HomeTown COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK Your hom etow n new spaper serving Plym outh and Plym outh Tow nship for 116 years Sunday, D ecem ber 9. 2001 w w w .observerandeccentric.com 75C Volume 116 Number 30 Plymouth Michigan ©2001 HomeTown Communications Network™ DDA H so is the Plymouth-Canton clears 8 Observer Cheer Club Opening the Cheer Club to new and returning “members” is one of our favorite holiday traditions Please join us by bringing county donations of new toys and canned % or boxed food to our office at 794 S Main in Plymouth during business hours The items will be collected until hurdle Friday, Dec 14, when we turn them over to the good folks at By Kurt Kuban Salvation Army They’ll distribute STAFF WRITER the items to needy people in [email protected] Plymouth, Canton and Northville The Wayne County Commission The idea is to make the voted Thursday to remain a player in. holidays special for everybody, not Plymouth Township’s Downtown just the lucky families where Development Authority, which will people have plenty to spend fund beautification projects along the So if you’re out doing your Ann Arbor Road corridor between Eck- Christmas shopping and have a les and Sheldon few minutes to look for another To fund the DDA, the township will toy or maybe a gift of warm capture property taxes over the course clothing, your thoughtfulness will of at least 30 years The county’s par­ be appreciated ticipation is When you bring your donations Getting carded: Rock Shop marketing manager Jenny Catterall, a 17-year-old Salem senior, essential to by our office, we’ll ask you to keep the pro­ leave your name and goes over the design of a Christmas card the Rock Shop staff designed and will sell for the holi­ ■ ‘They obvi­ days. ject vital, ously see the city/township of residence That’s because the because we like to print donor county is the need for it, so names m the paper, while the largest of the Cheer Club dnve is on Of course, we con keep seven taxing the corridor a you may remain anonymous if S h o p r o c k s authorities m you prefer Each year, we’ve the township viable place recorded around 200 donors to the More than 50 Cheer Club from Plymouth and work and do percent of the business.’ Canton tax levy is col­ Happy Holidays’ Please keep School store offers holiday shopping fare lected by the Steve Mai_ our Cheer Club in mind county _______—Supervise bytonybruscato Making T o w n s h i p STAFF WRITER change: officials have [email protected] estimated that $13 2 million of the Cashier $24 6 million project will come from THE WEEK ookmg for a unique place to buy your holiday gifts’ Dan county taxes One of the best-kept “Flip” There were some initial concerns on secrets throughout Plymouth- B&uan the part of some county officials that Canton Schools is the Rock Shop helps the township would use the money to AHEAD a t Salem High School fund projects such as a new township Canton hall or to pay for police and fire protec­ The student-run retail store senior tion doesn’t make its money selling just pens and pencils to students, Michelle Township Supervisor Steve Mann TUESDAY like many school stores before it Carrico allayed those fears, however, when he The Rock Shop can help fill your with her met with Wayne County Executive Ed Christmas stocking with gifts McNamara last month After the Township board: The Ply­ purchase meeting, McNamara recommended mouth Township Board of such as TY Beanie Babies, Vita at the Bath soap and lotions, Salem out* that the county commission approve the agreement, Trustees meets at 7 p.m. erwear, Michigan and Michigan Rock at township hallt located State memorabilia, and Carhartt Shop at “We’re extremely pleased with the clothing Salem vote We’re happy the county is cooper­ at Ann Arbor Road and And, why would anyone shop High ating in the project They obviously see Lilley. the need for it, so we can keep the cor­ School. ridor a viable place to work and do Please see ROCK SHOP, A2 business,” Mann said School board: The Ply­ Please see DDA, A2 mouth-Canton Board of Education meets at 7p.m. at the E.J. McClendon Seniors get answers to health care questions Center on Harvey. It's the board’s only meeting in BY TONY BRUSCATO Lansing showed up to listen and voice The chair of the committee, today STAFF WRITER “Senior citizens, on social their concerns about health Rep Stephen Ehardt (R-Lex- “We are making every effort December. [email protected] net security, on a fixed income, tell care coverage to Stewart, and mgton), told seniors that more possible to deal with health State Rep John Stewart (R- me they’re spending $500 a two members of the House than 20 percent of the state’s care issues, but there are more Plymouth Township) said he’s month on drug prescriptions,” Health Policy Committee, dur­ budget is spent on the Depart­ issues than there are dollars INDEX received a lot of telephone he said “We’ve got to do ing a two-hour Health Care ment of Community Health at the state level to fix every calls from concerned senior cit­ something in our society ” Forum at the Plymouth His­ That’s a total of $8 5 billion Apartments/E4 Mail/C6 More than 125 seniors torical Museum Friday being spent on health care Arts/Cl Movies/C4 izens during his first year m P lease see FORUM, A3 Automotive/G5 New Homes/El C!assified/E,G 0bituaries/A5 Classified Real Estate/El Checking the lists lndex/E4 Service Guide/66 Field teacher honored Crossword Sports/Bl Puzzle/G3 Taste/Dl Jobs/G2 Travel/C8 as ‘Friend of the Rouge’ BY KURT KUBAN Plecha was also instrumental in get­ STAFF WRITER ting a number of corporations to [email protected] donate money to build an observation Several years ago, some of the stu­ deck along the creek, which the stu­ dents m Rick Plecha’s fourth-grade dents use during some science lessons class at Field Elementary asked him Plecha’s efforts earned him the why the little creek running next to annual “Best Friends of the Rouge the Canton school Award,” which was presented to him gave off such a terri­ Wednesday by ble stench ■ ‘The joy on their Friends of the Rouge That question at its annual mem­ sparked Plecha’s cru­ faces goes beyond lan­ bership meeting at sade to clean up the guage. Living things the University of stream, which is and the environment Michigan-Dearborn called Truesdell Friends of the Creek and is a tribu­ just cross those barri­ Rouge, whicL is cele­ tary of the Rouge ers.’ brating its 15th River anniversary this Over the course of Rick Plecha year, is a group of —Field Elementary teacher the last five years, volunteers devoted Plecha has used the to cleaning up the STAFF PHOTO BY SHAXON LEMIEUX creek as a living Rouge River water­ classroom for his students They have shed Jim Graham, the group’s execu­ Wishful thinking: James Soignet, 4, of Plymouth poses for a cleaned out all the garbage that once tive director, said Plecha’s dedication photo with Santa Claus at Santa’s house m downtown Ply­ littered the creek bed, eliminated nui to teaching his students environmental mouth James was taking advantage of Santa’s visiting sance plant species like purple looses­ ethic is exactly the kind of effort it is hours, which hit their final weekend next weekend. Santa trife from the banks and replaced them going to take to save the river from will be at the house from 5-8 p m Friday, and noon-5 p.m with native plant stock, and regularly years of degradation monitored the quality of the water Saturday and Sunday 6 53174 0008 5 Please see ROUGE, A3 To place a classified ad: 1-800-579-SELL Newsroom: 734-459-2700 Home Delivery: 734-591-0500 A2(!») The Observer & Eccentric1 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2001 United Way administered by the Rosedale The Plymouth Community Park American Legion Post Rock Shop from page A1 United Way campaign is quick­ PLYMOUTH 390 ly coming to a close This year’s Last year, the post awarded the Rock Shop9 some of the profit goes to chan­ goal is $11 million, which the PIPELINE two $5,000 scholarships to stu­ “We don’t raise our prices as ty This year, students put United Way hopes to make dents selected from 31 compet­ much over cost as the big retail together travel bags for the despite the current economic ing high school graduating stores,” said Jenny Catterall, 17, homeless in Detroit, and helped recession Donations can still for the claims and mathemati­ seniors from 16 area high a senior from Plymouth Town­ non-profit groups like Operation be sent to the United Way, P 0 cal proofs of their results schools Each student submit­ ship and the store’s marketing Good Cheer and Cystic Fibrosis Box 6356, Plymouth, Mich , The results of part two will ted an application package and manager “As soon was we get Additional^ profits go towards 48170 Questions concerning be available sometime in a committee comprised of four new merchandise we advertise it purchasing equipment and com­ February The students whose donations and the current cam past commanders and one high through our televised commer­ puters to operate the store paign can be addressed by call­ combined part one and part two school counselor interviewed cials and poster boards ” “I’rf going into business, and ing (734) 453-6879 scores place them in the top seven finalists to pick the two Students who take marketing maybe become a marketing 100 will be invited £o an awards winners Each of the runners- classes receive an opportunity to teacher,” said senior Kurt banquet at Albion College m up received $100 for their par­ work m the Rock Shop And Math competition Runchey of Plymouth “By March and