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December 26, 2013
C
ANTON
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ORTHVILLE
Canton fire department called to 3 kitchen fires
Canton Firefighters responded
to three home fires started as
accidents in the kitchen this
week.
According toCantonFireChief
Josh Meier, “Unattended cooking
continues to be a leading factor in
house fires across the country.”
“Tominimize your risk of a house
fire, do not leave cooking materi-
als unattended on the stove for
any period of time, especially
when cooking with oils or grease.
This time of year it's easy to get
distracted with guests and activi-
ties, but it is important to remem-
ber how quickly food or other
cookingmaterials can catch fire.”
The latest fire was reported at
about 9:30 p.m. last Wednesday
when firefighters responded to a
house in the 46000 block of
Mornington. Upon arrival, fire-
fighters reported visible flames,
and proceeded to make an
aggressive interior attack using
two pre-connected hand lines,
according to reports from the fire
department. The fire was con-
tained to the kitchen area, howev-
er smoke damage occurred
throughout the house. Initial esti-
mates of damage are near
$80,000, Meier said.
All family members were able
to evacuate the house unharmed,
but unfortunately two cats per-
ished fromsmoke inhalation.
Meier said that in addition to
carefully overseeing all cooking,
residents need to ensure stoves
and ovens are kept clean. “And
most importantly, maintain work-
ing smoke detectors in your resi-
dence,” he added.
Northville man sentenced
in abuse of 23-month-old
Dylan James Dunlap, 20, the Northville
man accused of torturing a 23-month-old
child left in his care, accepted a plea deal
from the Wayne County Prosecutor that will
seehimspend 10½ to 20 years inprison.
Dunlap was charged with felonies includ-
ing first degree child abuse, torture and
assault with intent to do great bodily harm in
the injuries to the child, the nephew of
Dunlap's girlfriend. In accepting the plea
deal, Dunlap entered a guilty plea and will
not face a jury on the charges.
In late November, Judge David Groner
sentencedDunlap to 10 years and sixmonths
on the child abuse charge, three years on the
assault charge and 10 years and six months
on the torture charge. He will spend
between 10 years and six months and 20
years in state prison. Dunlap is currently
being held in Jackson state prison but is
expected to be moved to another Michigan
Department of Corrections facility.
According
to Northville
To w n s h i p
P o l i c e ,
Dunlap, who
was 19 at the
time of the
crime, was
babysitting
the boy at his
t o w n s h i p
apar tment
during the
evening of
May 5-6 while
the boy's mother (his girlfriend's sister) was
working.
Police investigators charged that Dunlap
beat the child, causing numerous injuries
that required medical attention, used a
lighter to burn the child's skin in several
places andbit the toddler.
The Village Theater at Cherry Hill will
exhibit more than 30 works of cut paper cre-
atedbyMaryGaynier.
The exhibit will continue through Dec.
31, in the Gallery@VT, located at 50400
CherryHill Road inCanton.
The exhibit at the Gallery@VT will dis-
play a flurry of fun designs and incredibly
intricate work. Gaynier developed refined
cutting skills, utilizing X-acto knives instead
of scissors, while maintaining the basic cir-
cular or "snowflake" form. These intricate
works are often compared to
Scherrenschnitte (scissors cutting), a tradi-
tional German art form where paper is cut
with scissors into delicate folk art designs.
Through painstakingly cut patterns and
designs, Gaynier creates fascinating
snowflakes, each takingmonths to create.
Originally from LaSalle, Gaynier
received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree
from the University of Toledo in 1989, and
currently resides and works in Toledo, Ohio.
In 2001, Gaynier began experimenting with
cut paper and soon started exhibiting her
paper cuts in 2005. This award-winning
artist has since been accepted into more
than 80 juried national and international
exhibitions. In addition, she has also exhib-
ited in numerous solo and group shows
around the country.
The award-winning artist's work will be
on display from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday
through Friday, as well as during public per-
formances at the theater and also by
appointment. The Gallery@VT is closed on
holidays.
For more information about this latest
exhibition in the Gallery@VT, call (734) 394-
5300 or visit cantonvillagetheater.org.
for the start of the project, but township offi-
cials hope it couldbe as early as this spring.
Plans for Improvements to Cherry Hill
Road from Canton Center to Beck Road were
accelerated by Wayne County Federal Aid
Committee (FAC) members at their Dec. 12
meeting.
Cherry Hill Road had been scheduled to
receive federal funding to mitigate congestion
along the corridor in 2018.
"We proposed to the FAC to move the proj-
ect up on the timeline," said Ron Agacinski,
director of engineering for Wayne County and
chair of the FAC. "With the planned construc-
tion of the new school buildings on that stretch
of Cherry Hill, moving the project up seemed
prudent."
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools is
planning to build a new middle school on
CherryHill, just west of CantonCenter, to open
in September 2015. National Heritage
Academies is building a new high school just
west of the middle school site. The charter
school will open inAugust 2014.
Initially, each school development was
responsible for implementing road improve-
ments to help mitigate the traffic generated by
their development.
However, the county recognized that the
schools' improvements on their own might not
have been sufficient to mitigate the overall
resulting congestion on Cherry Hill, or at the
intersections of both Beck Road and Canton
CenterRoad, Agacinski said.
Improvements to Cherry Hill include
adding a continuous center turn-lane from
Canton Center to Beck. In addition, dedicated
right turn lanes will be constructed at all high-
volume drives and street approaches. Two new
traffic signals will be installed at the school
driveways. Some changes at the Beck Road
intersection are also being investigated.
The cost of the project - estimated at $3 mil-
lion - will be shared between Wayne County,
National Heritage Academies and the school
district.
The schools will contribute $450,000, with
the county utilizing approximately $2.4 million
from the TEDFC, or Transportation Economic
Development FundCongestion.
"Wayne County is pleased to partner with
the township and schools on this project which
will reduce the traffic congestion in that corri-
dor," said Wayne County Executive Robert
Ficano.
According to State Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-
Canton, the funding for the Ford Road
improvements will come from a $115 million
appropriation in the 2013-2014 budget desig-
nated for new infrastructure projects, particu-
larly those which include safety and economic
development. The Ford Road area where the
north and south I-275 interchanges are located
has been repeatedly cited as a serious safety
concern and a high accident area by state safe-
ty reports.
Included in the $2.8 million project is engi-
neering and design work for the Ford Road
boulevard project. The Michigan Department
of Transportation boulevard project is still
viable, officials said, and would include lane
improvements along Ford up to Haggerty
Road in the initial phase.
Dylan James Dunlap
Roads
FROM PAGE 1
Paper art exhibit continues