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SSOCIATED
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EWSPAPERS OF
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ICHIGAN
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5
December 15, 2011
I
NKSTER
- W
AYNE
- W
ESTLAND
Wayne council adopts
new buidling procedure
Child ID program offered
It just got a little easier to do business in
theCity ofWayne.
Wayne City Council members recently
approved amendments to the site plan
process that will help streamline the steps
required to make renovations or expansions
at existing sites.
“It is our goal to try to streamline opera-
tions a little bit, to be more business friendly
and open for development,” said City
ManagerRobert English.
The amendments would increase the
threshold for site plan review from $5,000 to
$20,000.
“You can't do very much these days that
youdon't spend $5,000,” he said.
The reviewprocess will not include hospi-
tal projects, he added. A requirement to
bring an entire strip center through the site
plan review process for a single space was
removed, too. Only the space that is being
renovated or changed would require a site
plan review-and only then if the project
exceeded the $20,000 threshold.
“We look at this as a way to streamline the
process a little bit and we also look at it as a
way to be more business friendly,” said
English. “It's a continuation of the review
processwe startedwhen I took over.”
Wayne Mayor Al Haidous said he favored
the changes.
“I think it's a step in the right direction,”
saidHaidous. “I hope the business communi-
ty and the chamber sees it as a positive step.”
As the owner of the stripmall at Annapolis
andHowe roads, he said he had experienced
the old rules first hand, when one of his ten-
ants wanted to make changes and he was
required to go through a site plan for all
three spaces.
“I felt at that time it was not a fair practice
because they asked you to do something for
no reason,” he said.
“We have to recognize the fact that we
have to make the city business-friendly,” said
CouncilmanSkipMonit.
This weekend, parents can give them-
selves a Christmas gift, and it won't cost a
cent.
The Golden Ark Masonic Lodge 595 will
be providing a free child identification pro-
gram from noon until 4 p.m. this Saturday,
Dec. 17 at theGaudior Academy in Inkster.
The program is open to all area residents
and families do not need to reside in Inkster
to be eligible for the service.
Each child who goes through the process
will receive a dental impression kit that can
be done at home along with a CD containing
a photo of the child, video, digital finger-
prints and all vital information. Parents or
guardians of children who participate must
be present and complete a permission slip
for the service.
According to Paul Loudon, who is helping
to organize the event, even if children have
participated before, it is time to update the
records to keep children safe.
"The process should be repeated and
updated every two years to keep the infor-
mation current," he said.
The Michigan Child Identification
Programprovides the family with everything
needed for the Amber alert System and
since 2005, several thousand Michigan fami-
lies have received this service.
For more information call (989) 466-3087
or consult www.michiganchildid.org.
Spaced out
Students get visit from NASA
Three schools in Inkster had a very
special visitor lastmonth.
Woodrow Whitlow Jr., the associate
administrator for Mission Support at the
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration attended 9th Grade
Academy activities Nov. 30 after opening
a day of activities via Skype at
Blanchette Middle School and Baylor
Woodson Elementary School the day
before.
The visit was part of the NASA Glenn
Research Center collaborative effort to
engage students in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM)
education and increase academic excel-
lence. Whitlow, an Inkster native, urged
students to enjoy their participation in
hands-on challenges that focused on the
engineering and design process during
the visit. Blanchette Middle School stu-
dents designed and built a vehicle that
can deliver a payload to a bulls eye at 6
feet while Baylor Woodson Elementary
School students designed and built a
landing system to land a payloadwithout
damaging or ejecting the contents. The
9th Grade Academy students built a
roller coaster for a marble to apply the
forces of motion and energy transforma-
tion applicable to the track.
Whitlow noted that NASA used the
excitement from its missions and pro-
grams to inspire students and serve as a
catalyst for encouraging STEMstudies.
“The agency continues its tradition of
investing in the nation's education pro-
grams and supporting the country's edu-
cators who play a key role in preparing
and inspiring the young minds of today
to become the workforce of tomorrow,” a
statement fromthe agency stated.