Basic HTML Version
No. 51
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
December 26, 2014 – January 2, 2015
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
Anthony Wayne Miller
was appointed to the Wayne
City Council to fill the term
vacated by James Hawley
who was chosen to fill the
unexpired term of Mayor Al
Haidous, elected to the
WayneCountyCommission.
See page 5.
Romulus Mayor LeRoy
Burcroff will present the
2015 State of the City address
at the Greater Romulus
Chamber of Commerce
luncheon in January.
See page 2.
The
Plymouth
Community Arts Council
Holiday Art Sale exceeded
expectations this year
despite the ice storm the day
of the event, explained Arts
Council Director Lisa
Howard.
See page 4
.
The
Northville
Educational Foundation
awarded $15,000 in grants on
Dec. 8 to 11 teachers and 12
projects in the district.
See page 5.
The Belleville Police
Department may soon have
body cameras for officers, if
the department can come up
withmatching grant funds.
See page 4.
Vol. 129, No. 51
Vol. 67, No. 51
Vol. 67, No. 51
Vol. 14, No. 51
Vol. 129, No. 51
Vol. 67, No. 51
Vol. 67, No. 51
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Westland City Council
chambers were packed with
families and friends of newly
promoted and newly-hired
Westland Police officers last
week.
See page 2.
Canton Leisure Services
has received a $500 donation
for
its
Therapeutic
Recreation programming
from the Plymouth-Canton
Civitans.
See page 3.
Vol. 14, No. 51
Members of the Michigan
Senate
unanimously
approved Senate Bill 295,
legislation sponsored by
Senate Minority Floor
Leader Tupac A. Hunter,
who represents Inkster.
See page 3.
The legal battle regarding
ownership of the former Detroit
House of Corrections farmland
in Plymouth Township contin-
ues to march through the court
system.
The township and the City of
Detroit have been disputing the
ownership of the 190-acre prop-
erty onFiveMileRoad, between
Napier and Ridge roads, for
more than a year. The property
once housed the Detroit House
of Corrections prison farm. The
land dispute has been in court
since the Detroit bankruptcy fil-
ing in 2013.
Plymouth Township paid
$606,150 in 2011 for two parcels
of acreage at a foreclosure sale
by the Wayne County treasurer's
office. The land was foreclosed
on by the county when the
recorded owners, Demco 54,
owned by DeMattia Corp., failed
to pay taxes on the land.
Richard Sharland, a retired
farmer whose township proper-
ty abuts the land in question,
was prompted to question the
true ownership of the landwhen
he discovered discrepancies in
the payment of rents on the
property. Sharland discovered
that Demco 54 LLC had pur-
chased one section of the prop-
erty from the City of Detroit, but
the remainder of the land, the
190-acre parcel, was still owned
by the City of Detroit. While
Demco had purchased an
option on the 190 acres in dis-
pute in 2006, that option was
never exercised, according to
land transaction records.
Further investigation proved
that the ownership of the land
had been improperly recorded
in the township offices and that
tax bills had not been issued to
actual owners of the land.
Sharland claims the township
combined the parcels improper-
ly for tax purposes, and should
have known that the parcels
were separate. Township
Supervisor Richard Reaume is
also the official tax assessor ulti-
mately responsible for accurate
property records.
Detroit filed suit against the
township and the Wayne County
Treasurer on April 5, 2013 and
amended their claims April 18.
TheDetroit legal filings agree
that following the 2006 sale of
133 acres on the eastern-most
part of the 323-acre site to
Demco 54 LLC, a property trans-
fer affidavit was filed and a
property split approved. The
Detroit attorneys, however,
claim that the recording docu-
ments should have indicated
Detroit had kept the remaining
190 acres. The filings cite
Michigan State Law, specifically
Stray pets in Canton
Township will be sent to the
Michigan Humane Society facil-
ity in Westland beginning Dec.
31, a move that prompted some
concern fromlocal residents.
Canton Township trustees
voted last week to change the
provider of animal shelter serv-
ices from the Humane Society
of Huron Valley to the Westland
facility, noting the move was
more cost effective for the town-
ship.
Some residents expressed
their support for the Huron
Valley operation and claimed
the Ann Arbor facility does a
better job of saving and adopt-
ing out animals. Residents
noted that the Huron Valley
operation has a lower euthana-
sia rate than the Michigan
Humane Society.
Chief Operations Officer of
the Michigan Humane Society
David Williams said that his
organization works diligently to
reunite lost pets with their fami-
lies and tries to save as many
animals as possible. He said
that his organization has a near-
perfect adoption rate for
healthy or treatable dogs and a
68 percent adoption rates for
cats. Williams said that theMHS
policy is to neuter any stray or
feral cats brought into the
Westland shelter before releas-
ing them to homes. One local
resident noted that there is a
feral cat problem in Canton in
the area of some restaurants,
particularly at night.
Supervisor Phil LaJoy said
Canton chose to make a change
in the shelter provider because
of soaring costs for the service.
He said fees rose from $14,669
in 2011 to $82,362 in 2013. The
township had been using the
Humane Society of Huron
Valley for about 15 years.
The Michigan Humane
Society will be paid $2,000 a
month or $24,000 a year for the
services and expects to handle
about 500-600 animals from
Canton annually.
LaJoy said township repre-
sentatives visited the Westland
facility and received positive
reports from communities
already utilizing the Westland
services, including Livonia,
Westland and Northville and
Redford townships.
"They all are very satisfied
with the service that's being ren-
dered," LaJoy said.
The Westland facility has
also begun a program to provide
freemicrochip identification for
up to 2,000 cats, one of the ways
Northville High School
administrators responded quick-
ly to information that a student
planned to bring a weapon to
school last Thursdaymorning.
At about 10:45 a.m., Dec. 18,
administrators were notified by
an anonymous tip through the
new Michigan OK2Say hotline
that a student at the school
might have brought a weapon
into the building with the intent
of using the firearm. The build-
ing was immediately put into
lockdown and the Northville
Township Police Department
notified of the situation.
According to information from
the school, the lockdownwas lift-
ed at about 1 p.m. after police
determined there was no threat
to any students or teachers in the
building.
“The investigation confirmed
that at no time were there any
weapons on the school grounds,”
the statement from the school
sent to parents confirmed. “We
take any such information seri-
ously,” said school officials in an
email. “The building was imme-
diately put into lock down, and
police dispatched. The high
school staff worked together
with the Northville Township
Police Department to assess the
threat and respond as quickly as
possible.”
According to police, the
school liaison officer was
informed and immediately went
to the classroom where the stu-
dent alleged to have the weapon
was in class. The officer inter-
viewed the student who identi-
fied a second student who was
also interviewed about the
alleged threat. Police said no
arrests were made and no
weapons found.
Police said, however, that it is
an ongoing investigation.
“We appreciate the fact that
the threat was reported to the
authorities, allowing for swift
action. We likewise appreciate
the support of the Northville
Township Police Department
and the manner in which our
students and staff conducted
themselves throughout the lock-
down, as student safety remains
our utmost priority,” administra-
tors said.
See
Shelter,
page 3
”
Detroit filed suit against the township
and the Wayne County Treasurer on April 5, 2013
and amended their claims April 18.
See
Land,
page 4
No weapons found in Northville High lockdown
Canton to use animal shelter in Westland
Historic effort
Scout working on grave marker restoration
The Westland Historical
Commission will be partnering
with the Boy Scouts of America
on a project to help restore
damaged grave markers in
ChubbCemetery.
Leading the effort is Sam
Bernhardt, a member of Boy
Scouts of America and a senior
at GardenCityHighSchool who
isworking onhis final project to
earn his Eagle Scout rank.
Bernhardt has already begun
the process of researching the
names of those buried in Chubb
Cemetery and creating new
permanent markers to be
placed this spring.
He and his father, Jim
Bernhardt, have completed sev-
eral markers but are still look-
ing for donors who are willing
to assist in the purchasing or
donating of supplies to com-
plete thework.
Chubb Cemetery, located on
the north side of Warren Road,
east of Newburgh, is the final
resting place for a pair of Civil
War veterans who called
Nankin Township their home,
including the cemetery's name-
sakewhodied fromwounds suf-
fered at the Battle of
Gettysburg.
“I want to thank Samand the
Boy Scouts of America for their
help to restore the destroyed
markers,” said Mayor William
R. Wild. “This project will cer-
tainly bring dignity back to this
final restingplace.”
The Westland Historical
Commission, a 501(c)3 non-prof-
it organization has pledged to
match the funds the Scout col-
lects up to $500. Any additional
money raised will be used for
futureupkeepof the cemetery.
Donations are being accept-
ed at the Westland Historic
Village Park located at 857
North Wayne Road in Westland
between 1 and 4 p.m. on
Saturdays, except the Saturdays
following Christmas and New
Year'sDay.
For more information, call
the Westland Historic Village
Parkat (734) 326-1110.
The revitalization of the
cemetery is a key component
for the Westland Historical
Commission plan to continue to
help educate visitors about the
past of the city.
Eagle Scout Sam Bernhardt
Legal battle for DeHoCo land continues
Don Howard
Staff Writer