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SSOCIATED
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EWSPAPERS OF
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5
October 13, 2016
City award nominations accepted
Sunny Days
Local movie maker needs internet votes
B
ELLEVILLE
- I
NKSTER
- R
OMULUS
How much would it cost to
control your destiny?
When it comes to waste water
treatment, the 13 members of the
Downriver Utility Wastewater
Authority (DUWA) are hoping to
find out.
The authority is negotiating to
purchase the Downriver
Wastewater Treatment Facility
from Wayne County for $57.5 mil-
lion. The price would include the
facility, located on 34 acres in
Wyandotte, as well as the infra-
structure that supports it. It
would give the authority the abili-
ty to set its own sewage disposal
rates and not have to rely on
those set by Wayne County-which
has been a source of contention.
“This has been a long process
getting to this point,” said
Romulus Mayor Leroy Burcroff.
Romulus is the second largest
community within the authority,
behindTaylor.
'This point' is technically a bit
of a holding pattern. While
DUWA representatives have sub-
mitted the bid and county offi-
cials have verbally agreed to it,
there are still plenty of particu-
lars to beworked out.
If it holds, the DUWA would
sell bonds to pay for the pur-
chase. Those bonds would be
repaid either through sewer
rates, savings in the operation or
a combination of the two.
“Our goal is to make it cost-
neutral to the rates,” said
Burcroff, who met with the city
council in a study session on the
issueMonday night. “I don't know
if that's possible; that's yet to be
determined based on the service
agreement.”
Romulus City Attorney Steve
Hitchcock said itmight be.
“There's somewhere between
$2 million and $3 million that
could be eliminated from the cost
of operating the system if the
county was out of it,” he said.
“That money could be used to
(pay for) the bonds that would
sold to purchase the system.
Preliminarily, it appears that very
little, if any, rate increase would
have exist to users of the system
to pay for this transaction. The
savings would generate that addi-
tional revenue.”
The final numbers won't be
known until the agreement is
completed and the bonds sold.
The 13 members of the DUWA
would also have to pledge to
remain within the system for the
next 20-25 years, the length of the
bondpayments.
“The 13 communities aremoti-
vated by being able to control
their own destiny here, and that's
a strong motivator,” Burcroff said.
“That's what prompted a lot of
this discussion.”
The Downriver Wastewater
Treatment Facility handles raw
sewage from Allen Park,
Belleville,
Brownstown
Township, Dearborn Heights,
Ecorse, Lincoln Park, River
Rouge, Riverview, Romulus,
Southgate, Taylor, Van Buren
Township and Wyandotte. It is
the second largest wastewater
treatment facility in the state,
with capacity to treat 225 million
gallons of rawsewage daily.
Nominations for some of the
most prestigious awards in the
community are now being
accepted by the Belleville Area
Chamber of Commerce.
The Leona Van Buhler,
Chamber Member of the Year,
Ted Kuckelman Community
Service and Business of the Year
awards will be accepted through
Nov. 21.
Nominations can be emailed
to
or mailed to 248 Main. St.,
Belleville, Mi, 481111.
Criteria for each award will
be reviewed by members of the
chamber awards committee.
To be eligible for the Ted
Kuckelman Community Service
Award, the nominee must be at
least 18 years old; been a partici-
pant in the Belleville area com-
munity for at least the past six
months although committee
members said it is preferable
that the nominee have made a
long-term contribution to the
community; be providing a serv-
ice for the Belleville area com-
munity and have a letter of rec-
ommendation from at least one
chamber member listing reasons
the nominee should be consid-
ered.
Criteria for the Leona
VanBuhler Chamber Member of
the Year Award includes the
nominee be a current member of
the chamber of at least three
years; be an owner, manager or
employee of a local business; be
recommended by a chamber
member and have a demonstrat-
ed dedication of self to business
and exemplify business support
of the community.
The nominees for the
Business of the Year award
should exemplify the best of
qualities expected from a small
town business as well as placing
an emphasis on customer serv-
ice, quality produce and beautifi-
cation of their building and/or
goods.
Members of the committee
will be evaluating the nominee's
involvement in the community,
the chamber, the schools, area
non-profits, continued capital
investment in the business and
an overall community presence.
For more information or nom-
ination forms, contact the cham-
ber offices at (734) 697-7151.
Romulus resident Jesse McAnally is hoping for
“SunnyDays” indeed.
McAnally, 20, a 2014 graduate of Romulus High
School, is hoping the public will vote for his most
recent film, Sunny Days, a finalist in the WDIV
Click on Detroit Film Challenge. The movie is the
second McAnally has written and the third film he
has directed. Since the film premiered in April it
has been accepted into six film festivals and is now
among the 10 finalists for the Channel 4 award,
whichwill be chosenby a panel of four judges.
Winning would mean four passes to the
Sundance Film Festival for the filmmakers. Sunny
Days is also eligible for the Peoples' Choice award,
determinedby an online vote.
Votes will be accepted until 8 p.m. Oct. 19 at
or by visiting the Sunny Days facebook page and
following the link there.
The public can vote once a day for the film of
their choice.
Sunny Days features an all-Romulus cast and
was filmed in Romulus. McAnally, currently a film
student at Wayne State University said he has been
trying tomakemovies, sincehe “was a child.”
Set as a satire to the traditional romance film,
Sunny Days features a young man, Ben, who, after
the loss of his brother, feels lost and alone. Then
one day a woman, Sunny, enters his life and brings
vast changes that will last forever.
For more information about “Sunny Days”, visit
the film's facebook page for updates on showings
and reviews at
Movie or search for “SunnyDays” on imdb.com.
The 13 communities are motivated
by being able to control their own destiny here,
and that's a strong motivator.
That's what prompted a lot of this discussion.
”
Communities may purchase sewer system
Jesse McAnally
Boo Bash planned
Ghosts and goblins are
expected to fill the Dozier
RecreationComplexOct. 31.
The City of Inkster will host
the Annual Boo Bash from 6-8
p.m. Oct. 31 and provide a fun-
filled, safe alternative to tradi-
tional door-to-door trick or
treating activities.
There will be games,
prized trick or treat bags and
refreshments for children in
the sixth grade and younger.
The event is free and open
to all children with the age
limit.
Also planned for the
evening is Trucks with Treats
from 7-9 p.m. with set up
beginning in the parking lot of
the complex beginning at 6:30.
No unwrapped candy or fruit
will be allowed at the event
when children can go from
“trunk to trunk” in the lot for
treats to celebrate theholiday.
The Dozier House of
Horror will also be available
for children.
The events are made possi-
ble by private donations and
sponsors including TRI and
2ByteEntertainment.
For more information, call
(734)728-7530.
The Dozier Complex is
located at 2025 Middlebelt
Road in Inkster.
