12/4/24 C & G Special Edition — Macomb/Grosse Pointes by C & G Newspapers

NEWSPAPERS Special Edition

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

BY MARIA ALLARD allard@candgnews.com

ROSEVILLE — There is a home, built in 1921 and located at 19904 McKinnon St., whose charm and architectural style caught the attention of local Realtor Cheryl Gable.

While investor Ingo Pridoehl has owned the home for several years, the house is currently vacant and will soon be on the market.

“It’s my primary business to take the worst dilapidated houses and turn it into one of the most beautiful houses on the street,” Pridoehl said. “This is what I enjoy doing.”

Gable has been trying to find out more about the house that features a circular driveway, mahogany staircase and double fireplaces: one upstairs and one downstairs. She’s also been researching all she can to find out any history of its past owners.

Because the home sits on three quarters of

ABOVE: The home at 19904 McKinnon St., near Gratiot Avenue and Masonic Boulevard, sits on three quarters of an acre of property.

LEFT: Local investor Ingo Pridoehl, left, and Realtor Cheryl Gable are in the process of renovating a home in Roseville that was built in 1921 has been doing research to find out more about the home’s history.

Photos by Patricia O’Blenes

Students explore digital design world in new class

BY MARIA ALLARD allard@candgnews.com

CENTER LINE — The new sixth grade Academy Explorer class at Wolfe Middle School is giving students the opportunity to strengthen their computer skills, sharpen their creativity and better understand the meaning of teamwork.

Students are learning about careers in digital design and communication. Educators have partnered with the Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development’s marketing and communications team, which is meeting several times with the students this year. Wolfe is part of Center Line Public Schools.

As an ongoing class assignment, the students are working in teams to develop a digital design campaign for two clients: Forgotten Harvest, located at 15000 W. Eight Mile Road in Oak Park, and Gleaners Community Food Bank, headquartered at 2131 Beaufait St., in Detroit.

Photo by Patricia O’Blenes

On Nov. 14, Center Line Public Schools Superintendent Joseph Haynes stopped by Wolfe Middle School to see how the digital design and communication project is progressing. See

Inclusive playground gets preview before ribbon-cutting

BY NICK POWERS npowers@candgnews.com

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — While Clinton Township’s new inclusive playground will not be officially open until next spring, kids and adults alike got a chance to try out the new equipment Nov. 13.

The playground offers a wide range of activities for all ages and abilities. A nature theme is present throughout with logs, a frog sculpture, a dragonfly teeter-totter and musical flowers. Standing tall at the center of the playground is a 14-foot playscape for kids 5-12 years old. The structure is enclosed to ensure safety and parts of it are accessible by wheelchair.

“The first thing I heard from almost everybody coming through the gate today is, ‘I didn’t think it was so big,’” outgoing Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon said. “I didn’t think it was so big, and I watched it

See PLAYGROUND on page 10A

Photo by Nick Powers

COUNTY ROAD PROJECTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2025

EXECUTIVE AND DEPUTIES CALL FOR FUNDING CHANGES

BY DEAN VAGLIA dvaglia@candgnews.com

MOUNT CLEMENS — As the Macomb County Department of Roads begins to fill its trucks with winter salt, department and county leadership announced a slate of construction projects for the coming year.

Unveiled at the roads department’s Mount Clemens headquarters on Nov. 7 were 34 projects totaling nearly $90 million pending approval by the Macomb County Board of Commissioners.

Projects noted by Macomb County Department of Roads Director Bryan Santo include the over $15 million reconstruction and rehabilitation of 10 Mile Road between Ryan Road and Lorraine Avenue in Center Line and Warren, the $8.3 million reconstruction of Garfield Road between 14 and 15 Mile roads in Fraser and the $16.5 million reconstruction and widening of Romeo Plank Road between 21-and-a-half and 23 Mile roads in Macomb Township.

Santo gave special notice to the department’s bridge program, which is planned to

Project

10 Mile Road

14 Mile Road

18 Mile Road

Garfield Road

North River Road

Romeo Plank Road

Utica Road

Asphalt Pavement Preservation Program

Concrete Pavement Preservation Program

14 Mile Road

18 Mile Road

Hayes Road

South River Road

Utica Road

Dartmoor Drive

Kingsway Drive

McKishnie Street

Vanker Avenue

Bonior Trail

Clinton River Spillway Trail

Jefferson Avenue Spillway

Schoenherr Road

Location

Sherwood Avenue to Lorraine Avenue

Ryan Road to Sherwood Avenue

Van Dyke Avenue to Hoover Road

Kelly Road to Gratiot Avenue

Mound Road to Utica Road

14 Mile Road to 15 Mile Road

I-94 to Bridgeview Street

21-1/2 Mile Road to 23 Mile Road

Hayes Road to Metropolitan Parkway

Countywide

Over the Red Run Drain

Over the Plumbrook Drain

Over the Clinton River

Over the channel to Lake St. Clair

Over the Red Run Drain

Subdivision Road

Non-Motorized Pathway

Investment

$10,000,000

$5,662,873

$3,789,807

$3,836,057

$2,800,000

$8,300,000

$3,750,101

$16,500,000

$975,759

$3,000,000

$477,000

$1,216,000

$1,393,000

$2,191,218

$1,909,000

$835,105

$894,754

$727,914

$1,004,011

$2,032,115

$728,635

$2,793,154

$600,000

Type of Work

Reconstruction

Rehabilitation

Reconstruction

Rehabilitation

Reconstruction

Rehabilitation

Pavement Preservation

Bridge Preventative Maintenance

Bridge Deck Replacement

Bridge Rehabilitation

Bridge Replacement

Bridge Rehabilitation

Subdivision Reconstruction

Non-Motorized Pathway Improvements

Pedestrian Bridge

This photo shows the main structure of Clinton Township’s new inclusive playground, which will officially open next spring.

Roadwork

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tackle 10 projects next year.

“Through strategic investments capitalizing on state funding programs, we’ve made significant progress on our bridges,” Santo said. “As of today, out of the 225 bridges we have, we have 201, or 89%, that are in ‘good’ and ‘fair’ condition. We have 13, or 6%, that are in ‘poor’ condition. We have 11, or 5%, that are in ‘critical’ or ‘serious’ condition. Of the 11 ‘critical’ or ‘serious’ bridges under our jurisdiction, we have secured funding to replace five of those within the next two years. As far as the 13 ‘poor’ rated bridges, we have funding to replace or rehabilitate five of those within the next two years, also.”

Serving as both an update on the state of the township’s roads and an announcement of the 2025 projects, Santo’s remarks highlighted 2024 projects like the completion of the Innovate Mound reconstruction through Sterling Heights and Warren and the Garfield Road extension between 23 and 25 Mile roads in Macomb Township.

Deputy Macomb County Executive John Paul Rea addressed how the county decides which road projects it will take on.

“Our team is programming hundreds of millions of dollars annually in every corner of Macomb County, and this is not done in a bubble,” Rea said. “This is done in a dynamic ecosystem which engages our community leaders, local neighborhood associations, road builders, state transportation experts and what it has yielded is seven-dozen primary local road projects that are currently being facilitated right now.”

Where county officials spent much of their focus, particularly in the beginning of the conference, was to call upon Michigan legislators to revise the state’s roadway funding mechanisms.

“Right now, the biggest challenge we are having is with funding and it will continue to be the challenge,” Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said. “There isn’t a road or a bridge we can’t fix if we have the funding. I’ve always said this, and I continue to say it: It’s not about fixing the damn roads or fixing the damn bridges, it’s about fixing the damn funding.”

Hackel’s complaints over road funding point at Public Act 51, which established the formula of allocating funds collected by the state through registration fees and fuel taxes to county road departments, as well as the limited funding sources for roads. A list of possible ways to generate more funds — such as creating an electric vehicle-specific tax, establishing toll roads or implementing road usage charges — was included in Hackel’s segment of the presentation, but the county executive noted the issue could only be handled by the Michigan Legislature.

“Until such time where the Legislature picks one of these (funding solutions) or multiple or a combination of them, we’re going to be stuck with this deficiency in funding and we’ll get further and further behind when it comes to our roads,” Hackel said.

The county is pursuing federal funding for projects alongside using its state allocations. Several projects targeted for potential federal funds include Mound Road south of Interstate 696 and the bridge along 16 Mile Road that crosses railways between Van Dyke Avenue and Mound Road.

Rea claimed that with the current funding, it would take 30 years to fix roads in their current state and that there is a $2.5 billion deficiency between what the county is getting and what it would need to address countywide road projects.

For more information about Macomb County roads, visit www.macombgov.org/ departments/department-roads.

Maritime skilled trades program comes to Macomb

WARREN — On Nov. 12, a total of 24 students began an accelerated training program — in either maritime computer numerical control or welding — at Macomb Community College’s Michigan Technical Education Center.

The 17-week program launched the Michigan Maritime Manufacturing Initiative’s accelerated training industry partnership.

Through a $15.4 million Navy investment

in the college, MCC created the state-of-the art maritime skilled trades training center. The goal is to fund training for 384 individuals through early 2027.

M3 is designed to address the urgent demand for skilled labor in the submarine industrial base, supporting the Navy’s strategic needs and national security.

— Maria Allard

MOUNT CLEMENS — The Mount Clemens City Commission began its Nov. 18 meeting by honoring two Macomb County Sheriff’s Office deputies — Nicole Miron and Anthony Gross — for lifesaving actions on Sept. 12. While patrolling Gratiot Avenue, Gross and Miron were notified of an erratically-driving pickup truck. The driver did not respond to lights and sirens after a traffic stop was initiated. Gross maintained a speed of around 5 mph and allowed for Miron to climb into the truck and bring it to a stop.

Gross and Miron received resolutions from the city honoring their actions, as well as tributes from the state of Michigan signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist.

—

Photo provided by Macomb Community College

Dean Vaglia

From left, Michigan 61st District state Rep. Denise Mentzer, Macomb County Sheriff’s Office deputies Anthony Gross and Nicole Miron and Mount Clemens Mayor Laura Kropp pose for a photo on Nov. 18.

Photo provided by Macomb County Sheriff’s Office

The second- and third-hour students are “working” for Forgotten Harvest, and the fifth-hour students are “working” for Gleaners. The campaigns will not be used by nonprofits, but the assignment is giving the students a real-world experience.

Forgotten Harvest delivers food to local charities five days a week that in turn provides families in need with fresh and nutritious food free of charge. Gleaners serves Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Monroe counties by providing food to nearly 400 partner soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, schools and other agencies across the region.

Using Google apps and software from the Canva company, the students’ digital campaigns must include three components: a blog, a flyer and a social media post. Before meeting their “clients” Oct. 8, the students conducted research on the nonprofit organizations. On Oct. 21, they visited Forgotten Harvest and Gleaners on Oct. 22.

A digital design campaign is used to visually communicate and market a brand’s message through social media, websites and emails. The students are using various graphics, designs, color schemes, texts, various fonts and facts to promote Forgotten Harvest and Gleaners.

On Nov. 14, Megan Ochmanek, a marketing and communication project manager; Rachel Dearing, a communication specialist; and Jennifer Valente, a graphic designer — all from the Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development’s

marketing and communications team — visited Wolfe to give the students feedback on their projects thus far. Also present were classroom teachers Chengu Jiang and Genevieve Gelle, district career readiness coach Kelli Phillips-Herrick, and district 6-12 instructional/career coach Jordan Reeves.

“This was fabulous. Your blog was fantastic. It’s clear you worked together,” Ochmanek told the group she worked with during third hour. “You talked about dignity, transportation, helping neighbors and ways to get involved.”

Valente said the group she worked with helped each other out.

“They did great, great use of colors,” she added.

When at the table with several students, Dearing suggested the team simplify its wording a bit. Other than that, “This looks good,” she told the students.

Gelle said that for the past two years a group of teachers, administrators and counselors brainstormed ideas about how to establish a career pathways curriculum at each grade level that focused on inquiry-based learning. They also contacted local businesses and organizations to donate their time, money or expertise to the program.

The students are taking the project seriously. Jannat Ridema said she has enjoyed the digital design campaign experience and could see herself doing this type of work in the future. While creating a campaign for

Forgotten Harvest with her team, “I used bright colors and bolded words to make readers see it,” Ridema said. “Forgotten Harvest’s main goal was to provide families with food they need.”

Christopher Simmons said when making his team’s campaign, he kept in mind what he saw when visiting Forgotten Harvest.

“We have to know a lot of facts about it,” Simmons said. “You need interesting topics and titles. You want it to be eye-catching.”

Something that stood out for Davione Love was Forgotten Harvest’s Client Community Choice Market, where clients who register in advance can pick out their own food.

“For people who don’t have food, that’s a great place for them to go,” he said.

“It’s fresh food they can take,” Simmons said.

While working on the Gleaners campaign, Graydin Ogles created a video game using coding.

“I made it so people will want to see it,” said Ogles, who learned a lot about digital design. “You try to have good stuff on your blog. You have to do color.”

The students will present their final digital design campaign presentations on the morning of Dec. 18 at the district’s administration building.

In Center Line Public Schools, K-7 students are assigned a career pathway class. This year, all Wolfe sixth graders take Academy Explorer 6, Digital Design and Communication. The seventh graders take Academy Explorer 7: Law and Justice, and Academy Explorer 8: Career Exploration classes are elective at this time.

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Photo by Patricia O’Blenes

Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development marketing and communications team graphic designer Jennifer Valente said this team of students displayed a great use of colors on their campaign.

House

from page 1A

an acre, Gable believes the house was once owned by someone of prominence. There also is the possibility that the homeowner shared the parcel with other family members.

“I sleuthed around as best I could,” said Gable, of Keller Williams Great Lakes, the Monzo Group, which is based in Mount Clemens. “Nobody has lived there for at least 10 years. We’d love to know a little of the pedigree. It enriches the history of the home.”

The belief, too, is that the house might have been a Sears, Roebuck and Co. home that was purchased for a few thousand dollars little more than 100 years ago. According to the website searshouses.com, a Sears home was ordered from a specialty Sears catalog with blueprints and building supplies.

A Sears house could be built by the homeowner or through a contractor. The homebuilder followed an instruction booklet to help in the organized construction process. The website states the purchase came with all the parts needed for the house, including lumber, roofing, wiring, plumbing,

windows and doorknobs, and more.

“We do think it was a kit home. It’s a beautiful, two-story Dutch colonial. It was one of the more elaborate Sears choices,” Gable said. “My intention is to try to get background information on it.”

Although the colonial is located near the busy intersection of Masonic Boulevard and Gratiot Avenue, its large backyard and historic look give it a cozy feel. The 2,276-square-foot house includes three bedrooms, a large kitchen, a dining area, living space and 2 1/2 bathrooms.

The house was gutted and underwent several renovations that include electrical, plumbing and insulation updates. The kitchen has been modernized, and the exterior is new. The project has been a lot of work, but worth it.

“It’s a massive rebuild,” Gable said. “It’s been taken up to today’s style of living.”

That includes a new, modern full bathroom, a stackable washer and dryer, and a master bedroom with a walk-in closet and en suite bathroom.

“There’s new drywall and a brand-new garage,” Pridoehl said. “It’s in a super nice location on McKinnon.”

“The sunroom we’re making into an office. All the stairs are original and the stair-

original staircase is still part of the

case is solid as a rock,” Gable said. “There are a lot of French doors, and any finished wood is going to be original.”

Gable and Pridoehl have taken proper steps with the city’s Building Department as the house gets ready to be put up for sale. Anyone who has information on the history of the home is encouraged to contact Gable at (586) 804-1873 or cheryl.gable@ kw.com.

The

home’s features.

Photo by Patricia O’Blenes

NEWS & NOTES

Symphonia Chorale to perform concerts

MACOMB COUNTY — The Symphonia Chorale will celebrate the holiday season with Vivaldi’s “Gloria” accompanied by an orchestra. There will be two performances. The first will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6 at Bethel Church of the Nazarene, 51850 North Aven. in Macomb. The second will be at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8 at Romeo United Methodist Church, 280 Main St. in Romeo. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $5 for students.

DNR PROVIDES HUNTING AND FISHING STATISTICS

STATEWIDE — According to statistics provided by the DNR, a total of 456,100 people purchased hunting licenses and nearly 1.14 million purchased fishing licenses through Oct. 31. Overall, hunting license purchases were virtually flat, with just 19 fewer sales than the 456,119 bought over the same period in 2023. Fishing license purchases were up nearly 2% from 1.12 million bought in 2023.

Hunters and anglers aged 65 and older purchased 88,305 hunting licenses and 215,107 fishing licenses. Hunting license purchases were up 3.51% from 2023, and fishing licenses were up 3.6%.

First-time hunting and fishing license purchases were mixed. There were 39,759 firsttime hunting licenses purchased, which represented a slight decrease of 0.07%. There were 263,119 first-time fishing license purchased, which represented a 4.31% increase.

The number of women purchasing hunting licenses and fishing licenses grew. In total, 44,973 women bought hunting licenses, up 1.91%. Fishing licenses purchased by women rose 1.76% to 240,073.

Go ‘Home for the Holidays’

The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, 1100 Lake Shore Road in Grosse Pointe Shores, is offering outdoor walking tours of the lighted grounds during Home for the Holidays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays until Dec. 29. Santa Claus will be greeting visitors, who will also receive a complimentary cup of hot chocolate. Tickets cost $28 for adults and $14 for children ages 15 and under, or $20 for adults and $10 for children for Friends of the Ford House. Children ages 2 and under will be admitted free. For reservations or more information, visit fordhouse.org or call (313) 884-4222.

EISENHOWER SHOW CHOIR IS TOPS AT FESTIVAL

The Eisenhower Show Choir was chosen as the top ensemble at the Michigan School Vocal Music Association Musical Theatre Solo and Ensemble Festival Nov. 9.

The group received a perfect score for its performance of “Something About This Night” from “Finding Neverland” and “Louder Than Words” from “tick...tick...BOOM!”

Director Julia Holt is proud of the hard work and dedication of her students.

“This group supports each other on and off the stage and they make the work seem like fun,” she said in a press release. “I can’t wait to see how they grow throughout this year!”

At the end of the festival, the show choir was chosen as the group that will represent the east site at the MSVMA All-State Festival in May. The group will sing at the Gala Concert at 7 p.m. May 8 at Fairchild Theatre on the campus of Michigan State University.

Academic support program at Regina now in its fourth year

BY MARIA ALLARD allard@candgnews.com

WARREN — In past years, students with special needs whose families wanted their daughters to attend Regina High School for a Catholic education didn’t always have the opportunity because the school didn’t have the necessary resources.

That has changed, and in 2020, the school launched its official academic support program with one special education teacher on campus to accommodate a small group of students with disabilities.

Since then, the program has grown to having two special education teachers serving over 10% of the student population, all with varied disabilities. There are about 300 students at the all-girls Catholic school, with 40 students in the program.

The student must be diagnosed with a disability for access into the program. The most common are students with ADHD, anxiety and depression. There are students, too, who have a learning disability or cognitive impairment. All in the program have a student accommodation plan. The goal is to have the students mainstreamed, but sometimes they need some extra support outside the regular classroom. There could be several girls in the program classrooms at one time or just one or two.

Michelle DeGrez, an instructional specialist at Regina, works with the freshmen and sophomores, and instructional specialist Laura MeLampy works with the juniors and seniors. Both are certified special education teachers and have their own classrooms set up for students to come in when they need one-on-one help or an instructor to reteach or modify a lesson they don’t understand.

REGINA on page 10A

ABOVE: Regina sophomore Emma Rosenzweig visits Michelle DeGrez’s classroom almost daily.

LEFT: Regina High School sophomore Noor Shaaya reads a meme that Michelle DeGrez has in her classroom. Shaaya likes being part of the academic support program because it gives her a chance to focus on her studies.

Photos by Patricia O’Blenes

Sometimes students utilize the academic support program when they are working on a large project. DeGrez, for instance, will have the student break down the project and work on it in chunks. DeGrez said that some students will come to her classroom every day while others only stop by once a week.

“It’s almost like a little sense of community,” DeGrez said.

“There is a lot of flexibility. No two days are the same,” Regina Principal Ann Diamond said. “We’re doing everything we can so they are mainstreamed.”

Sometimes the students, too, just need some space and leave the regular classroom to study in a quieter atmosphere. DeGrez and MeLampy often attend other classes throughout the day to learn the curriculum so they can help students who need extra assistance in certain subjects. The classrooms have different furniture that helps create a more relaxed environment. DeGrez’s classroom has a futon and tables and chairs while MeLampy’s lamps provide an ambiance.

“They are at ease,” MeLampy said of students when they work in her class. “They are serious students. A lot of them ask for what they need. It helps them with their independence.”

MeLampy also will stay after school 30 minutes a day for students who want to spend more time working in her class. Regina funds the program on its own through its academic budget. Because it’s a private school that charges tuition, there is no state funding.

Sophomore Noor Shaaya comes down to DeGrez’s room occasionally to work on math assignments.

“It’s a safe space where I can get my work done and not have distractions around me. I get my assignments turned in faster,” Shaaya said. “I use the whiteboard tables to do math. I can get focused.”

“Sometimes you come in and say, ‘Ms.

Playground

from page 3A

being built. A lot of hard work went into it.”

Department of Public Services Director Mary Bednar and Rich Sinclair from Sinclair Recreation, the contractor that built the equipment, explained each facet of the playground.

The therapeutic fitness area is for teenagers, adults and senior citizens for physical

DeGrez, I need help,’” DeGrez said.

Shaaya also likes it when some staff members bring their dogs to school including Diamond’s cavapoo.

“It just brings another level of comfort to the girls,” Diamond said.

Sophomore Emma Rosenzweig visits DeGrez’s classroom almost daily as a place for her to prioritize her assignments.

“It’s a little bit darker and quieter and there are blankets,” she said. “I can work pretty independently. Sometimes sitting quietly helps.”

Rosenzweig sometimes has trouble with history class.

“I have to put myself in someone else’s shoes,” she said. “I wasn’t there. I don’t know what they were thinking.”

One place where Rosenzweig excels is in her honors America literature class. She is currently earning a 4.25 GPA overall.

“That’s something to be proud of,” DeGrez told her.

“I definitely want to go to college,” Rosenzweig said. “I want to do biomedical engineering, psychology or social work. Possibly theater.”

Junior Macey Sherry visits both academic support program classrooms when she feels she needs it.

“It depends on the day. In class it’s hard for me to focus. I’m worried about others around me and how fast they’re working,” she said. “Ms. DeGrez helps me with my emotions if I’m having a bad day. I like to sit on the couch or in the pod, but if I really need to get work done, I sit at a table.”

“If Macey is having a rough day, we’ll say a quick prayer,” DeGrez said.

According to DeGrez, there also are plans to bring the Mundi inclusion program to the school for students with more significant disabilities including mild and moderate cognitive impairments, Down syndrome, and traumatic brain injuries. Training has begun with classroom teachers. Staff is putting together a peer mentor program, implementing a certificate of completion graduation track and more.

therapy and exercising. There’s also a smaller set of structures for kids ages 2-5 and an imaginative play area. While the equipment may seem traditional, like swings and teetertotters, each item is designed to be accessible for children with different abilities.

Signs indicating different playground areas include Braille. Sensory elements were taken into consideration for the equipment as well. The metal slides, shaded by a canopy so they don’t heat up, were chosen to accommodate children with cochlear implants.

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