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Politics & Government

Huntington Woods Rewards Recyclers, Names Committee Members

'Recyclers of the Month' receive special red bins and the Beautification Committee adds four members.

The Huntington Woods City Commission met Tuesday night at . Here are some highlights from the meeting:

Recycling Champs

The Recyclers of the Month for November 2010 through February 2011 were announced, and each household was awarded a special red recycling bin proclaiming their status. The November 2010 winner was the Goodman household of Elgin Avenue, the December 2010 award went to the Deming/Spakowski household of LaSalle Street, January's winners were the Aiello household of Humber Street, and last month's prize went to the Jansen household of Vernon Street.

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Incidentally, the city, which Mayor Ronald Gilham described at the meeting as a "model of excellence in recycling," will be switching to single-stream recycling this fall, in which all recyclable items will be placed in new 64-gallon bins, with no need to separate glass from plastic, etc. The new bins will be paid for with money from this Saturday night's Huntington Woods Men's Club 30th Annual Service Auction. Hint: Half-price tickets are still available at City Hall and the .

5k Run for Prostate Cancer Approved

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For the third year in a row, the commission approved a request from the Michigan Institute of Urology to hold a fundraising fun run in the city. The Third Annual 5K Prostate Cancer Race will be held June 19.

Public Art, Beautification and Tree Advisory Board Adds Four Members

Since the Public Art, Beautification and Tree Advisory Board was formed in January, merging two existing committees (plus adding the art function), the city commissioners voted to increase the board’s size from nine to 11 members. Four of those members were appointed at Tuesday’s meeting: Shelley Gach, Jeff Spakowski, Joane Slusky and Sheryl Sukenic. Term lengths will vary and will be drawn at random at a future meeting.

New appointee Jeff Spakowski, who was on hand with his wife to receive the December 2010 “Recyclers of the Month” award, was eager to get started in his new role.

“I really believe in volunteering,” he said Tuesday evening at City Hall. “This is our first year in the city, and one of the reasons we moved to Huntington Woods is because of how beautiful it is with all the trees. But every city is strapped for cash right now and there aren’t a lot of resources. So I’m excited to work with local vendors and get a lot more trees planted on the curbsides, and to encourage residents to do their part.”

Residents Call for Increased Community Education on Toxic Pesticides

Huntington Woods residents Denise and Peter Rogers took advantage of the public participation portion of the meeting to urge city commissioners to re-form the Pesticide Task Force. The now-defunct group achieved a ban on toxic pesticides on city land and educated residents on such topics as switching from airborne material to granules, or utilizing organic fertilizers to feed their lawns.

Denise Rogers, speaking to the commissioners as well as her fellow residents, said that airborne pesticides, even when applied correctly, can waft several hundred feet and often cause her to have severe reactions. She did not blame her fellow residents, but rather a lack of education, saying “many people are not even aware of the toxicity of these chemicals, several of which are known carcinogens.”

“It’s just not good for our children. And it’s not good for our pets,” Rogers said.

Commissioner Mary White, who served on the Pesticide Task Force, said she agrees with Rogers' cause, as her own asthma is irritated when pesticides are sprayed in the area. White added that while the City Commission cannot ban pesticides outright, it will do everything in its power to educate residents and urge them to use proper signage or to stop using toxic airborne pesticides.

Commissioner Jules Olsman also applauded Rogers’ cause, and advised her to seek guidance from State Rep. Ellen Cogen Lipton, the Democratic legislator who represents Berkley and who could perhaps help take the fight to the state level.

 

 

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