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No. 3
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
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January 16 – 22, 2014
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
The City of Wayne has hired
a consultant to help with the
$2million deficit budget facing
the community.
See page 2.
One of the largest commu-
nity celebrations remembering
the life of the late Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. will
take place Monday in
Romulus.
See page 3.
A special meeting of the
Plymouth Township Board of
Trustees included a proposed
tax hike to support fire opera-
tions. The meeting was can-
celled due to inclement weath-
er.
See page 3.
Two Northville teachers
have resigned following an
investigation by the district
into unusually low test scores
of a group of students at
NorthvilleHighSchool.
See page 5
.
Architect Dan Whisler will
present sketches, site plans
and other details of the new
library building at the next
meeting of the Friends of the
BellevilleAreaLibrary.
See page 5.
Vol. 128, No. 3
Vol. 66, No. 3
Vol. 66, No. 3
Vol. 13, No. 3
Vol. 128, No. 3
Vol. 66, No. 3
Vol. 66, No. 3
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Westland will host the
Western Wayne County com-
memoration of the life and
legacy of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. at 10 a.m. Jan. 20.
See page 2.
More than 100 student
essays and artwork will be
exhibited as part of the Canton
Township celebration of
MartinLutherKing, Jr. Day.
See page 5.
Vol. 13, No. 3
Fire departments in Plymouth
Township and the City of Romulus
will receive more than $2 million
in federal grants to hire firefight-
ers.
The grants were announced
last week by U. S. Senators Carl
Levin and Debbie Stabenow. The
Romulus Fire Department will
receive $729,465 and the Plymouth
Community Fire Department has
been awarded $1,331,694 from the
Assistance to Firefighters Grant
Program of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency,
a part of the Department of
HomelandSecurity.
The programallows fire depart-
ments across the country to com-
pete for federal grant money in
several categories, according to
Levin's office. The Plymouth
Township and Romulus awards
are from the Staffing for Adequate
Fire and Emergency Response
(SAFER) program, a competitive
grant process to help ensure that
the fire departments nationwide
have the firefighters they need to
protect their communities.
Plymouth Township Supervisor
Richard Reaume rejected the last
SAFER grant of nearly $900,000
awarded to the fire department in
December of 2010, claiming the
township could not comply with
the grant prohibition against any
firefighter layoffs during the two
year period of the federal funding.
A motion to accept this grant was
See
Grants,
page 3
A local business has made a
donation toward worthwhile proj-
ects at the Romulus Public Library
and hopes other businesses and
groups showsimilar support.
EQ - The Environmental Quality
Co. presented a check for $1,000 to
Library Director Patty Braden,
who will apply the donation to one
of several projects that benefit the
public.
Chuck Zuerner, engineering/
technical support manager for EQ,
said his firm has been so
impressed with the library, its pro-
grams and Braden's plans for the
future that the company wanted to
help the library director reach her
goals.
“The library has come through
some pretty hard times,” Zuerner
said. “The Friends of the Library
and the city came through to save
it. Patty has some great ideas going
forward. In fact, we'd like to
encourage other businesses and
groups in the city to support this
valuable asset in our community.”
“Thank you to our friends at The
Environmental Quality Company
for their generous donation to the
Romulus Public Library,” Braden
said. “This donation will be used to
support one of the library's many
projects designed to enrich the
lives of those in our community. We
appreciate our partnership with
EQ and their desire to encourage
others to support the library.”
Zuerner, who is on the board of
directors of the Greater Romulus
Chamber of Commerce, said he
learned about the needs of the
library at a chamber luncheon. EQ
supports Little League baseball,
the annual Romulus DDA
Pumpkin Fest and other efforts. He
said the library is a great cause.
“Patty has done a great job at
the library,” Zuerner said. “We felt
this was a very good use of a dona-
tion to reach the community.”
Westland Mayor William Wild
was scheduled to announce his can-
didacy for the office of Wayne
County Executive at a press confer-
ence yesterday.
Wild, 45, was sworn in for his
third term as mayor of Westland last
week. He formed an exploratory
committee regarding his candidacy
last May, he said, and actively began
fund raising in November. Rumors
have been circulating for months
that hewould oppose currentWayne
County Executive Robert Ficano,
who has not announced his decision
regarding his political future.
Wild said that his candidacy for
the county jobwould not interfere in
any way with his responsibilities as
mayor ofWestland.
“It won't interfere. I'm not going
to let it,” he said.
“I don't think residents in
Westland should expect anything to
change in the delivery of city servic-
es,” he said.”
Wild added that there are about
100 days until the filing deadline,
April 2.
“It's too early to tell who else
might run,” he said. “I think the race
iswide open.”
This is a good thing for our community.
Remember, we have Detroit Metro Airport
right in the center of our city.
”
Plymouth, Romulus win federal grants
Inkster will join Wayne-Westland fire department
Business donates $1,000 to aid library programs
Westland mayor will seek county executive’s office
Jim Demmer and 10
Demmer employees made a
special trip to Starfish Family
Services last week to deliver a
$22,875 donation raised by
employees through a holiday
raffle.
See page 2
.
Themayors ofWayne,Westland and Inkstermade
it official during a joint press conference last week:
The City of Inkster has officially joined the shared
WayneWestlandFireDepartment.
“This extension of our shared services enables all
cities to operate more efficiently,” said Westland
Mayor BillWild.
This shared service follows the five-year intergov-
ernmental agreement betweenWayne andWestland
that began on July 1, 2012.
“It is it truly beneficial when cities are able to
collaborate,” said Inkster Mayor Hilliard L
Hampton. “We are all forced to do more with less
and this effort allows us to maintain the quality of
services our residents expect anddeserve.”
Wayne-Westland Fire Chief Michael Reddy, Jr.
will lead the combined services. While performing
as Inkster Fire Chief during the agreed-upon initial
six-month period, Reddy will take direction from
Inkster City Manager Richard J. Marsh, Jr. which is
congruent with the current agreement between
Wayne and Westland. If any joint performance
issues should arise, they will be resolved by the
respective city managers, according to a prepared
announcement of the intergovernmental agreement.
“I credit the mayors for their leadership as well
council members and unions for their support,” said
Reddy.
“We've got the right individual, the right skill set,
and the right training,” Wild said of Reddy who will
supervise 62 firefighters in Westland, 19 in Wayne
andnow13 in the Inkster department.
Wild said the new agreement would be financial-
ly beneficial to the communities.
“Moving forward, we understand Wayne's had
some financial problems and Inkster's had some
financial problems. I think working together will
allowus to take those dollars save to successful tran-
sitions.”
The shared services are savingWestland $180,000
a n n u a l l y ,
Wayne $130,000
each year and
are projected to
save Inkster
$55,000, accord-
ing to Wild's
office.
“I want to
thank the union
for agreeing to
this. I'm happy
to see this hap-
pen. We've been
working togeth-
er on this for a
long
time,”
e x p l a i n e d
Hampton.
H a m p t o n
and Wild said
that Inkster Fire Chief Mark Hubanks voluntarily
retired Dec. 31 after 30 years with the Ferndale Fire
Department and sevenwith Inkster.
“The working partnership between Westland-
Wayne has proven successful and we have strategi-
cally positioned the department in such a way we
are able to include Inkster,” said Wayne Mayor Al
Haidous.
The combined service agreement between
Wayne andWestlandmade that department the fifth
busiest department in the state, according to Wild's
office.
“We created a blueprint for shared services that
other cities have adopted including Dearborn and
Melvindale,” said Wild. “Our fiscal responsibility
means we evaluate our departments and finances
often. We cannot afford to ignore or kick our finan-
cial problems down the road. We have to make the
appropriate adjustments regularly.”
Hilliard L Hampton
Michael Reddy, Jr.
Bill Wild
Romulus Library Director Patty Braden is presented a donation for
$1,000 from Chuck Zuerner, Todd Brinkel and Kerry Durnen of The
Environmental Quality Co.
Photo by Roger Kadau