Basic HTML Version
No. 36
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
September 5 – 11, 2013
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
Ted D'Pulos, retired Wayne
recreation director, will be
inducted into the Michigan
Recreation
and
Park
Association Hall of Fame at a
ceremony nextmonth.
See page 3.
For the 15th year, the
Romulus Rotary Club will
sponsor the Annual Parade of
Lights which will officially
launch the Pumpkin Festival
in the community.
See page 5.
Community activist Carol
Leroue received no response
from the Plymouth Township
Board of Trustees last week
when she demanded answers
about public safety.
See page 4.
Mill Race Village will have
a sale of Victorian-style cloth-
ing today, tomorrow and
Saturday. The clothing is ideal
wear for the Victorian Festival
next week.
See page 4.
Tickets are now available
for the visit of the Harlem
Ambassadors Basketball Show
at the Belleville High School
gymnasiumOct. 3.
See page 5.
Vol. 128, No. 36
Vol. 66, No. 36
Vol. 66, No. 36
Vol. 13, No. 36
Vol. 128, No. 36
Vol. 66, No. 36
Vol. 66, No. 36
The newest senior citizen
master spellers in Wayne
County will be determined at
theWayne County Spell Off for
Seniors competition in Inkster
next week.
See page 2.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Sunday will be the annual
9/11 memorial service in
Westland, and this year, the
service will also honor fallen
Wayne-Westland Firefighter
BrianWoehlke.
See page 3.
The large crowds gazing
into the skies over the field at
the corner of Geddes and
Ridge roads next weekend
may have some questions
about the planes in the air.
See page 2.
Vol. 13, No. 36
The long discussed question of funding a
directed millage to pay public safety retire-
ment costs in Wayne will be on the Nov. 5 bal-
lot.
Following months of discussion regarding
the looming budget deficit in the city and the
ongoing cuts in operating expenses and per-
sonnel, council members approved placing
the 10-year, 7-mill levy question on the ballot.
Wayne Finance Director James Ghedotte
informed council members at a meeting last
month that the city is facing a $2 million
deficit at the current level of service and rev-
enue.
In that presentation, Ghedotte explained
that homes in the city with a taxable value of
$92,269 in 2008 had dropped to $59,800, drop-
ping property taxes from $4,250 to $2,972 in
2012. That is a $1,244 decrease inproperty tax,
according to Ghedotte, and the same level of
reduction can be seen throughout the city,
accounting for the reduction in revenue the
city has experienced. He said 1-mill in tax
revenue in the City of Wayne has dropped by
about 50 percent, accounting for much of the
deficit problem.
The approval of the 7-mill levy would gen-
erate an anticipated $1.9 million, all of which
would be used to fund the retirement plan for
public safety employees in the city.
Should themillage fail, the retirement pay-
ments would have to come from the general
fund, leaving even less money to fund city
services.
Without the approval of the ballot question,
officials said the city will be faced with the
layoff of 15-18 positions, expected in the
police and fire departments, according to city
officials.
Ghedotte told the council members at the
earlier meeting that the city was at the point
of diminishing returns with cuts and layoffs.
See
Ballot,
page 3
The man who threatened to
bomb Westland City Hall last
spring has been found mentally
competent to stand trial in the
incident.
Sean William Quigley, 37,
described as a homeless man who
was staying in the Westland area,
was arrested after a standoff with
Westland police, Michigan State
Police and FBI officers who
responded to Westland City Hall
May 8 following a 911 call. A man
threatening to detonate a bomb
had taken a city employee hostage
and was demanding to see Mayor
William Wild, who was not in the
building.
Wild, Police Chief Jeff Jedrusik
and most other city officials and
administrators were attending the
funeral of Firefighter Brian
Woehlke who had died in the line
of duty earlier in theweek fighting
a fire atMarvasso's ItalianGrille.
City Hall was quickly evacuat-
ed of about 25 people and the
employee held by the suspect
managed to evade the man and
slip out a back door. Police then
began negotiations for the surren-
der of the suspect. In an effort to
ensure that the man had no
weapons or explosives, he was
required to strip naked as he
walked into police custody. No
bomb or explosive device was
found and the man reportedly did
not have aweapon.
Quigley was arrested at the
scene without incident and has
been held at the Wayne County
Jail since that time. He was exam-
ined by psychiatrists at the Center
for Forensic Psychiatry in Saline
who determined that he is compe-
tent to face trial.
He will now face a preliminary
court examination at the 18th
District Court set for Sept. 26. He
faces charges of terrorism and
kidnapping, which carry sen-
tences of up to life in prison, mak-
ing a false report or threat of ter-
rorism and making a false report
or threat of a bomb or harmful
device, which are both 4-year
felonies.
A not-guilty plea has been
entered onhis behalf.
The new $22 million middle
school in the Plymouth Canton
District will be modeled on the
design of Walled Lake Middle
School.
Members of thePlymouthCanton
Board of Education selected the
two-story architectural design for
the building, which will be con-
structed on 24-acres of land the dis-
trict owns at Canton Center and
Cherry Hill roads. TMP
Architecture of Bloomfield, which
designed the Walled Lake building,
was awarded the bid to become the
bond architect for all aspects of the
school construction.
TMP was recommended by the
district Architect Selection
Committee comprising Deputy
Superintendent of Business and
Operations Brodie Killian, Board
Trustee Mark Horvath, Central
Middle School Principal Anthony
Ruela and Discovery Middle School
Principal RocheLaVictor
The committee evaluated several
firms based on criteria such as the
local presence of the design team,
actual building design, professional
fees and both the design experience
and knowledge of Western Wayne
County of the firms, along with other
criteria.
Board members sent the archi-
tecture job out for bids which were
then reviewed and evaluated the
proposals submitted. Committee
members also conducted interviews
and toured prototype designs before
making a final recommendation.
The committee hadnarrowed the
selection to TMP and Fanning
Howey Associates, the firm that
designed Discovery Middle School
in the district.
Board of Education Vice
President Judy Mardigan said she
was happy with the outcome
because the district saved $750,000
by going through the bidding
process.
Middle school staff members will
be included in upcoming meetings
and design sessions with architects
to discuss design options. Site
enhancements and environmentally
friendly options will also be consid-
ered in the plans, according to the
district.
The approval of the
7-mill levy would generate
an anticipated $1.9 million.
”
The Plymouth Civitans Club
has been around for more than 40
years and like most civic organiza-
tions, has seen some changes dur-
ing those four decades.
What they apparently haven't
seen is any change in their deter-
mination to fulfill the mission of
the non-profit civic group dedicat-
ed to serving the developmentally
disabled and others in the commu-
nity.
The group will host their major
fundraiser, the annual Taste Fest,
beginning at 6 p.m. tomorrownight
in the lower parking lot of Station
885 restaurant inOldVillage as the
58th Plymouth Fall Festival offi-
cially opens to crowds.
The parking lot will be trans-
formed into a park-like setting by
Mark Baldwin Landscaping using
live trees, shrubs and flowers from
Christensen's Plant Center.
Baldwin and Christensen's both
donated their time and supplies to
help the Civitans group with the
fundraising event.
For the $15 donation this year,
visitors can dine on samples from
Bahama Breeze, Bennigan's,
Brann's Sports Grille, Canton
BuffaloWildWings, Claddagh Pub,
Cupcake Station, Elite Catering,
Grand Traverse Pie Company,
Happy's Pizza & Ribs, LaBistecca
Italian Grille, Max & Erma's of
Plymouth, Mitchell's Fish Market,
Noodles & Company, Rocky's of
Northville, the Rusty Bucket,
Scrambler Marie's, Station 885,
U.P. Pasties, Vintner's Canton
Winery, Zin Wine Bar and Zoup
Salad&Sandwiches.
“For $15, this is a really great
bargain,” Station 885 owner Rob
Costanza said. “We'll be serving
prime rib and LaBistecca is doing
Pietmontese beef tenderloin. I
know several others are planning
on some really great dishes, too.”
Some of the other projects the
Civitans group helps fund are
Focus Hope food boxes, Step Up
For Downs Walk, food for the
Salvation Army Thanksgiving bas-
kets, holiday gifts for children in
foster care, Special Olympics
Bowling, essay contest awards, the
Salvation Army School Blitz, shoes
for underprivileged children in a
Kentucky mining town, and many
others, including two summer
camps for special needs teens and
adults and a Youth Leadership
andDiversityConference.
Civitans member and Taste
Fest organizer Kathy Turnquist
noted that it is sometimes difficult
to believe all that the club of 28
members accomplishes in a year,
especially, she said, as “most of us
are retirees.”
Station 885 is located in Old
Village of Plymouth at 885
Starkweather. There is plenty of
free parking available. Tickets for
childrenunder 10 are $5.
Taste of the town
Annual Taste Fest begins
Fall Festival this weekend
More than 300
patrons enjoyed the
Civitans Taste Fest
during the Fal l
Festival last year
when more than 20
area restaurants
offer samples of their
best dishes.
Wayne seeks 10–year, 7–mill tax hike
Suspect in Westland City Hall is threat ‘competent’
Architect chosen for new middle school