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June 19, 2014
P
LYMOUTH
Garden Walk tickets on sale
School board privatizes
district custodial services
Free gun safety locks provided
The 19th annual “Flowers are Forever”
garden walk in Plymouth, is planned for
noon until 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, rain or
shine.
Tickets are priced at $8 for pre-sale and
$10 on the day of the walk. Tickets for chil-
dren 12 and younger are half-price and there
is no admittance fee for babes in arms.
Strollers are not permitted.
The Trailwood Garden Club, a branch of
the Woman's National Farm and Garden
Association (celebrating its 100th anniver-
sary) is the sponsor. Tickets are available
fromGarden Club members, Backyard Birds
on Main Street, Saxton's Garden Center on
Ann Arbor Trail in Plymouth and Sideways
onForest. The ticket includes descriptions of
the several gardens as well as a map to the
gardens.
The gardens have a variety of features as
well as many ideas that can be adapted to
home gardens. Complimentary refreshments
and a perennial sale will be at one of the gar-
dens. Master Gardeners will also be avail-
able to answer gardening questions.
TrailwoodGardenClub's projects include:
plantings in downtown Plymouth, Plymouth
Community Veterans Memorial Park, and at
the Plymouth Township offices; bird-feeder
at the Medilodge of Plymouth nursing facili-
ty; Plymouth Fall Festival Perennial
Exchange; Christmas decorations at the
Plymouth Historical Museum; Michigan 4-H
and other related activities.
For additional information, contact
MarilynDetmer (734-454-4625)
Members of the Plymouth Canton
Community Schools Board of Education voted
to move the custodial work in the district to a
private firmlast week.
The 5-2 vote came after several protests
fromsome of the 68 district employees impact-
ed by the decision. Many of them recounted
for the boardmembers their experiences with
Grand Rapids Building Services, Inc. the suc-
cessful bidder for the 3-year contract.
Current custodial employees also remind-
ed the board members that they had, through
their unions, given back $1 million in wages
and benefits during the past two years,
reduced staff and sacrificed 17 unpaiddays.
School officials said the move would save
the district between $600,000-$700,000 the first
year.
Officials said that current employees, all of
whom will be terminated, would have the
opportunity to apply for jobs with Grand
Rapids Building Services, Inc. Officials said
that the private company will allow for more
custodial workers in the district than the cur-
rent number employed by the district and pro-
vide about 30,000 more man hours or the
equivalent of about 11 more full-time employ-
ees performing custodial work in the school
buildings.
The no votes on the privatization were cast
by school board president JudyMardigian and
secretaryKimCrouch.
Detroit claim was referenced along with the
Affidavit Affecting Real Property filed by
Detroit attorneys for 190 of the total 323
acres.
Justin Robinson, director of business
attraction for the Detroit Regional Chamber
of Commerce, confirmed Reaume and
Michael Liu, chairman of the Chinese real
estate development firm, Third Wave Group,
met last week and discussed the proposed
development during a three-day Detroit con-
ference. Liu is quoted as saying he is work-
ing to develop a manufacturing park in
PlymouthTownship.
The court hearing Friday was also attend-
ed by Plymouth Township resident Richard
Sharland and belatedly by Plymouth
Township Clerk Nancy Conzelman, who
arrived fiveminutes before adjournment.
It was Sharland's persistent questions and
Freedom of Information Act inquiries about
the propriety of the tax foreclosure sale of
the 190 acres that prompted Detroit attor-
neys to sue the township last year to reclaim
the prison land and seek financial redress
through the court.
Sharland said he still believes the proper-
tywas stolen fromtheCity of Detroit.
Before the hearing, Cronin said he
thought Wayne County was “only marginally
interested in this (case).”
During the hearing, however, attorney for
Wayne County Jacob Granham testified,
“Representation was that it (the property)
was a single parcel at the time of the sale.”
He testified further that county officials,
“acted on information given to them by the
township,” to which Colombo responded,
“I'mvery interested to hear what the treasur-
er has to say…” referring to Wayne County
Treasurer Raymond J. Wojtowicz, who was
named as a defendant in the lawsuit along
withPlymouthTownship.
Colombo first granted a motion allowing
the Detroit lawsuit to be reopened, based on
the fact all parties had no opposition.
Cronin's subsequent request for more time
for “discovery” was denied and the court
allowedDetroit attorneys 90 days inwhich to
re-file their case. Detroit Deputy Court
Counsel Chuck Raimi said the city legal
teamintends to re-file as soonpossible.
Raimi told the court, “The township
(Plymouth) had an obligation to do a lot
split…and they didn't address the legal
authority. The City of Detroit is the owner of
this property.”
Last year, attorneys for the City of Detroit
were forced to withdraw their request for a
hearing in the Wayne County Court filed
against Plymouth Township and Wayne
County demanding the return of the land.
The withdrawal was based on the rela-
tionship of Plymouth Township with the law
firm Miller-Canfield, the same firm chosen
by the City of Detroit officials to represent
the municipality in the city bankruptcy fil-
ing. The purchase order drawn up by then
Plymouth Township Trustee Steve Mann
was presented to the board of trustees by
Township Treasurer Ron Edwards. Mann
was, at the time, an attorney working for the
Miller-Canfield firm.
Detroit attorneys have been working to
lift a stay of proceedings granted by Circuit
Judge Maria Oxholm last November, after
Cronin's claim there was a conflict of inter-
est.
The City of PlymouthDepartment of Public
Safety/Police Department at 201 S. Main St. in
Plymouth is providing free gun safety locks in
recognition of June asNational SafetyMonth.
Land
FROM PAGE 1
Chief Judge Robert J. Colombo