Plymouth City Commission Approves New Name for 'No-Cannon' Park

Cannon Park is now known as Starkweather Park.

Cannon Park, located on the corner of Farmer and North Mill Streets in Plymouth's Old Village, took its name from the old war cannon that sat there since 1967.  But ever since the cannon was moved to the Plymouth Community Veterans Memorial Park several years ago, Cannon Park became known as "No-Cannon" Park.  Earlier this week, at the request of Mark Oppat and the Old Village Association (OVA), Plymouth City Commission members voted to approve a name change resolution, renaming Cannon Park as Starkweather Park.  "It's senseless to call it Cannon Park anymore, so I looked at it and thought, 'okay we should come up with a new name before anyone else does,'" Oppat said.   Suggested names like Farmer Park and Gazebo Park were thrown around …

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Filing Deadline for Plymouth City Commission is May 14

Candidates must have submitted their petitions by 4 p.m. on May 14 and must be registered Plymouth voters with the valid signatures of 25-40 registered voters.

The filing deadline for the Plymouth City Commission is quickly approaching. Candidates must have submitted their petitions by 4 p.m. on May 14. According to the Clerk's website, potential candidates must turn in petitions with valid 25-40 registered voters in the City of Plymouth and complete the Affidavit of Identity for Campaign Finance at Wayne County Elections. There will be four seats vacated in November on the City Commission, according to the website. Three seats will be for four years and the fourth seat is for the lowest votes and will be a two year seat on the City Commission. According to the Plymouth City Commission website, the four terms ending include Mayor Dan Dwyer, Commissioner Diane Bogenrieder, Commissioner Ron …

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Starting Over: Officials Cancel City-Church Parking Lot Deal

The City of Plymouth and First Church of Christ, Scientist have agreed to cancel their pending purchase agreement and start negotiations from scratch.

Plymouth's plan to buy land owned by a downtown church and turn it into a parking lot is being re-evaluated. According to an article in the Observer & Eccentric, officials from the city and the First Church of Christ, Scientist have mutually decided to cancel a pending purchase agreement and re-start negotiations from scratch. The original plan was for the city to buy much of the property at Ann Arbor Trail and Harvey Street for $775,000 and use it for approximately 100 more parking spaces. >>Read what City Commissioners had to say about the original purchase plan. Mayor Dan Dwyer told the Observer & Eccentric that figuring out how church members would access their property in the middle of the parking lot became too complicated of an …

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Plymouth Honors City Employees Who Served in Afghanistan

City Commission honors municipal services worker Anthony Atiyeh, police officer Jeff Jones, who returned safely from Afghanistan.

Plymouth police officer Jeff Jones was back on duty Sunday for St. Patrick's Day, wearing a different uniform than he had sported for much of the past year.  Jones, an Army reservist in the Jackson-based 303rd Military Police Company, returned from Afghanistan in January after deployment in May 2012. Jones and fellow soldier Anthony Atiyeh, a municipal services employee for the city, were honored Monday at a Plymouth City Commission meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Mike Wright, a Vietnam veteran, issued a proclamation for the veterans, lauding their service accomplishments and safe return home, and issued both a commemorative coin bearing the Operation Enduring Freedom ribbon and a message thanking them for their service. Jones said while he was …

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Northville, Plymouth Leaders Worried About PPT Revenue Loss

Cities expected to feel effects of personal property tax phase-out beginning in 2014.

Plymouth and Northville could feel the pinch of lost revenue from the phased-out elimination of the Personal Property Tax, leaders from both cities said Monday during a joint meeting in Northville between the municipalities' leadership and state legislators.  In Michigan, the PPT refers to a tax on commercial and industrial equipment and furniture that is captured by municipalities. Gov. Rick Snyder signed a lame-duck session bill in 2012 to repeal the PPT over 10 years, but the law will take effect for small businesses—which constitute much of Plymouth and Northville's respective business bases—in 2014. The phase-out begins in 2016 for larger manufacturers. By repealing the tax, towns such as Plymouth and Northville are left wondering how…

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Northville, Plymouth City Officials to Hold Joint Meeting With Colbeck, Heise

City officials to meet 6:30 p.m. Monday at Northville City Hall.

City officials from Plymouth and Northville will get a face-to-face meeting Monday with state legislators representing the community. Rep. Kurt Heise, R-Plymouth, and Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton, represent both Plymouth and Northville. The meeting, set for 6:30 p.m. Monday at Northville City Hall, is the second such joint meeting between the cities and their shared representatives. Plymouth hosted Colbeck and Heise in 2012, where the parties discussed the benefits of shared services between communities. 

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Video Cameras Coming to Downtown Plymouth's Sidewalk Cafes

Plymouth City Commission approved security measure at Jan. 21 meeting.

Public Hearing Tonight About Revocation of Rock Bar & Grill's Liquor License

No decision will be made tonight, but public invited to weigh in on fate of business' liquor license.

The public is asked to weigh in tonight on the Rock Bar & Grill, a downtown Plymouth establishment that could face revocation of its state-issued liquor license after numerous City of Plymouth Liquor Management Ordinance violations, according to a meeting packet for today's 7 p.m. Plymouth City Commission meeting.  A public hearing is set for the meeting tonight at Plymouth City Hall. The city will not make a decision after tonight's hearing, however, opting to wait until after a second public hearing on Jan. 7, when the business' lawyer will be present.  "Recommending revocation to the State of Michigan Liquor Control Commission is a viable option that the city has in its (Liquor Management) Ordinance," City Manager Paul Sincock states in…

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Plymouth City Commission OKs Purchase of Police Cars

City to buy 2 police vehicles for $27,258.30 apiece.

The Plymouth City Commission on Monday authorized the purchase of two police vehicles for $27,258.30 apiece from Lou LaRiche Chevrolet in Plymouth. The vehicles, both 2013 Chevy Caprice patrol cars, will replace a 2009 Chevy Tahoe and 2009 Ford Crown Victoria, the latter of which no longer is in production, City Manager Paul Sincock said. The price of the two cars falls within the $75,000 the city had budget under its vehicle replacement program, Sincock said. He said the city anticipates having to replace the cars within the next 3-4 months. Sincock said Lou LaRiche Chevrolet in Plymouth was able to sell the vehicles at state bid price, so the city is opting to buy the patrol cars locally.

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Plymouth Sets New Parking Violation Fees

First-time violators will receive courtesy ticket, with increases of $25 for subsequent offenses up to $75.

While the Plymouth City Commission rejected a plan Monday to establish four different parking "zones" downtown to prevent drivers from skirting established time limits on downtown parking spaces, commissioners unanimously accepted a graduated parking fine system, which would spare first-time violators from paying a fee. Under the new plan, first-time parking violators will receive a "courtesy ticket" instructing them where they can park for longer periods of time. The ticket carries no fines or legal obligations. The new fee schedule will take effect when the city receives handheld parking readers, which scan license plates to indicate how long a car has been parked. Currently, a parking ordinance officer makes the rounds downtown, marking…

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