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Organizer denies rumors
To the editor;
As Mark Twain once said...... The
reports of my death have been
greatly exaggerated. The same
goes for Cruisin' Michigan.
We do have plans for Cruisin'
Michigan, with thousands of cruis-
ers ready to attend but we need to
find some support to continue the
event. Don Nicholson Enterprises,
LLC has organized and promoted
the event for the last five years and
this year we have decided to down-
size the event to be exclusively in
Wayne. The problem with this is
that we have lost all of our top
financial supporters, because their
businesses are not inWayne.
I am asking if you would like to
see Cruisin' Michigan continue and
to grow. I am always available to
talk to and work together with any-
one interested inhelping.
Why reinvent the wheel when
we already have the contacts to
make the event a success?
DonNicholson,
(734) 658-5296
don@donnicholson.net
A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
6
April 11, 2013
We always admire a good deal
when we hear of one, and when it
benefits one of our communities,
well, that's evenbetter.
Recently, Northville Township
officials awarded a bid to have the
buildings and structures at the for-
mer Robert Scott Correctional
Facility at Five Mile and Beck
Road demolished. Now, anyone
who has been through the process
of having anything demolished,
especially these days, knows that it
is an expensive and much regulat-
edprocess.
The rules and regulations about
what can be disposed of where and
the procedures for doing so now
require a college degree in the sub-
ject.
Northville had received bids for
the work, some as much as
$177,000, but last week awarded it
to a company who will pay the
township $1. That's it. The township
bought the 53-acre parcel back in
September for the same amount, so
they have now recouped their total
cash investment in the land.
The company doing the work
plans to sell off the materials at the
site, the generator, piping, cement
and other salvaged construction
matter to pay for the work doing
the demolition. They seem to know
what they are doing and have been,
according to their website, involved
in some pretty large projects.
One township official suggested
that the company could sell off the
salvage at the prison site for as
much as $400,000, mentioning that
one generator could bring about
$25,000.
This seems, to us, like a well
thought-out and researched deal
that was proposed after some inno-
vative thinking. Inmost municipali-
ties, the demolition bids would
have been compared, the low bid-
Where thehell is spring?
Seriously, where is it? At first I
thought perhaps I misunderstood
or misread the calendar, but no, it
is actually nearly the Ides of April
and there isn't any real indication
that spring even knows it is sup-
posed to be here. I mean, c'mon,
there was snow, SNOW, predicted
for this week. Sure, sure, it was just
a few “flurries” but still, I am so
tired of this cold, nasty ugly weath-
er I am ready to take ole Mother
Nature on inhand-to-hand combat.
Enough is enough. What is it
with her, anyhow? A friend of mine
suggested that Mother Nature
might be going through “the
change” but I reminded him those
symptoms usually include hot
flashes, not this miserable wet stuff
that's been inflicted on us for
months andmonths andmonths.
Hey, it's not like I'm being totally
selfish her (yeah, right) there are
lots of reasons it is time for spring
to arrive. Children need the
Vitamin D in sunshine for growth
and health, we need the bees to
wake up and fertilize the plants
and flowers so we'll actually be
able to buy fresh producewhen the
farmersmarkets open.
And I really, really miss those
farmers markets. If you haven't
been to one in just about any com-
munity, you don't know what you're
missing. They are glorious, won-
derful places filled with fresh pro-
duce the likes of which your gro-
cery store hasn't seen. The smell of
real earth clinging to some of the
vegetables as you pass a few of the
booths is conclusive evidence of
the freshness of so much of this
stuff. Broccoli that snaps, green
onions that zap your taste buds,
asparagus that is too beautiful to
believe. Then you get to the fruits
which are enough to send you
rushing to the nearest ATM just for
the sheer sensual pleasure of tak-
ing home the berries and peaches
and pears. I really, really love these
farmers markets which often also
have cheeses and baked goods and
so many wonderful things. I love to
inhale the scent of lots of stuff I
never even buy and look at vari-
eties of foods I wouldn't ever figure
out how to cook. If you haven't visit-
ed one, crawl out from underneath
that heavy rock and go as soon as
they open. They are like open air
museums of some of the most
beautiful things the earthprovides.
But they aren't open yet, are
they? Nooooooo. People who
equate baseball
with spring did-
n't have to wait.
Those basket-
ball fans who are still concentrat-
ing on March Madness here in
April didn't have to wait. But those
of us who want the real signs of
spring, like robins and daffodils
and crocuses, well, we're still wait-
ing for you know who to get off her
duff and bring us some decent
weather.
This delay in the arrival of
spring has caused me some severe
separation anxiety. And it isn't only
me. The gloomy skies seem to
make everybody a little cranky.
I want sunshine. I want flowers.
I want fresh produce. I want to
hear kids yelling in joy and laugh-
ing out loud as they chase each
other and play outside. I want to
hear and see birds outside and see
some green grass.
I know one thing. At least it will
beworthwaiting for.
It always is.
It was the lady from the Farmer's Market that put it all in
perspective for us last week at the regular meeting of the
Romulus CityCouncil.
While nearly everyone else at the meeting had some kind
of political agenda or was enthralled by the apparent mass
hysteria, she asked that the council members and the audi-
ence concentrate on the good things going on in the city.
We've never subscribed to the ostrich theory of govern-
ment, hide your head and the problems will go away, but in
light of the volatile situation and the amount of testosterone
and ego in the city council chambers, we thought perhaps
somebody should have listened to her small voice asking for
a little sanity.
For those who may not know, the Michigan State Police
questioned Romulus Mayor Alan Lambert and searched his
home as part of an ongoing investigation. The meeting last
week would have been the first for the mayor since the inci-
dent and the wolves were circling, just waiting for him to
appear. There were reporters, satellite dishes and news
trucks everywhere and the council chambers was crowded
with reporters who all of a sudden discovered that the city
existed. Nothing brings attention like a breathof scandal.
The mayor opted not to appear and subject himself and
the rest of the city to even more ugly publicity and probing
questions to which he really has no answers. He claims that
he doesn't knowwhat the police are looking for or at or what,
if any, allegations have beenmade about himor his conduct.
Despite his statement, delivered by a department head at
the meeting, city council members took a vote to ask the
mayor to step down or aside until the investigation is com-
plete. We understand their reasoning and their motives, for
themost part.
We just don't happen to agree.
If the mayor is being truthful, and we have no reason to
suspect otherwise, his point that he hasn't been charged with
any crime is a pretty strong one. We understand the council
members who really do have the best interest of the city at
heart feeling overwhelmed andhorrified at the negative pub-
licity heaped on Romulus by the hint that there could be
more wrongdoing. After the tsunami of bad press flooded the
community when the former police chief, his wife and five
detectives were charged with corruption, these people have
had enough and want only to protect the community they
love.
Then there are those who jumped at the chance to further
their own political ambitions by taking pot shots at Lambert
and announcing that they were the solution to the problem.
One former councilman gave what could only characterized
as a rehearsed campaign speech during the public portion of
themeeting, all but declaringLambert's guilt.
We understand the professed motives of the council ask-
ing Lambert to step down, but much of the ado and mael-
strom is being fomented by those on the council themselves
who want to use Lambert's situation for their own gain.
Asking the mayor to step down because of all the turmoil
about the investigation when much of the turbulence was
self-createdby others seems flawed logic, somehow.
We agree with Bill Wadsworth, the longest-serving mem-
ber of the council. He, too, voted to ask the mayor to step
aside, but he also suggested privately that his fellow mem-
We understand their reasoning
and their motives, for the most part.
We just don't happen to agree.
”
Quit the drama, keep calm and carry on
Creative
thinking
pays off
Hey, it's not like I'm being totally selfish
her (yeah, right) there are
lots of reasons it is time for spring to arrive.
”
Mother Nature better get on the ball
Letter
See
Land,
page 7
See
Calm,
page 7
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