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Voters in theVanBurenSchools district
will face amillage question in the election
nextMay.
Members of the board of education
unanimously agreed last week to place a
seven-year renewal of the 1.13 sinking
fund millage on the ballot in May to
extend the current millage which will
expire inDecember of 2015.
School officials said there is nothing
unusual or different about the millage
question and it is exactly the same rate
that residents are currently paying. It is
simply a renewal of the current sinking
fund rate. Superintendent of Schools
Michael Van Tassel said the May election
would allow the board to time to reevalu-
ate the request if voters do not approve
the renewal at theMay election. VanTassel
said that the school administration would
not present the millage question in the
same way if voters reject it in May, but
would attempt to rework the ballot pro-
posal, should it fail.
The cost for the election is estimated at
from $6,000-$9000, officials said. The sink-
ing fund is the mechanism in school
financing that funds repairs, construction
and building maintenance. Officials said
the May language would be exactly the
same as the question voters approved in
2008.
The proposal would mean residents
would continue to pay $1.13 for every
thousand dollars of taxable value of prop-
ertywithin the district until 2022
"It is estimated that the revenue the
school district will collect if the millage is
approved and levied in the 2016 calendar
year shall be approximately $1,715,961
from the local taxes authorized in this pro-
posal. A portion of the revenue collected
may be subject to capture by the Van
Buren Township Downtown Development
Authority," according to the ballot lan-
guage.
A
SSOCIATED
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EWSPAPERS OF
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ICHIGAN
P
AGE
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November 20, 2014
B
ELLEVILLE
- C
ANTON
Canton Tree Lighting celebration set Dec. 6
2 retire from police department
Van Buren Schools to ask for millage renewal
Food drive aids Goodfellows
The Canton community will
begin the holiday seasonwith the
36th Annual Tree Lighting event
from 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday,
Dec. 3 at the Summit on the Park,
located at 46000 Summit
Parkway.
Festivities will begin at 6 p.m.
outside the Summit on the Park,
where visitors can enjoy holiday
carols, watch Santa's arrival -
courtesy of the Canton Fire
Department - and countdown to
the official Tree Lighting with
Canton Township Supervisor
Phil LaJoy. Food options will be
available for purchase onsite
from The Qais food truck located
in front of theSummit.
The fee to participate in the
indoor activities is $5 per family,
which includes: cookie decorat-
ing, arts and crafts, holiday shows
andperformances for all ages.
The
Tree
Lighting
Marketplace, located in the
Summit Banquet Lobby, will be
open offering unique gifts and
holiday treats for sale. Locally
handmade items available
include: wool mittens and cro-
cheted necklaces, handmade
snowmen, cinnamon pecan sour
cream coffee cakes that come
boxedwith a bow, natural person-
al care, aromatherapy andhouse-
hold cleaning products, hand-
crafted soaps, glass ornaments,
hand-painted glassware and bar-
ware, holiday jewelry, toffee,
cards, and American Girl
inspired clothing and acces-
sories. There will also be a snack
area in the Marketplace where
muffins, homemade pretzels,
cookies and candy will be for
sale.
Share in the giving spirit as
Canton Goodfellows and Canton
Leisure Services team up to
make sure that “No Child in
Canton goes without a
Christmas.” Stop by the Aquatic
Center lobby to find out what
items are still needed. Pick up a
tag and then bring a new,
unwrapped toy or other item to:
the Summit on the Park, or the
CantonAdministrationBuilding.
Contributions will be accepted
throughDec. 4.
The Tree lighting event is
sponsored in part by Atchinson
Ford; Community Financial; The
Goddard School; and Jack
DemmerFord.
For additional information
about the 36th Annual Tree
Lighting Event, call (734) 394-5460
or visit Cantonfun.org.
The
Canton
Police
Department will say goodbye to
two of its lieutenants this week
as two veteran officers retire fol-
lowing long careers with the
department.
Both David Schreiner and
MarkGajeski will officially retire
as platoon commanders in the
patrol division, overseeing the
daily operations of their
assigned shifts made up of ser-
geants andpatrol officers.
Schreiner was hired as a
Canton Police officer in 1987. He
was promoted to the rank of ser-
geant in 2001 and lieutenant in
2013. Schreiner earned his bach-
elor's degree from Ferris State
University, and his master's
degree from Eastern Michigan
University. He is also a graduate
of Eastern Michigan University
Police Staff and Command
School.
During his 27-year career
with the department, Schreiner
spent 12 years assigned to the
department detective bureau,
seven years as a detective and
five as the supervising sergeant,
investigating and overseeing
countless felony cases. Most
notably, he investigated a crimi-
nal sexual conduct case that was
featured on America's Most
Wanted. Schreiner also served
numerous terms as union presi-
dent for both the police and com-
mand officers unions.
Gajeski was hired as a Canton
police officer in 1986. He was
promoted to the rank of sergeant
in 2006, and to lieutenant earlier
this year. Gajeski earned his
bachelor's degree in Criminal
Justice from Ferris State
University, and is a graduate of
Eastern Michigan University
Police Staff and Command
School.
During his 28-year career
with the department, Gajeski
served 22 years on the Western-
Wayne Special Operations Team.
As a member of this elite SWAT
unit, he specialized in chemical
munitions
and
explosive breach-
ing. He was promot-
ed through the unit
from Team Leader
to Senior Team
Leader, to Executive
Officer, serving as second in
command of amulti-jurisdiction-
al unit.
“The department is losing a
tremendous amount of skill and
knowledge with the retirement
of these two individuals,” said
Public Safety Director Todd
Mutchler. “Their careers with
Canton took them down two
diverse paths, with both men
excelling in their respective spe-
cialty of choice-Lt. Gajeski's
being special operations, and Lt.
Schreiner's being criminal inves-
tigations. They both have done
an outstanding job of mentoring
officers in their fields of special-
ty, setting the department up for
continued success in their
absence.
“I wish them both the best in
their future endeavors,”
Mutchler said.
The Canton Goodfellows are teaming
up with Canton Leisure Services to help
make things brighter for needy families
in the Canton community during the
upcoming holiday season with its “No
ChildWithout aChristmas” campaign.
A Holiday Food Drive will take place
from 4-9 p.m. Nov. 21, from 9 a.m. until 6
p.m. Nov. 22 and from noon until 4 p.m.
Nov. 23 at Holiday Market, located at 520
South Lilley Road in Canton. Suggested
non-perishable food items include
canned goods, rice, macaroni and
cheese, noodles, pasta, soup mixes, cof-
fee, powdered juices, cereal, cookies,
crackers, jars of gravy, bread mixes, and
other dry goods.
“So many families are already strug-
gling to make ends meet throughout the
year, so holidays can be an extremely
difficult time of the year for them,” said
Canton Recreation Supervisor Jon
LaFever. “Any donation and gifts from
area residents make a huge difference
in bringing joy to their lives during the
holidays.”
Donations of new and unwrapped
toyswill also be collected throughDec. 5,
at several Canton Leisure Services loca-
tions, including the Summit on the Park,
located at 46000 Summit Parkway and
the Canton Administration Building,
located at 1150 S. CantonCenterRoad.
Individuals, groups or families who
would be willing to adopt a family or
child and purchase gifts this Christmas
should contact the Canton Goodfellows
at cantongoodfellows@gmail.com. Cash
donations and gift cards are also wel-
come and can be dropped off at the
LeisureServicesDepartment.
For more information, call (734) 394-
5360
or
visit
www.canton
goodfellows.org.
David Schreiner
Mark Gajeski