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EWSPAPERS OF
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ICHIGAN
P
AGE
6
June 6, 2013
Letters
After more than $1.5 million
spent in studies during the past
decade, officials from the Michigan
Department of Transportation
(MDOT)have settled on a proposed
fix for the driving nightmare that is
FordRoad inCantonTownship.
Centered around the I-275-Ford
Road interchange, the fix would be
to turn Ford Road into a boulevard,
eliminate left turns at intersections
and instead direct traffic through
turnaround lanes along the road-
what is commonly referred to as the
'MichiganLeft.'
Hopefully, they'll excuse our
skepticism, but we don't see how
thiswill help.
Granted, we are not traffic engi-
neers. We're just regular drivers,
people who may have tested Ford
Road a few times at various points
throughout a typical day-and then
decided to avoid it at all costs. Given
our lack of formal education in that
area, it's difficult to understand how
redirecting traffic on that roadway
is a better alternative than finding
ways to divert traffic from Ford
Road, altogether. One of the main
reasons Ford Road is so congested
is because it is, essentially, one of
two access points to Canton from I-
275. A large portion of the traffic on
Ford Road is trying to get from the
freeway to Haggerty Road, Warren
or Cherry Hill. Again, we're not traf-
fic engineers, but we're willing to
bet a large number of the traffic
accidents that occur along that cor-
ridor happen because drivers are so
frustrated with the conditions there
that they'rewilling to risk their lives,
property and insurance rates in an
ill-advised maneuver to escape the
backlog of vehicles.
Forcing Ford Road drivers to go
through these dangerous intersec-
tions twice via a Michigan Left
sounds like it will require an even
greater exercise inpatience.
As Township Supervisor Phil
LaJoy noted at the meeting last
week, “We'll see.”
Indeedwewill.
Getting old is not for sissies.
The aging process is a form of
torture designed by sadists to inflict
the maximum amount of physical,
emotional and psychological pain
imaginable on the poor, unsuspect-
ing schmucks who try to live
through it.
This old age, senior citizen thing
is just no fun.
The physical implications are
one thing, OK? I mean, let's face it,
we all slow down and that may
even be better for us in the long
run. I can live with my aches and
pains andmy creaky joints.
It'smy vanity that really suffers.
See, I recentlywent shopping for
a new pair of shoes…no big deal,
right? Sure. Except every shoe in
the store seemed to have a heel
about 8-inches high and a platform
in the sole about 2-inches thick.
Now, I have always wanted to be
tall. Always.
But honestly, even though those
shoes made me so tall I was afraid
of getting a nosebleed, there was no
way I could be stylish and fashion-
able and graceful wearing them.
The reason? Every step I took I
was in serious danger of falling
over flat on my face and at my age,
that marked alteration tomy center
of gravity would probably mean a
broken hip. Can we all say, “fashion
victim?'
I gave it a try, I really did, but
despite the “encouragement” of the
salespeople, I was sure that one of
the accessories I would need with
these shoes was one of those
LifeAlert necklaces so I could sum-
mon help when I fell over and
couldn't get up.
I suspect the salespeople were
having a good laugh at my expense,
sort of like watching Mariah Carey
try to negotiate steps in the outfits,
and shoes, she chooses in her pur-
suit of high fashion. Like, have you
ever seen the poor woman try to
move? My husband was watching
American Idol and this poor crea-
ture first couldn't get through the
entryway and down three steps to
her judge's chair and then couldn't
stand up to applaud for the contest-
ants. It was actually painful to
watch.
WhenMariah got onstage to per-
form (Lord only KNOWS what it
took to get her in place) she never
moved an inch from the spot they
put her. Unfortunately, I cannot
afford a staff to move me around
like a mannequin, which is appar-
ently limitingmy fashion choices.
I did love being almost 6-feet tall
in those shoes, though.
And they were orange. The
brightest, loudest orange in the
color spectrum. When I first saw
them, I thought they must come
with batteries, they were so bright.
And they were on sale. Like, really
on sale, with another discount on
top of the sale price.
Which brings me to my other
serious complaint about aging. I
couldn't figure that discount total
out. My mental faculties are dimin-
ishing as rapidly as my poor body.
Things I used to knowas well asmy
name, I canno longer pull out ofmy
memory banks. It takes me twice as
long to do the New York Times
crossword puzzle and those stupid
acrostics have become toomuch for
me. Jeopardy, at which I used to be
a whiz, is no longer any fun when I
can't remember the answers in
time to beat the
buzzer.
I
can't
remember why
I walk from one room to another,
where I put my keys or, way too
often, my home phone number.
Going to the grocery store is always
an adventure when I buy what I
already have two of at home and
forget things like bread ormilk.
In an effort to improve my mind,
I just bought a copy of How To
Improve Your Memory In Ten
Days.
I put it next to the other two
copies of the same book on my
office shelf.
But I guess it's all just a part of
life. I'm choosing to try to be philo-
sophical and accepting of it,
because I'min such a goodmood.
Mainly because I found some-
body to help me through the park-
ing lot and up and down the office
stairs in my BEEYOOTIFUL new
orange shoes.
They've come a long way from the “Cow Chip Fling” and
the “MissManureSpreader” days of old.
When the Canton Liberty Fest was really no more than a
very small country-fair type gathering, those were the high-
lights and the main attractions. Just imagine where Miss
Manure Spreader of 1980 might be today. And the cow chips
were flung, as disgusting as that may sound, by elected offi-
cials, and just about everybody else in attendance, looking for
the most distance behind their toss. That was a first-place
title oncehighly sought after.
Those days, when Canton Township was primarily a farm
community are long gone and progress has brought the
Canton Liberty Fest to Heritage Park June 13-15, along with
carnival rides, live musical entertainment, the Lions Club
pancake breakfast, a Zumba cancer research fundraiser, fun
runs and fireworks, alongwith lots of other family attractions.
The festival is a symbol of the growth and progress Canton
Township has made during the past decades. The population
growth has been phenomenal as fields of melons gave way to
miles of newhomes.
Canton quickly became the fastest developing community
around and attracted new residents looking for exactly what
the township offers: nice homes, excellent schools, good
roads, enviable public safety, a fair tax structure and superb
local government. Developers simply couldn't put homes up
fast enough to keepupwith the demand tomove toCanton.
Seriously, whowouldn't want to live there?
Every year, as the Liberty Fest approaches, we cannot
help but be somewhat nostalgic about the beginnings and
early years of the township and the event. It isn't that wemiss
the cow chips or the manure spreader queen, but rather we
recognize and admire the growth and progress in the town-
ship.
The dangers in the rapid growth that Canton experienced
are many. There are pitfalls to progress that can overwhelm
community government. Canton managed through all of
them with elected officials and hired administrators who
knew exactly what they were doing, or trying to do, when it
came to managing a community undergoing such tremen-
dous change so quickly.
They were never seduced by shortcuts, although many a
developer tried. If they made mistakes, they fixed them and
they held fast to aesthetic principles and protected the
integrity of a plan for their community which has paid off
handsomely.
Sure, there were hiccups along the way, there always are
in such situations.
But as Canton celebrates the Liberty Fest again this year,
there is a lotmore to the event than simply corndogs and car-
nival rides. The festival, every year, marks another step for-
ward in Canton Township, another year of controlled growth,
good management and strong adherence to shared goals and
responsibilities.
While most of those in attendance won't recall or care
about what used to be in Canton, we do remember how far
this community has come and celebrate how much it has
grown.
Canton residents have a lot to celebrate again this year. We
congratulate them.
The festival is a symbol of the growth
and progress Canton Township
has made during the past decades.
”
Canton has decades of progress to celebrate
Road plan
prompts a
few doubts
My mental faculties are
diminishing as rapidly
as my poor body.
”
A tall tale of a happy fashion victim
Army thanks volunteers
To the editor;
Wow - the post office food drive
was a great success. Mail carriers
collected 14,201 pounds of food,
2001 poundsmore than last year.
Keith Johnstondonated both the
truck and the manpower to deliver
the food to the First United
Methodist Church and St.
Anthony's Parish.
Lynne Taylor of the post office
did a fantastic job coordinating the
effort right down to the great lunch-
eon.
Volunteers were plentiful and
we even had some fun along the
way
Thanks to each and everyone of
you for supporting this event.
Laurie Aren, director,
Family&CommunityMinistries
The SalvationArmy
PlymouthCorps
Grieving help offered
To the editor,
Much of our society has lost
touch with the process of under-
standing and accepting grief after
the death of a loved one. As a
result many have difficulty grieving
in a normal and healthy way. Grief
is normal and however painful, has
a purpose and an objective - to
allow us to reconstruct our lives
See
Letters,
page 7