No. 47
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
November 19 – 24, 2015
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
Tickets are now on sale
for the 29th Annual Wayne
Goodfellows Fundraiser
planned for 6 p.m. until mid-
night Dec. 12.
See page 5.
Tipping Point Theatre
will present Kalamazoo
through Dec. 20 with a spe-
cial News Year's Eve per-
formance, including an after-
glowreception.
See page 5.
Auditors have confirmed
that the Van Buren Public
Schools district has a fund
balance of more than $8 mil-
lion, although the amount is
less than the state average.
See page 4.
Vol. 130, No. 47
Vol. 68, No. 47
Vol. 68, No. 47
Vol. 15, No. 47
Members of the Romulus
High School Chapter of the
National Honor Society
recently elected five new
officers to lead them this
school year.
See page 2.
Vol. 130, No. 47
Vol. 68, No. 47
Vol. 68, No. 47
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Westland has been
awarded a $65,870 grant to
fund an After-School
Tutoring and Learning Lab
at the Jefferson Barns
CommunityVitalityCenter.
See page 4.
Canton
Township
Supervisor Phil LaJoy
announced last week that he
will not seek re-election to
the supervisor's post in 2016.
See page 3.
Vol. 15, No. 24
The results of two millage
elections in the City of
Inkster, one for recreation
and one for senior services,
were both approved by vot-
ers during the Nov. 3 elec-
tion.
See page 2.
Jurors deliberating the
charges against former Inkster
Police Ofc. William Melendez
were expected in the city
Tuesday to view the location
where the alleged crime took
place.
Closing arguments from both
the prosecution and defense
were expected to be heard by
Wayne County Circuit Court
Judge Vonda Evans yesterday
and a verdict in the case could
come this week, according to
court sources.
Melendez, 47, has been
charged with misconduct in
office for the mistreatment of a
prisoner, a 5-year felony, and
assault with intent to do great
bodily harm less than murder, a
10-year felony, by the office of
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym
Worthy. The charges stem froma
traffic violation Jan. 28 when
Inkster police officers stopped
motorist Floyd Dent for an
infraction. Police claimed that
Dent drove on for a mile before
heeding the patrol car lights and
siren and stopping his vehicle.
A patrol car dashcam video-
tape of the subsequent arrest
received national attention
when officers pulled Dent from
the car, forced him to the pave-
ment, and Melendez is seen
viciously striking Dent about the
head 16 times with a closed fist.
Other officers are seen on the
videotape using tasers on Dent
as Melendez strikes him while
restraining him in what appears
to be a choke hold. One officer
approaches the prone Dent
while Melendez strikes him and
kicksDent.
Police claimed that Dent was
resisting arrest during the inci-
dent and that he had verbally
threatened them. They also
claim that he was in a known
drug area of the city. In another
section of the videotape,
Melendez is seen at the rear of
Dent's Cadillac where attorneys
have claimed he is seen remov-
ing something from his pocket.
Dent was charged by Inkster
police with resisting arrest,
obstruction of justice and pos-
session of cocaine, which
The changes recommended
by the Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
at the site of the new pavilion
are currently under way in
McClumpha Park in Plymouth
Township.
Last week, a large area west
of the park pavilion was freshly
excavated in an effort to create a
natural barrier that will function
as an environmental swale to
catch run-off water from the
recently completed 4-acre con-
crete parking lot.
In August, officials from
MDEQ determined that the
parking lot as originally planned
was in violation of state regula-
tions.
Hae-Jin Yoon, southeast
Michigan supervisor for the
Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality and
Wayne County Water Quality
Analyst Andrew Bahrou met
with Township Supervisor
Shannon Price, Parks and
Grants Manager Mike Mitchell,
Township Engineer Patrick
Felrath and David Richmond,
project manager from Spalding
DeDecker, the consulting engi-
neers, to discuss changes to the
plans that would mitigate the
problems and bring the town-
ship into compliance with state
requirements.
Yoon said at the time the
township needed to make com-
pliance improvements by chang-
ing the location of the outflow at
the parking lot site, "so runoff
water goes in more of an upland
area." Yoon and Sally Petrella,
volunteer monitoring program
manager from Friends of the
Rouge, who also consulted with
township officials, confirmed
that the township developed
revised drawings and changed
the constructionplans.
Mitchell was at the site last
week with park worker Steve
Rapson picking up survey flags
used tomark the 75-foot circular
area that will contain rainwater
from the 209-space parking lot.
He indicated the work on the
revised run-off plan was near
completion.
"It's a bio-swale…this will
provide water to the prairie
grass and trees and at the same
time keep the run-off from the
pond, Mitchell said.
Bahrou said last week in an
email that he felt the township
was on track to make the revi-
sions and the statewould contin-
ue to monitor the project. In a
meeting with The Eagle last
month, Felrath and Mitchell
promised that the township
would work with the state
regarding the problems but
refused comment on the impact
or cost factors to make the com-
pliance changes.
Celebrate
County Lightfest now
open for holiday season
Plymouth Township has
been recognized for its work
to foster entrepreneurial
growth and economic devel-
opment in the annual eCities
study.
See page 3.
See
Trial,
page 2
With the flip of a switch, Wayne County
Executive Warren C. Evans and Santa lit
up more than 4 miles of Hines Drive for
theWayneCountyLightfest last week.
Hundreds of parents and children
crowded the Hines Park - Merriman
Hollowarea to share in the annual holiday
tradition. This year, the ceremony also fea-
tured a fireworks show, music, entertain-
ment and refreshments.
As the Midwest's largest and longest
drive-through light show, Lightfest fea-
tures more than 47 giant animated holiday
themed displays. The entire light showhas
been converted to environmentally benefi-
cial LED lights.
Lightfest is open from7-10 p.m. Monday
- Thursday and from 6-10 p.m. Friday -
Sunday through Dec. 31. The exhibit is
closed ChristmasDay, Dec. 25.
Visitors enter Lightfest at Hines Drive
and Merriman Road in Westland and exit
onto Warren Avenue near Telegraph Road
in Dearborn Heights. There is a $5 fee per
vehicle. Hines Drive closes to traffic at 6
p.m. Monday - Thursday and at 5 p.m.
Friday - Sunday.
ToyNights are planned for Dec. 1, 8 and
15 when the community is invited to bring
a new, unwrapped toy in lieu of the $5
vehicle fee.
Santa'sWorkshop atWarrendalePark at
the end of the Lightfest drive will be open
from Nov. 20 through Dec. 23, concurrent
with theLightfest hours of operation.
Letters to Santa can be mailed in the
giantmailbox outsideSanta'sWorkshop.
The Wayne County Lightfest sponsors
include: Friends of Wayne County Parks,
DTE Energy, ITC Holdings, Cole, Newton
& Duran CPA's, Community Alliance
Credit Union, Fox 2 News, Michigan
Regional Council of Carpenters,
McDonald Modular, Motor City Mountain
Biking Association, SMART, Consumers
Energy andBeatthetrain.com.
For more information, call (734) 261-
1990 or visit
Last week, defense attorneys
said that Melendez will not take the
witness stand in his own
defense against the charges.
”
Don Howard
Staff Writer
Construction of a 75-foot circular swale which will contain rainwater
and runoff from the 209-vehicle parking lot in McClumpha Park is
under way.
Photo by Don Howard
State recommended changes under way in park
Jury visits site of police beating
