No. 45
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
Nov. 10 – 16, 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
Members of the Wayne
City Council rejected an
offer of $150,000 for the
vacant Wayne Activities and
Banquet Center last week.
See page 4.
Two members of the
Northville Township Police
Department have graduated
from the Eastern Michigan
University Police Staff and
CommandSchool.
See page 5.
Vol. 131, No. 45
Vol. 69, No. 45
Vol. 69, No. 45
Vol. 16, No. 45
After being rained out
twice, the Annual Car Show
during the Pumpkin Festival
was able to donate proceeds
to the Romulus Veterans
OutreachCommittee.
See page 3.
Vol. 131, No. 45
Vol. 69, No. 45
Vol. 69, No. 45
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
The veterans memorials
which remain at the former
Westland City Hall site will
soon be moved to new loca-
tions.
See page 4.
U.S. Army SSgt. Dewey
Smith will take the place of
themanwho saved his life in
Vietnam during the annual
Canton Township Salute to
ServiceFriday.
See page 5.
Vol. 16, No. 45
Wayne
County
Commissioner Glenn S.
Anderson and State Sen.
DavidKnezekwill be hosting
a monthly meeting from
noon until 1 p.m. Nov, 14 in
Inkster.
See page 2.
Following comments from
residents, officials in the City
of Plymouth are weighing
options regarding plans for a
new fountain in Kellogg
Park.
See page 3.
Aerotropolis project offi-
cials have one more year to
prove the value of the proj-
ect to Van Buren Township
or the municipality will dis-
continue the $25,000 annual
fee.
See page 2.
Former Inkster Police
Officer William Melendez
could be out of prison before
Christmas despite the strong
objections of Wayne County
ProsecutorKymWorthy.
Melendez was sentenced to
13 months to 10 years for the
beating of motorist Floyd Dent
during a traffic stop in January
of 2015. The incident made
national headlines when a
videotape of Melendez holding
Dent, 56, on the ground and
beating himwith his closed fist.
The videotape showsMelendez
viciously striking Dent 16 times
about the face andhead.
Dent was treated at a local
hospital for his injuries and
subsequently came to a $1.37-
million settlement with the city.
Melendez was fired by the
Inkster city manager and the
police chief during the incident
resigned. Two other Inkster
officers shown on the tape
were also suspended for their
part in the incident.
A jury found Melendez
guilty of two felonies: miscon-
duct in office and assault with
intent to do great bodily harm.
Wayne County Circuit Judge
Vonda Evans remanded him to
jail immediately after the deci-
sion was announced Nov. 19,
2015.
Melendez, 48, was granted
parole at a hearing in October
contingent upon his comple-
tion of a behavioral therapy
program. No timetable or
schedule for the therapy was
available. Worth immediately
sent a letter to Michael Eagen,
chairman of the Michigan
parole board, asking that any
suchparole be denied.
“The Wayne County
Prosecutor's Office OPPOSES
(sic) this parole and would ask
the board to reconsider its
decision,” Worthy said in her
four-page letter.
In the letter, Worthy restates
some of the arguments used by
the district attorney at
Melendez' trial.
She referenced the video-
tape which she said shows
Melendez “using excessive
force to brutalize Mr. Dent”
who she added, “was unarmed,
never fought back, never struck
the defendant and was unsuc-
cessful in attempting protect
himself from the defendant's
unrelenting attack.”
She added that Melendez
was guilty of an “absolute
betrayal of the trust and
authority placed in him to pro-
tect the community and uphold
the laws of this state.”
A spokesman from the
Department of Corrections
said that letters, whether in
opposition or support of a
parole decision will be taken
into consideration but are advi-
sory and do not trigger any
action by the parole board
members.
The City of Romulus is one of
only six communities across the
state to have been recognized
for the strategies they employ to
foster entrepreneurial growth
and economic development,
according to the annual eCities
study. The study, conducted by
iLabs, University of Michigan-
Dearborn Center for Innovation
Research, identified the City of
Farmington Hills, City of Grand
Blanc, City of Hillsdale, City of
Romulus, City of Sault Ste.
Marie and City of Tecumseh for
their strategies, innovative pro-
grams and best practices geared
toward business development.
Romulus also was recognized as
a five-star community.
“Our team has worked con-
sistently to improve our rela-
tionship with local businesses
and potential developers. We
have utilized the best practices
shared with us from the eCities
research in previous years and
are proud to be recognized as a
five-star community this year,”
said Romulus Mayor LeRoy D.
Burcroff.
“The eCities project high-
lights how local governments
from across the state of
Michigan are cultivating and
supporting economic develop-
ment. These communities show
how local governments can
work in distinct and strategic
ways to energize public spaces,
while investing in businesses
and job development,” said Tim
Davis, director, iLabs.
An additional 40 communi-
ties are recognized as five-and
four-star performers.
Five-star communities have
commercial constructions worth
over $875 million, having issued
over 2000 construction permits.
They have more than $29 billion
in combined real and personal
properties. They have more
than $21 million in additions to
assets in the past year and with
about 10 percent of the
employed population being self-
employed. eCities study sur-
Our team has worked consistently
to improve our relationship
with local businesses and potential developers.
”
Prosecutor protests Melendez’ parole
Meijer omitted from Northville plan
Romulus wins ecities economic award
See
Award,
page 3
Members of the Northville
Planning Commission will
review a new proposal for
development of the former
Scott Correctional Facility prop-
erty at Five Mile and Beck
roadswhen theymeetNov. 21.
An original proposal from
Redico, a Southfield-based
developer, met with strong
protests from residents who
objected to the inclusion of a
170,000 square-foot Meijer store
planned for the center of the 53-
acre development. The new
plan for a mixed-use develop-
ment has replaced the Meijer
store with 99-130 single-family
homes, on 50- by 100-foot lots
with access to an adjacent com-
munity park. Also included are
two clusters of town homes and
160-190 apartments, along with
about 130,000 square feet of
retail space andparking.
Developers said they hoped
to replace the planned Meijer
with a large market but that the
rental space was flexible and
could include a bank, drugstore,
coffee shop or a small "bou-
tique"movie theater.
Residents were still not
pleased with the plan and said
the large development would
disturb the quiet atmosphere of
the area. Residents also
expressed concerns about the
traffic flow and patterns at the
proposed site and questioned
the density of the planned sin-
gle-family homes which were
described as 40-feet wide on 50-
foot lots and about 2,400 to 3,200
square feet. The townhouses
could be developed to provide
office spaces on the first floor,
developers said.
The new plan was presented
at a joint informational meeting
of the Northville Township
Planning Commission and
board of trustees onOct. 25.
Representatives fromRedico
told the assembled officials and
residents that this new plan is a
more family-friendly design
with more amenities. The rep-
resentatives stressed that the
plan is still conceptual and will
need adjustments.
The alternative plan will
now go before the planning
commission members for con-
sideration, and then, if
approved, go before the board
of trustees for consideration
Nov. 29.
William Melendez
A waiting
game
Plymouth Township
trustee candidate
Jack Dempsey (left)
and unopposed can-
didate for township
supervisor
Kurt
Heise, far right, talk
with resident Joe
DeFranco outside
Pioneer
Middle
School
early
Tuesday as record
numbers turned out
to cast their votes.
Results of the ballot-
ing were not avail-
able at press time.
Photo by Don Howard
