Hamtramck Review

The 2010 Metrotimes Blowout

csercombe — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:34:24 +0000

Click on this link to see a fabulous set of videos by Carleton Gholz.

Here are some photo highlights from The 2010 Metrotimes Blowout by Walter Wasacz, Charles Sercombe and Ian Perrotta.

BLOWOUT 2010

csercombe — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:08:39 +0000

Here are some shots of The 2010 Blowout. Photos by Walter Wasacz. Charles Sercombe and Ian Perrotta.

Spring sports season to start soon for Hamtramck

csercombe — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:50:40 +0000

Get ready for some upcoming coverage of the Cosmos spring sports teams.

In the case of Sterling Oil, safety must come first

csercombe — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:49:22 +0000

Patience.
That’s what we suggest the folks at Sterling Oil get used to while waiting for the city to sign off on their plan to install eight new fuel tanks.
By the way one of the owners reacted to the City Council’s wish to have the Fire Department look into installing a fire safety system, you’d think the city was not being business-friendly.
Considering that one of the fuel tanks at the Sterling plant exploded and caused a massive fire last August, it’s in the best interest of everyone to proceed cautiously. That fire had the potential to devastate the neighborhood near the plant and also posed a serious threat to the lives of firefighters.
It’s puzzling how tone-deaf the company is to the community’s concerns. But we stress that ultimately the city should approve the installation of the new tanks because, yes, this is a tax-paying company and a company that has performed safely in the past.
That fire proved that the city and the Fire Department had a well-organized safety plan to combat a fire of that size. Detroit and Wayne County safety workers came to the aid of Hamtramck as planned.
Insisting that additional safety steps be taken is not an unreasonable requirement.
We wish Sterling Oil well in the future and welcome its expansion. It’s just that matters like this require a little more time and little more scrutiny.

A final song and dance to Black History Month

csercombe — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:48:19 +0000

By Ian Perrotta
Review Staffwriter
There was a lesson to be learned last Friday at Dickinson West Elementary School. And it was taught by the students.
To cap a month-long observance of Black History Month, the students of Dickenson West put on a presentation to commemorate the struggles and triumphs of African-Americans. Titled “A Journey from the Past to the Present and into the Future,” the hour-and-a-half long program was packed full of entertainment and information.
The afternoon began with the Dickinson West Choir singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song often referred to as the Black National Anthem. The song featured a terrific solo by Kosciuszko Middle School student Dominique Davis and was followed by a liturgical dance performed by sixth-grader Lorene Walker.
After another song by the choir, which was enthusiastically led by Karonna Funderburg and Holly Gilbert, keynote speaker and Wayne State University Professor Yul Allen gave a brief presentation that asked the students if they were “daring to do the impossible.” The microphone was then handed to principal Corey Pitts, who told the story of how Black History Month came to be.
Another choir song showcased the vocal talent of custodian Eric Porter, and the event then spotlighted several students who gave in-character biographical monologues of several prominent African-Americans throughout history. The Dickinson Dancers then took the stage to perform an African dance.
Next up was a rousing rendition of African-American poet Maya Angelo’s poem “Still I Rise.” Enacted by a troupe of female students, each girl spoke a stanza of the poem then posed on stage until the end, when they united together to speak the poem’s final verse. If you ask anyone who was there, they will tell you the girls nailed it.
That performance was followed by a poetical tribute read by student Terrianna Wallace about former fifth-grade student Airic Powell, her nephew who passed away in early February from an asthma attack. Being a Michael Jackson fan, Powell would have appreciated the segueing routine by sixth-grader Dakota Travis-Gilmore, who danced to a mix of Jackson’s greatest hits. Imitating both Jackson’s moves and style – complete with fedora and one sparkly glove – Travis-Gilmore moonwalked his way through one thriller of a show.
The event was concluded by a final song by the choir with solos by Davis and second-grader Genesis Fitzpatrick, but not before a special dedication was made. As a way to show appreciation for the actions of others, each year the program is dedicated to someone who has had an impact on the community. This year the program was dedicated to School Board President Titus Walters and the late community advocate and black activist James Sephers.

State police likely to look at contract

csercombe — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:46:43 +0000

By Charles Sercombe
It looks like a check issued to a Christian-based organization by the city will end up in the hands of state police investigators.
Or so a majority of the City Council wishes.
On Monday, the council met in a work session to go over documents regarding the payment of $13,000 to Acts 29 Foundation for blight maintenance work it performed in 2009. Acts 29, headquartered in Hamtramck, was hired by the Michigan State Housing and Development Authority to hire homeless and unemployed people to clean up lots.
While that deal may sound innocent, it has taken on the air of trial of the century in City Council chambers.
Councilmember Cathie Gordon has insinuated that there may be criminal wrongdoing and is seeking to have the state police step in.
The main part of her contention is that City Manager Bill Cooper did not have the authority to issue the group a check for $13,000 because the City Council never approved a contract with the group.
The state required the city to kick in money to get the work done. Cooper has admitted repeatedly that the contract fell between the cracks and admitted he was wrong to not first get council’s OK to hire the group.
During Monday’s three-hour meeting, tension grew as Gordon continued to grill Cooper and his staff over the matter. At one point Councilmember Catrina Stackpoole called Gordon “crazy” and said she was making a big deal over nothing.
Cooper also questioned why the council continued the investigation saying it was being “beat to death.” He has also repeatedly admitted his staff had ample opportunities to catch the error but failed to do so.
He also pointed out that thousands of checks are issued by the city without error.
“One check, we missed it,” he said.
Councilmember Kazi Miah, who claimed this incident was a charter violation, replied: “You say it’s one, but it’s one too many for me.”
Mayor Karen Majewski asked Miah what specific charter violation occurred, to which Miah remained silent. As it turns out, there is no specific charter violation but there may have been a violation of the city’s purchasing ordinance.
Cooper pointed out that in order to get a state police investigation, the council will have to claim there was criminal wrongdoing. The council later compiled five “findings” – most of which were already outlined by Cooper in a letter summing up the chain of events on the matter.
The council had a special meeting scheduled for Thursday evening to decide whether to seek a state police investigation. The Review went to press before the meeting.
Councilmember Stackpoole said she would vote for a state police investigation even though she doesn’t think a criminal act occurred. She said she wanted the transaction to be cleared for the record and then be able to tell Gordon that she is “crazy.”
“I’m tired of this crap,” Stackpoole said. “I’m tired of listening to her (Gordon) for three hours and make BS accusations and hurt good people.”
In a role switch, Gordon, the would-be prosecutor in this matter, was the subject of an investigation a year ago over whether she was truly a resident of the city. At that time, she called the matter a “witch hunt.” The council called off the investigation after reaching an agreement with Gordon where she admitted partial fault for muddying up her residency status.

City’s Master Plan effort wants your input on parks

csercombe — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:41:34 +0000

By Ian Perrotta
Review Staffwriter
The Hamtramck Master Plan wants your input, and the timing couldn’t be better.
A recent e-mail from Leah Murphy of Interface Studios – the group in charge of writing the city’s new plan – gave a brief update of the revision process and asked for assistance in completing a survey. It’s topic? Parks and Recreation.
In the e-mail, Murphy wrote that there were some “pretty big parks and recreation related moves” under consideration, including what to do with the bleachers in Veterans Park and whether creating new park space should be a part of the Master Plan.
“It’s important that we get a sense of what the community would like to see in terms of parks and recreation facilities in order for us to move in the right direction,” she said.
To get that sense of what the community wants, Interface Studio has placed a parks and recreation survey on the Hamtramck Master Plan website. So far, 125 people have completed the online survey in addition to the over 90 high school students who filled it out in school.
If taking the survey online is not an option, there are also paper surveys available. An effort by the City of Hamtramck is currently being coordinated to distribute the surveys throughout the town, which can then be turned in (by March 19) to Community and Economic Development Director Jason Friedmann at his office in City Hall.
The next meeting of the revision process for Hamtramck’s Master Plan will be held in approximately four weeks. An exact date and location have yet to be determined, but the focus of the meeting will be on preliminary recommendations for the plan. Before you go be sure to fill out the parks and recreation survey at http://tinycc/hamtramcksurvey.

Town meeting will be held to discuss the future of city parks

csercombe — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:40:42 +0000

By Ian Perrotta
Review Staffwriter
Spring is in the air, and parks are on the mind.
At least that’s the way it seems after parks have been the topic of two recent meetings in Hamtramck.
During the last Civic Engagement Initiative meeting the overwhelming sentiment was that there is a need for more parks in the city, and that a meeting should be held to discuss how do make that a reality. And at February’s meeting of the Recreation Commission, the governing body was asked to provide their input into the city’s new Master Plan.
The result of the latter meeting was the decision to hold a special forum before the March meeting of the Recreation Commission to specifically discuss parks and how to incorporate them into the new Master Plan. The meeting will be held at 5:00 p.m. on March 24 in the lower level of the Community Center, with the regular meeting starting at 6:00 p.m.
It will be an opportunity for residents to voice their opinions regarding anything park-related. This includes everything from ideas on where parks should be placed and how they may impact a neighborhood to concerns over how to make them successful.
The meeting will also offer a chance to discuss a recent proposal to reuse playground equipment from closed-down schools in Detroit. Suggested by commission member and City Councilman Tom Jankowski, the idea was discussed at the February commission meeting by Recreation Department Supervisor Craig Daniels, who said that several playscapes were already being considered for use.
According to Daniels, the playscapes that he looked at were going to be demolished by the schools they were located at and could essentially be obtained for the cost of removal and installation. He said that after visiting seven or eight schools searching for equipment suitable for the 2-5 age group, there were a few that had some potential.
“Two or three of them got me really excited,” he said.

Social agency is offering a scholarship for graduating seniors

csercombe — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:34:57 +0000

By Ian Perrotta
Review Staffwriter
If you are a graduating senior in Hamtramck, Hamtramck United Social Services (HUSS) has an offer for you – a $250 scholarship, and all you have to do is apply.
The scholarship was announced at a recent meeting of HUSS, which is an agency that unites the various social service organizations around town. At monthly meetings, each organization presents its latest news in a roundtable discussion.
This year, the organization had a little extra money and the group decided to create a scholarship. Now all that is needed are applicants. Applications will be reviewed by a three-member panel of HUSS members, with scoring based on a set criteria.
The scholarship is open to all graduating high school seniors who both live and attend school in Hamtramck. Applicants must have proof of continuing post-high school education, whether it is college, vocational training or military service. Additionally, applicants must write an essay that demonstrates recent community-based volunteerism that has benefitted Hamtramck.
The essay should be no longer than 500 words, and should be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a Hamtramck community-based agency/organization/project with which the applicant has served. Also needed is proof of a 3.0 or higher GPA. Application forms are available at each high school’s counseling office and the postmark deadline for mailing them in is May 1.

Census Road Tour makes stop in Hamtramck

csercombe — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:33:50 +0000

By Ian Perrotta
Review Staffwriter
Last Friday the 2010 Census Road Tour rolled into Hamtramck. It was in town to raise awareness for the upcoming US Census.
Every 10 years the population of the country is counted in order to determine the allotment of federal funds each community receives, among several other reasons. Because the amount of funding is directly tied to population, local officials are activiely involved in spreading the word.
The event was attended by State Rep. Burt Johnson as well as Wayne County Commissioner Moe Blackwell, who each spoke about the importance of the census. Also giving a brief presentation was Hamtramck City Councilmember Kazi Miah, who gave an apt analogy on what the census is and how it is used.
Miah stated that the next 10 years could be likened to a road trip. In order for a road trip to be successful a route must be carefully planned to make there is enough space for everyone and there is enough money. Failure to do so, Miah said, could result in some discomfort for the passengers. Similarly, the success of the next 10 years is contingent on planning for the right circumstances.
“I’m not here as a councilman, but as a father,” said Miah. “The census is one of the most important things that will happen in my daughter’s life over the next 10 years.”
During the event, several of Hamtramck’s ethnic communities were targeted to participate. Representatives from the Bangladeshi, Bosnian, Yemen and Polish communities all spoke about getting the word out to members of their population. The event concluded with a call to action and various types of cultural entertainment.