3020 Caniff, Hamtramck, MI 48212 • (313) 874-2100Volume 11 No. 38

September 20, 2019

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Quick Hits

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Clarification… In lastweek’s City Life column,writer Walter Wasaczwrote about his frustra-tion in getting the cityadministration to live upto its promise to installnew crosswalks nearschools and other traf-fic/pedestrian safety is-sues.

He said that emails tothe administration wentunanswered.

However, at the insis-tence of City ManagerKathy Angerer, Wasaczchecked his junk mailfile, and yes, indeed,she had answered hisconcerns in a timelyfashion.

The Review apolo-gizes for the oversight.

Reminder… Liketacos and helping outthe needy?

Detroit FriendshipHouse is hosting a tacobuffet today, Friday,Sept. 20 from 4-8 p.m.at the HamtramckMoose Lodge, locatedat 9421 Conant (westside, between Doremusand Comstock Streets).

The cost for the all-you-can-eat event is $7per person, and all pro-ceeds go toward helpingthe DFH feed other hun-gry families in turn.Continued on page 2

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By Alan MadlaneA Detroit neighborhood

revitalization project islikely to have a spillovereffect for Hamtramck.

And a familiar businessname is heavily involved.More on that momentarily.

In a recent article inCrain’s Detroit, severalDetroit city departmentsare combining to formu-late a neighborhood de-velopment plan, to buildor remodel various exist-ing buildings or now-va-cant sites into housing,stores or restaurants inthe Banglatown area ofDetroit.

This is the area roughlybordered by Davison tothe north, the railroadtracks west of I-75 to thewest, Carpenter to thesouth, and Conant to the

east.The city has been solicit-

ing bids by developers, anda number of sites havedrawn concrete plans.

Prominent among thebuildings awaiting bid

quotes was the two-storyone at 12449 Conant thatonce housed a strip barnamed Starvin’ Marvin’sand then a club called theAdult Playground.

The deadline for those

quotes had been set atlast week Friday, Aug. 30.

Bingham Farms devel-oper MHT Housing has anambitious plan of its own.It seeks to build a nearly

By Charles SercombeAs they say in baseball,

it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.GM is now offering to

keep its Poletown andLordstown, Ohio plantsopen, if UAW membersagree to contract termslaid out by the automaker.

The United Auto Work-ers went on strike thispast Sunday, shuttingdown work at all GMplants.

Several months ago,GM announced that itwas closing the Poletownand Lordstown plants, aswell as one in Warren andanother in Canada. Thecompany said it was shift-ing its production to elec-tric cars and driverlesscars.

Poletown is slated toclose down this January.

GM is now offering tobuild electric pick-upsthere, and batteries atthe Lordstown plant.

By Charles SercombeIn the coming months,

Hamtramck City Hall willget a new name and anew look.

Or, maybe not.Some members of the

city council bristled atthe $200,000 cost esti-mate for the project.

Councilmember IanPerrotta was straightfor-ward in his concern: “It

seems like a lot ofmoney.”

The project includesgiving the building a newfaçade, and making theentrance compliant withthe Americans with Dis-abilities Act -- which ittechnically is not, saidCity Manager Kathy An-gerer.

Angerer also pointed

‘Banglatown’ development hassome high rollers on board

Poletownplant maysurvive

Continued on page 2

City officials fretover the cost of acity hall upgrade

CALLTODAY:

Continued on page 4

There are big development plans for the Banglatown neighborhood just north ofthe Detroit-Hamtramck border. It is hoped that development will eventually spillover into Hamtramck.

Plans call for renovating the entrance to HamtramckCity Hall. The building will also be renamed theRobert Kozaren Municipal Center, in honor of the latemayor.

UAW members are strik-ing at all of GM’s autoplants, including the Po-letown plant.

The UAW wants all fourplants to remain open.

News of the Poletownclosure came as a shockto many, including Ham-tramck officials.

Hamtramck relies onGM as a major revenuesource. Part of the Pole-town plant is on the Ham-tramck side of the Detroitborder.

Hamtramck receivesabout $800,000 a year inlieu of taxes. That loss ofrevenue would be devas-tating to the city. Sincethe announcement of theplant’s closing, officials

here are still scramblingto figure out ways to ad-just the budget.

GM’s offer to keep theplant open raises morequestions than answers.

The major question is,just how sincere is GMabout keeping the plantopen?

Could this just be a bar-gaining chip?

It also raises the ques-tion of whether GM wouldcontinue to make itsyearly payment to the city.

City Manager Kathy An-gerer has been in contactwith GM during the pastseveral months, alongwith state economic de-velopment officials, tocome up ways to keep theplant operating, or elsesuggestions for repurpos-

ing it.The Review asked An-

gerer this week if she hadany inside knowledge ofthe plant’s future.

She would only say thatshe has “none to share.”

The UAW strike is pre-dicted, by those knowl-

edgeable about the mat-ter, to possibly last sev-eral weeks to even a fewmonths.

One striker The Reviewtalked to, said unionmembers are “preparedto stay here as long as ittakes.”

2 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 Friday, September 20, 2019

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Hamtramck Housing Commission(HHC) does not discriminate on thebasis of race, color, religion, nationalorigin, sex, handicap or familial status

Toddler Time - Thurs-days, 11:30 a.m.-12:30p.m. September 12-De-cember 19. Children upto age 5 and their par-ents and caregivers areinvited for stories &songs followed by play-time.

Detroit Fringe FestivalPresents “The CloudSpinner” - Join us for thisfamily friendly Theaterperformance! Friday, Sep-tember 20 @ 4:00 p.m.

Talking is Teaching -Thursday, October 17 @11:30 a.m. Do you loveand care for a child whois a baby, toddler, or pre-schooler? Join us for thisdiscussion with guestpresenter Great StartWayne.

Movie Night - Tuesdays@ 4:00 p.m. Septem-ber10 – December 17.Family Friendly Movies.Snacks provided!

Library Trick or Treat! -Thursday October 31,11:00 a.m. - 6:45 p.m.Come to the Librarydressed in your costumefor a treat.

November is FamilyLiteracy Month - Join usfor a kick-off event: FridayNovember 1, 3:30 p.m. –4:30 p.m. November 6 –November 27.

Computer ScienceWeek - December 9-15,3:30 - 4:45 p.m. Grades3 and up are invited toTech ClubMonday 12/9Wednesday 12/11 Friday 12/13Explore basic coding,

tech &computer science

Santa at the Library -Thursday, December 12,5:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.

ANIME CLUB - EveryThursday 3 - 5 p.m., Sep-tember 6 – December

20. Hang out, share anddiscover Anime andManga. Grades 6 andup. Adults are also wel-come.

Public “Narcan” Train-ing - Provided by theHDFCC and the Piast In-stitute, Thursday, Sep-tember 26, 5:30 - 6:30p.m.

Game Night - ThursdayOctober 10, 4:00 – 6:30p.m. Grades 6 and up.

Messy Art - Freestylecraft program, ThursdayNovember 14 @ 5:30p.m. Grades 6 and up.

Classic Banjo Concertand Album Tour AaronJonah Lewis - Friday, No-vember 1 @ 5:30 p.m.

Computer Tips - Work-shop for Seniors - Friday,October 11, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

For more information about events at the library call (313) 733-6822, or visit itswebsite at http://hamtramck.lib.mi.us where

you can also access the online catalog. The library is located at 2360 Caniff.

This week at the library...

Get Out on the Hamtown!

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ALL YOU CAN EATChicken • Beef • Vegan Option

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Guest Bartender Cori from Suzy’s BarBRING A FRIEND • MEET A FRIEND!

For the Hamtramck Friendship House

$17-million dollar apart-ment complex on thenortheast corner of Car-penter and Charest that itis dubbed the CarpenterApartments. It will feature50 affordable units whencompleted.

The former WashingtonTrade School building atDequindre and Lawley willlikely be made availablesoon for bids, if it hasn’tbeen already.

And here’s where the“familiar business name”pops up.

Folks moving into these

places should have somebetter surroundings toenjoy also, courtesy of a$5-million-dollar grantfrom Hamtramck’s oldfriend, American Axle.

The grant is intended tobe used to improvestreetscapes, parks,storefronts and housing.The city eventually envi-sions a complete rejuve-nation of the area.

Not everything moves ata proper pace however;the Crain’s article makesmention of the old Trans-figuration School building

on Luce St. west ofMound, which has had aplanned $6.4 million dol-lar transfiguration of itsown into a 19-unit apart-ment building see littleprogress since an-nounced back in 2017.

Is that the smell ofmoney going “up thechimney”? Let’s hope not.

For while this is all,strictly speaking, withinDetroit geographically, it’sentirely likely that it couldspur Hamtramck tospruce up the north end abit, in order to “keep up

with the Joneses.”And if that doesn’t hap-

pen? It’ll still be good toknow that there would besome nice shops, restau-rants, and parks just astone’s throw away, forHamtramckans to enjoy.

Tote that barge! Getthose quotes! Break thatground!

We can’t wait to seewhat it’ll all look like whenit’s done.

And what BinghamFarms developers’ idea of“affordable rents” are,too.

‘Banglatown’ development has somehigh rollers on board Continued from front page

Poletown plant may survive Continued from front page

There will be a veganoption, they promise, andalso there will be ongoingdrink specials for the en-tire duration.

Detroit FriendshipHouse is a faith-basednon-profit organizationthat bills itself as “the

only public food pantry inHamtramck.”

The organization pro-vides about 60,000pounds of food per monthto hundreds of cash-strapped families in thearea.

Call (734) 507-9825 formore information.

Cont. from front page

Quick Hits

Friday, September 20, 2019 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 3

Second Front PageIt’s Time to Pray,

Please Join UsWe are a Multicultural Parish Family

Sunday English Mass 9 a.m.Sunday School 10 a.m.

Everyone is Welcome to Worship with Us

Holy Cross Parish Polish National Catholic Church2311 Pulaski, Hamtramck • Very Rev. Jaroslaw Nowak, Pastor

313-365-5191 www.HolyCrossPNCC.com

We are an ActiveParish Serving the

Community

Celebrating 97 Years of Traditional, Catholic, and Democratic Church

September 24 – Mass for peo-ple on our Prayer List 7:00 pm

October 5 – Polish Dinner withMike Zawojsky,

Accordionist 4-7 pmOctober 12 – Soup Kitchen

2-4 pm All are welcome!

StJosephsHealthcare.comHamtramck • 313-874-4500

Leadersin Short-Term

Rehabilitation

Providing quick recovery and quality care through our comprehensive rehabilitation program.

Dickinson East Elementary3385 Norwalk(313) 873-9437K – 6th Grades

Dickinson West Elementary2333 Burger(313) 365-5861K – 6th Grades

Early Childhood Elementary

11680 McDougall(313) 891-3200

Pre K – 2nd Grades

Holbrook Elementary2361 Alice

(313) 872-3203K – 8th Grades

Tau Beta School3056 Hanley(313) 892-3811K – 8th Grades

Kosciuszko Middle School2333 Burger

(313) 365-46257th – 8th Grades

Hamtramck High School11410 Charest(313) 892-75059th – 12th Grades

Horizon School3225 Cani�

(313) 893-22149th - 12th Grades

� Award Winning Lego Program

� Award Winning Robotics Program

� District & State DECA Competitions

� National Honor Society

� Full Sports Program

� Full Day Kindergarten

� Honors & Advance Placement Classes

� Technology & Career Prep Courses

� Summer Recreation Programs

� Dual Enrollment

� AP Honor Roll Recipient

� Art, Music, Band

� Restorative Practices� Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS)

Summer School Programs � Parent Engagement Programs

�CTE Program�Virtual Learning Programs

Enroll at Hamtramck Public Schools3201 Roosevelt • (313) 892-2036

Early Childhood Elemen-tary School News

The classrooms at ECEare buzzing with studentslearning. 

Students began testingthis week in Reading andMath NWEA. Once thesetests are completed stu-dents will work on skillsneeded to help with theirreading and math.

Preschool began thisweek. Parents met withtheir child's teacher onMonday and learnedabout the preschool pro-gram.

Superintendent Mrs.Jaleelah Ahmed visitedECE, stopping in differentclasses to visit the stu-dents.

ECE Principal ColleenStevens and Superintend-ent Ahmed joined Ms.Janice Rakoczy's firstgrade class in taking abrain break on GoNoodleto the song "Milkshake!"

The students also met

our new librarian, Mr.Matthew Brock.  He hasworked very hard gettingthe library ready forclasses to visit and checkout books.

Students enjoyed listen-ing to a clever story enti-tled, “7 Ate 9, a Mystery.”We are looking forward toa wonderful year of stu-dent learning at ECE!

Student careNow that the new

school year has started,the American Academy ofPediatrics has this advicefor parents to make suretheir kids succeed:

Before & After SchoolChild Care

• During early and mid-dle childhood, childrenneed supervision. A re-sponsible adult should beavailable to get themready and off to school inthe morning and super-vise them after schooluntil you return homefrom work.

• Children approachingadolescence (11- and 12-year-olds) should notcome home to an emptyhouse in the afternoonunless they show unusualmaturity for their age.

• If alternate adult su-pervision is not available,parents should make spe-cial efforts to supervisetheir children from a dis-tance. Children shouldhave a set time when theyare expected to arrive athome and should check inwith a neighbor or with aparent by telephone.

• If you choose an after-school program for yourchild, inquire about thetraining of the staff. Thereshould be a high staff-to-child ratio, trained per-sons to address healthissues and emergencies,and the rooms and theplayground should besafe.

Develop a Sleep Rou-tine

• Getting enough sleep

is critical for a child to besuccessful in school. Chil-dren who do not getenough sleep have diffi-culty concentrating andlearning as well as theycan.

• Set a consistent bed-time for your child andstick with it every night.Having a bedtime routinethat is consistent will helpyour child settle down andfall asleep. Componentsof a calming pre-bedtimeroutine may involve abath/shower, reading withthem, and tucking them inand saying good-night tothem.

• Have your child turnoff electronic devices wellbefore bedtime.

• Try to have the homeas quiet and calm as pos-sible when younger chil-dren are trying to fallasleep.

Developing Good Home-work & Study Habits

• Create an environ-

Continued on page 5

out that there is a com-mittee, comprised of for-mer City Clerk EthelFiddler, former Coun-cilmember Joe Karpinskiand former Hamtramck31st District Court JudgePaul Paruk, that will befundraising for the proj-ect.

Angerer said that somefunding will also comefrom the district court’sbuilding fund, as well asfrom other sources. Nogeneral fund money willbe spent on the project,Angerer added.

Bids for the project willbe coming in soon, sothe final cost is notknown.

The new name of cityhall will be the RobertKozaren Municipal Cen-ter, in honor of the latemayor who is, so far, thecity’s longest serving, (al-though Mayor Karen Ma-jewski is only one termshort of matchingKozaren’s 18 years in of-fice).

Concern over the costwas also voiced on Face-book. At a Facebook

page called “I love Ham-tramck,” there was alively debate on whetherthe project was worth theprice.

Waleed Ahmed gave ita thumbs down.

“Let’s take the per-fectly working entranceand replace it with amore expensive one be-cause there is no betterway to spend this moneyon the community? Idon't care if it is a grant,we don't need a new en-trance,” Ahmed said.

Jeff Fournier called it a“vanity project,” andadded that, in light of thecity’s financial woes, hequestions the timing.

“Does city hall reallyneed a porch cover and asign right now, while thecity is running in adeficit?” he said.

But others gave an en-thusiastic thumbs up.

Robert Zwolak, a for-mer councilmember whois now seeking anothershot at the seat, wasoften at odds withKozaren, but these dayshas nothing but praise

for both him and the cityhall project.

“Mayor Kozaren wasthe ultimate public rela-tions man for Ham-tramck. He built bridgesfrom Lansing, with Paczkito state representatives,and Washington DC withPresident Carter as wellas other political and in-dustrial leaders in the re-gion,” Zwolak said.

“I believe he had a pho-tographic memory, andnever forgot you or therest of your family. It wasuncanny, his memory,and how he knew somuch about people andsports. More often thannot, we were foes, but wehad great respect for oneanother. The Robert J.Kozaren Municipal Cen-ter is but a small tributeto him for all his dedica-tion to the Hamtramckcommunity.”

The project is not nec-essarily a done deal. Thecity council will still haveto approve the final bidsand cost.

4 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 Friday, September 20, 2019

City officials fret over thecost of a city hall upgradeContinued from front page By Joe Myrick

Special to The ReviewThe word “coven” is

used to describe a com-munity of witches takingpart in, well, witch activi-ties.

Like “Fire burn and caul-dron bubble” -- you knowthe spiel.

On a recent Saturdaymorning in Hamtramck atthe KO Gallery, the onlycauldron “bubbling” wasthat of three certainartists, preparing to holdtheir figure drawing eventlater in the day.

These three artistscomprise the Coven ofRoses: Sierra, Amber, andCallie. Prior to the event,this trio had the chance tosit down with The Reviewto discuss their artisticescapades.

Their initial meeting wassimple: Sierra met Amberonline; Sierra met Calliethrough Amber; andAmber met Callie throughInstagram. T’was a regu-lar Six Degrees of KevinBacon if there ever wasone, and thus was thiscoven born.

Amber’s girlfriendhelped the trio come upwith their new name, aspreviously they and theirfriends had addressedthemselves as “EasyBake Coven.”

In Sierra’s own words,they are a “group ofartists trying to providefor other artists.”

Amber then further ex-plained that they want “toprovide other artists inthe community with lowcost things that they canlearn from.”

Since May, the Coven ofRoses have held figuredrawing classes, with Au-

gust marking their fourthsuch event (their fifth willcome at the end of Sep-tember – more about thatin a minute). These figuredrawing events showcasemodels who have volun-teered to appear eithernude, or semi-nude, for anaudience to sketch themat the KO Gallery.

These events are freeto the public, although a$5 donation is always ap-preciated, and will help fi-nance future shows oreven generate potentialsponsorships.

Callie explains that theirintention, with theseevents, is to give aspiringartists opportunities thatthey may not be able tofind elsewhere.

“If you’re not in school,you don’t really get theopportunity to draw fromnude or semi-nude mod-els,” she said. “We basi-cally wanted to providethe tools and the skillsthey can use to betterthemselves.”

Furthermore, their goalis to provide an uncen-sored space where bod-ies of all genders, colors,shapes and sizes can beboth seen and validated.

Amber, an abstract pas-tel painter outside ofCoven, said their missionis to “Highlight the impor-tance of bodily autonomyand acceptance of theway people look no matterhow thin, fat, deformed,old, or young (they maybe). We want to make aspace safe for everybody,and that’s a part of ourmission as well.”

Sierra, whose artworkoutside of Coven tends tofocus on identity andwomen of color, said theget-togethers are also away to battle censorship.

“I feel like there’s a waron women’s bodies, espe-cially women of color, andI think that thereshouldn’t be a censorshipon what’s natural,” shesaid.

“It stunts artistry thatthere’s that censorshipthere, and I think it shouldbe gone. That’s whyCoven of Roses is so im-portant to me. It’s be-cause we’re fighting thatthrough giving people asensibility. We’re also giv-ing people the opportunityto comfortably presentthemselves to the world,

At this ‘coven,’ its all aboutart, not witches’ spells

Continued on page 5

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Artists Callie, Sierra and Amber have formed a col-lective known as the Coven of Roses.

Friday, September 20, 2019 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 5

Review: Opinion Page

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In Our Opinion

We’ve said this be-fore, but it’s worth re-peating:

If you are enrolled inthe Hamtramck PublicSchool District, chancesare that you will have anamazing cultural experi-ence.

Why is that?According to the dis-

trict, 16 different lan-guages are spoken inthe schools. Years ago,it was thought thataround 40 languagesand dialects were spo-ken here.

Sixteen is still plentyimpressive.

Hamtramck has longbeen known as a com-

munity of immigrants,many of them fleeingcountries that are, orwere, war-torn, or haveoppressive regimes.

Hamtramck residentsbond easily becausemany have escaped in-hospitable countries,and are among sympa-thetic friends here.

The languages thatcan be heard in the hall-ways of our schools ex-pand the educationalexperience of our stu-dents.

There is a reason whythe high school is nick-named “The Cosmos” –as in cosmopolitans --we are truly citizens of

the world.We are a city that truly

embodies the Americanconcept of an ethnic“melting pot.”

If you graduate fromour schools, you will al-ready have a step upamong your peers fromoutside the city. In away, we are a United Na-tions of cultures, all liv-ing under one collective“roof.”

Enjoy the experience,students, now that youare starting a brand-newschool year.

Get to know one an-other, and you will beamazed at what you canlearn about others.

For students, our publicschools offer the world

The Hamtramck ReviewPublished every Friday

3020 Caniff, Hamtramck, MI 48212 Phone: 313-874-2100 Fax: 313-874-2101www.hamtramckreview.com • email news@thehamtramckreview.com

Publisher: John Ulaj • (248) 866-1110 • julaj@thehamtramckreview.comEditor: Charles Sercombe Office Manager: Jean IngenthronSales Manager: Dave Sweet Copy Editor: Alan Madlane

This newspaper is not responsible for mistakes in advertising beyond the cost of the space involved.

Continued from page 3

Condolences… Ham-tramck lost a big heartthis past week. ReneeSavage, a retiree of theHamtramck Public SchoolDistrict, died recently.

You can read moreabout her life on page 6of this issue.

On Sept. 28, from noonto 4 p.m., a memorial willbe held at the D Loft,

9427 Jos. Campau.Also, today, Friday, Sept.

20, there will be a memo-rial balloon launch atZussman Park. That willtake place at 4 p.m.

and to allow themselvesto be drawn.”

Trying to spread theword on social media, thegroup has also run intocensorship issues. Socialmedia platforms, for ex-ample Instagram, havedeleted their posts(specifically, those ofplus-sized women).

Callie said a way tocounter this obstruction isto put a greater focus on“body neutrality,” whichshe defines as “not beingterrified of (nude body im-

ages) and feeling like youneed to cover them up, orfeeling offended if yousee different body types.”

Amber put it morebluntly: “Just mind yourbusiness. It’s not that bigof a deal. If you seesomething you don’t like,then look away.”

You can join the Covenof Roses’ figure drawingsessions at the KOGallery (9536 Jos. Cam-pau) on the last Saturdayof every month. Thismonth, September 28,

the session will run from4 pm to 6 pm.

You can also track thetrio’s journey on bothFacebook and Instagram@CovenofRoses. You canalso find them, and theirwork, individually on Insta-gram: @translucentfeels(Sierra), @Pastel_pwussy(Amber) and @Nazzpuller(Callie).

Contact them if you’reinterested to volunteer asa model for their nextevent.

At this ‘coven,’ its all aboutart, not witches’ spellsContinued from page 4

By Alan MadlaneEver wonder what’s

made Hamtramck grow so big and strong?

One could easily makethe argument that it wasthe old heart, so big andstrong was it in turn.

A heart called the DodgeMain plant.

Opened in 1910, andthen operating for somesix decades until it wasshuttered up in 2010, theplant was to be found onthe city’s south end, onHamtramck Drive.

In more recent years,that building and area havebeen overtaken them-selves by the GM Poletownplant.

Ironically, General Mo-tors has announced plansto now close that plant aswell, although union bar-gaining may end up sal-vaging it, at leasttemporarily.

You can learn about theimportance of this build-

ing, these companies, thisprocess and all the rest, byattending two separatepresentations (with an ac-companying exhibit) onconsecutive Sunday after-noons at the HamtramckHistorical Museum.

First up, see and hearhow the plant was firstfounded, and how it grewover time until its ultimateclosure and demolition inthe 80s. “The Life andDeath of Dodge Main”presentation will be Sun-day, September 29 from 2p.m. to 4 p.m.

Light refreshments willbe furnished, and the talkis free. Of course, dona-tions are always wel-comed. There is also anew Dodge Main exhibitarea now open at the mu-seum, to further enhancethe experience.

The following Sunday, Oc-tober 6, again from 2-4p.m., “The Meaning ofDodge Main” will extrapo-

late on precisely the waysthis plant transformed thetown, and the greatermeaning this all had, ar-guably for the entire re-gion, transformingHamtramck and the sur-rounding environs from afarming community into ahub of the industrial rustbelt.

Both talks, as well as theexhibit, were funded by agrant of $1,500 from theMotor Cities National Her-itage Area. Under the ban-ner of the U.S. NationalPark Service, the MCNHAis a federally designatedarea that protects and pro-motes the critical legacy ofthe southeastern Michiganautomotive industry.Check them out atwww.motorcities.org.

And come, enjoy somelocal history and feel aswell of pride.

(The Hamtramck Histori-cal Museum is located at9525 Jos. Campau.)

Dig deep into the story of DodgeMain at city’s historical museum

ment that is conducive todoing homework startingat a young age. Childrenneed a consistent workspace in their bedroom oranother part of the homethat is quiet, without dis-tractions, and promotesstudy.

• Schedule ample timefor homework; build thistime into choices aboutparticipation in afterschool activities.

• Establish a householdrule that the TV and othere l e c t r o n i cdistractions stay off dur-ing homework time.

• Supervise computerand Internet use.

• Be available to an-swer questions and offerassistance, but never doyour child’s homework.

• If your child is strug-gling with a particular sub-ject, speak with yourchild's teacher for recom-mendations on how youor another person canhelp your child at home orat school. If you have con-cerns about the assign-ments your child isreceiving, talk with theirteacher. 

• If your child is havingdifficulty focusing on orcompleting homework,discuss this with yourchild's teacher, schoolcounselor, or health care

provider. • For general homework

problems that cannot beworked out with theteacher, a tutor may beconsidered.

Enrollment InformationHamtramck residents

may enroll their childrenin Hamtramck PublicSchools at the HPS Busi-ness Office, 3201 Roo-sevelt. 

You will need to bringwith you: an original birthdocument (raised sealbirth certificate, passport,green card, visa), an up-to-date immunization record,a final 2018-2019 reportcard/transcript, parentalidentification, two currentproofs of residency (utilitybill, mortgage statement,formal signed lease, paystub, etc.) and proof of in-come (required only forpreschool applications).

Upcoming Events:• October 2 -- Fall Count

Day• October 2 -- End of

Progress Report Period#1

• October 10 -- ProgressReport #1 Distributed

• October 10 -- Half dayfor Hamtramck HighSchool and Horizon HighSchool. Parent teacherconferences 12:30-3 p.m.and 5-7 p.m.

Recreation DepartmentNews

For information aboutrecreation activities, giveus a call at (313) 892-2635. Follow us on Face-book for the mostup-to-date information:

www.Facebook.com/HamtramckRecreationDe-partment

Compiled byJanice Gandelman     

ECE students met the school’s new librarian,Matthew Brock.

6 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 Friday, September 20, 2019

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City Hall Insider …City Hall Insider …What is our City Council up to these days? We have the highlights of the latest council meeting.

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FARVAR-SAVAGERenee Far-

var Savage,now beingcalled Ms.Hamtramck,passed on

Friday, September 13,2019.

Renee was an upstand-ing citizen of our commu-nity and spent her lifeserving within it. Reneestarted off working in theCity Hall and was lead toserve children in the Ham-tramck Public Schoolswhere she retired.

She also served on thelibrary, recreation, andConcerned Women ofHamtramck boards andwas an active member ofthe NAACP of Hamtramck.

Ms. Renee lead manygrassroot operations, help-ing elect numerous offi-cials, get multiple millagespassed, and contracts re-vised and renewed.

She prepared monthlymeals for the police de-partment and helped fam-ilies in untold ways.

We will miss Renee’s bigpersonality, contagiouslaughter, and her ability topitch in where everneeded. She shared hergift of servitude with us, tohonor her, we will SERVE!

In lieu of flowers we’reasking for Pencils and Do-nations. Drop-offs for thiscan be made  at Randy’sBarbershop, 11527 Jos.Campau.

By Tissua Franklin

KACZMAREKCarla Kacz-

marek, 66,died Septem-ber 13,2019.

Carla wasthe loving wife of AndrzejPoplawski; stepmother ofPaulina Poplawski and Syl-wia (Mike) Lambert; sisterof Paula; step-sister of

Karen (Paul) Novara,William Schwanke, Robert(Barbara) Nowak, and thelate Eugene Nowak; sisterin law of AntoniaPoplawska. She is alsosurvived by many nieces,nephews, and cousins.

Visitation was Septem-ber 16 and 17, at Ju-rkiewicz & Wilk FuneralHome, 2396 Caniff, Ham-tramck MI 48212. The fu-neral Mass wasWednesday at Our LadyQueen of ApostlesCatholic Church. Intermentwas at Mount Olivet Ceme-tery, Detroit, MI.

MOROSKYArnold Mo-

rosky, 80,died Septem-ber 15,2019.

Mr. Mo-rosky was the dear hus-band of Janet; father ofArnold (Michelle); Pappy ofDrew, Austin, Sophie, andElena; uncle of Bob(Sharon), Michelle Slezak,the late Rickie Levock;brother of the late Phyllis,Diane, and Nicky.

Arnie was honorably dis-charged from his service inthe United States Army. Hewas a Lieutenant in theHamtramck Police Depart-ment where he retired. Hewas also a coach for Ham-tramck Chancellor football,Hamtramck Little League,and St. Florian baseball.

Private services wereheld by the family with in-ternment at Great LakesNational Cemetery, HollyMI. Arrangements weremade by Jurkiewicz & WilkFuneral Home, HamtramckMI.

By Charles SercombeThe city council met on

Aug. 27, and all coun-cilmembers were present.Mayor Karen Majewskiwas absent.

During the public com-ment portion of the meet-ing, Robert Zwolak saidthe “primary issue” of themeeting is the approval ofcity hall’s façade improve-ment, and also to seekbids to get the job com-pleted.

The city is renaming cityhall in honor of formerMayor Robert Kozaren.When the project is com-pleted, the building will becalled the Robert KozarenMunicipal Center.

Zwolak, a former cityclerk and current citycouncil candidate, praisedthe late mayor.

Reading from a Face-

book post he made aboutthe subject, Zwolak said:

“Mayor Kozaren was theultimate public relationsman for Hamtramck. Hebuilt bridges from Lans-ing, with Paczki to staterepresentatives, andWashington DC with Pres-ident Carter as well asother political and indus-trial leaders in the re-gion,” Zwolak said.

“I believe he had a pho-tographic memory andnever forgot you or therest of your family. It wasuncanny his memory andhow he knew so muchabout people and sports.More often than not, wewere foes but we hadgreat respect for one an-other. The Robert J.Kozaren Municipal Centeris but a small tribute tohim for all his dedication

to the Hamtramck com-munity.”

Later in the meeting,the project was approved,but the council will stillhave to vote on the finalcost proposal.

A town hall hearing washeld for a request by Dr.Sami Bilani to have aBrombach alley vacatedfor a housing develop-ment he plans to build.

The project, called theBrombach Town Homes,will consist of six units.

Shannon Lowell op-posed the plan. He saidBilani will benefit from theproject “at the expense ofthree” other people wholive next to the alley.

He said three otherhouses, including the onehe lives in, will not haveaccess to their garage, orin Lowell’s case, his back-

yard.Later in the hearing, Bi-

lani pointed out that wasnot accurate. He saidLowell will still be able toaccess his backyard, andthat the two otherdwellings will not havetheir garages impeded.

Lowell insisted that va-cating the alley “will takeaway from the commongood.”

Joe Grzecki, a formerHamtramck treasurer,cautioned city officialsfrom approving the projectuntil they know for surethat no underground utili-ties will be impeded.

He said that years ago,the city allowed a buildingto be built at a site with-out first making thatcheck. As it turned out, awater line ran underneathContinued on page 8

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2967 Roosevelt, betweenGallagher & Joseph Cam-pau, 2 family, full base-ment, fixer upper,$89,900, 248-866-1110.10/4

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Advertisers should check their ad fol-lowing first publication. The newspa-per shall not be liable for failure topublish an ad, for a typographic erroror errors in publication except to theextent of the cost of the ad for the firstday’s insertion. Adjustments for errorsis limited to the cost of that portion ofthe ad wherein the error occurred. Wereserve the right to classify, revise orreject any classified advertisement.

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By Charles SercombeThis week’s Crime Log

covers Sept. 10-16.

Tuesday, Sept. 10• A resident reported

that their wallet wasstolen from their carwhile the car was parkedin the area of Lehmanand Gallagher.

• Two residents werearrested in the area ofJos. Campau and Hol-brook for fighting.

• A resident reportedthe theft of their car inthe area of Gallagher andEvaline.

• A Sterling Heightsresident was arrested inthe area of Holmes andFleming after firing a gunfour times at a group ofmales.

Wednesday, Sept. 11• Troy police recovered

a car stolen out of Ham-tramck, and also ar-rested the person drivingthe car.

• At 3 a.m., a residentreported that their carwas stolen in the area ofEvaline and Gallagher.

• At 4 a.m., a residentwas arrested in the areaof Holbrook and Brom-bach for felony domesticassault.

• A Hewitt St. residentreported a break-in.

• A resident reportedthe theft of their car inthe 3900 block of OliverSt.

• A resident in the9400 block of BrombachSt. reported that some-one tampered with theirmail after it was deliv-ered, and stole the con-tents of the piece of mailin question.

Thursday, Sept. 12• At about 1 a.m., a

resident in the area ofCharest and Holbrook re-ported that a familyfriend is suspected ofstealing jewelry fromtheir residence.

• A resident in the12000 block of St. AubinSt. reported that some-one opened accounts inher name.

• At noon, a Detroitresident was arrested for

Continued on page 8

HOUSEFOR RENT

FURNISHED ROOMFOR RENT

WEDNESDAYS, 7 p.m., every secondWednesday of the month – The 3C7 and Mid-town Block meets at 2339 Caniff PCS SeniorDay Center. This block club includes all resi-dents and businesses west of Jos. Campauand north of Holbrook.

FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 4-8p.m. – All-you-can eattaco buffet to benefit ($7 per person) DetroitFriendship House at the Hamtramck MooseLodge, located at 9421 Conant.

MONDAY, Sept. 23, 9 a.m. – Wayne CountyCommissioner Martha G. Scott hosts a freeCommunity Coffee Hour every fourth Mondayof the month at Maine Street Restaurant,11650 Jos. Campau.

Coming events

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Furnished room for rent,utilities included, no pets,313-290-1095. 9/27

a weapons offense.• A resident in the area

of Neibel and Jos. Cam-pau reported that a sus-picious note was placedon their porch.

• A Detroit residentwas arrested for beingwanted on a Detroitfelony warrant.

Friday, Sept. 13• At 3:30 a.m., a Fern-

dale resident was ar-rested in the area ofEdwin and Lumpkin forbeing wanted on a Ham-tramck warrant.

• A person was ar-rested for driving a stolenvehicle.

• Child Protective Serv-ice reported an incidentof sexual assault involv-ing a minor.

• An agent for a busi-ness in the 2200 block

of Caniff reported that amale suspect stole icecream from the store.

Saturday, Sept. 14• Officers recovered a

stolen vehicle in the areaof Conant and Caniff.

• A Sobieski St. resi-dent reported damage toher property.

• At a little after 9a.m., a resident reportedbeing robbed while atJos. Campau and Car-penter.

• A Grand Haven St.resident reported dam-age to their property.

• A Belmont St. resi-dent reported an at-tempted theft.

Sunday, Sept. 15• A resident reported

that the front and rearwindows of his car werebroken out.

• At 2 a.m., a personwas arrested at Conantand Belmont for beingdisorderly.

• At about 5 a.m., aresident reported thatwhile driving, he wasrear-ended by a persondriving a black DodgeCharger. The driver of theCharger then fled thescene.

• A resident reported

being assaulted in the12000 block of St. AubinSt.

• Several Detroit resi-dents reported that theircars were struck by rocksas they drove in the areaof Conant and the traintracks overpass.

Monday, Sept. 16• At almost 3 a.m., a

resident said that, whilein the area of Oklahomaand Circle Dr., they wereassaults by suspects.

• A Mitchell St. resi-dent reported that herdog was stolen.

• A hit-and-run accidentoccurred at Holbrook andConant. Another hit-and-run accident happenedat Pulaski and Mackay.One more hit-and-runhappened at Nagel andCarpenter.

• At about noon., a De-troit resident reportedthat, while walking onCarpenter near Mc-Dougall, a suspectgrabbed him, stuck ablack pistol into hisstomach and robbed himof $80, and then fled onfoot. The suspect wasdescribed as a blackmale, 40 years old, 5-foot 7-inches tall, weigh-ing 110 pounds, andwearing a black and whileshirt with black pants.

8 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 Friday, September 20, 2019

Continued from page 7

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City Hall Insider …City Hall Insider …Continued from page 6

the building and laterbegan to leak.

The building’s floor hadto be dug up in order to fixthe leak.

It was later pointed outthat the city had indeedchecked to make surethere were no under-ground utilities in thealley.

Grzecki’s son alsospoke, saying the requestshould be denied be-cause kids play in thealley.

Justin Petrusak said al-leys are part of the city’s“cultural landscape.”

“It’s a beloved alley,” hesaid.

(Photos of the alleywere later shown, andlarge weeds were seengrowing in the alley.)

He said the alley is alsoworth more than the$2,000 purchase offer tothe city. Petrusak offeredto buy the alley for

$4,000, although itwasn’t clear if that was aserious offer.

Carrie Beth Lasley, whois a candidate for citycouncil, said that, al-though the proposed de-velopment is “excellent,”vacating the alley may seta precedent.

She said, for example,someone might requestto expand the size of theirhouse.

“How do you say yes tothis, and no to others?”she said.

Dr. Bilani said the citywill collect around$25,000 in taxes fromthe completed project.

Councilmember FadelAl-Marsoumi praised theproject. He said that re-jecting the request willdiscourage “future in-vestors” from developingin Hamtramck.

“We need to not onlymotivate people to invest,

but also encouragethem,” Al-Marsoumi said.

Councilmember AndreaKarpinski said that she is“not a fan of declining de-velopment in Ham-tramck.”

But, she said, vacatingthe alley is a “hard” deci-sion.

She asked Bilaniwhether, should the re-quest be denied, it wouldthen kill the deal. Bilanisaid that it would.

Karpinski added: “Isympathize with you, andI don’t want to see thisproject go dead.”

Later, when a vote onthe request was held,Karpinski cast the onlyvote against it.

City Manager Kathy An-gerer said that, at the re-quest of CouncilmemberIan Perrotta, she will havethe alley appraised for itsvalue.

By Greg KowalskiThe one thing Ham-

tramck never had but al-ways needed is ... a trailerpark.

You know, the kind thatEminem lived in for awhile. Well, maybe not.

But we almost had one.Before we get to that,though, let’s look at thereasons why one was con-sidered.

Following the opening ofthe Dodge Main factory in1910, Hamtramck’s popu-lation exploded. We wentfrom 3,500 people in1910 to 48,000 in 1920– all in a city of 2.1square miles.

Builders took note ofthe huge influx by throw-ing up whole blocks ofhouses almost overnight.Look around town and youwill see some houses arenear perfect copies ofeach other, because thesame plans were used allover town. If there wereany zoning regulations orbuilding codes on thebooks at that time, theywere ignored.

Most of the houseswere built on lots 30-feetwide by 90-feet deep, andmany were multifamilyhouses. By 1930, Ham-tramck’s populationreached 56,000 people,and there were about11,000 houses in this 2-square-mile city.

The building boomeased during the GreatDepression, but even in1939 new houses werebeing built. “Home build-ing volume in Hamtramckduring 1939 ranked 13thin the state,” The Citizennewspaper reported inSeptember, 1940.

By the end of World WarII, as the guys were return-

ing from the service, thecity began to really besqueezed for space. It gotso bad that the city beganto seriously look at buyingtrailers and placing themon whatever piece of prop-erty they could.

In September, 1948,city Housing DirectorStanley Wojcik and Wel-fare Director Barney Klossreported to the CommonCouncil about a usedtrailer sale being held inthe City of Center Line(around 10 Mile Road andVan Dyke) where a trailerpark was being sold off.

Wojcik reported thatthree types of trailerswere available: “A stan-dard trailer, suitable for afamily of four; an expand-able type, large enoughfor six or seven persons.The third is a communitytype, consisting of sepa-rate trailers, two of whichare large rooms, while thethird has a kitchen andtwo toilets.

“All have beds, springs,folding tables and chairs,ice refrigerators, cookingand heating stoves. Theyare in good condition ex-

cept for painting andminor repairs,” Wojcik toldthe council.

Prices ranged from$150 for the standardtrailer to $249 for the ex-pandable to $500 for thecommunity type.

But that was the end ofthe road for the trailerpark story. For whateverreason, likely the lack ofspace to put the trailerson, as well as the respon-sibility of maintainingthem, the council didn’tbuy into the idea.

It probably was betterthat way.

You can learn aboutHamtramck’s housing andmuch more at the Ham-tramck Historical Mu-seum, 9525 Jos.Campau. Hours are 11a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdayand Sunday and by ap-pointment. Call (313)893-5027. Email ham-tramckhistory@gmail.com.

The lore of Hamtramck …When we almost had a trailer park

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