Westend: July 2014 by Downtown Publications Inc.

PLACES TO EAT: OUR GUIDE TO NEARLY 100 LAKES AREA RESTAURANTS JULY 2014

AIR QUALITY REPORT CARD ON HOW THE REGION DOES ON FEDERAL OZONE STANDARDS

SCAMS: PREYING ON THE OLD, YOUNG, VULNERABLE IN OAKLAND COUNTY WOLVERINE BOOT CAMP: POSSIBLY COMING TO HOMETOWN NEAR YOU ENDNOTE: OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AUGUST PRIMARY ELECTION ECRWSS Postal Customer PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ROYAL OAK, MI 48068 PERMIT #792

Time to start planning for your spring move. Call Jennifer for your free market analysis today!

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West Bloomfield vacant land located on Cass Lake. $199,900

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Beacon Hill Golf Community home in Commerce Township. $399,000

All-Sports White Lake in White Lake Township. $1,200,000

Commerce Township condo located in Beacon Hill Golf Community. $289,900

Davisburg home on Big Lake. $219,900

Waterford Loon Lakefront. $399,999

West Bloomfield lakefront on Cass Lake. $839,900

West Bloomfield home in Woodcrest North neighborhood.$249,900

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Brentwood Golf Community Home located in White Lake Township. $274,900

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WESTEND07.14

23 29 The air we breathe Here's a look at air quality in southeast Michigan and, more specifically, the Oakland environmental attainment record.

PLACES TO EAT: OUR GUIDE TO NEARLY 100 LAKES AREA RESTAURANTS JULY 2014

Scams in Oakland

Wolverine Boot Camp

Oakland law enforcement officials are dealing with the aftermath of a variety of con artists schemes in the county.

Ralph Kinney would like to start in Oakland an academic boot camp for non-violent offenders but the odds don't look good.

11 CRIME LOCATOR A recap of select categories of crime occurring in the past month in Commerce, Walled Lake, Wolverine Lake and the Union Lake area, presented in map format.

38 MUNICIPAL Commerce library consultant hired; results of Wise Road parkland input meeting; Wolverine Lake Village Hall renovations; 52-1 Judge Powers complaint; budget shortfall in Walled Lake; break even budget in Wolverine Lake; plus more.

AIR QUALITY REPORT CARD ON HOW THE REGION DOES ON FEDERAL OZONE STANDARDS

46 ENDNOTE Our recommendations on candidates and ballot issues appearing on the August 5 primary election ballot.

PREYING ON THE OLD, YOUNG, VULNERABLE IN OAKLAND COUNTY WOLVERINE BOOT CAMP: POSSIBLY COMING TO HOMETOWN NEAR YOU OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AUGUST PRIMARY ELECTION ECRWSS Postal Customer PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ROYAL OAK, MI 48068 PERMIT #792

THE COVER A covered bridge near Berry Lake in the Robert H. Long Nature Park in Commerce, dedicated in November of 1995. Westend photo: G. Lynn Barnett. DISTRIBUTION: Mailed monthly at no charge to homes in the Commerce, Walled Lake and Union Lake area. Additional free copies are distributed at high foot-traffic locations. For those not residing in the free mail distribution area, paid subscriptions are available for a $12 annual fee. Go to our website (westendmonthly.com) and click on “subscriptions” in the top index and place your order on-line or scan the QR Code here.

FACES 21 Stacie Zotkovich 27Amanda Levitt

Melody Arabo

37 Chandler Yatooma

DOWNTOWN P

DOWNTOWN • WESTEND • THE GUIDE 124 WEST MAPLE ROAD BIRMINGHAM MI 48009 P: 248.792.6464 downtownpublications.com facebook.com/downtownpublications • twitter.com/downtownpubs

Publisher: David Hohendorf Ad Manager: Jill Cesarz Ad Sales: Heather Marquis Graphics: G.Lynn Barnett News Editor: Lisa Brody

News Staff/Contributors: Allison Batdorff, Rachel Bechard, Hillary Brody, Kevin Elliott, Sally Gerak, Austen Hohendorf, Garrett Hohendorf, J. Marsh, Kathleen Meisner, Laurie Tennent

WESTEND

INCOMING: We welcome feedback on both our publication and general issues of concern in the Commerce/Union Lake community. The traditional Letters to the Editor in Westend are published in our Incoming section, and can include traditional letters or electronic communication. Your opinions can be sent to westend@downtownpublications.com; or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 West Maple Road, Birmingham MI, 48009. Letters must include your full name, address and daytime phone number for verification.

07.14

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WEIR MANUEL

FROM THE PUBLISHER

eaders of the July issue of Westend will find that we have offered up our editorial endorsements, in the Endnote section at the back of the publication, on candidates and election issues that will be appearing on the August 5 primary ballot. The August primary election, for all intents and purposes, is starting to take place this month thanks to the growth in the number of voters who choose to cast absentee mail ballots, which in most communities are expected to be mailed out beginning at the end of June or start of July. An increasingly important factor in all elections, absentee ballots in some communities represent almost half of votes cast in a primary election. Ten to twenty years ago, the absentee ballot voter was generally considered the older voters in the community, but that image has been altered as work and travel schedules have changed for a larger percentage of registered voters, so a much wider swath of the voting public has moved to absentee voting as a matter of convenience. With this changing voting demographic, the long sought after segment of registered voters has become even more important in determining the outcome of elections. Smart candidates know to work the absentee voter applications as they arrive at the township and city halls, often times through direct mail outreach to get their candidacy noticed before a ballot is cast. Likewise, in recent elections we have made every effort to provide candidate and issue information early enough for those voting by absentee ballots. For this primary election, we relied on questionnaires supplied to all candidates, answers to which you can find at our website, westendmonthly.com. For the November general election, we will be using a combination of in person interviews and questionnaires. While the July issue contains our editorial opinion on primary candidates and issues appearing on local ballots, we will repeat these endorsements in our August issue for those voters who still choose to go to the polls for the primary. As to our decision to carry candidate answers to our questions for the primary election on our website, the vast majority of homes in the areas where Downtown Publications distributes monthly newsmagazines have access to computers and the Internet. Nationally, 80 percent of homes have at least two computers and

that number increases as household income rises, according to the most recent census data. Obviously, we take elections seriously at our publishing group. We feel one of our obligations at Downtown Publications is to provide information so that voters can make better, informed decisions, particularly in an environment where potential voters are bombarded by candidates and special interest groups pushing their messages on multi-media platforms leading up to a vote. We spend countless hours here discussing candidates and, in the case of incumbents, researching voting records, before we make our recommendations to our readers. In the case of the primary election, our first concern is to determine who we think would best represent their particular political party in the November general election contest. Against that background, we look at both a candidate's position on issues, ability to articulate that position and whether a candidate has the ability to wage a strong campaign on behalf of his or her political party. Because of the way in which political districts are gerrymandered in Michigan and in Oakland County, where there is a Republican leaning for the most part, we also are acutely aware that in some races, the primary election really determines the most likely victor come the general election. Remember, this is a primary election, so you will be casting votes in only one political party. For primary election balloting in Michigan, you don't have to declare a political party to vote in a primary. However, you will be casting ballots for candidates in either the Republican or Democrat column on the ballot, not both, a critical point if you don't want your ballot discounted because you crossed over and voted for candidates in both parties. In some past elections there have been a considerable number of ballots discounted because of this error. Please take the time to visit westendmonthly.com for candidates' views on issues and check out our recommendations on both candidates and ballot issues in our Endnote at the back of this issue. While we are only one of many voices in the community who weigh in on candidates and election issues, we think we provide an informed view you won't find in many other places.

David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@downtownpublications.com

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INCOMING Westend content I have enjoyed reading Westend but take issue with some of the recent content. The editorial (From the Publisher/June 2014) concerning money and elections placed strong emphasis on the idea that conservatives have special access to unlimited funding. Only a quick passing nod (one sentence out of hundreds) was given to the fact that liberal organizations also have large benefactors. The Koch brothers and American’s for Prosperity bore the brunt of criticism for their work. George Soros and Tom Steyer, the California billionaire who is buying politicians that will vote against the Keystone Pipeline, and all the jobs it will generate, are not even mentioned. Do you truly believe they are not involved in local politics, just national issues? The editorial cautions us that too much outside money will unduly influence our local elections and should be curtailed. No disagreement there but let’s make sure both sides are skewered. Then there was the article on the young female French Horn aficionado. Was it really necessary to mention that she is a lesbian? Is that some form of achievement? Any intelligent person will care less what her sexual orientation is, so why mention it? It detracts from the story of a very accomplished young woman whether she’s heterosexual, lesbian, transgender or whatever. No one cares about that. Marvin Lee, Commerce

Enjoying Westend Just wanted to say I am so enjoying the personal spotlights about local people working and doing good things. Thanks also for the updates on Commerce Township and their neverending search to improve the community, as well as your well thought out opinion on the establishment of a new library. Just want a shout out of “thank you” for your publication. Name withheld on request/Commerce

Liberals also guilty I have enjoyed your newspaper immensely since it’s inception. However, I was extremely disappointed in the recent From the Publisher (June 2014). As with the mainstream media, David Hohendorf writes of the conservative PAC’s and their influence on elections with little mention of the liberal PAC’s or unions westendmonthly.com

SPEAK OUT We welcome your opinion on issues facing the Commerce, Walled Lake and Union communities. Opinions can be sent via e-mail to westend@downtownpublications.com or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 West Maple Road, Birmingham MI 48009. While we don’t have a specific word limitation, we reserve the right to edit for length.

trying to influence elections. I don’t like all the negative advertising from either position. I wish we could just hear from the candidates telling us what they plan to do to solve all our problems, but that is not how it is. However, it is not fair to say it is just the conservatives. Shame on you. Linda Bokovoy, Commerce

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07.14

CRIME LOCATOR

NORTH

Map key

Sexual assault

Assault

Murder

Robbery

Breaking/entering

Larceny

Larceny from vehicle

Vehicle theft

Vandalism

Drug offenses

Arson

These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Commerce Township, Walled Lake and Wolverine Lake Village through June 18, 2014. Placement of codes is approximate.

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MLS 214061155 – $389,000 90 feet of main lakefront on desirable Sylvan Lake! Beautiful view from wall of windows in large great room with vaulted ceilings, updated kitchen, finished walk out lower level, well maintained with great character, this home makes entertaining easy. Beautiful lot, priced to sell! www.realestateone.com

MLS 214059988 – $439,000 75 feet of frontage on All Sports Sylvan/Otter Lakes! Open floor plan, 7 door walls, 5 skylights, all bedrooms have private balconies, cathedral ceilings, 2 master suites, remodeled kitchen, hardwood floors, expansive deck extending the entire length of the home. www.realestateone.com

MLS 214058250 – $119,900 Adorable ranch located in Maple Point Beach with access to All Sports Lower Straits Lake! Back yard with small creek borders Proud Lake State Recreation Area. Updated kitchen with recessed lighting, Corrian counters, ceramic floors. New appliances, water heater, furnace, humidifier, roof and insulation. www.realestateone.com

MLS 214060687 – $193,000 Super clean 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath ranch with recent updates including vinyl windows, screen doors and vinyl siding. Heated 16x32 in ground pool, deck and screened gazebo for summer entertaining, property back to the Huron River with access to Oxbow Lake, extensive trees and beautiful landscaping. www.realestateone.com

MLS 214057478 – $129,000 Great ranch home with open floor plan! Updated kitchen with island, custom back splash and stainless appliances, newer roof, central air, windows, 6 panel exterior doors and front entrance door. Amazing standalone 24 x 12 deck for those relaxing afternoons and evenings. www.realestateone.com

214051379 – $359,900 Stunning custom built Colonial featuring four large bedrooms, master bedroom with full bath, possibility of an additional office/nursery if needed, family room with natural fireplace overlooks a beautiful private backyard, spacious kitchen with island and breakfast room, three car side entry garage, beautifully landscaped. www.realestateone.com

MLS 214055647 – $139,900 Here’s a great affordable first floor townhouse in the perfect location! End unit, backs to woods, stream and 155 acre Hickory Glen Park, which offers walking/biking trails. Beautiful updated kitchen features center island, cherry cabinets and stainless steel appliances, bright open floor plan, move in condition! www.realestateone.com

MLS 214054928 – $239,900 If you are starved for space, you love to garden and want horses, Welcome Home! Lovely 2003 colonial sits on 3.87 acres, great room with hardwood floor, recessed lighting and natural fireplace, finished walk out is a great space for holiday gatherings, for summer fun, relax in the hot tub or above ground pool. www.realestateone.com

MLS 214054126 – $265,000 Beautiful Emerald Pines Colonial! Lovely three bedroom home is located on trails outside your door which gives you that Up North feeling. 3 spacious bedrooms, 2.5 baths, family room with fireplace, cathedral ceilings and door wall leading to a large entertaining deck perfect for those summer BBQ’s. Walled Lake Schools. www.realestateone.com

MLS 214053591 – $379,900 Lake privileges and access to All Sports Upper Straits! Gorgeous private, wooded setting backs to protected woodlands. Beautiful vaulted great room with fireplace, first floor master with private bath, walk-in closet. Large new kitchen, granite counters, new appliances, professionally finished walk out basement. www.realestateone.com

MLS 214035642 – $459,000 This home is a “must see”. Professionally decorated throughout, gourmet chefs kitchen, fully enclosed deck with full glass Pella windows and door, master bedroom and bath are an oasis, hardwood floors and heated ceramic tile, bath with steam, walk in full glass shower, Over the top finished lower level. www.realestateone.com

MLS 214059092 – $295,000 Gorgeous waterfront location on double lot and very wide canal front just seconds from main All Sports Pontiac Lake! Updated kitchen includes all appliances, hardwood floors, wet bar area off kitchen, two entry level bedrooms and bath, upper master bedroom waterside with balcony, two sun rooms. www.realestateone.com

Lakes Area (248) 363-8300

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EVERY BREATH WE TAKE THE QUALITY OF AIR IN OAKLAND COUNTY

BY KEVIN ELLIOTT

egardless of who we are, where we live, what we do, or what our beliefs are, it’s the one true substance we can’t live without. We like to say it’s important to take a breath of fresh air, to clear our heads in the fresh air, yet could the air we breathe be making us sick? Possibly, according to the American Lung Association, which recently released its 2014 State of the Air report. The report, which looks at ozone and particle pollution across the country, gave Oakland County a failing grade for ozone levels, or what we commonly call smog. Yet, experts with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and regulators with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) say all of metro Detroit, including Oakland County, meet federal standards for ozone pollution. Which is a way of saying, yes and no. “We disagree with the way they do it,” Joan Weidner, air quality specialist with the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), said of the Lung Association’s report. “They don’t use EPA standards; they use their own standards. It’s very misleading. We don’t agree with the way they characterize the data.”

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Part of Weidner’s role with SEMCOG is to work with the DEQ to achieve permanent air improvements to show the area is meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for various pollutants, including particulate matter, ozone, lead, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Overall, Michigan is meeting all of the national air quality standards with exception of lead levels in Ionia County and sulfur dioxide levels in southwest Detroit and the adjacent downriver community, according to the MDEQ. “They have a lot of concerns about pockets (of pollution), so areas with a lot of diesel traffic, areas like that, they are working to keep those localized areas cleaner,” Weidner said of the Lung Association’s report. “Certainly, in southwest Detroit, where there’s such a high industry concentration, you’ll see an impact, but we meet national standards.” verall, the State of the Air report shows that there are many areas of the country that have continued making reductions in year-round particle pollution. The lower levels of particle pollution is a direct result of transitioning to cleaner diesel engines and the clean-up of coal-fired power plants, according to the American Lung Association. Ozone pollution, on the other hand, has been one of the hardest pollutions to reduce. Ozone is the most widespread pollutant in the United States, as well as one of the most dangerous, according to the American Lung Association. Often called smog, ozone is a gas molecule that is harmful to breathe and attacks lung tissues by reacting chemically with it. The ozone layer found high in the upper atmosphere may shield the earth from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, but ozone air pollution at ground level can cause other health problems. According to the Lung Association, researchers found the risk of premature death increases with higher levels of ozone. It’s particularly harmful in the hot summer months, when ozone can lead to shortness of breath; wheezing; coughing; asthma attacks; increased respiratory infections; increased susceptibility to pulmonary inflammation; and increased need for people with lung diseases, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), to receive medical treatment and to go to the hospital. Inhaling ozone may affect the heart as well as the lungs. A 2006 study linked exposures to high ozone levels for as little as one hour to a particular type of cardiac arrhythmia that itself increases the risk of premature death and stroke. A French study found that exposure to elevated ozone levels for one to two days increased the risk of heart attacks for middle-aged adults without heart disease. And the American Lung Association states several studies around the world have found increased risk of hospital admissions or emergency department visits for cardiovascular disease. The EPA also found ozone causes harm. According to a 2013 review on ozone pollution, ozone pollution poses multiple, serious threats to health, including worsened asthma and COPD; the likeliness to cause early death; likeliness to cause cardiovascular harm, such as heart attacks, strokes, heart disease and congestive heart failure; possible harm to the central nervous system; and possible reproductive and developmental harm.

Ozone forms in the atmosphere from gasses that come from vehicle exhaust, industrial smokestacks and other sources. The gasses react and form smog when they come into contact with sunlight. The main ingredients for ozone come from nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, as well as carbon monoxide. Oil, coal, gasoline and some chemicals are the primary source of ozone pollutants. Ozone pollution is particularly harmful on hotter days, and often trigger “ozone action day” warnings from the National Weather Service. The warnings are developed using the Air Quality Index, a color-coded scale that the EPA developed to track ozone and particle pollution. The index ranks air pollution on a scale of 0 (perfect) to 500 (hazardous) for air pollution levels that pose an immediate danger to the public. Under the Air Index, an orange warning signifies air that is “Unhealthy for sensitive populations,” which includes small children, older adults and people suffering from asthma or other respiratory problems. A red warning denotes “unhealthy” air for all people, meaning everyone should limit outdoor exertion. According to the Lung Association, Oakland County experienced 18 orange ozone days in 2013 and one red ozone day, down slightly since 1996. Mary Maupin, air quality analyst for the MDEQ, also said the Lung Association’s grading system skews air pollution figures because it uses a different formula and methodology. Therefore, it’s not uncommon for an area meeting national air quality standards to be given a low grade by the Lung Association. “It’s always a problem when grading the air comes out,” she said. “They are looking at old data, and they use a different formula than we use for the EPA. That’s how an attainment area can get an F.” espite the conflicting opinions on just how harmful the air in Oakland County is in 2014, there is clear agreement that the federal Clean Air Act is helping to improve air quality across the country. While the Lung Association’s report showed that national air quality worsened in 2010-2012, it is much cleaner than a decade ago. Still, 47 percent of the nation lives where pollution levels are too often dangerous to breathe, according to the report. “We’ve demonstrated progress. We are much cleaner than in the 1970’s or the 1990’s,” Weidner said. “Even in the past decade, there has been a lot of improvement. It’s confusing because the standards change. The air hasn’t gotten dirtier, but it’s a tougher standard.” In addition to grading ozone levels in the county, the State of the Air report looks at particle pollution, which includes a mix of tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the air. Referred to as fine Particulate Matter by the EPA and MDEQ, the tiny suspended particles are categorized as either PM-10 – or particles that are larger than 10 microns – or about oneseventh the diameter of a single human hair – and PM-2.5, those particles which are smaller than 2.5 microns. The larger particles may be composed of dust, pollen, mold or other sources, while fine particles may come from combustion particles, organic compounds, metals or other sources. Because the particles are so small, they may become trapped in a person’s lungs. If small

enough, fine particles may even pass into a person’s bloodstream. Similar to how ozone reacts with the body, particle pollution may trigger illness, hospitalization or premature death. The State of the Air report gave Oakland County an “A” grade for 24-hour particle pollution, meaning there were no warnings for particle pollution in 2013. The report also gave Oakland County a passing grade for annual particle pollution levels. The ALA method of analysis for ozone and particle pollution is done by assigning increasing weights to days when air pollution levels reach higher ranges. The figures are added together to come up with a weighted average, and grades are based on that calculation. For year-round levels of particle pollution, the Lung Association uses annual average levels calculated by the EPA. “We are happy to report continued reduction of year-round particle pollution across the nation, thanks to cleaner diesel fleets and cleaner power plants,” said Harold Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “However, this improvement represents only a partial victory. We know that warmer temperatures increase risk for ozone pollution, so climate change sets the stage for tougher challenges to protect human health. We must meet these challenges head on to protect the health of millions of Americans living with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. All of us – everyone in every family – have the right to healthy air.” ocally, reducing ozone levels has been a long and challenging process. The EPA in 2008 strengthened ground-level ozone, raising the standard from .08 parts per million to .075 parts per million. Areas that fail to meet national standards are considered nonattainment areas, and may be subject to some industrial permit restrictions. Oakland County, along with 16 others in the state at the time, were designated non-attainment areas, including Wayne, Washtenaw, St. Clair, Monroe, Macomb, Lenawee Livingston, Lapeer, Benzie, Manistee, Muskegon, Ottawa, Kent, Allegan and Berrien counties. The seven-county Detroit-Ann Arbor area, which includes Oakland County, had ozone levels of .082 at the time. “Breathing air containing high levels of ozone, a key ingredient in smog, can reduce lung function, trigger respiratory symptoms, and worsen asthma or other respiratory conditions. Ozone exposure also can contribute to premature death, especially in people with heart and lung disease. High ozone levels can also harm sensitive vegetation and forested ecosystems,” the EPA said in a letter to the MDEQ. Working with SEMCOG, the MDEQ began working on improvements and preparing documentation in an effort to have the EPA redesignate the area as being in attainment. The MDEQ, based on updated ozone monitoring, requested the EPA reconsider the Detroit-Ann Arbor designation. The updated data, according to the MDEQ, showed that only one ozone monitor in the state, which was located in Holland, showed ozone levels above the 2008 standards. On Dec. 9, 2011, the EPA changed the designation for ozone in the entire state to unclassifiable/attainment for the 2008 standards. “We are showing really good trends in all the region,” SEMCOG’s Weidner said. “There is more

CENTURY 21 TODAY AGENTS. SMARTER. BOLDER. FASTER.®

Must See Beauty! Every room updated. Hardwood floors throughout. Cherry wood And granite in kitchen. Open floor plan, soaring Ceilings, Florida room and more!! 214050319 $345,000

Newer Built, well maintained 4 bed, 2.5 bath Colonial in Commerce Twp. Island Kitchen. Family room with cathedral Ceilings & fireplace. On dead-end St in private neighborhood. 214037365 $307,500

Location, Location, Location! Stunning Novi Colonial. Former Builder’s Model. 4 Bedrooms, 3 full and 2 half baths. Gorgeous finishes & Fixtures. Close to everything! A must see! 214041577 $599,900

Wow! Large 4 Bedroom, 3 full bath home. Perfect multi generational home with rare For Waterford pole barn for big toy storage. Home needs some TLC but great price for over 2000 Sq Feet. 213083532 $139,900

Spacious waterfront in popular location. Enjoy all sports Duck Lake! 4-5 bedrooms & 2.5 baths in over 2500 sq ft. Newer siding and Deck & windows. All new 6 panel interior doors. You’ll love the great waterfront views from The private master bedroom balcony. 214037514 $368,000

Great price on West Bloomfield Lakefront! You notice the attention to detail the second You approach this beautiful home. Peaceful Setting and gorgeous lake views. 214023370 $434,500

Former builders model in Park View Heights. May upgrades. 4 bedrooms & 3.5 baths. Finished Walk-out basement. 3 car attached garage. Mainenance Free deck and nice landscaping. Kitchen with Granite counter tops and stainless steel Appliances. 214056686 $369000

Beautiful 4 bed, 3 ½ bath Contemporary With circular drive on nicely landscaped lot. Grt rm with high ceiling, wet bar & fireplace. Master with cathedral ceiling, bath with hot tub And two walk-in closets! Finished Basement. 213201714 $399,000

This home sits on 2.7 Acres & borders a pond. Newly painted, hardwood floors. New kitchen cabinets Newer high efficiency furnace, Roof and thermo paned Vinyl windows. Blown in insulation added in 2010. 214051616 $160,000

Surprise Package Interior! Just renovated with open floor plan. New kitchen cupboards, granite counters & stainless Appliances. Grt rm with fireplace. Dining rm, Fam Rm & Breakfast rm. Gleaming Hardwood on 1st floor. Two new ceramic baths, one on main and one in LL. French doors to bright sunroom. Full Finished W/O LL. 214040725 $250,000

Spacious 4 bedroom 2.1 Bath colonial on premium lot. Vaulted ceilings, natural fireplace & wet bar. Extensive Remodeling in 2012 to include furnace, hot water tank, Brazilian oak flooring, new bathrooms & fixtures, ceramic, Windows, carpet & paint, must see! 214052508 $269,000

Spacious Commerce Ranch. Commerce Lk Priv. Oversized Family room addition. Large Bath With handicap accessible roll in shower. Hardwood Floors. Lg Deck and Fenced Yard. 214058442 $169,000

CENTURY 21 TODAY AGENTS

SMARTER. BOLDER. FASTER. MORE INNOVATIVE.® CENTURY 21 Today, Inc. | 6611 Commerce Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48324 | 248-360-9100 (0) ©2013 Century 21 Today, Inc. All rights reserved. CENTURY 21® is a registered trademark owned by Century 21 Real Estate LLC. An equal opportunity company. Equal housing opportunity. Each office is independently owned and operated. Property information deemed accurate but not guaranteed.Subject to prior sale.

CENTURY 21 TODAY AGENTS. SMARTER. BOLDER. FASTER.®

Natural Setting Home sets in back of sub backing to woods. Open main living area. Comfortable Family room with wood stove. New carpet & fresh Paint throughout. Privileges on Crescent and Elizabeth lakes! Take your pick! 214060338 $143,500

3 Bedrooms & 3 Full Baths in this well maintained Ranch. Large Rooms, Finished Basement. Loads ofStorage. Gorgeous landscaping. Lake privileges on Private, all Sports Upper Pettibone Lake. 214060317 $199,500

Stunning Colonial in desirable sub. Close To Schools, Shopping and Lakes. Open Floor plan. Freshly Painted. Cathedral Ceilings. Newer hardwood floors in Kit and Dining areas. Finished Lowe Level. Home Shows like a model! 214055402 $179,900

Stunning Victorian Historical Village Home. Inground Pool. 3 Car Garage with finished 2nd story. Wood floors on entire first floor. Rich Crown’ Moldings, arched doorway, natural fireplace, French Doors with beveled glass, bath with Claw foot tub. Too Many wonderful details to List. Definitely a must see! 214055754 $550,000

Lovely Brick Ranch in Desirable Suburban Knolls With many updates including newer roof, vinyl siding, And updated Kitchen. Lots of closets and storage. Office, Bath and potential bedroom in Basement. Home Warranty. 214059024 $168,900

Amazing Cape Cod featuring vaulted ceiling in great room with fireplace. Stunning first floor Master Suite. Finished basement with daylight Windows. Kitchen and Dining areas with hardwood \ Floors & door wall to deck. Lg treed lot. 214000963 $179,900

Chalet Style Lakefront in popular Sought after location. Spectacular main Lake views. Finished walk-out LL. Private Setting across the street from beautiful Bloomer Park. Extra deep 370 foot lot. 214051974 $489,000

Custom Cape Cod on 1.65 Acres! 4 Bedrooms & 3.5 Baths, with full finished LL with full Kitchen, bath, Bedroom and Den, the perfect In-law suite! 1st Flr Master. Newer siding and shingles. Beautiful court yard with Pergola. Awesome! 214055926 $360,000

The Hills of Chelsea Park Beauty! 3 Floors of windows overlooking pond. Upgrades abound! Walk in pantry, Dbl Oven, Sub Zero, Granite, and more! Finished walk out LL with wine cellar & Wet bar. 214001722 $689,900

Quality built brick ranch on cul-de-sac! Recently refinished hardwood floors. Large fireplace and oversized bow window in Living room. full finished walkout basement. 214048928 $289.000

RELOCATION SERVICES 1-888-21-HOMES

Spectacular Mission Springs home. Located deep in heavily wooded Neighborhood with protected grounds. Nicely updated “expanded” Kitchen. 214032965 $387,900

RELOCATING? OUR RELOCATION DEPARTMENT OFFERS LOCAL HOMEFINDING ASSISTANCE AS WELL AS NUMEROUS RELOCATION SERVICES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. CALL TOLL FREE 1-888-21-HOMES

CENTURY 21 TODAY AGENTS

Audrey Ray - 5 PM - 7 PM

Growing up in the small town of Highland, Michigan country music singer-songwriter Audrey Ray made her move to the bright lights. Country music was always playing in her home and she was always encouraged to sing everywhere she went. Early on Audrey was influenced by a wide variety of music from her father. She was very much influenced by tunes of Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Patty Griffin and Steve Earle. After learning piano and playing for a number of years, Audrey found a new inspiration with the guitar. Thanks to her father, he taught her three chords and Audrey taught herself the rest. www.AudreyRayMusic.com

The Swank Club 5 PM - 7 PM

The Swank Club is a Steel Drum driven 5 pc band doing World Beat Jazz. The sound has a definite Latin flavor mixed in with Contemporary and Traditional Jazz rhythms. The Swank Club Facebook Page

Julianne Ankley - 7 PM - 9 PM

With a sultry voice that captures from the first note, Julianne Ankley's sound is described as country music that flew over the Motor City. Julianne's momentum has continued in 2014 with March bringing 4 more Detroit Music Award nominations (31 in her lifetime), and a nomination for the 2014 Independent Music Awards (IMA's). She's a true American farmer‚Äôs daughter, granddaughter, and great granddaughter who loves to perform, sing, and write heartfelt songs. Julianne's latest album "Vivid" was the winner of the 2012 Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Country Recording. Her song "No Place For A Lullabye" was used nationally by HomeAid of America in the PSA campaigns for several years to help raise funds to build temporary housing for the homeless. She was honored as one of the top three songwriters in the country category in the Chris Austin International Songwriting contest at Merlefest (2010), and she's received several top honor awards through the Great Lakes Songwriting contest. Winner of the Outstanding Country Artist/GroupOutstanding Country Songwriter at the 2014 Detroit Music Awards. www.julianneankley.com

Air Margaritaville - 7 PM - 9 PM

Frank Bama has been a fan of Jimmy Buffett for what seems like forever. Always in love with adventure and the tropics was a big fan of the Tales of the Gold Monkey TV show a family member introduced him to Buffett music in 1985, he was hooked after the first track. His songs say so much. The stories, the characters, and the fun make you want drop everything and go live in the tropics. It‚ the lifestyle a lot of us would lead if we had the chance. Or the courage.‚ He saw his first Buffett concert the following year. What an experience, he says‚ thousands of people all at the same party www.AirMargaritaville.net

Thank You Consider placing your business in Walled Lake, where you get money back with the Façade & Sign Grant Program. Thank you New Businesses & Sign Grant Recipients of up to $500: Le Shoppe - Upscale Consignment Treasure Hunt - Jewelry Sales & Repairs Salon Tress - Hair Salon Leidos - Building Automation Systems Controls Engineer Beds 2 Go - Mattresses

Le Shoppe, an upscale consignment shop with furniture, home décor, accessories and clothing For helping make Walled Lake a beautiful place!!! Recipient of a façade grant for $1,500.

For more information on the Walled Lake Façade & Sign Grant

Call the city offices: 248-624-4847 Made possible by the Walled Lake Downtown Development Association (DDA), Urban Design Committee’s Façade & Sign Grant Program 18

WESTEND

07.14

than one monitor for all of these (pollutants), and high and low values are all trending downward – but the standards are getting tougher to meet.” ow certain areas are designated is determined by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Ambient air is the atmosphere outside of our homes and buildings. Primary national standards are set at levels aimed to protect the public’s health. Secondary standards also exist. All of the standards are based on scientific studies conducted over many years and reviewed every five years to determine if revisions should be made. Standards are expressed in micrograms per cubic meter or parts per million over a specified period of time. The standards are used to regulate six categories of pollutants: particulate matter (both PM-2.5 and PM-10), sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and lead. The most recent standards were set in 2008. However, the EPA is in the process of reviewing the standards, which could result in new, tougher regulations. “They will announce by the end of the year if they are going to strengthen the standards,” Weidner said. For those areas designated as non-attainment areas, lowering levels may translate to restrictions or tighter permitting on some industry. “If you are designated non-attainment, you have some limitations,” Weidner said. “Some kinds of industry can’t locate there or expand, unless they do something to offset (pollution). You have to identify real reductions in the region that will offset (expansion). It makes it tougher.” Limitations based on ozone levels aren’t currently an issue in the Detroit-Ann Arbor area, but the industry has recognized sources for sulfur dioxide that already face limitations. “We are looking at four companies that need to reduce sulfur dioxide to develop our plan for attainment: EES Coke Battery; US Steel; a DTE power plant; and Carmeuse Lime,” she said. “Oakland County isn’t showing levels above the standards at their monitor.” Maupin said the MDEQ is currently working on a plan to meet the national sulfur dioxide standards by working with the source industries. “Hopefully they are willing to do some reductions,” Maupin said of the four companies. “Otherwise, we will have to do some regulations or legislation.” The question still remains, however, as to if and how the state will make changes to its air monitoring network if national air quality standards are increased by the EPA in 2015. Maupin also said the EPA has already proposed new greenhouse gas regulations for existing power plants, but that the department is still sifting through the 450 pages of the document and taking comments to return to the EPA. Last month, the Obama administration announced a proposed rule intended to cut carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants by as much as 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The “Clean Power Plan” also aims to cut particle pollution, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide by more than 25 percent. Under the plan, each state will have different goals for cutting emissions, depending on the types of energy produced in their state. Utilities may use various methods for reducing emissions, including implementing more efficient

technology, using cleaner alternatives, or participating in cap-and-trade programs, which allow low emissions states to sell credits to higher emissions states. Meanwhile, the MDEQ continues current monitoring operations to meet federal air quality standards under the Clean Air Act. The MDEQ’s Ambient Air Monitoring Network Review is conducted annually to determine if any changes are needed to the state’s air monitoring network, based on history, population, distribution and modifications to the federal monitoring requirements under the Clean Air Act. According to the 2015 report, reductions may need to be made to the monitoring network if additional funding isn’t found. Additionally, stronger requirements may be harder to meet without additional funds. “The MDEQ cannot implement all of the new monitoring requirements without new funding and concomitant reduction in other monitoring equipment due to financial and staffing limitations,” the report states. “Although the EPA has requested funding to support these endeavors, it is unknown if adequate funds will be made available. As a result of state and local air agencies in Region 5, with assistance from the Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium, they drafted a proposal to identify which monitoring activities can be implemented and which are too costly. As funding becomes available or as changes to the NAAQS are finalized, the MDEQ may be able to gradually implement more of the requirements.” “Funding is an issue every appropriation year,” Maupin said. “With the federal sequestration, the EPA’s budget has been cut. So, they proposed cutting grants to the state for different things we do. They are proposing cutting many monitors, specifically our speciation monitors that tell us what kind of particle is being collected on a specific filter. We relied heavily on that to develop our strategy to lowering particulates. “Those monitors are for particles. Now we are talking about ozone standards, and we know the contributing pollutants to ozone are VOCs and NOx. Combustion sources for NOx includes cars, power plants and sources that have boilers and any kind of combustion, including fires. VOC’s are paints, gas, diesel and a lot of chemicals. Source points have been fairly well controlled over the past decades. The wider, smaller sources are probably bigger contributors to the whole, such as dry cleaners, gas stations and boats. There are a lot of different sources,” Maupin continued. he state’s air monitoring network consists of about 48 different monitoring locations, some of which monitor the air for multiple pollutants. Of the total in the state, those that are located in Oakland County include monitor locations in Oak Park, Pontiac and Rochester. Statewide, air quality monitoring consists of several air monitoring networks, including those that monitor lead, ozone, particulate pollution and its makeup; carbon monoxide; nitrogen dioxides; sulfur dioxide, trace metals, volatile organic compounds, carbonyl; polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon; and meteorological measurements. Monitoring of lead is required for point sources, or identified sources of lead pollution, that emit a half ton of lead or more. However, those facilities where modeling indicates little likelihood of violating the NAAQS may be able to obtain a waiver. Statewide, only Belding,

Michigan, in Ionia County, is currently listed as a non-attainment area for lead pollution. In terms of ozone monitoring, the MDEQ’s report states that the Oak Park and Port Huron monitors are the only ozone sites in Oakland and St. Clair Counties, respectively, while Oak Park is violating the 0.075 ppm 8-hour ozone NAAQS, while Port Huron is not. The Ann Arbor area is required to have two ozone monitors, which consists of an Ypsilanti monitor and the downwind monitor in Oak Park. Because there isn’t sufficient space in Washtenaw County to house a downwind monitor to measure maximum ozone concentrations, the Oak Park site is used, even though it is outside of the boundary of the Ann Arbor area. The MDEQ said in its report that it plans to keep the current configuration to preserve historical trend data. ne change that may impact local ozone monitoring could be a more stringent ozone standard and monitoring season for ozone. If the EPA sets a more stringent ozone standard, the length of Michigan’s ozone season may have to be reevaluated, according to the report. The current ozone season in Michigan runs annually from April 1 through September 30. The report also notes the reduction of PM-2.5 amounts measured since 2010, which has reduced the number of PM-2.5 monitoring sites required to be operated in some areas. However, the PM-2.5 monitoring site in Oak Park will continue to operate under the state’s plan. The amount of PM-2.5 pollution in Oakland County was an issue in the past and the basis for a lawsuit filed by Oakland County more than a decade ago that requested the EPA re-designate the county as an attainment area. County officials argued at the time that Oakland County was wrongfully designated as a non-attainment area for fine particulate matter pollution because the source of the pollution was outside of the county’s borders. “When they established the PM-2.5 standard, the state designated the entire seven-county area as non-attainment,” Weidner said. “The bulk of that decision was due to cars. Oakland County filed suit against them because the monitor in the county showed they weren’t exceeding the standards. In the meantime, a plan was developed and put into place to address that problem. All the counties were later redesignated as attainment.” At the time, there had been discussions about whether or not the state would resume annual emissions testings for vehicles, a requirement that was eliminated in 1995. Maupin said the concern that vehicle emissions tests would return was based on inspection and maintenance programs required for non-attainment areas under the federal Clean Air Act. She said the issue isn’t likely to come up again based on fine particulate pollution, but future regulations could have different impacts. “At this point, whether we will be required to under a new, tighter ozone standard would depend on how we are classified,” Maupin said, adding that summer weather is another factor that can skew ozone levels from year to year. “The National Ambient Air Quality Standard is a threeyear average. Remember, in 2012, it was very hot and dry. We had high ozone levels throughout the country, so as long as 2012 is in the three-year average, our numbers aren’t looking so good. “Next year, 2012 drops off, so next year is the average we will be looking at when the EPA sets a new standard.”

FACES

Stacie Zotkovich

ongtime Commerce Township resident Stacie Zotkovich was crowned Mrs. Michigan in May 2014 and this July, the brunette beauty will compete to become Mrs. United States. “I’m excited. On July 20, I leave for the pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada,” Zotkovich said. “(The pageant) really stresses good morals and community involvement. That is what I like to represent.” Zotkovich began competing in pageants when she was 16. “I believed in myself,” she said. “It was me who approached (my mom). I loved the limelight and my parents said, ‘If you want to do it, we support you, but you have to work hard at it.’ I would pay for my sponsorships in pageants. If you want something bad enough, you have to work for it.” Never simply relying on her looks to make her way professionally, Zotkovich earned a degree in communications from Oakland University and is now the physician relations director at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital. “You may have that crown and sash on, but once you take it off, you’re just a regular person.” With two children and a remarkably supportive husband, Zotkovich finds time to work, volunteer at school functions, make appearances as Mrs. Michigan, and be a marathon runner. “It’s a balancing act,” she said. “I really want to involve (my family) in my pageantry. That’s part of being and having this title. You can still follow your dreams and passions while involving your family.” Chau Plastic Surgery in Commerce and Varsity Lincoln in Novi are among the sponsors that allow her to compete as Mrs. Michigan. Her platform is a number of activities to help the less fortunate. “I struggled having a platform because of who I am. I know all these people have all these wonderful foundations. My passion is helping people. It’s sticking up for people and always defending what is right and wrong.” Zotkovich is an advocate of Good Girl Comeback, an organization created by Chelsea Gheesling to educate young women on the benefits of maintaining high moral standards. She also personally fundraises for causes affecting those in difficult financial situations. “Once a year I do a fundraiser (to adopt a family) for the holiday season all on my own,” she said. “I go out and get all the donations and do all the silent auctions. I’m on my sixth year. It’s such a gratifying feeling. I’ll do whatever it takes to help someone.” Through spontaneous acts of generosity, Zotkovich and her husband will buy a dinner for a stranger at a restaurant as well as helping out random people who cross her path. “I try to keep certain gift cards on hand,” she said. “You can tell when someone needs help.” Her ultimate goal is to inspire others to selflessly offer support to one another. “Doing the pageant is not all about being beautiful,” she said. “It’s about dedication. It got me involved in the community. It makes you appreciate what you have and use the title to make an impact.” Story: Katey Meisner

Photo: Bill Barnard

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07.14

SCAMMED

THE LASTEST CONS BEING PERPETRATED IN OAKLAND AND HOW TO AVOID THEM BY LISA BRODY AND KEVIN ELLIOTT

n Ohio woman named Susan in January began harassing a Commerce Township man, sending him love letters, leaving phone messages and, finally, showing up at his door step, unannounced. Sound too good to be true? It might be for some lonelyhearts, but it wasn’t for the 67-year-old man, who had no idea who the woman from Hartville, Ohio was, and why she was stalking him. He wasn’t interested in her. His idea of a date with her was to call the cops. Turns out he was a victim of a “catfish” dating scam, where his identity was stolen to create an online dating profile. On the Internet, a “catfish” is a person who uses another person’s identity to create an online profile on social media or dating sites. The term “catfish” was taken from a documentary about the unscrupulous practice. The man told deputies at the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office’s Commerce Township Substation that around January 13 he had been out of town for a vacation and returned home to find love letters in his mailbox from a woman with an Ohio return address. The man told deputies he didn’t know the woman and had no idea how she came to write the letters to him, nor how she was aware of any of his personal information. The man also told deputies that he received a phone call on the same night he returned home from the same woman, according to his caller ID, but didn’t answer the call. The man told authorities he didn’t know the woman and wanted the calls and letters to stop.

Then, in a bizarre twist, sheriff deputies were subsequently called to the man’s home a few days later after the woman showed up at his home. The woman, who admitted to sheriff deputies that she had written the love letters, said she did so after meeting someone who had apparently used the man’s identity to create a profile on the dating website Christianmingle.com. However, she admitted that the man was indeed not the man she believed she had met on the website. The woman then left and stated she wouldn’t return. here’s an old saying that there’s a sucker born every minute. And that’s what scammers and con men (and women) are certainly counting on. They prey on the vulnerable, the naïve, the young, and the old. It could be you, or your loved ones. They can be so slick and professional, it really could be – and often is – anyone. Confidence tricks, con, con man, scam, grifter, hustle, bunko, swindle, flimflam, gaffle, bamboozle, marks, suckers, shills. Whatever you call it, it’s wrong, and it’s definitely illegal. “There’s no lack of ingenuity on the part of scammers,” Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said. “Some are just new takes on old scams. Some of the most common that we see are the bank e-mail where you are supposed to click on a link and fill in all your personal information. I actually got one today, but I don’t bank with Citibank – if you did and you got it, you might end up filling that out and giving them all your personal information.” According to the Federal Trade Commission, “Crooks use clever schemes to defraud millions of people every year. They often combine sophisticated technology with age-old tricks to get people to send money or give out personal information. They add new twists to old schemes and pressure people to make important decisions on the spot. One thing that never changes: they follow the headlines – and the money.” The Federal Trade Commission, which compiles complaints of fraud, estimated in its 2011 national fraud survey that some 25.6 million adults aged 18 and older, had been victims that year. Sadly, some had been victims more than once. In 2011, there were a total of 37.8 million reported scam incidents nationwide. No matter which kind of scam, scammers usually start by laying some foundation work, or preparation if needed, to put the scheme they have cooked up into motion. The first thing they do is approach the victim, usually in a very preplanned way, and then move to the build-up, in which they rouse the interest of the victim. The convincer is the part of the scam where the scammer gives an apparent or real payoff to those conspiring, in order to settle their doubts. This is kind of like the bunko or shell game or other hustle when you let the victim win something, in order to let them think they can win even more. It entices them to believe there is really something in it for them. The hurrah, or the point in the scam where there’s a twist, is a sudden crisis or unexpected development in which the victim is forced to act. Then the victim is led into the in-and-in, the point in the scam where the the victim is coerced in on the

scam. If there’s a conspirator, this is where the shill puts their money in to make the victim think it’s OK, that they’re safe and protected from being victimized. “Would you like to be a Mystery Shopper?” the email begins, according to Bloomfield Township Police. “There are several variations of this scam. Bottom line, you end up giving a crook personal information that could make you vulnerable to identity theft, or you just end up sending them money, usually via GreenDot Money Cards. Beware any e-mail you get from someone you don’t know, and definitely don’t give them any information or send them any money. We have received reports of two township residents being scammed this week in this very manner,” they warned residents via Facebook. A Bloomfield Township resident learned the hard way this very lesson, signing up to be a Walmart “secret shopper.” Instead she was scammed out of $1,900. In May, the woman came into the police station to report that she had been scammed after she signed up to be a Walmart “secret shopper”. She told police she had received a money order in the amount of $1,900, which she was told to deposit into her bank account, and she did. She was then instructed, she informed police, to take out $1,450 in cash, and send that money through Western Union to an address in Georgia. She was also told she could make two $30 purchases within the next few days at Walmart. The remaining $200, she was told, she could keep as profit. Two days later she received a text from her bank informing her that her bank account was overdrawn because the original $1,900 money order had been fraudulent. Bouchard said another scam involves people who claim to be software security experts with Microsoft or another computer company of some kind who want to gain remote access to your computer. Then they are able to hold your computer “hostage” until you pay them. Another take on that, he said, are calls from people claiming to be with a payday loan company or something similar and telling the victim that they or a family member is behind on payments and that they are going to be sued or arrested if they don’t pay immediately. The callers typically tell the victims that payment must be made with a Green Dot card, so the funds aren’t able to be tracked. “If someone is trying to extort money from you over the phone or computer, don’t do it,” Bouchard said, explaining that when investigators with the sheriff’s department do call, they aren’t seeking a payment over the phone. “We might call and ask someone to come in, if there is an issue. We wouldn’t call and say you have to pay over the phone. Typically, we would have someone come out and chat and walk the person through the case.” “Green Dot cards are untraceable, and they are just as good as money. It’s very difficult to track, especially when you start bouncing from state to state. It’s very difficult to prosecute,” said Walled Lake Police Chief Paul Shakinas. In his 13 years in police work, Shakinas said he’s

not aware of any scam cases that had successful prosecution in his department. Green Dot money card scams are a prevalent scam, many local police departments report. A caller contacts a business or a person and claims to be from DTE, for example, and tells the person called that they owe an amount of money to the electric company, and if they don’t pay by that afternoon, they will turn off their power. To a small business owner, if DTE turned off the power, they’d close. The owner is panicked and doesn’t remember at that moment that they had paid their bill. Putting money directly on Greet Dot Visa cards is the new version of wiring money, according to law officials. When the number off of the Green Dot card, with the security number, is read to them, the money is transferred to them wirelessly. And from a a local police standpoint, the Green Dot cards are not traceable, because many of the scammers are actually calling from overseas, according to police. Bingo. Scam completed. Money gone. For example, in May a local woman discovered she had been scammed out of $3,300 by a man claiming he was an officer with the “Federal Crimes Department”, which does not exist, and she needed to buy money cards to pay past due taxes. When police officers were called to her residence, the woman told police she had been contacted by someone claiming to be an officer with the “Federal Crime Department”, who was working with the collections department. He identified himself as “Jack Gates.” The woman was told she needed to immediately purchase Green Dot Money Cards in order to pay her past taxes. She was told she needed to give “Gates” the information from the Green Dot Money Cards, or she would be arrested. After giving “Gates” the information, she was told she would not be arrested. After speaking with her relatives, the woman realized she had been scammed out of approximately $3,300. The case was been turned over to the police department’s investigations division, but police noted, “Once you transfer it into other money orders or Western Union into other accounts, it because even more untraceable.” cams that originate on Craigslist aren’t uncommon either, Shakinas also said. In one case, Shakinas said a Walled Lake resident paid $7,000 for a boat on Craigslist that he never saw in person. It turns out, Shakinas said, that the boat didn’t even exist. Another common scam in the county that the sheriff’s office sees comes from swindlers posing as representatives of the Affordable Care Act who gather the victims’ personal information over the phone or by email. “One that’s been around a long time, and is successful, is nicknamed the ‘4/19 Scam’ or ‘The Nigerian Scam,’” Bouchard said. “It starts out ‘dear sir,’ we have all this money…ultimately, you have to submit some money or bank account information to claim the prize, and that’s when they get your money.”

Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper warns that identity theft via computers is often our own fault – because we give out information, leave passwords out where people in our homes can readily access them, use notso-safe online shopping sites, and don’t shred our personal documents. “People, especially seniors, say to us all of the time, ‘I’m not online so I don’t have to worry.’ Yes, you do. Anyone can go on Google Earth and know how many doors your house has. These swindlers can know anything,” she said. “Think about it. If you have a Kroger card, how do you think you get coupons just for what you buy? Credit cards are selling all of your information. People are picking up our garbage – and picking through our garbage, looking for identity information. You must shred everything so that they cannot even get your date of birth.” She also cautions against buying anything online if there is not a “lock” when you go to pay. “When you’re shopping online, look at the address line. If you don’t see a lock, do not shop,” she said. rust is a big issue, Cooper warns, especially regarding computer and computer site passwords. “Because you might have maids and repair people, if your computer or a site is not locked, they have access to your computer, and all of your information,” she pointed out. “People put their passwords next to their computers because they’re trusting, and then someone sees it and gains access to everything. With identity theft, these people are so skilled you’ll never know until you go for a credit score. Or you won’t know until bills come, or a service contract, or a denial of credit.” She said that people will buy access to different reputable sites, such as VISA, a bank, American Express, “even the FBI, because it’s easy to duplicate their logos. So do common sense things. Remember your bank will not ask you to verify your account number, your Social Security number, neither by phone or by computer. It’s imperative to remember that if they’re calling you, do not give out anything, ever. If you’re the one initiating the phone call or computer message, that’s different.” A major scam throughout Oakland County – and the country – from February through April of this year was an IRS scam. “Many prominent people are having their taxes filed – only it’s not them,” said Bloomfield Hills Chief David Hendrickson. “When they go to file their taxes, they’re told they’re already filed. They have to file an affidavit that it’s not them. It’s a form of identity theft.” Ultimately, the IRS is responsible for investigating and resolving the identity theft. “It’s happening more now because filing is all electronic,” Birmingham Police Commander Terry Kiernan said. “We take the initial report because the IRS needs a police report; there’s a form the IRS has given us. The victim then sends it to the IRS with the police report. The IRS has to void out the first tax report so the IRS does not hit the person with points or fines. You can really be hit with a lot of points and fines if you don’t do the proper paperwork. Ultimately, with the IRS, it’s up to you to prove you’ve been scammed.”

Beyond identity theft, the FTC said they have received numerous reports of scammers posing as IRS officials continuing to call people telling them they owe taxes and better pay up. If not? They threaten to arrest or deport people, revoke a license, or even shut down a business. How do they do it? They actually rig their caller ID information to make it appear as if the IRS is calling, or sometimes make a follow-up call claiming to be the police. “It’s called ‘spoofing’ phone numbers,” said Bloomfield Township Police Sergeant Kimberly Cumerford. “They use a devise so that it looks like it’s coming from somewhere else, like a local 248 number, when it’s really coming from somewhere overseas. This has become fairly common. For the recipient, there’s no way to know it’s not real. They think it’s a local number, and in all actuality, it’s not. People have caller ID, and they’ll write down the number and go to call it back, and if they do call it back, it’s not a real number, or someone who has no idea their number is being used. Our fraud detectives have ways to determine the fraud. It’s unbelievable the lengths people will go to scam people.” Even the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has seen this happen. Bouchard noted they received a report about a call and “the device made it appear the caller was placing the phone call to the victim from an actual number used by the sheriff’s office. The victim’s caller identification showed the call was coming from the sheriff’s office, and the caller used an actual sheriff’s detective’s name. “The bottom line is: never share your personal information, and never comply with an immediate demand for money,” Bouchard said. “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” The main component in every scam is greed, be it that of the fraudster or, in some cases, that of the victim. For instance, in the Nigerian scams, like “mystery shoppers,” the victim believes they will get a lot of money for completing a few simple tasks, one of which includes sending a check or cashing a check for the person, which will result in a big payout for the victim. In the end, they lose their own money. ther victims may be asked to participate in a scam that would bring some questionable activity upon themselves. Other scams play on victims’ fear for the safety of their family of themselves. One such scam, Bouchard said, involves calling elderly victims and claiming to be a relative in legal trouble and in need of a bond while vacationing overseas. The caller claims to be a relative and asks for bond money via Western Union or some other means. That happened to a local man, who was called in April from someone who identified himself as a U.S. Agent working in Mexico City. The person told the man that his grandson had been arrested and that he needed to post over $1,200 for bond. The man was instructed to wire the money to the alleged agent through Western Union. The man did as he had been instructed, and then was called a second time, and was told to wire over $1,100 more, which he did as well. The next day, the man attempted to contact

the alleged U.S. Agent he had been speaking with and could not reach him. The man also had begun to suspect he was being scammed, which he confirmed by contacting his grandson. Those who have been scammed, particularly seniors, are usually very embarrassed that they’ve fallen for these swindles. The scams affect people at all economic levels, in all cities, townships and villages. Boundaries don’t matter to swindlers. “Sometimes, even when they do fall for it, they feel stupid, so they don’t report it,” Bouchard said. “They say they should have known better and they don’t want to be further embarrassed.” Shakinas said many scams target older individuals. In many cases, the caller usually has at least some information about a relative of the victim, which may have been gained from a social media site. Other times, the swindler has just been lucky. “People want to believe,” said Cooper. “As you get older, people don’t want to believe the terrible things in the newspapers can happen to them. Also, with seniors, boundaries of suspicion and caution drop.” Bouchard said another scam that people should be on the lookout for as the weather continues to warm involves fraudulent maintenance workers. Often the workers will claim they are doing work in the neighborhood and offer to check your roof for possible repairs or some other service. Once they gain approval, the “workers” may claim you need unneeded services. “They offer to do it on the cheap, on the spot, for cash,” Bouchard said. “A lot of folks say ‘yes.’ Then they go up on the roof, have lunch, and hit the roof with a hammer once in while and pretend they are fixing something.” Local police have similar reports of driveway resurfacers who turn out to have sprayed oil on driveways and then taken off, as well. “Never let anyone do any work without checking their references. Say, ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ More importantly, don’t open your door to them. You don’t know they aren’t going to force their way in. If you don’t know them and why they are there, there is no reason to let them in.” If you find yourself the victim of identity theft or another scam, don’t flail yourself. Report the incident to police and place an initial fraud alert, the FTC advises. Immediately order your credit reports and then create log of all of the telephone calls you received, including the date of each call, and the names and phone numbers, if you know them, of who contacted you. Send documents, not originals, to the appropriate agencies. And if you’re not sure who to contact, seek help. Besides local police, the FTC has consumer information guidelines online at consumer.ftc.gov. Get help from someone you trust, such as an attorney. And remember, “You’re not going to win a lottery if you’ve never bought a ticket,” notes Jessica Cooper. “Do your homework; if it sounds too good to be true it usually is,” Shakinas warned. “Always take your time when spending a large amount of money. It’s usually worth it.”

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Amanda Levitt

manda Levitt is fat. She does not aspire to lose weight. To the fat activist and founder of the popular blog Fat Body Politics, her body is just right. “When I was really young, my parents put me in beauty pageants,” she said. “We didn’t do it that long, but long enough that it became part of my identity.” As she approached adolescence, her body, and her life, began to change. “Sixth grade was the worst year dealing with fat hating,” she said. “I remember my aunt told me how beautiful I would be if I were thin. I had lost something. I wasn’t able to conform to this very rigid ideal.” During her teenage years, Levitt struggled with body image, anxiety and an eating disorder. “I felt like I was under constant surveillance from people around me,” she said. “Eating in public was really hard for me.” The young scholar and graduate student at Wayne State University recalls hiding underneath masculine clothing to conceal a figure she now embraces. “Slowly, I found online fat communities and I realized the things I’ve been taught about my body weren’t my fault,” she said. “We all know fat people who can exercise and eat well and not lose a pound, and thin people who can eat whatever they want and never gain a pound.” At 20-years-old, an empowered Levitt founded her blog and has since been interviewed by CNN, USA Today and other news outlets as a fat activist expert. “Fat activists use (the term fat) as a positive. I talk about the way we feel

about bodies, how it relates to social structure and how we harm people,” she said. “The way people think about our bodies’ impacts the way we feel about ourselves.” Levitt, who focuses more on the politics of being fat rather than on body image, said that in the eyes of society, being fat is “a way to fail at womanhood”. “If you’re not thin, straight, able-bodied and middle to upper-class, you’re not seen as being female.” The West Bloomfield native, who now lives in Detroit, discusses how class affects health choices for individuals. With less access to affordable fresh and healthy options, she draws the connection between societal conditions and weight. “It’s great that they put in a Whole Foods a couple blocks from me, but I can’t afford to buy food there,” she said. “Fat people are at higher risk of disease, but it has a lot to do with social conditions.” Levitt finds academia the ideal place for her right now. In the future, the confident and refreshingly honest woman hopes to write a book and continue to empower an oppressed group of people hiding uncomfortably behind body types more readily accepted by today’s society. “My goal is to find a way to combine academia and my work right now. For me, it’s about bringing to light the way we talk about fat people. The overwhelming rhetoric about fat people is harming people.” Story: Katey Meisner

Photo: Jean Lannen

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LOCAL BOOT CAMP LOCATION SOUGHT WOLVERINE CAMPUS PROJECT SEEKING HOME IN OAKLAND COUNTY COMMUNITY

BY LISA BRODY

alph Kinney has a dream of helping those whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gotten themselves into trouble with the law to redeem themselves, placing short-term offenders into an academic boot camp where they could attain academic and career services, wellness and substance abuse prevention courses, and behavior modification. He has been working with the state of Michigan to achieve that goal, and has sought to place his first boot camp on a site in Pontiac in Oakland County near the Bloomfield Township border. While that site recently fell through, he is looking at other Oakland County locations. Officials in Oakland County government, however, want nothing to do with it. Kinney is a former assistant Wayne County executive and deputy chief at the Wayne County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department, who was fired by county executive Robert Ficano in 2007, allegedly for reporting the illegal usage of county money and for refusing to campaign for Ficano. He filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Ficano in 2010, alleging corruption and cronyism, and claimed he was owed $50,000 in back pay and other damages. Kinney lost the lawsuit, as well as its appeal. Today, according to his LinkedIn page, Kinney is an experienced investigator and entrepreneur. Since January 2011, he has been chief executive officer of the Wolverine Campus Project.

While Kinney did not return numerous calls left for him by Westend, Nancy Mouradian, who said she is acting as the communications director for the Wolverine Campus Project, said it is “still in its infancy, which would be an academic boot camp for non-violent offenders.” She affirmed the architects for the project were Kinney and the late Dr. Arthur M. Carter. According to the white paper, first created in November 2013, which Mouradian said former Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga (now a probate court judge in Macomb County) helped craft, the Wolverine Campus Project is an academic boot camp designed to divert short-term offenders from prison to a secure on-campus, 24/7, residential private facility, for those who have been sentenced to terms of under 24 months. The boot camp would offer education and career training, thereby creating new taxpayers, Kinney asserted in the paper. he proposal stated that those eligible would be short-term felons who may qualify for up to 12 months of academic and career services. The Wolverine Campus Project would hypothetically offer everyone entering the facility, within their first 10 days, diagnostic testing in digital literacy courses, in wellness and substance abuse prevention courses; behavior management and ethicsbased behavioral courses; work study and/or apprenticeships; and based upon individual assessments, special education towards high school completion; general education towards high school completion; and S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) college courses. To enroll these prisoners into the Wolverine Campus project, wherever it ends up, according to the boot camp’s proposal, the prisoner’s defense attorney would need to apply to the county prosecutor for a diversionary sentence. The county prosecutor would then recommend a diversion sentence at the boot camp to the circuit court judge, who has the discretion to place the prisoner there, pursuant to sentencing guidelines. Then, hypothetically, the Wolverine Campus boot camp would accept the prisoner for enrollment. Until a few weeks ago, Kinney was telling Oakland County officials, local officials, retired judges, proposed investors, the Michigan Department of Corrections and others that he intended to purchase and place the boot camp facility at 2000 Centerpoint Parkway in Pontiac, a vacant industrial property which was at one time part of the larger Pontiac Central Manufacturing and Assembly Plant Campus. The property includes a 1.2 million square foot former engineering building and a paved parking lot. But the Centerpoint campus posed significant issues to others. Adjacent property owners, most notably Linden Nelson, chairman and CEO of Michigan Motion Picture Studios, was not delighted at the prospect of having a boot camp with felons, short-term or otherwise, at a large property next door to his movie studio, especially with large scale productions such as “Batman Vs. Superman”, starring Ben Affleck, among others, filming at Michigan Motion Picture Studios. Also located at or near the Centerpoint campus is a school, Kids Now Childhood Development Center, Hewlett Packard and Ultimate Soccer Arenas. Township officials in Bloomfield Township, Auburn Hills and Waterford weren’t thrilled, either. Pontiac, especially the Centerpoint campus, is at the edge of Bloomfield Township’s border. “I’m pretty emphatic that Bloomfield Township residents would oppose that facility being there,” said Bloomfield Township Supervisor Leo Savoie. Savoie recounts a luncheon he was at of about 15 to 20 invited guests in early May where the featured guest was Kinney. Also at the meeting were several retired judges, including Barry Grant and Fred Messner, and Bloomfield Township Police Chief Geoff Gaudard. Kinney described to the group his proposed project, and announced that “he has a buy in from (Oakland County Sheriff Mike) Bouchard’s office. I knew that to not be true. I turned to Gaudard, and he indicated as well that Bouchard is not in favor of this.” Undersheriff Mike McCabe confirmed that. “Anyone who says the sheriff supports the Wolverine project is a liar,” McCabe told Westend. “I told Kinney at this lunch that I’m not looking for a convicted felon to have free access to our community, to come and go to a trade school,” Savoie said. “They kept defending the concept, rather than the location. Kinney said, ‘We want a location that doesn’t feel like a prison, but like

they’re part of society.’ As far as I’m concerned, I don’t know that they’ve earned the right to come and go in our society. As part of it, they would enroll these felons in local schools and trade school, and receive tuition reimbursement. So they’d be out in the community rather than having educators brought into the boot camp. It should be done within their confinement rather than walking the streets of Oakland County. “I’ve got real reservations about locations near our community. I like the concept – any way you can give someone a way to have a trade and let them make money is good. But giving them free reign in our community is not good. How do you make our residents and our law enforcement feel safe? Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson is also against having a private short-term felon boot camp within the county, as is Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper – who was unaware of its possibility until contacted for this article. “I have not heard hide nor hair about this. I’ve never talked to him,” Cooper exclaimed. “It’s essentially a privatized boot camp. It’s a scam. Legally, he can’t do it with juveniles. Further, it incenses me that someone is going around using my name and my colleagues’ names without our permission. It’s just plain fraud. If you want to use my name, or the sheriff’s, or Brooks (Patterson), you better get our permission first.” Oakland County Circuit Court Chief Judge Nanci Grant said she had never heard of the Wolverine Campus Project. Kinney’s spokesperson, Mouradian, said, “Nothing has been finalized in Oakland County, but he has been looking.” As of May 21, the Centerpoint location is a dead deal. Nelson said he received a letter from Kinney stating that he was pulling the Wolverine project from 2000 Centerpoint Parkway. The letter continued, “We are no longer pursuing any site in the city of Pontiac.” Savoie thought that the Wolverine Campus Project had turned to the Centerpoint Parkway site after being turned down on a Southfield site by Southfield officials, but Mouradian could not confirm this and Southfield officials could not be reached. Mouradian confirmed that the team was not looking at any sites in the city of Pontiac at this time, but could not identify where they were looking. She said he may be looking in Macomb or other counties as well as Oakland for an initial site, but was not certain. Prosecutor Cooper also brought up a key question. “Where is the state money coming from? There is no money. Of course you want to help troubled kids. But this is not the way,” she said. The Wolverine Campus Project included a signed letter, dated October 23, 2013, from Jeffrey Seskin of JSS Management in Plymouth, a solid waste management company, which stated that JSS Management, in partnership with its strategic equity partners, would provide Wolverine Campuses a commitment to provide matching funds with the state of Michigan of up to $4 million. hile Seskin did not return repeated calls, Russ Marlin, public information specialist for the Michigan Department of Corrections, said that “We (the state) cannot match funds. We have told them that. They need to find all of their own start up funding, self-fund the project, and then partner with the sheriff.” Unlike Oakland County and local officials, Marlin is in favor of the project, if the details can be worked out. He said he has met with Kinney and his associates several times over the past year. “In concept, what he is trying to do is revolutionary and could be great,” Marlin said. He explained that the department of corrections is experiencing an adjustment to the type of prisoners they are receiving. “What we are seeing is a sharp increase in short-termers, those who are given two-years or less of a sentence. More than 50 percent of our intake each year are these prisoners,” Marlin said. “There’s a misconception that people are sentenced to long prison sentences. About 5,000 inmates per year come to prison with two years or less, and often they have spent time in a county prison for a while, so they get credit for that time, so they may only be in prison for a year or 18 months.” Marlin said that is the group that Kinney and the Wolverine Campus Project boot camp is targeting. “It’s offering prosecutors, defense attorneys

and judges an option, as a way to sentence them, and then move them back into society,” he asserted. “If you go to prison, and let’s say you had a stable home, employment – it would all be severed. You could go to a prison in the UP, for example, away from your job, your family, and all for a short term. We’re really limited to what services and rehabilitation we can offer to those inmates.” Bob Maxfield, interim dean of the School of Education at Oakland University, noted that years ago, Children’s Village of Oakland County had a successful boot camp operated through the court system. “The money for these kinds of services has dried up, leaving youths and young adults with nothing but getting locked up somewhere,” Maxfield said. “My opinion is, the more we have for them, the better. Putting teens in prison is reprehensible. School districts and local colleges can help. When I was superintendent with Farmington Schools, we helped with Children’s Village, as well as Boys’ and Girls’ Republic, which doesn’t exist anymore, that used to be a residential facility on Nine Mile. Farmington Schools provided the educational aspect.” The Wolverine proposal states the educational service provider will be Bay Mills Community College, out of Saginaw, but Mouradian said she currently could not confirm that. While this would technically not be a juvenile boot camp, Marlin said that most offenders who come into the corrections system are a younger demographic, between the ages 18 and 22.

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y state statute, MCL 400.1303, only the department of corrections “shall establish one or more juvenile boot camps to house or train juveniles who are ordered to participate in a juvenile boot camp program after commitment under that section to a county juvenile agency for placement.” Further, MCL 400.1304 states that the program “shall provide a program of physically strenuous work and exercise, patterned after military basic training, and other programming as the department determines, including at a minimum educational and substance abuse programs, and counseling. A juvenile boot camp program shall be restricted to juveniles of the same sex.” Cooper stated that the Wolverine Project, if it ever gets off the ground, must deal with offenders older than 18, because “juvenile facilities must have a license from the Department of Human Services,” she said. “No nongovernmental agency can be licensed, per DHS. It can’t be an overnight treatment, only a daytime treatment center.” However, Marlin said the Wolverine Campus Project could fall under the Prisoner Reimbursement to the County Act of 1984, which states that a county can seek reimbursement of up to $60 a day per prisoner for the cost of maintaining a prisoner. “I told Ralph (Kinney) and the Wolverine people there is a need for this, and a need to house these people. They can do it cheaper than we can. We’re more geared for longer sentences. Our average sentence is 4.5 years, and our average cost per inmate is $34,000,” Marlin said. “If a local judge is going to sentence someone for only a year, maybe it would make more sense for them to stay in their local community.” And keep those correctional dollars local. But there’s a bit of an issue. Those local dollars? The $60 a day for up to 365 days would have go to the county sheriff’s office, and not to the private operator, like Kinney and the Wolverine Campus project. “They must partner with the local sheriff’s office,” Marlin stated emphatically. “We cannot reimburse a private entity. We would pay the sheriff’s office, and they would pay the Wolverine group. Otherwise we would have to accept RFPs (Request for Proposals) from lots of groups, and we don’t do that.” In order to accomplish that, Marlin explained, all parties have to agree to participate in a felon’s plea bargain. “It’s been decided. The person is definitely going to prison. He signs off. The prosecutor signs off, the defense attorney has to sign off, and the circuit court judge has to sign off. All of the parties have to sign off on it for it to go through. Then if the person stays local, the county gets reimbursed by the DOC for up to a year.” Therein lies the rub. While in theory, finding a productive alternative to putting adult youth in prison and throwing away the key sounds ideal, the practicum places risks and burdens upon communities. “Kinney seemed like a very good and very sincere man, who was genuinely caring, genuinely concerned, and he had a genuine interest in helping these felons,” Savoie said. “He’s seen the system, and the system has failed. I just don’t think this is good for our community or any community.” westendmonthly.com

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FACES

Melody Arabo

elody Arabo, 2014-2015 Michigan Teacher of the Year, bustled her third graders into the gymnasium of Walled Lake’s Keith Elementary on May 15 to celebrate the school’s anniversary; but it was Arabo who found herself in the spotlight. “We were told it was an assembly for our 50th anniversary and being ranked the top five percent in the state,” Arabo said. Toward the end of the assembly, Michigan State Superintendent Mike Flanagan made the announcement. Much to her astonishment, about 50 of Arabo’s friends and family were there to join in the celebration. “My husband had known and was able to coordinate all that.” After 12 years of dedication to her students, Arabo’s passion and relentless commitment to her job earned her the coveted honor. “When I went up to the front and realized my whole family was there, it got even more emotional. It was a great surprise and definitely something I won’t forget.” Arabo began her teaching career at the now-closed Maple Elementary School when she was 19 years old. She had been working as a grocery store manager when she heard about the position as a paraprofessional. “I was fortunate enough to get the job and it completely changed the path for my life.” After earning her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and her master’s in curriculum and teaching from Michigan State University, Arabo landed the job as a third grade teacher at Keith Elementary.

The same year she began teaching, she married her husband, Elliott Arabo. The couple moved into a subdivision behind Keith Elementary in West Bloomfield. They had a daughter and twin boys, 4, who all attend the school. “I really get to be part of the community. My husband has a flexible job. My mom helps with the kids and cooking. I’m able to stay really involved while taking care of my kids.” Arabo said she feels fortunate to impact the young lives of her students. “(Third grade) is a nice balance of innocence and independence.” The first class Arabo taught in 2002 is now in college and she has stayed in touch with many former students. “Some (former students) have been my babysitters. It’s nice to have these relationships that last well beyond the year that you spend with them.” As Michigan’s teacher of the year, Arabo is able to attend the State Board of Education meetings every month in Lansing and she will be working with the governor and other state officials. “I’ll have a voice for the teachers.” She will also be given a car for a year and $1,000 will be gifted to the school by Meemic Insurance. As proud as she is to receive the honor, she emphasized the impact the entire school has had on the success of her career and Keith Elementary as a whole. “We have a principal who is top notch. (Principal Phillip Pittman) is so caring and compassionate. It’s also the amount of love and dedication (the staff) puts into the job. We’re like a family.” Story: Katey Meisner

Photo: Jean Lannen

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FACES

Chandler Yatooma

handler Yatooma, co-founder of Classrooms Helping Kids, was on her first trip to Honduras when a homeless little boy approached her and changed her life forever. “His clothes were really dirty and he had no shoes on,” she said. “He asked if I could take him home with me. It made me realize there was all this heartbreak. I knew I couldn’t go back to this happy little life living in West Bloomfield and do nothing.” After graduating from Oakland University, Yatooma, a West Bloomfield resident, taught second grade at Chippewa Valley Schools and worked as a media aid for Bloomfield Hills Schools. She retired early to start Classrooms Helping Kids in 2011 with her friend and fellow teacher, Kristin Cumming. The two had traveled the world and saw a need to rescue orphans in developing countries. “I went to Nicaragua, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Honduras and India. We were in Lima, Peru, and that’s where we came up with the idea for Classrooms Helping Kids.” The organization works with schools, students, and corporate sponsors to provide care and build orphanages in developing countries around the world. “On one end, the most rewarding thing is going to India and seeing these kids in these homes,” she said. “The hope they now have is the best thing, and just seeing the smile on their faces because they have shoes.” Yatooma and Cumming hold assemblies in local school districts that offer children the opportunity to help kids on the opposite side of the world through fundraising.

“We’ve done small things like popsicle sales or spirit week where they pay a dollar to wear a hat. Schools get info about the kids they’re helping. It’s incredible for them to see what they’ve done.” The organization relies on the compassion children in the U.S. have for kids who have so little. “After one assembly, a little girl came up and emptied her pocket and wanted to give me $5. I asked her if the money was for something else. She said it was for her lunch. I told her to have her lunch and tell her parents about Classrooms Helping Kids.” The organization has already built three orphanages in India and is currently building a fourth. Yatooma’s husband, Greg, is a lawyer who has been able to assist with her organization. She also married into a family focused on philanthropy. The Yatooma Foundation, an organization that helps children who have lost a parent, was created because her husband and his siblings lost their father at a young age. “I think it’s awesome to see everything (the Yatooma family) has done and to be able to contribute something to that.” Recently, she gave birth to son, Lachlan. “I feel like my heart grew bigger than I thought it could grow. It gives me a new perspective on loving kids,” she said. “These kids who we help in these orphanages don’t have that love. I want to be that person who can fight for them and be that person they need.” Story: Katey Meisner

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MUNICIPAL Complaint filed on district judge Powers By Kevin Elliott

Oakland County 52-1 District Court Judge Dennis Powers received thousands of dollars in fraudulent mileage reimbursements while being paid to attend non-work-related conferences and golf outings he went to on the county’s dime, according to an eight-count complaint filed with the state’s Judicial Tenure Commission. Powers, who earns $138,272 as a judge at the 52-1 District Court in Novi, made news last year when Fox 2 News reporter Rob Wolchek alleged the judge was taking extended lunch breaks and coming in hours after he was scheduled to be on the bench. However, a 58-page complaint recently filed with the state’s Judicial Tenure Commission indicates the television news report may have been just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the complaint specifically mentions Wolchek’s report, alleging that Powers promised to find the “rat” or “snitch” that gave information to the news media and terminate the person. When Powers eventually learned who reportedly leaked the information to the media, he took steps to ensure that person’s career would be stifled at the court in the future, according to the complaint. Among the allegations in the complaint are that Powers received reimbursements based on fraudulent mileage reports; turned in fraudulent conference reimbursement requests; misused county-issued equipment; failed to perform his duties impartially and failed to follow the law; took part in improper extrajudicial activities; engaged in improper and inappropriate behavior; and misrepresented financial reimbursement claims. Chief Judge Julie Nicholson, with the 52nd District Court, took action last year regarding Powers’ financial reimbursements. The issue resulted in additional oversight by Nicholson, who required she see all reimbursement records before being submitted to the county. According to the complaint, Powers failed to limit his mileage reimbursements to work-related activities, receiving a total of $2,561.74 to which he wasn’t entitled. Additionally, the complaint alleges Powers submitted false mileage reports where he had used dual destinations. For instance, one specific allegation was that Powers 38

Commerce to hire library consultant

lanning is moving forward for the creation of a new Commerce Township Public Library, as the township’s board of trustees at their meeting on Tuesday, June 10, approved hiring a building program consultant to assist in the design of a new building. Board members approved spending up to $12,345 to contract with George Lawson Library Planning of Ames, Iowa, to help develop a building program that will likely guide the design of the future building. The building program is a detailed document and summary of the services and operations the library offers, and what the actual space, collections, technology, staff, and other elements will be needed to supply those services. The building program is, in essence, an early step of the design phase for when form follows the function of a building, and helps the architect understand how the building has to work as a library, both for patrons and staff. “As a former library director who has led a building project in my own community, I understand the need to find the essential balance between the universe of possibilities and the right building solution for the whole community,” Lawson said in a memo. “While this project poses its own set of unique opportunities, I have assisted a number of other libraries in creating solutions of similar scope and intent. By example, several southeast Michigan libraries I have assisted include the Howell District Library, Baldwin Public Library, Clinton Macomb Public Library, the Bloomfield Township Public Library, and the Dearborn Heights Libraries.” Lawson’s contract includes a flat fee of $10,570, which includes two onsite workshops. A third trip may be included at the library’s discretion for the additional fee of $1,775. In approving the contract, the board again discussed the location of where the library would be constructed. While Commerce Township Library Director Connie Jo Ozinga said the planning process will include time for residents to offer input on where the new library would be built, the Library Advisory Board on May 28 approved a motion to recommend to the board of trustees that Dodge Park 5 be the future location for the library.

submitted a reimbursement claim for $23.31 for traveling from Novi to Waterford on July 12, 2012. However, on that specific date, Powers was attending the Michigan Credit Union League & Affiliates Annual Convention and Exhibit from July 11 to 14 at the Grand Traverse Resort, in Acme. The complaint also alleges Powers submitted mileage reimbursement claims and was paid for $354.53 in reimbursements for miles traveled on Saturdays and Sundays. The complaint contends that Powers made fraudulent reimbursement claims for non-workrelated conferences, golf outings and other events. While attending these events, Powers would routinely have court staff schedule “conference days” on his court docket, and failed to use his vacation or personal days to attend non-work-related events. Despite having 20 vacation days and 10 days of annual leave, Powers attended conferences on 41 days in 2012, and 19 days between January 1 and April 30, 2013. The complaint also alleges Powers racked up cellphone bills that totaled more than $700 in one month on a

phone that was to be used for county business. He also used his countyissued laptop computer for non-workrelated business and allowed others to use the computer for personal or business activities. In an apparent attempt to take Fridays off of work, Powers instructed a civil court clerk to create a “ghost docket,” to make it appear as though he had a docket every Friday. However, he instructed the clerk not to send any appearance notices to parties or attorneys included on the ghost docket. The complaint also alleges that Powers routinely showed up to court late, about 10 a.m., when he was to be there at 8:34 a.m. In addition to unauthorized time off and reimbursement issues, the complaint alleges that Powers failed to be impartial or follow the law on several occasions. At least two of those instances involve Powers fixing tickets for former court employees or personal acquaintances without the permission of the prosecutor’s office. In another case, Powers allegedly closed a case and gave early probation to a former Oakland County Sheriff’s Officer who was fired for drunken driving. The officer had

WESTEND

allegedly made threats or statements that he was planning to “put a bullet in the head” of 52-1 District Court Judge Brian MacKenzie. Upon being reminded by a probation officer about the statements and the potential threat to MacKenzie’s safety, Powers allegedly said he, perhaps, should have had the defendant’s home tether removed sooner. The complaint also lists other cases, including the sentencing of a 35-year-old man who was arrested for drunk driving, to whom Powers gave status reserved for offenders 17-years of age or younger. Complaints made to the judicial tenure commission are reviewed and investigated by the commission’s staff, which then makes recommendations for appropriate actions to the Michigan Supreme Court. The Michigan Supreme Court may then take actions based on the recommendations.

Towne Place deed changes approved The Commerce Township Planning Commission on Monday, June 23, approved amendments to the Commerce Towne Place Planned Unit Development (PUD) and the master deed of the Commerce Towne Place. The amendments are part of a proposal by the Commerce Township Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to amend the two documents to allow for the division of some of the DDA property and creation of new parcels so that the land may be sold to developers, as subject to purchase agreements the DDA has made with private developers. The Commerce Towne Place project consists of about 330 acres of land north of M-5 and Pontiac Trail, between Welch and Haggerty Roads. The project area, when complete, will consist of mixed uses of residential developments and commercial and retail use, as well as room for some light industrial and other uses. The project will serve as the future downtown area for Commerce Township. The project area is platted through a PUD document. That document must be amended to reflect a modified purchase agreement that the DDA agreed to with a Farmington Hills developer who will be constructing a single-family residential development. HunterPasteur Homes agreed to purchase about 14.25 acres of land from the DDA for its Wyncliff development, 07.14

which consists of about 39 singlefamily unit homes, ranging from 2,500 to 3,200 square feet. Under the agreement with the developer, the DDA agreed to modify the parcel under contract to better meet the needs of the developer and the township. However, the PUD document, which serves as the guiding document for development of the project area, must be amended to reflect the changes the developer and the DDA stipulated in the purchase agreement. Additionally, the DDA’s master deed of the Commerce Towne Place project will be amended to ensure that pathways in the area can be relocated by the developer at the Wyncliff site. The DDA is also working on a pathways master plan with its engineer that will be added later to the deed. However, the current proposal to amend the deed would refer only to the pathways at the Wyncliff development, according to DDA attorney Tom Rauch, of Kemp Klein law firm in Troy. The issue of pathways came up during the site plan approval process for the Wyncliff project when it was discovered the current pathway, to which the DDA would continue to hold an easement, would cut through the backyard of some of the proposed homes. The developer and township agreed to work together to relocate the pathway in a way that would allow for access by pedestrians, but without being intrusive to potential homeowners. While the township had initially sought to incorporate a pathways master plan into the PUD, that plan is still being considered. “It was our intention to propose a pathway policy and master plan, but as that has evolved, developers and municipal input have questioned whether we have it right, yet,” Rauch said of the master pathway plan and policy.” However, Rauch said the master deed amendment being proposed would allow for the developer to begin construction this summer and to move the pathway to an agreeable location while the larger pathway issue is resolved.

Wolverine Lake 2015 spending plan By Kevin Elliott

The Wolverine Lake Village Council approved its fiscal year 2015 budget, which runs from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015, by a vote of 6-1. Council approved the $2.3 million budget, which was labeled a “break westendmonthly.com

Wyncliff site plan for DDA land passes By Kevin Elliott

he first construction site plan for the Commerce Township Downtown Development Authority (DDA) was approved on Tuesday, June 10, as the township board okayed the plan for the Wyncliff Condominium site. The condominium development is the first project to be approved by the township board inside the DDA’s Commerce Towne Place project area, north of M-5, between Haggerty and Welch Roads. The development consists of nearly 15 acres of land that will include 39 units ranging from 2,500 to 3,200 square feet. The condominiums will have a sale price of between $250,000 and $350,000, according to Farmington Hills-based developer Hunter-Pasteur Homes. In August 2013, Hunter-Pasteur was the second developer to sign a purchase agreement with the DDA for land inside the project area. The entire area consists of about 330 acres, which includes two former golf courses and about 50 acres of former state-owned parkland purchased by the DDA. Hunter-Pasture purchased the land, situated in the northwest corner of the project area, near township hall. The board approved the site plan, but the developer agreed to modify pathways included in the plan to adhere to the Planned Unit Development (PUD) deed which guides all development in the DDA area. The PUD must adhere to the township’s master plan regarding pathways. Township Attorney Phillip Adkison said at the board of trustees meeting that the amendment to the Wyncliff site plan will be presented at the next township board meeting, but that the rest of the plan, outside of the pathway issue, could be approved. “This was the first project where we really encountered the pathway issue,” Adkison said. “I drafted an amendment to the PUD that sets up a process. This went before the planning commission and they approved something quite different than the master pathway plan.” Randy Wertheimer, of Hunter-Pasteur Homes, agreed to modify the pathway to match the township’s plan. The board approved the site plan by a vote of 6-0, with trustee Robert Long not in attendance. even” budget for the village’s general fund. Councilman Ed Sienkiewicz voted against approving the budget as proposed. Sienkiewicz said he was disappointed the budget didn’t include a refund or rebate to village residents in the form of a one-time fee reduction on trash fees. The councilman had proposed the idea in the past as “a way to thank” taxpayers during the tough financial years now that the village appears to be in better financial shape than in the past. “Going through the economic times we did, and the fund balance now being what it is, I thought it would be nice as a one-time gesture to offer a refund or reduction on garbage for one year,” he said. Sienkiewicz brought up the issue because the budget includes setting aside $125,000 for possible land purchases in 2015. While no specific parcels have been identified, council agreed to set aside the funds for future parkland if it becomes available. The $2.3 million budget is comprised of the village’s general fund, major street fund, local street

fund, drug forfeiture fund, and water and sewer fund. The village tax rate was also approved at 9.573 mills, which is what it has been since 1996. The largest portion of the budget includes $725,550, or about 31.2 percent of total expenditures, for the village’s police department; $494,600 or about 21.27 percent of expenditures, for general services; $267,000, or 11.48 percent of expenditures, for rubbish/leave collection; and $280,100, or 12.05 percent of expenditures, for the department of public works. The majority of the villages revenues, or 56.81 percent, come from taxes and penalties, which total about $1.3 million. The budget includes about $171,406 in contributions from the village’s general fund balance, as the budget includes $2.3 million in estimated revenues. Council president John Magee said it’s important to note that while the budget contains a small contribution from the village’s general fund balance, the budget doesn’t include two significant financial items that will come about later in the year. Those items include a

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planned renovation of the village hall and the sale of the village’s Heron Hills property. While official numbers aren’t yet available, Magee said the renovation is expected to total about $360,000, and the sale of property is expected to provide about $550,000 in revenue. “It has a slight reduction in fund balance,” Magee said of the budget, “but we usually beat that number at the end of the year.”

Walled Lake budget, millage rate okayed Public safety operations will be limited to basic core police services and no additional firefighters would be hired should a public safety millage fail to be approved by voters in the August primary election, under a city budget approved Tuesday, June 17, by the Walled Lake City Council. Walled Lake City Manager Dennis Whitt said the 2014-2015 fiscal year budget, which was unanimously approved by council, includes service options that the city will institute based on whether two millages included on the August ballot are approved by voters. Those millages include a new 3.95-mill tax levy dedicated to funding fire and police service for the next five years, as well as the renewal of an existing library millage. While the fiscal year 2015 budget approved by city council doesn’t provide for closing any facilities or departments under the funding scenarios, city officials say such closures are inevitable should both the millages fail. “This budget makes changes and keeps services if the millage doesn’t pass,” Whitt said. “From my point of view, I support the library millage and the public safety millage. We are doing some restructuring if the budget passes as proposed.” Under the approved budget, which runs from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015, the city would contribute $356,859 from its existing fund balance to cover a shortfall in the $4.3 million in expenditures. The budget calls for cutting a full-time clerical position at city hall, as well as a full-time position at the Walled Lake Library. The budget also calls for hiring one additional full-time police officer. However, Walled Lake Finance Director Colleen Coogan said that position may not be filled if the public safety millage doesn’t pass. Under the approved budget the police department would have six full-time patrol officers to staff a single 24-hour shift, supplemented 39

with part-time officers as needed. If the public safety millage isn’t approved, “the ranks will be further reduced to only accommodate the most basic core police services,” staff stated. The fire department will keep four full-time firefighters to staff a single 24-hour shift, supplemented with professional on-call and parttime firefighters as needed. If the public safety millage is approved, the staffing levels will include four fulltime firefighters and two part-time firefighters under the budget. The department of public works will include four full-time crew members to service city roads, parks, water and other public works functions from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., to be supplemented with part-time staff as needed. General government management and administrative personnel will be held at minimum levels to provide core service operations. Whitt said in early May that without the public safety millage, it’s unlikely that the city will be able to keep police and fire services operating at adequate levels. Coogan said at the meeting that the library would forced to close in about two to three years if the library millage renewal isn’t approved. City council also approved city millage rates for the 2015 fiscal year at a total of 17.7347 mills, which includes 15.9525 mills for the city’s general operating millage; a 1963 library millage of 0.7975 mills; and a 2004 library millage of 0.9846. Walled Lake resident Susan Helke questioned council whether it was being frugal with the budget and delaying expenditures that aren’t necessary. “Over the past couple of years, I’ve seen you cut the police department and see the reasons why, but others I don’t understand,” she said. “A few months ago, you voted to give $3,000 to the Lakes Area Youth Assistance, and spent money on a new ‘jaws of life’ for the fire department. I don’t know if it’s needed or not. A couple of years ago, you gave a huge raise to the city manager and hired an assistant financial person. For a city of 7,000 people, I’m wondering what kinds of things you do with income that isn’t disposable that isn’t talked about. When you say you have to cut services, what is that?” City council members did not respond to her questions.

Wise Road Park plan presented By Kevin Elliott

Commerce Township would likely spend more than $19 million over two decades to improve some 518 acres of parkland along Wise Road under a concept plan presented on Tuesday, June 24, to the Commerce Parks and 40

Traffic study still under review By Kevin Elliott

$20,000 traffic study commissioned in November by the Commerce Township Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and completed by engineers months ago is still being evaluated.. The DDA on Nov. 19, 2013 contracted with Fleis & Vandenbrink engineering of Farmington Hills to conduct a traffic study of the DDA project area and surrounding roads. The study is to include the development of a computerized traffic model to illustrate future traffic flows and patterns. The model, which is to include traffic flows along Martin Parkway, Richardson and other roads going in and out of the Commerce Towne Place project area, can also be used to present the DDA’s vision to potential developers, as well as the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) Commerce DDA Director Kathleen Jackson said the traffic study is still in the process of being evaluated and recommendations are being discussed with the RCOC, which would have to give approval to some measures. “There are no big surprises, we have a traffic back-up every day,” Jackson said about the study’s overall findings and consistent traffic congestion along Martin Parkway from vehicles traveling to and from Union Lake Road. Findings from the study were to be presented to the DDA board in April, but the presentation was tabled. The presentation was anticipated for the June 17 DDA meeting, but Jackson said on Thursday, June 5, that she was still awaiting some discussions to take place with the RCOC before presenting the findings. Jackson said in November that previous traffic studies conducted in the area are outdated and no longer relevant to the current traffic counts and development plans. For instance, previous projections estimated about 45,000 vehicles would travel along Martin Parkway on a daily basis. However, counts conducted just months after the roundabouts were constructed showed about 68,000 vehicles were using the roadway. Michael Labadie of Fleis & Vandenbrink said in November that a computerized traffic model will be able to project accurate traffic counts, patterns and potential problems under multiple scenarios by plugging in different variables, such as specific commercial or residential developments. Labadie said the study will look at traffic inside and outside of the DDA area in order to determine what effects future development will have on a larger scale. That information is then entered into a computerized model to forecast traffic trips and predict traffic patterns. The model can be modified to account for specific land uses and other changes. Recreation Committee. The concept plan, which was created and presented by Living Lab Detroit, includes the development of a soccer complex, redesigning Wise Road through the park, and a number of additional developments, such as a dog park, playgrounds, walking trails and a campground. In January, the township board of trustees approved spending about $14,000 to contract with Living Lab Detroit to develop a concept plan for the property, which was purchased by the township in 2011 for about $4 million. The parkland, of which the majority is located on the north side of Wise Road, is subject to deed restrictions placed on the land by the state. Under the restrictions, property on the north side of Wise Road may only have “passive uses,” which would prohibit the construction of most structures or recreational activities that would alter the character of the land, including the removal of any trees. That leaves about 75 acres of land on the south side of Wise Road available for additional recreation, such as soccer

fields, ball fields, playgrounds and other uses. Under the concept plan, the majority of the development would take place on the south side of Wise Road, between Carroll Lake and Union Lake roads, which was once home to a Nike missile site which was deactivated in 1974 and demolished in 1994. The township razed the remaining buildings left over from the Cold War after purchasing the property from the state of Michigan. Leah Groya and Jamison Brown of Living Lab Detroit, who presented the plan to the committee, said the plan was developed after taking input from stakeholders, which also included an April 29 workshop attended by about 40 members of the public. “We went back to the office and tried to blend the different ideas and take the best elements of them all,” Brown said. “We used site topography and other elements. The schematic plan has some major elements, which are further broken down in more detail in the concept plan.” Major elements on the north side

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of the property would be devoted to trails, which would include several trailheads that would allow them to be connected to the surrounding neighborhoods. The plan also includes a paved walking trail that would span about eight miles, ringing both the north and south portions of the property and would incorporate about 700 feet of bridges and boardwalks to span wetlands and creeks in the park. Smaller, unpaved trails would also exist throughout the northern portion of the park. Because the property is bisected by Wise Road, the plan calls for redesigning the roadway through the park to make it safer for pedestrians crossing the roadway, and to allow for a more cohesive feel to the park. “At the moment, Wise Road is a pretty high speed road that cuts the park in two,” Brown said. “One idea was to reconfigure the road, and basically create an entrance point at either end, with a parkway that would unify the park and create safer crossings to make it seem like you are driving through the park, rather than a dangerous road.” The majority of the development at the park would be restricted to some 75-acres of parkland south of Wise Road. Major elements in the plan include an eight-field soccer complex, which would include one artificial turf field; a 10-acre dog park; a playground area; some manicured, open fields; a nature center; two camping areas, with accommodations for group outings and individual camping; and enough parking to facilitate all activities. Brown said the soccer complex, which would cost about $3.8 million, would range from 20 to 25 acres. The complex would include one artificial turf field, which would allow for greater use, as well as parking for more than 35 spots per field. The complex would also include bleachers and the possibility of lighting, to allow for evening games. Chris Haney, of CW3 Soccer, said the organization would be willing to contribute to covering some of the costs of the soccer complex. While Haney said eight fields typically wouldn’t be enough to host all the organization’s events at one location, the addition of the artificial turf field would help accommodate events. “One would be field turf, which provides more use,” Haney said. “More could be field turf, but it’s really just a matter of cost. We would like to have as many fields at one location as we can.” The southern portion of the park would also allow for buffer, or transition, zones between the different areas of the park, which could be used for picnicking or other activities. The cost to develop the southern portion of the park, not including the soccer complex, would be about $12.3 million. The redesign of Wise Road 07.14

through the park would cost an estimated $3.8 million. Funding the improvements will depend heavily on whether voters approve a park improvement and land acquisition millage renewal this August. Additional funding sources could include state and federal grants. Likewise, Haney said CW3 may be willing to contribute to the cost of some development. Some members of the public questioned whether the park would include tennis or volleyball courts. However, committee member and township trustee Bob Berkheiser said most of the tennis courts in the township don’t get used. “Most of the tennis courts don’t get used because people don’t use the parks that much in general,” Haney responded. “People don’t go there when they don’t feel as safe. There is room at a park this size to put in some sand volleyball, tennis and other courts that we would be glad to take care of because our kids would use it. At the end of the day, if we are given permission to do a project like this at a facility like this, we would be happy to fund it.” Committee member Peter Pace commended Living Lab representatives for their plan. “This is a fair compromise of what we can give the residents of Commerce Township,” he said, adding he would like to see some kayak facilities incorporated into the plan. Brown said the next steps in the plan are to refine the plan further and develop a phasing plan to implement developments and define cost estimates. Additional details on the plan are expected to be provided to the township in the following month.

Council divided on renovation plans Stucco walls, leaking windows and cramped office space will soon be a distant memory at the Wolverine Lake Village Hall, as council members on Wednesday, June 25, approved spending up to $378,636 on renovations to the aging building at a special council meeting. Council members voted 5-2 in favor of the project, which will include replacing the exterior with a stronger, weather-resistant “hardy board” material made from fiber cement; an expansion of a first floor conference room; renovations to the police department; a revamped entrance; and additional features. Plans to renovate areas of the building have been in the works for more than a year, as the village council in May 2013 approved a contract with Design Resources to provide ideas and concepts for building improvements, including windows, signs, lighting and landscaping and other features of the westendmonthly.com

exterior of the building. The improvements are intended to improve the look of the building, as well as provide extra protection from weather and maintenance improvements. The renovations will also include improving access to the building. Renovation plans are available for viewing at the Wolverine Lake Village Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Council president John Magee said the initial idea behind the project came from the cost to maintain the building, which averages about $7,000 to $8,000 each year, due to the dated and stucco material. Further, he said conference space is too small on the first floor, and many small renovations in the police department over the years have resulted in the building no longer being up to code. Council agreed to approve the contract with an expenditure of up to $378,636, with the architect revisiting the plans and providing alternatives that could reduce the cost. That plan will be presented to council in the future. Council members Ed Sienkiewicz and Patrick Nagy voted against approving the project bid, asserting the plans were excessive for the community. “The building you came up with is beautiful, there’s no doubt about it,” Sienkiewicz told architect Dave Donnellon, of Design Resources. “But I think there’s a lot of frills in here that aren’t something we really need.” Sienkiewicz cited the addition of a metal roof on the building – which representatives with ACS Building agreed cost as much as three times as much as a shingle roof – as well as other aesthetic features that he said drive up the cost of the project, and which don’t appear to be entirely necessary. “Also, 20 years ago, we had a treasurer, an administrator and clerk, a police chief and eight full-time officers, and a dispatcher,” Sienkiewicz said, citing the reduced staff working at the existing building. “I look at the current building, and I don’t think it’s something that will have people wanting to move into Wolverine Lake – it’s the lake and the police and safety.” Nagy agreed with Sienkiewicz, saying that while he has heard positive remarks from residents about the proposed building renovations, he has also heard some criticism. Nobody from the public spoke in favor or against the project at the meeting. “It might not be up to council to tweak the project, but we are controlling the money, and it’s up to us to make sure we aren’t doing things foolishly,” Nagy said. “I don’t think we have to go back to square one, but it keeps getting bigger and bigger. I’ve heard comments from residents, some who say they don’t see us spending that kind of money on this building.”

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