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June 3 – 9, 2021 NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST 75¢

No. 22 www .associatednewspapers.net

THE BELLEVILLE Developer may buy third historic mill site
ENTERPRISE
ENTERPRISE

Vol. 136, No. 22 Members of the Wayne County
There will be steer Commission have approved the sale of the
wrestling, calf roping, relay Wilcox Mill in Plymouth, again.
races and bull riding, along The original buyer, artist Tony Roko,
with many other rodeo was forced to abandon his plans for an
events June 11 and 12 at the artists' workshop and housing for his art
Wayne County Fairgrounds. foundation due to the economic impact of
See page 6. the COVID 19 pandemic. During a meet-
ing May 20, commissioners approved a
THE CANTON plan to negotiate the sale of the historic
EAGLE property to Richard Cox, a developer
EAGLE
already involved in the remodeling and
Vol. 74, No. 22 repurposing of the other two mill sites
owned by the county.
Regular hours of opera- Cox, through Donofrio Wil Cox, LLC, Wilcox Mill
tion resumed at the Canton has already purchased The Phoenix Mill
Public Library this week for at 14973 Northville Road in Plymouth
the first time since March 13, Township and that building has been
2020. under development. Newburgh Mill at
See page 2. 37401 Hines Drive in Livonia is still
owned by Wayne County although Cox is
THE INKSTER negotiating a modified agreement for that
LEDGER STAR site. The sale of The Wilcox Mill, located
LEDGER STAR
at 230 Wilcox Road in Plymouth will now
Vol. 74, No. 22 be negotiated with Cox' company, county
officials confirmed. Cox was the second-
Investigations into two
separate shootings that highest bidder for the property prior to
the sale agreement between Roko and the
killed three people in county for the property.
Inkster May 24 and May 25 The mills are historic sites, designed by
are continuing, police said. famed architect Albert Kahn, and built by Phoenix Mill
See page 4.
Henry Ford for use in auto manufactur-
ing. The sites were eventually used for
storage and then abandoned for decades
THE NORTHVILLE and fell into disuse, prompting an effort by
EAGLE county officials to sell the sites.
EAGLE
Original plans for the Phoenix Mill
Vol. 210, No. 22 included a banquet center and a restau-
Northville has been rant although the pandemic necessitated
awarded an official Tree City changes to those plans, according to Greg
designation by the Michigan Donofrio who works with Critical Mass, a
Department of Natural company associated with Cox, which pur-
Resources (DNR) and the chased the mill. Instead of a restaurant,
Arbor Day Foundation. the space will be leased as office accom-
See page 3. modations for a landscape architecture
firm. The banquet center remains as part Newburgh Mill
of the development plans, he said. said. “So we have adequate parking onsite mills require Cox, through the various
THE PLYMOUTH While not the original plan, Donofrio now,” he said at the meeting. He also told companies with which he is involved, to
EAGLE told members of the Plymouth Township the trustees that plans now included the notify Wayne County if any attempt is
EAGLE
removal of 38,000 square feet of asphalt
made to sell the mill sites in the future. No
Board of Trustees at a meeting last month
Vol. 21, No. 22 that the changes mitigated concerns about and converting that space to landscaping purchase price for any of the three sites
parking at the site. and greenery, adding more trees and has been made public although an analy-
Owners of a Plymouth
“With the change, it resolved the park-
Township gas station have ing issue, which was the biggest issue grass. He assured the trustees that no sis presented to commissioners required
developers guarantee a minimum of $1
trees would be removed from the mill site.
until next Monday to explain when we presented this the last time,” he The sales agreements for the three million in rehabilitation costs at each mill.
the high cost of fuel during
the recent gas shortage. It takes a village
See page 3.
Local donations help Romulus High School seniors attend prom
THE ROMULUS
ROMAN
ROMAN Several Romulus High lies this year. When class advi- who taught at the high school for one or two tickets for the
Vol. 136, No. 22 School students had an extra sors Wendy Pachota and for more that 40 years. Pachota students.
reason to celebrate at their Kyleen Zoltowski realized the and Zoltowski sought help from Abdo said she got the call
Last Friday, members of prom last night. number of students who could Abdo, who also spent decades about the situation in March
the Romulus Police The economic impact of the not attend the traditional sen- as a class advisor at the school, and that she and co-sponsor,
Department introduced COVID-19 pandemic had made ior high school event, they wondering if she might know of Romulus bus driver Sandy
their newest member as they the $75 tickets to the prom out reached out to City any group or local business Tenny, spent about six weeks
said goodbye to one of the of reach for several area fami- Councilwoman Kathy Abdo, willing to donate enough to pay making phone calls to local
longest serving officers. individuals and businesses,
See page 4. seeking a little help for the
graduating students.
Between the two, they col-
THE WAYNE lected $2,470 in pledges,
EAGLE enough to fund tickets for 32
EAGLE
seniors with a little left over to
Vol. 74, No. 22 donate to funding the event.
Wayne Councilman Thanks to the success of their
Anthony Miller has six weeks of phone calls, the 32
announced his resignation students were able to attend
from the municipal body as he the prom which took place out-
will be moving from the city to doors at Crystal Gardens last
Florida this month. night.
See page 5. “These were all local, indi-
vidual donations,” Abdo said.
“So many schools have had to
cancel prom altogether. We are
THE WESTLAND all looking for some semblance
EAGLE of normalcy in these times and
EAGLE

Vol. 74, No. 22 having this event, outside, will
provide that for these kids.”
Westland police want to Abdo said that the majority
“take a meeting” with local of the donations were small
residents as part of a new amounts meant to help defray
community policing initia- the ticket costs while St. John's
tive called the Westland Lodge donated a larger sum to
Police Neighborhood Safety 2021 Senior Class Advisor Kyleen Zoltowski, from left, City Councilwoman and sponsor Kathy Abdo, help several of the students
Program. Class Advisor Wendy Pachota and co-sponsor Sandy Tenny, show off a mocked-up check for the attend the once-in-a-lifetime
See page 4. donations collected to fund tickets to the senior prom at Romulus High School. event.

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