2004-03-21 Po

Gallery owner uses background to help homeowners - Local news, page A3 Your hometown newspaper serving Plymouth and Got milk? Plymouth Township for 118 years’ Are kids PLYMOUTH drinking too much pop and not enough March 21 2004 milk? 75 cents Health, C6 V o l u m e 118 N u m b e r 6 0 wiviv.hom etow idife.com © 2 0 0 4 H o m e t o w n C ommunications N e t w o r k Win a $500 Farmer Jack shopping spree Layoffs loom as district eyes See page B3 for details BY TONY BRUSCATO require a 90-day notice There are possi at Canton High School earns $98,021, tion, Mark Bretton m the curriculum cen STAFF WRITER bilities that some, if not all, could be Tom Willette at Salem and Terry Sawchuk ter, Mike Wesner, a computer technician, retained However, Ryan said its likely at Plymouth each earn $83,395 and Susan Jackiw, an executive secretary The Plymouth-Canton Schools Board of there will be a restructuring of the athletic Ryan said some of those laid off could Ryan said he expects to give approxi Education will consider the layoffs of hierarchy at the park be back at reduced salaries mately 23 teachers, the same as last year, seven administrators, including the three “We can save money by restructuring ‘We have to find a way to change the layoff notices next month By law, teach athletic directors at Plymouth-Canton the athletic leadership,’ said Ryan “I’ve costs,” he said “By restructuring the ers must have notice of layoffs 60 days Educational Park, as part of a cost-saving talked to Troy, Livonia, Farmington and department, they could be back at differ before the end o f the school year measure to whittle down a $9 2 million Walled Lake, and they all have a distnct- ent salaries and roles ’ “The cuts are getting harder because of budget deficit for the 2004-05 school wide athletic director and three half-time Ryan didn’t discount the possibility of what we cut the past two years,” said year A D ’s I ’m not sure that will serve us well, having one athletic director and several Ryan “We’ve cut things m th e past that Officials from Plymouth Superintendent Jim Ryan said the but until I decide I have to put them on assistants to run athletics at the park. people didn’t really notice, except for the Township and the city of seven administrative positions will be the layoff list” Among the four others to receive layoff pay-to-play high School sports which Plymouth will again host considered at Tuesday’s board meeting The three high schools currently each notices on Tuesday are Bill Keith, manag seemed to be accepted by students and a joint Household because of contractual obligations which have an athletic director Sue Hemzman er of W S D P , the student-run radio sta parents Hazardous Waste Collection Day, from 9 a m. to 2 p m Saturday, Way 15. The event, at Compuware Sports Happiness in New Hope Arena, is open to town ship and city residents Some of the acceptable wastes include paints, Plymouth woman finds joy in new life working at grief support center automotive fluids, batter* les, computer equipment, BY BRAD KADRICH propane cylinders, fertil STAFF WRITER izers and pesticides Banned items include This isn’t the place Sandy Prebenda smoke detectors, tires, thought she’d be in four years ago, radioactive materials, when she was the young wife of an PCBs, ammunition, fire up-and-commg corporate executive works and medical waste But life has a way of changing A full list is available at things — rapidly — and the whirlwind www.plymouthtwp org/Co it dished out to Prebenda and her two mmunity/SpecialEvents/ young children included the devastat H H W Day2 htm or call ing loss o f her husband (734) 453-8131, Ext 33 Still, four years later, Prebenda is rebuilding her life and happy to be m the place she’s reached City officials, citing the “It’s been a roller coaster,” said extended winter weather, Prebenda, whose husband, David, have postponed planting died m March 2000 “You go through of new trees until later in emotions, feelings, thoughts you never the spring, offering resi expected to have (But) die sun comes 3 dents a few extra weeks up, the kids get hungry and life goes to place their orders on Somehow, you find a way to fu: Residents of the city of tio n ” Plymouth can order trees Prebenda, who just turned 40 2 . 1 through the tree planting January, found her way to function at program until April 15. New Hope Center for Grief Support, The city of Plymouth the Northville-based center that offers free cost-sharing plant counseling services to adults and chil ing program plants trees dren who have lost loved ones In the right-of-way area A t the insistence of her mother-in- between the sidewalk law, she sought out N e w Hope as a and the street The resi widow and die mother of two young dent pays a reduced children, Morgan and Ryan, as a price for the purchase of means of coping with the loss of a tree ($120-$230), there David Prebenda admits to some are 12 varieties available skepticism, but that soon vanished and the city workers Install the-tree at no While her children, Morgan and Ryan, do some homework, Sandy Prebenda of Plymouth Township talks about life in the wake of the loss of her husband PLEASE SEE HOPE, A6 additional cost Forms for ordering trees are avail able at the city Web site www.ci Plymouth mi us or call (73 4 ) 4 5 3 -773 7, Ex t. O State: City doesn’t owe back taxes Making m usic, headlines Poet position BY TONY BRUSCATO of the state stood, we would have had to Michigan will join 37 STAFF WRITER borrow money to pay the state ” states that have an offi The state government began its audit of Conductor nabs cial state poet laureate The city of Plymouth, struggling to erase several dozen communities seveial years under legislation intro a $12 million budget deficit for the 2004- ago, keeping them on pins and needles awards as duced by state Sen OS fiscal year, received some good financial wondering if they would have to pay back Bruce Patterson, R- news for a change millions of dollars Canton The Michigan Department of Treasury “This whole process was kind of absurd,” Women's History "Michigan Is home to notified Finance Director Mark Christiansen said “Every community they many poetry writers and Christiansen it has ruled the city does not dealt with already spent the money, think Month closes lovers so it Is only fitting owe $1 8 million m back taxes, interest and ing they spent it appropriately The real that we should name one penalties for taxes collected through the travesty is that the state would wait this BY JOANNE MALISZEWSKI of them as our poet lau Downtown Development Authority from long to tell municipalities they were violat STAFF WRITER reate," Patterson said 1994-2001 ing the law” "This person will be The state had questioned the D D A ’s cap Christiansen said if the state had ruled What could be better than being Instrumental in ture of school taxes for downtown develop against the city for the seven years in ques honored for making positive change? Michigan's cultural future ment, claiming the city failed to follow tion, the city would also have been liable “It was quite revolutionary m the and will serve as an inspi state guidelines after Proposal A went into for another $12 million from 2001 to the 1980s,” said Nan Washburn, Plymouth ration to aspiring poets " effect present Symphony music director and con Senate Bill 1091 creates In question, according to Christiansen, That would have meant borrowing $3 ductor the office of state poet were school taxes that were used to con m illion to pay the state In 1981, Washburn and other laureate under the struct the downtown parking deck and the Plymouth fared better than some other women conductors decided it was department of state and streetscape project, which included road communities The state reportedly wants time the world acknowledged and states the governor may construction and beautification projects $8 million back from Auburn Hills, $7 encouraged female composers They The Women's Foundation of California hon appoint a state poet to a “We met all the required dates and million from Romulus and $1 million from started the Women’s Philharmonic m ored Plymouth symphony conductor Nan term not exceeding the required components when legislation was Pontiac San Francisco Washburn as one of its seven Outstanding governor's term The passed to be eligible under the act,” Local Heroes for her work with the Women's state poet, required to be Christiansen said “Had the determination tbruscatod>oe Itomecomm net | (734) 459 2700 PLEASE SEE CONDUCTOR, A5 Philharmonic a Michigan resident, will t not receive a salary, but may be reimbursed for expenses incurred while MRS FIELDS COOKIES C O N T A C T U S INDEX LOOKING AHEAD performing assigned Hiring for full and part time help Must be able to work days nights duties Newsroom (734)459 2700 Apartments D5 Obituaries C5 Newsroom fax (734) 459 4224 People's Choice Awards Automotive F3 Observer Life Cl The bill now goes to the Great Response' We hired 2 people Classifieds-1 BOO 579 SELL We asked and you told us See Crossword Puzzle D4 New Homes C8 Senate Local, Urban & right away! 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