No. 46
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
Nov. 30 – Dec. 6, 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
Santa Claus will visit
downtown Wayne from noon
until 2 p.m. Dec. 2 to official-
ly open the holiday season in
Derby's Alley located at
35005W. MichiganAve.
See page 2.
The City of Northville has
now received 12 consecutive
Distinguished
Budget
Presentation Awards from
the Government Finance
Officers Association.
See page 3.
Vol. 132, No. 46
Vol. 70, No. 46
Vol. 70, No. 46
Vol. 17, No. 46
Romulus High School
Senior Pierre Brown has
accepted a scholarship offer
from Michigan State
University to run track.
See page 3.
Vol. 132, No. 46
Vol. 70, No. 46
Vol. 70, No. 46
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
This year, the traditional
Holiday Taste Fest is set for
6-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5 at
theHellenic Cultural Center,
36375 JoyRoad inWestland.
See page 2.
Santa and his reindeer
will make a special stop in
Canton Township during the
Holiday Tree Lighting from
6-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec.
6, at theSummit on thePark.
See page 5.
Vol. 17, No. 46
Winners of the Annual
Inkster Legends Christmas
Raffle will be announced at
6 p.m. Dec. 13 at the
SheratonHotel inRomulus.
See page 4.
Plymouth Township will
begin a new "Neighbors
Helping Neighbors" pro-
gram, designed to pair resi-
dents with volunteers willing
tohelp.
See page 5.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will
arrive in the Belleville area
during a lighted parade dur-
ing the Winter Fest celebra-
tion Dec. 2 and parade
entries are still being accept-
ed.
See page 3.
The Plymouth Township
Board of Trustees has approved
a $14.4 million budget by a 5-2
vote.
Casting the no votes on the
new budget and spending plan
were trustees Chuck Curmi and
BobDoroshewitz.
The new budget includes
plans to hire more public safety
employees in both the police
and fire departments using
money cut from other line-item
spending. The budget also
includes adding a $311,000 sur-
plus to the $3.9 million general
fundbalance.
Curmi said that his objec-
tions to the plans to hire more
police and firefighters were
based on an old-model fire
department that does not pro-
mote regionalization and coop-
eration. He said he opposes the
possible hiring of three firefight-
ers as the township recently
increased the fire department
by three new hires when Station
2was reopened this fall.
Township Supervisor Kurt
Heise supported the budget as
didClerk Jerry Vorva, Treasurer
Mark Clinton and trustees Gary
Heitman and Jack Dempsey.
Heise noted that the bond rating
for the township had been
upgraded to AA-plus, which
means better interest rates for
financing. He said the new rat-
ingwas due to the strong budget-
ing process now in place in the
township.
That budgeting process is
now a zero-based plan which
Heise said he examined line by
line and made cuts to nearly 90
percent of spending plans.
Those cuts included the elimi-
nation of a an economic devel-
opment position, a reduction in
part-time employees and
changes to planning department
personnel.
While the budget includes
funding for three firefighters
and three police officers, a deci-
sion on those hirings will wait
until an evaluation of the shared
services agreement with
Northville Township at Fire
StationNo. 2. Heise said that the
township will also evaluate the
current situation with Huron
Valley Ambulance, a matter of
contention with fire department
employees for some time.
Clinton suggested that the
addition of the 1 percent admin-
istration fee on tax bills, expect-
ed to generate $640,000 in rev-
enue, might alleviate Curmi's
stated concerns about retiree
costs and funding for capital
improvements. Clinton added
that the anticipated revenue
would go into the general fund
and could be used for public
safety.
The budget did not include
any changes to the township
owned Hilltop Golf Course,
which has been the subject of
public criticism at meetings. An
analysis by Plante Moran stated
that the facility will lost more
than $300,000 by the end of 2020.
Westland
Shop & Dine
campaign is
under way
Shop and Dine has officially
begun inWestland.
This is the eighth year for the
holiday campaign in the city, a 6-
week marketing effort which pro-
motes the city shopping district as
“Everything you want. Everything
youneed” for theholiday season.
The Shop and Dine district is
anchored by Westland Shopping
Center and is surrounded by
more than 160 other shops,
restaurants and services making
it Wayne County's premier shop-
ping and dining destination,
according to city officials.
The campaign will be featured
in TV commercials which will
begin this week and radio ads will
also be hitting the air waves. In
addition, the Shop and Dine mes-
sage will be featured on bill-
boards on major freeways. The
campaign also encompasses a
large digital and social presence,
according to an official statement.
The Shop and Dine campaign
includes a free $1,000 in 1,000 sec-
onds shopping spree contest. The
contest goes live on Small
Business Saturday, Nov. 25, and
will conclude Tuesday, Dec. 12.
Interested contestants should visit
to enter
towin. Three finalists will be cho-
sen from the entries and they will
meet at 10 a.m. Dec. 16 at
Westland Shopping Center to see
who the lucky winner will be. At
that time, one more contestant
will be picked from the crowd and
the four finalists will take turns
opening gifts to find out which
one holds the grand prize of the
$1,000 shopping spree. The win-
ner will then have 1,000 seconds
to spend $1,000 at JCPenney.
“We are proud of Westland
Shopping Center and the entire
Shop and Dine district,” com-
mented Mayor William R. Wild.
“Our city has somuch to offer. We
have an emerging food scene with
restaurant and cafes featuring
foods fromaround theworld.
“The stores inside this mall
have something for everybody,
from our anchor stores to our
smaller boutiques. Our Shop and
Dine district definitely has every-
thing you want and everything
youneed.”
The new budget includes plans
to hire more public safety employees
in both the police and fire departments
using money cut from other line-item spending.
”
Township OK’s $14.9 million budget
Ringing
success
Salvation Army
Red Kettle
effort continues
Volunteer bell ringers are
still needed for the Salvation
Army Christmas Fundraising
Campaign in the Belleville,
Canton, Northville and
Plymouth service area.
Officials from the organiza-
tion said the group had col-
lected $10,800 of the $225,000
Red Kettle Campaign goal for
this year. Donations are “on
pace with last year's collec-
tions” representatives said.
Those donations last year pro-
vided groceries and provi-
sions for about 150 local fami-
lies to prepare a traditional
Thanksgivingmeal.
Volunteer bell ringers can
sign up online at either ring-
bell.org by contacting Roger
Harder, Christmas kettle coor-
dinator or Sandy Kollinger,
volunteer and special events
coordinator at (734) 453-5464
“We live in a great commu-
nity that cares for others, said
Major Keith Bailey, corps offi-
cer of the Salvation Army
Plymouth Corps. “The
Salvation Army could not do
what it does without the gen-
erous support our neighbors
and our local businesses.”
Overall, The Salvation
Army in the Metro Detroit
area is looking to raise $7.85
million during the Christmas
season from Nov. 1 through
Jan. 31, 2018.
Founded by William and
Catherine Booth in London,
England in 1865, The
Salvation Army is a faith-
based, non-profit organization
dedicated to serving people in
need without discrimination,
according to the organization
website. This past year, The
Salvation Army of Metro
Detroit was involved in pro-
viding 3,220,937 million meals
and 677,051 nights of shelter
for the homeless. The
Salvation Army uses $.85 of
every dollar raised to provide
direct services to people in
need each and every day of
the year. For more informa-
tion about The Salvation
Army, call 877-SAL-MICH, or
visit
Time continues to pass by
for a home built during the
1800s inNorthville.
The fate of the structurewill
be the topic of a hearing Dec.
20 during the meeting of the
Historic District Commission.
Owners of the house have
requested permission to
demolish the structure at 341
East Main and erect a three-
story, 12,000 square foot office
and condominiumbuilding.
The last occupant of the
building was MacGuire's Fine
Art Gallery.
An earlier hearing in
September did not result in
any decision on the request
from Eric and Renee
Guidobono who purchased the
house last December for
$460,000 with the intent, they
said, to establish their building
company offices in the house.
When renovations began, how-
ever, the couple said, the plan
was cost prohibitive as the
house was badly deteriorated
and had warped floors, an
unstable roof and foundation
insufficiencies.
Restoration expenses of the
home which dates from 1865
were estimated at $750,000 by
Ed Funke, representing the
Guidobonos at the Nov. 15
meeting of the commission.
A report from consulting
engineers hired by the
Guidobonos stated that
restoration would require a
total rebuild and recommend-
ed the structure be razed. A
second engineering report,
funded and hired by the com-
missioners, also determined
that the structure had serious
foundation and other problems
but did not suggest razing the
house but rather addressing
the problems in the near term
to prevent further deteriora-
tion.
Funke said the house pres-
ents a safety hazard and is not
in the best interest of the com-
munity. Opponents of the dem-
olition of the old house claim it
would be a loss of a historic
building and could set a prece-
dent for other demolitions of
historic sites.
Fate of historic house weighed
