No. 34
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
August 25 – 31, 2016
w w w . a s s o c i a t e d n e w s p a p e r s . n e t
The federal government
will provide funding for fire-
fighters in the City of Wayne
following the rejection of a
public safety millage by vot-
ers.
See page 5.
Following the arrest of a
DurhamSchool Services bus
driver in connection with a
shooting incident, Northville
Public Schools reassured
parents of students' safety.
See page 4.
Vol. 131, No. 34
Vol. 69, No. 34
Vol. 69, No. 34
Vol. 16, No. 34
Once again this year,
Romulus residents can enjoy
playing bingo and helping a
good cause during the
Annual Romulus DDA
PumpkinFestival.
See page 5
Vol. 131, No. 34
Vol. 69, No. 34
Vol. 69, No. 34
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
The 6th Annual Cruisin'
Hines event will take place
beginning at 9 a.m. Aug. 28
when Hines Park will be
floodedwith classic cars.
See page 2.
A 65-year-old Hamtramck
man is scheduled to be back
in 35th District Court tomor-
row facing assault charges
stemming from an incident
at a mosque in Canton
Township.
See page 3.
Vol. 16, No. 34
The Inkster Police
Department, St. Clements
Episcopal Church and the
Boy Scouts of America
organized a Summer Camp
for youth which took place
Aug. 16-18 at the church.
See page 2.
A new union contract will
give the 18 members of the
Plymouth Township Fire
Department a 3-percent
raise in each of the next
three years.
See page 3.
The annual community
Back to School Blitz Nine
supply drive will continue
throughAug. 29 inBelleville.
See page 4.
Last week, 190 acres of
vacant land in Plymouth
Township went up for sale, the
final chapter in a long and heat-
ed dispute regarding ownership
of the property.
The land, located south of
Five Mile between Ridge and
Napier roads, is the site of the
former Detroit House of
Corrections prison farm and has
been the subject of protracted
court battles between the town-
ship and the City of Detroit
regarding ownership. Township
officials purchased the land,
once on the tax rolls for more
than $15 million, during an erro-
neous tax foreclosure sale in
2011 for $606,150.
The 190-acres, returned to
Detroit by the courts, was part of
a 323-acre parcel that was fore-
closed on by Wayne County
when the recorded owners,
Demco 54, a subsidiary of
DeMattia Corp., failed to pay
taxes. The two parcels were
improperly recorded as both
belonging to Demco 54 in the
Plymouth Township assessor's
office, when in fact, the City of
Detroit owned the 190-acre par-
cel and had never sold or trans-
ferred title to the land. The
township reported a tax arrear-
age on the entire section of
property to the office of the
Wayne County Treasurer which
then sold the land to the town-
ship at the tax foreclosure sale.
Detroit was never notified of any
tax arrearage by the township or
the county as the notices went to
Demco 54 which never paid any
tax on any portion of the proper-
ty.
Notices that did go to Detroit,
attorneys demonstrated in court
hearings, were sent to an incor-
rect and insufficient address.
In April 2013 attorneys from
Detroit filed a lawsuit in Wayne
County Circuit Court seeking
return of the 190 acres. In 2014,
despite an unresolved lawsuit
and Affidavit of Interest filed by
the City of Detroit, certain town-
ship officials, inspired by then
Supervisor Richard Reaume,
launched an advertising cam-
paign for the property to
prospective developers seeking
offers of an acquisition proposal
for infrastructure development
of the land they referred to as
the Five Mile Technology and
Recreation Corridor. Reaume,
attempting to sell the contested
land, met with Chinese real
estate development firm Third
Wave Group and discussed the
proposed development during a
Don Howard
Staff Writer
Detroit puts DeHoCo land on market
Fall forecast
Plans under way for 61st
annual Plymouth event
See
Land,
page 3
While it may seemawhile off, plans are
already in place and preparations under
way for the 61st Plymouth Fall Festival set
for Sept. 9, 10 and 11.
Traditionalists will be glad to hear that
bingo will return on Friday night and that
the fire department will have a display
including the 100-foot ladder truck this
year, saidFall Festival President Eric Joy.
“The most important thing, for every-
body to remember, is that this entire event
is for the community,” Joy said. “That's
what this is really all about.”
Joy said that all the traditional attrac-
tions, including the famous Rotary
Chicken Barbeque, the Spaghetti Dinner,
the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast and the
Optimist Pet Show would return, along
with the Taste Fest, the event that has
become the traditional opening of the
PlymouthFall Festival formany.
Tickets are already on sale for the
Taste Fest, organized by the Plymouth
Civitans, which will take place from 6-8
p.m. Friday, Sept. 9 at the lower parking lot
of Station 885 located in Old Village. The
festival will continue Saturday and
Sunday with events in Kellogg Park and
throughout the downtown area all week-
end.
More than 15 restaurants will be partic-
ipating this year including Bahama
Breeze, Beyond Borders, CAYA
Smokehouse Grill, Cupcake Station,
GrandTraverse Pie Co., Happy's Pizza and
Ribs, LaBistecca, Station 885 and Tony
Rotary Club members Cam Miller, above, left, and Paul Opdyke, along with David
Popke, below left, and Terry Durkin, below right, were on hand last Saturday morning to
clean and sanitize the grills used for the annual Rotary Barbeque at the Plymouth Fall
Festival. Below right is chef Rocky from Rocky's in Northville, a favorite at the annual
Taste Fest which begins the festival Friday night.
Voters in Van Buren
Township will be asked to
approve a seven-year 6.5 public
safety millage on the Nov. 8 bal-
lot. Themillage is an increase of
2.5 mills over the current 4-mill
public safety millage which will
expire inDecember.
If approved by voters, the
millage would become effective
in December of 2017 and contin-
ue through 2013.
Members of the Van Buren
Township Board of Trustees
approved the question at a spe-
cialmeeting earlier thismonth.
The only dissenting vote on
the board was from trustee
Brenda McClanahan who sug-
gested that the millage would
not be successful due to the cur-
rent voter attitude in the town-
ship. She said that the public
safety millage last year was
rejected by voters and that cur-
rently, “There is a contentious
group of residents who do not
support 6.5 mills.” She added
that the board should show the
residents why the funding is
needed.
Township Clerk Leon Wright
explained that the special meet-
ing had been called due to the
rapidly approaching deadlines
for ballot issues. He said that the
question would have to be sub-
mitted to the Wayne County
clerk's office very quickly to
meet the deadline to be on the
November ballot.
Wright also said it was neces-
sary for the township to relieve
some of the pressure on the
township general fund and the
proposed millage would allow
funding currently being used for
public safety to go for items such
as newDPWtrucks.
Democratic candidate for
township supervisor Kevin
McNamara said that he would
support the 6.5mill question. He
added that he feels the township
hasn't used the money from the
landfill effectively but has
rather used those funds to bal-
ance the budget. He suggested
that Canton Township used the
landfill agreement fees to build
a new police building, a music
amphitheater and added to the
amenities in the community.
The increase of 2.5 mills will
lighten the load on the general
fund, McNamara said.
Should the millage question
be rejected by voters in
November, there are four more
elections when the question
could be revisited next year, offi-
cials said.
There is a contentious group
of residents who do not support 6.5 mills.
”
Public safety millage OK’d for Belleville ballot
See
Festival,
page 2
