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SSOCIATED
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EWSPAPERS OF
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ICHIGAN
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AGE
5
July 31, 2014
W
AYNE
- I
NKSTER
Beautification award goes
to Community Living Services
New group hopes to promote Inkster education
Wayne Parks and Recreation Director resigns job
For the second consecutive year, the
City of Wayne Beautification Committee
has presented Community Living
Services (CLS) with the Keep Wayne
Beautiful award. The recognition is pre-
sented annually to homes and businesses
nominated by a neighbor or another
Wayne resident or business.
“CLS is honored to be a recipient of
this award,” said Marge Werabelski,
building and property manager at CLS.
“We take great pride in our building and
landscaping and we're pleased that other
Wayne residents think so too.”
CLS has spent more than $1 million
dollars in the last five years to resurface
the parking lot, landscape the courtyard
and parking lot island, upgrade the light-
ing and add awnings and new doors. “We
planned and discussed these changes for
a few years, then did each project indi-
vidually over a period of time,” said
Werabelski.
According to the Wayne Beautification
guidelines, nominated homes and busi-
nesses are evaluated in the areas of prop-
erty maintenance, landscape design and
overall appearance. Honorees must
showa real commitment to neighborhood
beautification, with attention to detail.
CLS has been part of the Wayne commu-
nity since 1993 and is the second largest
employer in the city,Werabelski said.
Community Living Services, Inc. is a
non-profit organization providing support
and services to people with intellectual
and developmental disabilities living in
Wayne County. CLS is funded through
the Detroit-Wayne Mental Health
Authority. For more information contact
(734)
467-7600
or
visit
www.comlivserv.com.
A new campaign in Inkster is
designed to reprioritize education
in the community.
The Education Matters cam-
paign is a project of the Inkster
TaskForceEducationCommittee.
The group has three main
goals, according to a prepared
statement. They hope to increase
enrollment and attendance in
schools, support Inkster families
most affected by the dissolution of
the Inkster School District and
encouraging parent leadership
and advocacy in schools.
"We recognize that with the
closing of Inkster Public Schools
almost exactly a year ago, our
community was left with little
information about how to deal
with transition, few resources and
even less power in our children's
education," the statement from
the group said.
The Inkster Task Force
Education committee plans to
host parent leadership and advo-
cacy workshops, connect families
with resources in the community
and utilize outreach strategies
such as a door-to-door campaign.
The group will also host enroll-
ment events and has planned a
social media campaign to get the
word out about the campaign and
related resources, the statement
said.
The group began canvassing
Inkster neighborhoods last month
and hosted workshops at the
Starfish offices on Michigan
Avenue.
In a partnership with
Westwood, Wayne-Westland,
Romulus and Taylor Schools, the
task force is helping to promote
Inkster enrollment events,
according to a statement from the
group. Enrollment events will
take place at 6 p.m. Aug. 1 at
Gaudior Academy, 27100
Avondale and from 3:30-5 p.m.
Aug. 6 at the Starfish building on
MichiganAvenue.
The group is seeking volun-
teers at the planned events and to
help distribute flyers during can-
vassing which is planned for 11
a.m. until 3 p.m. Aug. 6 and 11 a.m.
until 1 p.m. Aug. 12 and from 11
a.m. until 1 p.m. and from 3-5 p.m.
Aug. 13. A Romulus enrollment
effort is planned Aug. 9 but the
times and location were not final-
ized at press time.
More information about the
effort is available by contacting
the group at inkstertaskforce
@gmail.com or calling (734) 931-
0821.
Last Friday ended a 15-year
career with the City of Wayne for
NathanAdams.
Adams, the former director of
the Wayne-Westland Parks and
Recreation Department, resigned
his position earlier this month and
members of the city council
accepted his resignation at a regu-
larmeeting twoweeks ago.
Adams said that there were
“lots of contributing factors” in his
decision to leave the city. “These
are challenging times,” he said
regarding the $1.5 million deficit
the city faces and the rumored
closing of the Wayne Community
Center. Adams has offered the city
council several alternative plans
which would keep some parts of
the facility open.
“The City of Wayne brought me
a lot of employment opportunities
and allowed me to grow both per-
sonally and professionally,” Adams
said. “I appreciate what they
offeredme andmy timehere.”
Wayne Mayor Al Haidous said
that Adamswouldbemissed.
“On behalf of the council, the
city and the staff, thank you for
your hard work. If I vote no on
accepting your resignation, will
you change your mind?” Haidous
said at the regular council meeting
when Adams' resignation was pre-
sented.
Prior to his resignation, Adams
was the only full-time recreation
employee left in the City of Wayne.
He will begin managing a
Beaumont Hospital Wellness
Center located in Troy. A return to
his “roots” in health and wellness,
he said.
“That is where my educational
background is, in health and well-
ness,” he said.
Adams said last week that the
city had not named anyone to
assume his responsibilities and he
had only a few days left in which
to trainhis replacement.
“Well, I kept good notes for
them,” he said.