5/15/24 C & G Special Edition — Macomb/Grosse Pointes

NEWSPAPERS Special Edition

LAKESIDE MALL ANNOUNCES JULY 1 CLOSURE

BY ERIC CZARNIK eczarnik@candgnews.com

You have less than three months left to make your final purchases at Lakeside Mall, according to a joint press release announcement from Lakeside Mall’s ownership and Sterling Heights.

On May 1, Miami-based investment firm Lionheart Capital and its subsidiary, Out of the Box Ventures, said they plan to shut down the mall July 1.

According to officials, the closure is part of a larger plan that will transform the mall property’s estimated 110 acres into a mixed-use Lakeside Town Center complete with residential neighborhoods, retail, office space, green spaces, a two-story community center, and other attractions and amenities.

The announcement projects that the revitalization project will “positively impact the region by $1 billion.” It added that the development “is designed to be financially self-sustaining” with “minimal impact on city taxes.”

“Lakeside Mall’s closure marks the beginning of an exciting transformation,” Allison Greenfield, chief development officer at Lionheart Capital,

said in a statement.

“We are committed to collaborating with the City of Sterling Heights to create a vibrant urban center that celebrates the area’s unique character and history.”

The city initially approved a memorandum of understanding with Lakeside’s ownership in November 2022 that outlined the project’s scope and plans moving forward. But just weeks ago, city officials said the redevelopment process was around a year behind schedule.

The Sterling Heights City Council then approved a transfer of a $3 million grant it had received to Lakeside’s ownership to help it overcome a hurdle: acquiring the vacant Sears and Lord & Taylor properties.

Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor told the Sentry that, as of May 1, the acquisition of those two properties still hasn’t been finalized yet. But he added that he expects it to be resolved quickly.

Taylor also said the mall’s announcement about the July 1 closing date didn’t surprise him.

State Representative introduces bill to police excessive noise from modified cars

BY MIKE KOURY mkoury@candgnews.com

METRO DETROIT — A new bill introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives aims to curb excessive noise from vehicles.

The legislation, House Bill 5696, was introduced by state Rep. Natalie Price, D-Berkley, and would “crack down on vehicles intentionally modified to create excessive noise while being used,” a press release states.

Price said the legislation will update the vehicle code and allow local law enforcement to enforce the current prohibition on modifying a vehicle to cause it to make excessive noise.

According to the representative, one problem found in the code was that there was some language that was considered to be contradictory by the courts that needed to be revised.

“Even though in one point in the vehicle code it says that you can’t modify your vehicle and have it make excessive noise, there was another part where it said that modifications couldn’t be made above a certain decibel level,” she said. “That was interpreted that then you would need to have very specific devices to measure decibel levels, and out on Woodward with all the various vehicles, it was really impractical for our officers to be able to measure that.”

Price said the code didn’t get rid of decibel limits, because those are able to be measured in very controlled environments.

“It’s required that the manufacturers, the dealerships, they are doing those measurements, and we are not changing that path, but in terms of modifications to vehicles, we made it so that that language did not apply,” she said. “We’re just talking about modifications that create excessive noise are now going to be clearly illegal, as we believe that code was intended.”

Adam Bernard, president of the Detroit chapter of the Lambda Car Club, said the club doesn’t have an official position on the bill, but under-

File photo by Patricia O’Blenes

A proposed bill in the Michigan Legislature would see increased punishments for car owners if they have modified vehicles that make excessive noise.

The town center plans include places to live, eat, shop and more, along with green spaces.

Image provided by Lionheart Capital

THUNDERBIRDS TO HEADLINE SELFRIDGE AIR SHOW

OPEN HOUSE TO FEATURE AERIAL, GROUND ACTIVITIES

BY DEAN VAGLIA dvaglia@candgnews.com

The skies over Lake St. Clair will come alive this summer as the U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds flight team headlines the Open House and Air Show at Selfridge Air National Guard Base June 8-9. Making their first Michigan stop of 2024, the Thunderbirds are the Air Force’s premier demonstration flight team. Appearing at numerous air shows throughout the United States with their F-16s, the Thunderbirds make flyover appearances at the Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500. According to Senior Master Sgt. Craig Shipway, director of ground operations for the open house, the Thunderbirds will put on a more “comprehensive” performance than the F-22 Raptor demonstration that headlined the 2022 events.

“It’s six aircraft in total for about a 45-minute performance that’s going to consist of both their four-ship diamond formation and then their two-ship solo act, and then they will merge with that four-ship for a six-ship diamond formation,” Shipway said. “From there it’s going to be a number of precision demonstration maneuvers in front of the crowd.”

Getting the Air Force’s signature flight team required the open house planning team to get on a two-year waitlist, ultimately bringing the Thunderbirds back to Selfridge for the first time in seven years.

“Not every air show will get a headlining act like the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels, so we’re really fortunate to have

See AIR SHOW on page 10A

FEDERAL FUNDS ALLOCATED FOR DREDGING PROJECT

BY DEAN VAGLIA dvaglia@candgnews.com

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — A disposal site for dredging projects will receive upgrades with the help of $500,000 in federal funds.

On April 22, U.S. Rep. John James, RShelby Township, and Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller held a press conference outside the Mount Clemens

field office of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to announce the funding.

“These are your tax dollars, and we’re spending them to keep our crown jewel, our Lake St. Clair, our Great Lakes and Clinton River clean,” James said. “This is extremely important for our environment, extremely important for our future, extremely important for our economy and our enjoyment.”

See DREDGING on page 11A

United States Air Force Thunderbirds F-16s fly in formation during the 2017 Selfridge open house. The Thunderbirds will perform at the show for the first time in seven years this June.

File photo by Erin Sanchez

John James, local officials and representatives from the North Star Sail Club celebrate the allocation of $500,000 in federal funds to maintain a dredging disposal facility.

Photo by Dean Vaglia

stands where the bill comes from.

“When the windows are open, when the weather’s out, I can hear it all. I do appreciate the rumble of a nice V-8 or V-12, but yeah, there’s some stuff out there that is out of hand,” he said. “To be honest, I have the same issue. It’s great that people enjoy their music. I don’t need to hear it at 140 decibels coming out of the windows either. So, you know, I think people can enjoy their music inside their cars. But I certainly understand. … It’s not just even, you know, going down Woodward. I can sit outside Starbucks in Birmingham and hear people revving their engines just waiting at a stoplight. So, it’s something that’s not confined to a major thoroughfare. So, I can understand the interest in going after (the excessive noise).”

Bernard did state that some vehicles do come out of the factory already pretty loud, which he hopes law enforcement can be educated on.

“I know there are some engines out there that come pretty loud out of the factory. I’m not a sound engineer. So from that standpoint, it could be challenging,” he said. “If you have a Volkswagen Golf, for example, those don’t come out of the factory very loud, but I know you can buy hardware that can make them sound really intimidating. So, I think part of it would be educating the police force. It’d be awful if somebody who bought a vehicle out of the factory got

Lakeside

from page 1A

“We knew this day was coming for a long time,” he said. “We didn’t know exactly when it would happen, but it isn’t surprising that Lionheart would want to get the mall closed to prepare for the redevelopment.”

Taylor said the city looks forward to the mall’s redevelopment since it aligns with the city’s visioning goals for the future. The city will work to keep residents informed and engaged throughout the redevelopment process, he said.

The press release announcement said the mall’s tenants have learned about the scheduled closure, “and plans for vacating are underway to facilitate the next phase of the project.”

Candace Dallo, the manager of Mr. Sam Tailor in Lakeside Mall, told the Sentry she always knew the mall was going to close, but she still wished that they would’ve

pulled over. Now of course, if you’re sitting at a stoplight and you’re revving it just to make noise, maybe that is a problem.”

Penalties for violating the code would be increased. The bill, if passed into law, would increase the penalty for a first-time offense from $100 to $500. Any subsequent offense would cost $1,000.

The bill, introduced at the end of April, has since been referred to the Transportation, Mobility and Infrastructure Committee.

“We all know and love the Dream Cruise in our area. The Woodward Dream Cruise is a fantastic tradition, and we see coming out of that culture that people can cruise very responsibly and respectfully and in wonderful ways that our communities love,” Price said. “I think as a result of the Dream Cruise, that there is a level of showmanship that comes along with that. Some people choose to modify their vehicles in order to create excessive noise and maybe don’t realize what an impact that is having on the people who live around the area.

“We also see those impacts of the cruise not only during the designated week, cruise week, but spilling over throughout the summer. Even again as it’s warming up now, Woodward is a destination for folks to come in and show off their vehicles. So yes, I do believe that it is a problem out on Woodward and in our surrounding communities, but I’m not gonna say it’s the only area in the state where that is a problem. I have colleagues from all over the state expressing support for this update because they know that this will help their local law enforcement as well,” she continued.

remodeled and kept it.

“I’m very sad it was closing,” she said. “I’m excited to see what’s to come, but it’s depressing that there are no more malls left, and this was a great mall.”

Dallo said her business has already prepared and has made plans to move to Shelby Township.

“We’re moving June 1,” she said. “We will be at 20 1/2 (Mile Road) and Hayes. It’s by the Buddy’s Pizza in that plaza. So we’re hoping to do well over there.”

In order to build the town center, the mall edifice will need to be demolished, officials said. The announcement said the Lakeside redevelopment project is set to have its official groundbreaking in late 2025.

Learn more about Lakeside Mall, 14000 Lakeside Circle in Sterling Heights, by visiting shop-lakesidemall.com. Find out more about Lionheart Capital by visiting lheartcapital.com, or Out of the Box Ventures by visiting ootbventures.com.

GEARHEADS MAKE DISTRICT HISTORY SCORING SILVER MEDALS AT

BY K. MICHELLE MORAN kmoran@candgnews.com

GROSSE POINTES — The Gearheads, a Unified FIRST Robotics team consisting of students from Grosse Pointe North and South high schools, made district history when they earned second place at the FIRST Robotics Challenge World Championship at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston in late April.

The team members, joined by parents and mentors, collected their medals and saw their trophies May 2 in their workshop at North.

“It was difficult,” said the team’s faculty adviser, North math teacher Jack Pierick. “It was challenging. But we made a lot of friends along the way. … This is Gearheads history, everybody.”

The Gearheads earned their silver medal after their alliance took second place on the prestigious Einstein field, where their alliance was defeated in the World Championship finals. They were the only team from Michigan — out of about 82 total — to make it past their field to the finals.

There were more than 600 teams from all over the world, including Australia, Israel, China, Japan and Turkey. An estimated 50,000 people were on hand for the competition, including parents.

“It was very intense,” said team captain Drew Behringer, of Grosse Pointe Woods, a senior at North. “You’re learning a lot and seeing how other teams operate. … It’s super exciting, too. It’s something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”

North sophomore Gavin Perry, of Harper Woods, is already looking forward to competing again next year.

“You get to learn from the best teams in the world,” Perry said of being at the competition. “It’s a ton of fun. I was just excited for every match I got to play. … We’re going to be so much better next year from what we learned.”

It was a 25-hour bus ride home from Houston, but it was an exhilarating trip.

“We got on the bus tired and happy,” Behringer said of the drive back to Michigan after three days of competition. “It was a fun ride home.

See GEARHEADS on page 8A

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Gearheads team captain Drew Behringer — who’s graduating in June from Grosse Pointe North High School — high-fives one of the adult mentors as he and his teammates get their medals May 2.

Photo by K. Michelle Moran

MAKING FRIENDS AT THE UTICA PUPPY PARADE

The Utica

took place April 27 from Grant

to Pioneer

draws attention to the prevention of cruelty to animals and brings together a large number of organizations, vendors and dog owners.

by Donna Dalziel

Puppy Parade, which

Park

Dog Park, annually

Photos

ABOVE: Luna, with owner Brian Palmer, of Sterling Heights, is excited to participate in the parade.

ABOVE LEFT: Imogen, 2, and Veda Johnson, 4, of Shelby Township, greet the walkers with their stuffed toy doggies. ABOVE RIGHT: Brianna Angulo, 5, of Utica, smiles while petting a dog. BELOW: A dog enjoys the Utica Puppy Parade from a comfortable vantage point.

ABOVE: The Utica Puppy Parade makes its way through downtown Utica.

LEFT: Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel meets Fritz, the special guest dog at the Utica Puppy Parade. Fritz had been abused and has since been treated by the Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society Vet Clinic.

BOTTOM LEFT: Millie SchroderNewman, of Clinton Township, holds her cavalier King Charles spaniel, Ruby.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Delaney Martinez, 7, of Macomb Township, pets Jones, the massive golden doodle.

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Gearheads

We arrived home to thunderous applause from parents. We felt the support from the district.”

Although the Gearheads have adult mentors — some of whom are Gearheads alumni who’ve returned to work with a new generation of students — it’s the students who do all the work and research that goes into building and operating the robots, including design and fabrication. Even sourcing materials for their creations is something they do themselves. The process involves science, math, engineering and ingenuity.

Steve Hayes, of Grosse Pointe Woods, one of the adult mentors, said the students in the Gearheads “are overachievers.”

And indeed, despite taking academically rigorous Advanced Placement classes in high school, the students said they spend about 18 hours per week in the workshop during the robotics season — which includes nine hours every Saturday.

“These kids do it all,” Hayes said — referring not only to robot creation, but also to their packed schedules. “Many of these kids are in band and orchestra. Many of these kids are in sports.”

At least one this year is an Eagle Scout, Hayes added.

This year’s team includes three seniors graduating in June — two from North and one from South — all of whom are studying STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — subjects in college, Hayes said.

Behringer, who plans to major in mechanical engineering, said he feels he’ll have a head-start on some of his peers because of the skills he’s acquired in areas like fabrication and design.

Perry, who programmed the robot and served as the driver this year, said this was a

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better educational experience than anything he could have gotten in a classroom. Being a Gearhead hasn’t just improved his programming skills, though.

Perry said he’s developed “a lot of interpersonal skills I would have never gotten” otherwise.

“There’s also using the math,” said team member Allan Cooney Jr., from Harper Woods, a junior at North. He said being on the Gearheads enables them to use the math they’ve learned in the classroom.

Anyone can join the Gearheads.

“The only requirement is you want to learn,” Hayes said.

Students and mentors hope to see more students join in the future. With less than 30 members, the Gearheads were one of the smaller high school robotics teams at the international competition, making their silver medals that much more remarkable.

The team does more than create and troubleshoot. The team is also active in the community, bringing its robots to organizations like Kids on the Go, mentoring teams at other schools, fundraising and taking part in events like the Kercheval After 6 street fairs in Grosse Pointe Park.

“I couldn’t be prouder, and I really look forward to seeing where you go in your future … and what you’re going to do with these lessons you’ve learned and these experiences you’ve had,” Pierick told the team.

The Gearheads were recognized by Grosse Pointe Public School System officials during a Board of Education meeting May 6 at Brownell Middle School in Grosse Pointe Farms.

Superintendent Andrea Tuttle said that the team members have forged lifelong friendships as well as applied classroom learning in real-world ways.

“That is what extracurriculars do for students,” Tuttle said.

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Air show

that performing act headlining the show this year,” Shipway said.

The Thunderbirds will be joined by a number of other air acts including the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team, the Royal Canadian Air Force’s CF-18 demonstration team and the Misty Blues parachute team. Selfridge’s current Air National Guard planes, the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the KC-135 Stratotanker, will perform as well.

“The A-10 demonstration is either going to be two or four aircraft, but it’s going to be a demonstration of close air support,” Shipway said. “It will be low-flying A-10s coming in to simulate an attack run and also demonstrating how they perform combat search and rescue. And then our KC135 will be a demonstration with a flyby for the crowd for them to really appreciate that aircraft and what it brings to our air power.”

Alongside the various aerial acts, activities and displays on the ground will keep showgoers entertained and educated. Historic and modern military vehicles representing all of Selfridge’s tenant organizations will be on display, including a KC-46A Pegasus tanker, a plane that will soon replace the KC-

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135 as the base’s in-flight refueling mission aircraft.

A STEAM Expo will promote science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics education with support from the Air Force, NASA and several universities from around the Midwest. NASA will bring a trailer from the Glenn Research Center in Ohio as well as displays about the ongoing Artemis human spaceflight program, while the USAF’s mobile lab will feature interactive experiences based on the Air Force’s operations. Eastern Michigan University’s aviation program is expected to have a presence at the STEAM expo, while show planners are in discussions with similar programs at Purdue University and Western Michigan University to secure their presence at the show.

“The theme this year for the air show is ‘Innovation focused and STEAM driven,’” said Chief Master Sgt. Tim Huhtasaari, open house STEAM director. “We believe that STEAM education is essential for preparing the youth for the challenges of the 21st century. We want these events to be seen as an opportunity to showcase the positive impact that STEAM has on young people. It’s really our effort to get kids engaged with what we feel is the future of our country.”

Getting the open house set up has been

a two-year endeavor, made all the more challenging by the fact the 2024 open house planning team is entirely new to the task. Securing acts and support required a lot of networking across military and civilian circles, with planners expressing gratitude toward the Macomb County Chamber and the Selfridge Base Community Council for their help.

“We are all very excited to see this actually begin,” Huhtasaari said. “It’s been a huge buildup and it’s been a struggle. Until very recently we’ve had a difficult time securing some of these acts and performers, mainly because many of these acts don’t plan out as far in advance as we were hoping to get commitments for. All of us are excited to see this show begin and I think it’s going to be a fantastic event.”

Admission to the Selfridge Air National

Guard Base Open House is free with the event running from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 8-9. As the event takes place at an airfield that is federal and military property, there are many items that attendees cannot bring including opaque bags, coolers, drones, balloons, alcohol, marijuana, weapons and toys resembling weapons, flammable liquids and explosives, laser pointers, non-service animals, glass containers and electronic communication devices such as walkie talkies, HAM radios and radio scanners.

For more information about the open house, visit teamselfridge.com.

According to Brandon Hubbard, spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers, work at the DNR site is expected to begin this spring.

“What we’re going to do with that is essentially vegetation and tree removal between the dike and perimeter fence, and then we’re going to do some restoration of a gravel dike access road,” Hubbard said.

The Clinton River Confined Disposal Facility is a 30-acre site in Harrison Township. Constructed in 1979, the facility is used to store sediment from the Clinton River that is too contaminated to be reused. It currently has a capacity of 370,000 cubic yards and receives about 20,000 cubic yards of sediment from the river every three to five years, according to a document from the Army Corps of Engineers. Prior to the work being done, the Army Corps of Engineers estimated the facility had five more years before becoming unusable.

Hubbard said the work will take about a year to complete. Once completed and if funding is approved, further dredging of the Clinton River could begin in summer 2025.

“These are really important projects,” Hubbard said. “It’s one of the locations that is central to the Detroit area and this project allows us to do the dredging there, which in turn allows us to ensure there’s safe navigation in the Clinton River. It’s an important part of what the Army Corps does here at the Detroit District.”

Numerous officials and organizations echoed Hubbard’s sentiments about the site’s importance.

“The Clinton River is probably, outside of the Detroit River and the St. Clair River and the St. Mary’s (River), the busiest waterway in the state of Michigan; one of the

busiest in the entire country,” Miller said.

Steve Remias, president of Macray Harbor in Harrison Township and a consultant to the Macomb County Chamber, stated that 1.4 million people annually use the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair, 18,000 of which rely on the waterways for jobs.

“We’re talking about how on the coastline there’s 80 public launches, 20,000 boat slips, 10 public parks, 62 marinas,” Remias said.

The Clinton River’s environmental importance was emphasized by Jennifer Hill, executive director of the Clinton River Watershed Council.

The Clinton River was designated as an Area of Concern by the Environmental Protection Agency under the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Pollutants that have been found in the river include heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls, a carcinogenic chemical used in carbonless copy paper and coolants. Work to clean up the river and restore wildlife habitats along it has been ongoing since 1988. The EPA’s remedial action plan for the river was last revised in 2014.

According to Hill, a study by the DNR in the 1960s found no living fish in the river between Pontiac and Lake St. Clair. A recent study by the DNR found 80 fish species in the river.

“Today the Clinton River is a statedesignated water trail,” Hill said. “It’s a place where people come to paddle, where they come for reactionary fishing opportunities and, of course, to boat as well, and it supports a vital economy in this area. But we know the fight to improve the health of the Clinton River is not over unfortunately, and we know we’ve had an underinvestment in our aging infrastructure here in Michigan. We need to invest in that infrastructure not only for the economy, but for the recreational uses that folks use the river and Lake St. Clair for.”

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available by appointment for public inspection through contact with the Superintendent’s Office beginning at 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Monday, May 20, 2024. Please contact the Lakeview Public Schools Superintendent’s Office at (586) 445-4000, ext. 2501, for information on reviewing the Budget proposal material.

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