Basic HTML Version
A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
4
July 10, 2014
I
NKSTER
- P
LYMOUTH
Library offers books, programs
If Plymouth Township
Supervisor Richard Reaume has
his way, the 323-acre parcel of
vacant farmland on Five Mile
Road west of Ridge Road could
be the site for a new township
recreation complex.
According information con-
tained in a recent report by
Crain's Detroit Business,
Reaume is moving forward with
plans to sell and develop the for-
mer prison property, the subject
of a lawsuit filed against
Plymouth Township and Wayne
County by the City of Detroit.
Attorneys for Detroit claim 190-
acres of the property still belongs
to the city and that the parcel was
erroneously sold to the township
as part of a 2011 Wayne County
tax foreclosure sale. The town-
ship paid $606,000 for the land,
on the tax rolls at one time for
more than $15million.
Wayne County Circuit Court
Chief Judge Robert J. Colombo,
Jr., issued an injunction earlier
this month prohibiting Plymouth
Township from selling the prop-
erty until the ownership dispute
is settled. Columbo will also hear
a second action filed by Detroit
attorneys requesting damages
fromthe township.
Township attorneys have filed
a countersuit against the City of
Detroit, claiming that because
the city did not protest the tax
notices and subsequent sale at
the time of the occurrence, they
no longer have a right to the land
or any financial remuneration.
Reaume met with Chinese
real estate development firm
Third Wave Group this month
and discussed the proposed
development during a three-day
Detroit conference after launch-
ing an advertising campaign for
the entire 323-acre prison farm
property, located west of Ridge
Road. A newspaper advertise-
ment placed recently by the
township stated the township
was seeking prospective develop-
ers and offers of an acquisition
proposal.
Third Wave was one of four
respondents to their advertise-
ment. Others respondents were
Southfield-based Redico LLC,
and Birmingham-based Biltmore
Development LLC and Total
Sports of Wixom. Last year
Redico purchased Plymouth
Township property on the
Northeast corner of Five Mile
and Beck Road in Northville
Township. According the to the
Crain's report, the Chinese firm
Third Wave began talks with
Plymouth
Township
in
December with plans to begin
architecture and engineering by
July.
“The Third Wave proposal is
a good one if the group can come
upwith themoney and Plymouth
Township settles its court dispute
over ownership,”Reaume said.
The Total Sports' proposal is
to build a sports complex with
indoor and outdoor facilities
suchas softball andbasketball.
The township board, led by
Treasurer Ron Edwards, voted
down an opportunity to work
with supporters of the proposed
Plymouth Arts and Recreation
Complex (PARC) to be located at
the site of Central Middle School
in downtown Plymouth and
rejected a request to join a feasi-
bility study for the community
center plan. Boardmembers also
voted to abstain from any joint
agreements with the City of
Plymouth on any project for
three years.
According to their website,
Total Sports is the largest youth
and adult teamsports venuewith
facilities totaling more than
400,000 square feet. More than
onemillion visitors use the facili-
ty annually which offers youth
and adult leagues, as well as clin-
ics and camps for soccer,
lacrosse, baseball, softball and
roller hockey,
The land is currently zoned
for industrial, manufacturing or
scientific research.
Reaume indicated he is will-
ing to work with “whoever comes
throughwith the right proposal.”
“We're asking for some coop-
eration fromDetroit, but they are
suing everyone,”Reaume said.
Reaume is quoted as saying
the township still claims owner-
ship of the land and the city
“…wants $60 million for the
property.”
The Leanna Hicks Inkster Public
Library will be offering used books for
sale Thursday, Sept. 4 and Saturday, Sept.
6. Library officials are looking for volun-
teers and donations for the event, accord-
ing toLibraryDirectorDeniseM. Bearre.
"We will be having a presentation from
State Attorney General Bill Schuette's
Senior Brigade on Online Safety at 6 p.m.
on Monday, July 21," Bearre said and
noted that the presentation would
include email safety tips, how to identify
online scams, basic computer security
andhelpful online resources.
The seminar is open to the public.
The library is also building a Friends
of the Library group, Bearre said. "Our
next meeting will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday
July 16. Please come and bring ideas for
programs, fundraisers, and fun at the
library."
Leanna Hicks Inkster Public Library
has a book club for adults, Bearre noted.
The next meeting will be at 6:15 p.m. July
8 to discuss Still Summer by Jacklyn
Mitchard.
The club and discussion is open to the
public.
Summer hours at the library are from
noon until 8 p.m. Monday through
Thursday.
The library is located at 2005 Inkster
Road. For more information, call (313)
563-2822
MichiganCharter TownshipAct 359which
states that bonds shall not be issued for
local improvements without the vote of
the electors.
Funds for the $1.9 million recreation
project, including the $350,000 outdoor
amphitheater, a $650,000 year-around pic-
nic pavilion-warming station and other
improvements came from the bond sale
approvedby a 4-3 vote of the trustees.
Bonds are being used to pay for $1.77
million in additional expenses added to
the 2013 capital improvement budget.
Officials said they could obtain $524,000 in
government grants and private and corpo-
rate donations toward the projects. The
vote increased the township capital proj-
ects budget from $785,000 to $2.55 million.
Bond repayment will be from general
fund tax dollars over the next decade.”It's
all about transparency, said Hunter. “I
don't want to accuse the board of any-
thing.”
“From 2010 to 2014 I can't find any dis-
cussion of the amphitheater. The project
went from$18,000 to $28,000 to $40,000 and
in 2013 to $1.9 million,” Hunter said at the
meeting.
shooting in April at an after-hours club on
Middlebelt Road near Inkster High
School. Three people, including Jackson
were reportedlywounded in that incident.
Napoleon said that both Jackson and
French were at the club the night of the
shooting inApril.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy
and Michigan State Police Lt, Michael
Shaw each commented on the horror of
the crime. Worthy said in a statement
Saturday that, “The alleged facts in this
case, including the deliberate shooting
that killed an infant and injured a young
girl, are among the most heinous that I
have ever seen.”
Shaw repudiatedNapoleon's statement
that the shootingwas “retaliation.”
“I wouldn't call it retaliation.
Retaliation for what? Take somebody's life
away for retaliation. I mean, just to men-
tion that as part of a motive is silliness to
me,” Shawsaid last week.
“I can't wrap my head around anything
that would make me want to walk up to a
small child sitting next to a porch, point a
pistol at their head, and shoot them dead.
I can't give you a motive. I can't wrap my
head around that.”
Inkster Mayor Hilliard Hampton told
news media that this was evidence that
more patrols from police agencies were
needed in the community and used the
opportunity to promote a plan to have the
Wayne County Sheriff take over all police
efforts in the city.
“We could save $1 million a year,”
Hampton said. “We need to get rid of all
these law enforcement fiefdoms.”
Hampton is a former Wayne County
Sheriff deputy and the police chief is the
brother of Wayne County Sheriff Benny
Napoleon.
Hampton said that a “feasibility study”
of the issuewas already underway.
Don Howard
Staff Writer
The Third Wave proposal
is a good one if the group
can come up with the
money and Plymouth Township
settles its court dispute over ownership.
”
Plymouth recreation plan may include DeHoCo land
Protest
FROM PAGE 1
Shooting
FROM PAGE 1