No. 48
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
December 14 – 20, 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
Shivam Patel, a senior at
Wayne Memorial High
School, is a finalist for a
Quest Bridge scholarship,
funded by a national non-
profit organization.
See page 2.
A Northville man was
among four motorists whose
vehicles were shot at while
driving on the freeway in
Detroit last week.
See page 3.
Vol. 132, No. 48
Vol. 70, No. 48
Vol. 70, No. 48
Vol. 17, No. 48
Michigan Pet Fund
Alliance board members vis-
ited the 2016 award-winning
Romulus Animal Shelter
recently.
See page 3.
Vol. 132, No. 48
Vol. 70, No. 48
Vol. 70, No. 48
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
The 2017 Blues, Brews
and BBQ event generated
more than $10,000 which has
been donated to nine local
civic groups in the communi-
ty.
See page 2.
The New Year will be cel-
ebrated with jaw-dropping
performances as The Detroit
Circus performs at The
Village Theater at Cherry
Hill.
See page 5.
Vol. 17, No. 48
The Inkster Commission
on Aging hosted the annual
seniors Christmas party Dec.
4 helped by state, county and
local officials along with
local volunteers.
See page 4.
One of the first contribu-
tors to the $30 million fund-
ing drive of the Plymouth
Arts and Recreation
Complex (PARC) was the
Margaret
Dunning
Foundation.
See page 4.
Members of the Belleville
City Council took no action
on a controversial plan to
dissolve the local fire depart-
ment during the regular
meeting last week.
See page 5.
Plymouth Township resi-
dents may see some towering
new neighbors if plans for two
newhotels are approved by offi-
cials.
Attorneys representing
Marriott have submitted
Planned Unit Development
(PUD) and zoning change
requests to the township to
allow for the construction of
both a five and six-story hotel at
the corner of I-275 and Ann
ArborRoad.
The hotels, an Aloft by
Marriott and Residence Inn by
Marriott, would be on the site of
the former Steak and Ale and
Bennigan's restaurants. The
190- room hotels could be open
within two years if the zoning
change and preliminary plans
are approved by the various
township departments. Zoning
regulations would have to be
amended to allow the hotels on
only 1 acre of land rather than
the currently required 5 acres.
During a recent public hear-
ing on the required zoning
changes which would allow the
five and six story structures in
an area currently zoned for only
two
stories,
Township
Supervisor Kurt Heise said that
the hotels would replace what
has become an “eyesore” in the
township.
“These are not your average
hotels,” he said. “They're very
hip and trendy. They're very
impressive, chic hotels. I think
it's an excellent fit for that site.
This is the premier gateway to
the entire Plymouth community.
This (development) will make a
great statement.”
The Aloft hotel would face
Ann Arbor Road and the six-
floor Marriott Residence would
be located behind that building.
The two would be connected by
a restaurant, bar and a fitness
area, according to architect
Scott Bowers who presented
the plans to the board of
trustees.
The five-story Aloft is used
primarily for travelers who stay
for one to three days and the
Residence is for travelers who
need lodgings for a longer time.
The developers had no archi-
tectural renderings to submit to
the board as the project is in the
preliminary planning stages.
Results of a second public
hearing on the project sched-
uled for last night were not
available at press time.
I think it's an
excellent fit for that site.
This is the premier gateway
to the entire Plymouth community.
”
Hotels may replace Plymouth ‘eyesore’
Rotary Club honors officers of year
The football stadium at
Romulus High School has been
closed due to needed repairs,
according to members of the
board of education.
The measure was necessary
as the district does not have the
funding to make the necessary
repairs to the facility following
voters' rejection of a second
millage request from the
schools, officials said.
Members of the Romulus
Community Schools Board of
Education are considering the
possibility of asking voters for a
third time for more money to
make repairs to district facili-
ties, according to board presi-
dent DanielleFunderburg.
“We are currently gathering
estimates from turf companies
for short and long termsolutions
and are open to donors/sponsors
who would like to assist,”
Funderburgwrote in an email to
local news media. “We under-
stand the impact this closure
has on our sports program, espe-
cially our upcoming spring sea-
son, but student safety and mak-
ing sure that our facility meets
safety regulations is of the
utmost importance.”
The district asked voters for a
3-mill sinking fund on the
November ballot which would
have generated about $2.3 mil-
lion each year for 10 years to
fund building and facility
repairs including roofing, park-
ing lot repairs, plumbing and
window repairs, replacement of
fire suppression systems in
school building, some technolo-
gy upgrades, building mainte-
nance repairs and the repairs to
the football, soccer and track
areas, according to information
provided by the school district
ahead of the election.
“There were many immedi-
ate needs thoroughly disclosed
during the campaigns, including
the athletic complex,” said
Robert McLachlan, amember of
the board. “There are several
areas of the turf area that were
deemed unsafe after a recent
professional inspection, and the
board had no alternative but to
close the field at the end of the
season. The safety of our stu-
dents is our first priority when it
comes to our athletic program,”
he added.
There are several areas
of the turf area that were deemed
unsafe after a recent professional inspection...
”
For the 17th year, the Rotary
Club of Plymouth honored local
public safety officers during a
special awards luncheon at the
Plymouth Cultural Center Dec.
1.
Rotary Awards Committee
Chairman Dan Amos said that
this program recognizes the
“best of the best who serve our
community.”
The Plymouth Rotary Club
honors the Police Officer of the
Year and the Firefighter of the
Year for both the City of
Plymouth and Plymouth
Township, as well as the
Paramedic of the Year for
HuronValleyAmbulance.
Township Police Chief Tom
Tiderington introduced the
Township Police Officer of the
YearBradBartram.
“Officer Bartram was select-
ed as he is one of our most dedi-
cated and conscientious police
officers,” Tiderington said.
“There are two sides to our
job, there is the cops and rob-
bers side and then the quality of
life side and Brad is good at
both. He comes in every day to
see what he can do to improve
someone's life during that shift.
He's good at catching and arrest-
ing people, too, but he under-
stands the quality of life issues.
Whether it's a barking dog or
speeders through a neighbor-
hood, he gets it.
“He can do both sides of the
job and understands the impor-
tance of both,” Tiderington said.
The Township Firefighter of
the Year was Christopher Smith.
Smith joined the township fire
department as a part-time
employee in 2012, after serving
with the U.S. Border Patrol. His
exemplary service prompted
the township to hire him full
time in 2014. He has worked
with theWesternWayneCountry
Hazardous Materials Response
Team and the Michigan Task
Force One team. He is currently
training as a Paramedic
Instructor Coordinator and is
responsible for developing the
Plymouth Township CPR
Citizens training program.
City Public Safety Director Al
Cox introduced Ofc. David
Edwards as the City Police
Officer of the Year. During the
early morning hours of Aug 5,
Edwards was the Officer in
Charge (OIC) when the Dispatch
Center received a call related to
a credible bomb threat, with
very specific details. Edwards
immediately took charge of the
situation, oversaw the evacua-
tion plan, and worked with the
State Police Bomb Squad and
the Western Wayne Special
Operations Team to bring the
situation to resolution.
See
Fields,
page 3
See
Awards,
page 4
School district closes athletic complex
The Plymouth Noon Rotary Club honored the police, firefighter and paramedic of the year during the Public Safety Awards program
recently. The honored officers were joined for a photo by their respective department leaders.
Photo by Dave Willett
