No. 45
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
November 22 – 29, 2017
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
The official holiday tree
lighting ceremony in Wayne
is planned for 5:30-8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 2 at theWayne
HistoricalMuseum.
See page 3.
Christa Howley will
become the executive direc-
tor of the Northville
Educational Foundation fol-
lowing the resignation of
JenniferRoosenberg.
See page 5.
Vol. 132, No. 45
Vol. 70, No. 45
Vol. 70, No. 45
Vol. 17, No. 45
Romulus High School
English teacher Jessica
Whiteside and her co-
teacher Jennifer Slyman
used a $4,000 grant to buy
books for classrooms.
See page 4.
Vol. 132, No. 45
Vol. 70, No. 45
Vol. 70, No. 45
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will
arrive in Westland during a
celebration beginning at 5:30
p.m.Wednesday, Dec. 6.
See page 3.
Santa Claus will arrive in
Canton just in time to enjoy
breakfast with families at the
Summit on the Park
Saturday, Dec. 2.
See page 5.
Vol. 17, No. 45
A 41-year-old Ypsilanti
man has been arrested and
charged with first degree
murder in the shooting
deathof an Inksterman.
See page 2.
Plymouth Township offi-
cials have approved a 1-per-
cent administration fee to be
added to tax bills beginning
nextmonth.
See page 2.
Belleville officials agreed
to opt out of the current state
laws that allow provisioning
centers for the distribution
ofmarijuana.
See page 4.
There will be no pay increase
for elected officials in Canton
Township.
The members of the board of
trustees unanimously rejected
proposed annual pay increases
for themselves, suggesting the
funds be used for township serv-
ices.
The board members, howev-
er, approved an across-the-board
2 percent pay increase for the 78
non-union employees in the
township.
Wages for the elected officials
had been reduced by 5 percent
about a year ago by the previous
board members after a study of
comparable wages for elected
officials in surrounding commu-
nities.
Currently, Supervisor Pat
Williams is paid $116,295;
Treasurer Dian Slavens and
Clerk Michael Siegrist are each
paid $99,586, and the part-time
trustees, John Anthony, Sommer
Foster, Anne Marie Graham-
Hudak and Steven Sneideman
are eachpaid $12,214 annually.
Slavens was strongly against
the proposed increase as was
Anthony who called the action
“fiscally responsible.”
Foster, too, noted that the pay
increase seemed inappropriate
while the township was attempt-
ing to find funding for infrastruc-
ture repairs.
The last pay increase for the
elected officials was 3 percent
and was implemented in
January of 2016, according to
Finance and Budget Director
Wendy Trumbull. That was off-
set, however, when the board
subsequently reduced their
wages by 5 percent which was a
savings of about $19,151 annually.
Wages for non-union employ-
ees in the township range from
$26,527 to $136,946 for senior
department heads. The 2 percent
was the same raise negotiated
for union employees.
Williams said the raises recog-
nize the efforts of the employees,
many of whom took pay cuts to
help stabilize the budget during
the recession. The raises were
recommended to the board by
themerit commission.
Hospital
will be
razed
Northville Township officials
have approved a $5.9 million
contract for demolition of the
former Northville Psychiatric
Hospital onSevenMileRoad.
The contract to demolish the
main hospital building was
awarded to the Adamo Group,
based in Detroit, which will
establish a work site on the 350-
acre property this month,
according to township officials.
The hospital has been closed
for more than 15 years and the
350-acre property has not been
occupied and has become
referred to by officials as an eye-
sore, with broken windows,
asbestos contamination and
overgrown plantings. The multi-
story building has also been a
regular source of calls to the
Northville Township Police
Department as trespassers
invaded the building, particular-
ly during Halloween. More than
400 trespassers have been
arrested this year at the proper-
ty.
“For years, these buildings
have created blight and have
been a significant drain on pub-
lic safety resources,” noted
Township Supervisor Bob Nix.
He added that the demolition of
the property has been his priori-
ty since taking office in 2012. He
said that following an aggressive
asbestos abatement plan the
building should be razed and
the demolition complete by fall
of 2018.
The contract will be funded
by an arrangement for the devel-
opment of the Robert Scott
Correctional Facility property at
Five Mile and Beck Road. The
township purchased the former
women's prison from the state
and then sold the land to
Redico, a company currently
building a mixed-use develop-
ment on the 53-acres. The town-
ship realized about $5.1 million
from the sale of the prison site
after a pre-agreed split with the
state.
Northville
Township
acquired the hospital property
in 2009 when township voters
agreed to a special tax to buy the
site for $23.5 million for the
development of recreational
facilities. A separate 80 acres of
former hospital property at
Williams said the raises recognize
the efforts of the employees, many
of whom took pay cuts to help
stabilize the budget during the recession.
”
Officials decline suggested pay hike
Fond
farewell
Official retires
after 4 decades
of public service
It's not often that a city
council meeting ends with
applause.
The Romulus City Council
meeting did last week, howev-
er, when Councilwoman
LindaChoate closed it out.
“…and I vote yes,” said
Choate, “and we stand
adjourned.”
Council President John
Barden had yielded the gavel
to Choate for a special reason-
it was her final city council
meeting, capping a career
with the city that spanned
more than four decades.
“I loved everyminute of it,”
she said. “Every day and
every minute. It's just time for
me tomove on.”
Choate started working for
the city in the summer of 1973-
almost by accident.
“The first time I came into
this building, I was a volun-
teer working for muscular
dystrophy. A couple of hours
later, I walked out a city
employee,” she said with a
chuckle. “I don't know what
happened. It was like I was
ambushed.”
Choate worked in the city
clerk's office and, in 1978 was
appointed to deputy clerk.
Five years later, she and a
young William Wadsworth
decided to run for office.
“A lot of people told us we
couldn't win, but we definitely
showed
them,”
said
Wadsworth who, like Choate,
has served in an elected
capacity for 34 years.
Choate spent 26 years as
the city clerk, retiring about
eight years ago, when she ran
for the part-time office of city
council, instead. She won that
election easily, and a subse-
quent one four years later.
Wadsworth, who was
reelected Nov. 7, said her wis-
domand experiencewould be
missedbehind the dais.
“You're a credit to this
town,” he told her, adding:
“she's a dedicated clerk and
her record speaks for itself.”
“I am so pleased to have
had a chance toworkwith you
over the last four years,”
added Councilwoman Sylvia
Makowski. “I learned a great
deal.”
Choatewas also instrumen-
tal in the ongoing revitaliza-
tion of the Romulus Memorial
Cemetery. She served on the
cemetery board and was a
hands-on member at clean-up
events and fundraisers.
“We wouldn't be anywhere
if it wasn't for her,” said Jan
Lemmon, chair of the ceme-
tery board. “We all always
remember all your years in
this city. Nobody will ever for-
get LindaChoate.”
Council President John
Barden said she was a steady
presence in city hall and in
the council chambers.
Romulus City Council President John Barden leads a round of
applause for retiring Linda R. Choate who is leaving public serv-
ice after 36 years.
See
Choate,
page 4
The owners of the hazardous
waste wells in Romulus are seek-
ing a permit to increase the pres-
sure at which they inject the
materials into the ground.
The wells are owned by
Environmental Geo-Technologies,
LLC, and the company is request-
ed a permit from the U.S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency to increase the velocity at
which the treated waste matter is
injected nearly a mile beneath
the surface of the site. The wells,
located at 28740 Citrin Dr. in
Romulus, have been the subject
of controversy for more than two
decades.
The wells were closed tem-
porarily when federal inspectors
found safety violations at the site,
but were granted permission to
reopen when the hazards were
mediated.
The federal authorities have
scheduled a public meeting
regarding the sought-after permit
from the well owners from 5:30-7
p.m. Nov. 29 at the Romulus
Athletic Center, 35765 Northline
Road.
A public hearing during which
residents can comment on the
proposed injection pressure
increasewill follow from7-8 p.m.
Wayne County Commissioner
Raymond Basham is hoping
southeast Michigan residents will
attend the Nov. 29 meeting to
See
Hospital,
page 5
See
Wells,
page 6
The stakes are high and I hope
residents and business owners
will take the time to attend
this meeting and voice their opinions.
”
Hearing set on hazardous wells
