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Livonia Observer; Thursday, February 7, 2008
Topic Started: Feb 7 2008, 01:24 PM (350 Views)
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School briefs


LPS gets phone discounts

Livonia Public Schools will stick with Verizon for its cell phone provider, but in opening the contract up for bid, the district qualified for an education rate reimbursement for up to 40 percent of the cost.

The board voted unanimously Monday to approve the new contract with Verizon, the lowest of four vendors.

The district will be charged $1,745 for 12,000 minutes a month and will be eligible for reimbursement of about $8,000 annually, said Rod Hosman, director of administrative service.

E-rate, as it's known, is available for schools and libraries through the Federal Communications Commission. Funding comes from a universal service fee that telecommunications providers are charged and typically pass on to consumers on their phone bills.

The district has 51 cell phone lines, for administrators at the secondary schools, central office administrators, liaison officers, maintenance workers and technicians, but a few more lines may be added for elementary principals, Hosman said. The district recently brought all of its cell phone contracts under one district umbrella.

The board also approved a three-year contract with AT&T for its regular telephone service, which currently falls in the range of $5,783 per month.

The district currently has XO Communications as its provider. AT&T, though not the lowest bidder, was determined to be the best provider to suit the district's needs, Hosman said.

Under the E-rate reimbursement, LPS will get $17,000 back per year.

Pfizer passes glass

Michigan's loss is LPS' gain.

Pfizer Pharmaceutical Corp., which closed its Ann Arbor operations, donated $8,000 worth of beakers, flasks and graduated cylinders to the three LPS high schools.

Other glassware, used in college-level chemistry classes, was passed along to Madonna University and Schoolcraft College.

When the company decided to close the Ann Arbor site, "we decided we would do everything possible to try to minimize the impact of the decision," said Janice Walsh, finance director. She added that the donation shows the company's commitment to grow life sciences in the state.

Bring families to school

In addition to being Principal's Week, Feb. 10-16 is also the PTA Take Your Family to School week.

It's a good opportunity for parents to volunteer in their children's schools, said Jerilyn German Petersmark, president of the Livonia PTSA council.

Top students recognized

The Livonia PTSA Council will recognize the top five seniors from each of the three LPS high schools at its 54th annual Founders' Day dinner on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at Laurel Manor.

The students will then recognize the three teachers who influenced them most.


http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...4graL3tyZLfA%3D


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Value City's closing opens mall's options
By Alex Lundberg
STAFF WRITER


Value City's plan to close five Michigan stores, including the one at Livonia Mall, has city and business officials thinking of a brighter future, as it opens options for the long-struggling shopping center.

Karl Zarbo, director of operations for Konover South, the mall's owner, said getting the building's space - 126,690 square feet over two stories - is very desirable for redevelopment plans.

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"We're pleased to have the opportunity to have that back," Zarbo said. "That is very much in the best interests of the mall."

He said with Value City leaving and Mervyn's already gone, the mall's opportunities are "wide open." That could mean reconfiguring the mall or having the property "scraped" or torn down and starting over, Zarbo said.

Some have speculated about a rebuilding similar to Wonderland Village. Zarbo said the shape of what could replace

Livonia Mall is still uncertain.

Livonia Economic Development director Jeff Bryant agreed that in the long run, the closing of Value City is a good thing.

"It's to our advantage," he said. "The redevelopment of Livonia Mall is the next focus of the city."

Livonia Mall has been slowly emptying of shoppers and retailers for years and, with shops like Value City holding on, it was hard to attract new businesses (or new investors) from the area. With Value City gone as of the end of March, the only major retailer left will be Sears.

Sears is a bit harder to move because the retail giant owns the plot of land on which it sits.

Zarbo said the Value City move makes what Sears wants to do less of a deal-breaker.

"We can go (redevelop) without Sears," he said. "If they have a change in philosophy and they want to leave, we can redevelop that part in a phase II."

Of course, if Sears wants to change gears and put new money into the Livonia Mall site, Zarbo said that would be a welcome change, too.

Mayor Jack Kirksey said there's a lot to look forward to, more than one would expect from news a business is shuttering its doors.

"Whenever there's a closing, there's a lost of jobs and related negatives," he said. "(In this case) there's an initial loss, but there's a potential for the creation of many, many more jobs."

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../802070477/1027
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More candidates can help


In a sense, uncontested school board elections are easier on newspapers. No candidate interviews, no candidate forums, no messy discussions of touchy issues, no divisive letters and endorsements, etc.

The problem is this: Contested elections can be good for the school community, as they bring out passions and priorities of candidates and supporters. They can inspire discussions of the things that are best and worst about the district. They push people to bring forward ideas for making improvements and suggestions for changes.

The Livonia Public Schools faces many challenges and tough issues, just like other districts across the state. With a filing deadline fast approaching - it's Feb. 13 - we invite residents to consider whether they have the special interest, inspiration and perspiration needed to make the decisions in the bests interest of the entire district. It's a challenging, but important, job.


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Performance should have steered vote


Supporting your hometown businesses and taxpayers is an important factor for any local government making a purchase.

However, it seems some important factors should have carried more weight in the Livonia City Council's 4-3 decision to approve buying 14 Ford Crown Victorias, instead of buying the nine Crown Vics and five Dodge Chargers that police officials requested.

First, it's clear that Ford - long the city's biggest taxpayer - was getting the majority of the city's police car purchases either way. It's also apparent that the purchase of the Dodge vehicles also supports a Chrysler dealership in the community, plus the many residents who live here but work for Chrysler.

When the costs are basically the same - with a slightly higher price tag, but lower costs - the decision should be focused on performance. The testimony by police officials was clear: Officers say the Chargers are more nimble, handle better and have quicker acceleration. All factors that add to their confidence and that helps them catch more criminals.

Police Chief Robert Stevenson said not all officers prefer the Chargers, which explains mixing up the fleet. However, if the costs and other factors are similar, it makes sense to give the officers who are putting their lives on the line a chance to be their most effective.


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