the township that
would be affected and the per
annum cost per home for the
automated service would be
$180.
The seven-year contract
would cost taxpayers approxi-
mately $10,836,000.
A contentious proposed
motion to amend the 2015
General Fund Budget to add the
new parks director also caused
tempers to flare during the
meeting. Edwards has been act-
ing as the parks supervisor since
2010.
Doroshewitz noted that the
$60,000 a year job was actually a
$100,000 a year job when bene-
fits were factored in and that if
the job lasted for 25 years the
board was making a $2.5 million
decision.
He criticized the job descrip-
tion for the park job noting that
the new director will report to
the township supervisor and act
as “township representative.”
He said that while he felt the
positionwas probably necessary,
he could find no justification
whatsoever for the position in
the materials supplied to the
board. He said that the claim
that Edwards had saved the
township “hundreds of thou-
sands of dollars” included in the
resolution language was not ver-
ified by any of the auditors'
reports hehad received.
The parks job requirements
were limited to an individual
with a four-year degree in engi-
neering, a valid drivers license
and the possession of “interper-
sonal and communication skills
necessary to interact with the
public, staff and outside agency
personnel” along with grant
writing experience. During dis-
cussion, Township Supervisor
Shannon Price said it was clear
the positionwas needed.
“There was confusion ... who
was in charge of the park and
who wasn't in charge of the
park,” Price said.
Doroshewitz said he agreed
that a director was needed but
said the job description and
qualifications presented did not
meet the experience necessary
tomanage the townshipparks.
Price responded that the
grant-writing facet of the job
description, if successful, would
pay for the new director.
Edwards also stressed the grant-
writing portion of the qualifica-
tions for the position which
would be that of a department
director.
The new job was created by a
4-2 vote of the board with
TrusteeMikeKelly absent.
The administrative assistant
position in the clerk's office will
include 15-20 hours weekly with
a wage of $18.47 per hour. The
job was approved in the same
amendment as the new parks
director position.
Some residents remarked
they felt that the ambiguity in
the parks director job descrip-
tion didn't include any of the key
elements for a park warden or
park superintendent. Critics
said Price had a pre-selected
candidate in mind who fit the
job description but who would
serve, in reality, as a functional
deputy for the supervisor.
‘Kidnapping’ planned in Plymouth
Police presence prompts concern
Plymouth Community United
Way plans to be part of a kidnap-
ping.
That isn't quite as ominous as
it sounds as it is all in good fun
during a fundraiser set for June
20.
It's not a real kidnapping, but
a game presented by Quizzo
Detroit. Designed for ages 21
and up, the game consists of
teams of four investigators who
use crime scene analysis, prob-
lem solving and clues to crack
the case.
The entire game takes place
on foot downtown so organizers
recommend wearing comfort-
able walking shoes and weather
appropriate
clothing.
Participants also need their
identification and at least one
smart phone and one flashlight
per team.
The game begins at 8 p.m.
and lasts approximately 2-1/2
hours with the opportunity to
purchase beverages throughout
the night at local establishments.
The cost to participate is $80
per team of four. The winning
team will be awarded a prize
package courtesy of downtown
businesses.
To register, call the Plymouth
Community United Way at (734)
453-6879.
For more information, visit
Several residents who attend-
ed the regular Plymouth
Township Board of Trustees
meeting last weekwere surprised
at what they described as an
“increased police presence” at
the proceedings.
Police Chief Tom Tiderington,
however, said that there had been
no official request for any officers
at the meeting at that those in
attendance were not assigned
there as part of their regular
patrols or by special request.
Residents, however, noted that
an armed officer stood in the exit
door during the entire meeting
and at times rested his hand on
his holstered weapon. In addi-
tion, there was an armed plain
clothes lieutenant in the audi-
ence and Tiderington was pres-
ent, as usual, at the officials' table.
Meetings have reportedly
been heated and contentious
recently and officials have been
escorted to their vehicles follow-
ing the proceedings by officers.
Following one recent meeting,
witnesses reported a loud alter-
cation between a trustee and
another elected official.
Township resident State Rep.
Kurt Heise who attended the
meeting in question last week
later remarked about his shock at
the obvious police presence dur-
ing themeeting.
“In the hundreds, if not thou-
sands, of public meetings I've
attended, I can't remember the
number of times I've seen an
armed police officer standing at
the door in a defensive position
like that,”Heise said.
order on the case in February
following a televised interview
with the parents and reported
comments from Posner, who
spoke to the media about the
plea-bargain offer and change in
defense counsel only after being
removed as Sikorski's attorney.
Posner claims there is no con-
flict of interest because she did
not discuss substantive matters
withSikorski's parents.
According to police reports,
officers were called to the
Sikorski's Heather Hills home in
Plymouth Township at about 2:30
a.m. Oct. 17 after the family was
awakened by the 12-year-old
boy's screams. The boy told
police his sister had attacked
him with a knife as he slept and
police investigators later discov-
ered text messages on Sikorski's
phone indicating that Rivera was
outside the home, giving her
instructions and advice on killing
her entire family by slashing
their throats. The two were
arrested the following day at
Rivera's Detroit home and have
remained in custody on $1 mil-
lionbond.
The three Sikorski children
were adopted from an orphan-
age in Poland about 10 years ago.
Sikorski was allegedly abused by
her birth parents prior to her
adoption and Posner has
claimed that the teen suffers
from a form of post traumatic
stress disorder and was intimi-
dated into the attempted mur-
ders byRivera, under duress.
No further information is
available due to the gag order.
Plea
FROM PAGE 1
Meeting
FROM PAGE 1
