BEHIND THE WHEEL
Lamphere voters reject tax proposal
BY ANDY KOZLOWSKI akozlowski@candgnews.com
MADISON HEIGHTS — Nearly 58% of participating voters rejected a Lamphere Schools tax proposal during the special election May 6. The proposal would have raised taxes by hundreds of dollars each year to pay for enhancements at buildings across the district.
Of the 2,515 people who voted, 1,449 voted “no,” while 1,066 voted “yes.”
The proposal sought to raise $85 million over the next 30 years by increasing the school millage rate by an estimated 4.15 mills each year. The school collects $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value, multiplied by the millage rate.
Had it passed, the owner of a home with a market value of $200,000 and a
See LAMPHERE on page 11A
Madison Heights plans lantern festival celebrating Asian culture
BY ANDY KOZLOWSKI akozlowski@candgnews.com
MADISON HEIGHTS — The city of Madison Heights is home to many Asian-American businesses. To celebrate the fact, the city’s Human Relations and Equity Commission is planning a lantern festival where attendees can enjoy authentic Asian food, music and dance.
The free event is called Paradise Eve, and will take
place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 31 near the bandshell at Civic Center Park, 360 W. 13 Mile Road.
The HREC is partnering with Dasian Media and 168 Group, lining up live performers, food vendors and more that fit the theme.
The HREC is also fundraising for the event. Madison Heights City Councilman Quinn Wright serves as the council representative for the HREC. He said sponsors are needed and that sponsorships can be arranged by
emailing quinnwright@madison-heights.org.
“We’re looking for sponsors for the lanterns themselves,” Wright said. “We would like the big lanterns, but there might only be the smaller ones, because of the costs of tariffs and shipping.”
He explained that the lanterns are usually made of paper material and vary in size and shape. Attendees will be able to build and customize smaller lanterns with bat-
See FESTIVAL on page 10A
Nearly 58% of voters rejected an $85 million bond proposal by the Lamphere Schools that would have paid for a variety of projects, including a robotics learning center at Page Middle School.
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
Pickleball courts installed at Rosie’s Park
BY ANDY KOZLOWSKI akozlowski@candgnews.com
MADISON HEIGHTS — One of the fastest growing sports in the United States now has some prime real estate in Madison Heights.
Eight pickleball courts have been added to the city’s recreational repertoire, installed at Rosie’s Park, located at 1111 E. Farnum Ave., between 11 Mile and 12 Mile roads on the east side of John R Road.
Pickleball is a paddle sport that blends elements of tennis, badminton and pingpong. The courts have nets but are smaller than tennis courts. Players use solid paddles instead of rackets with strings.
Officials say the sport has grown in popularity thanks to how approachable it is for people of all ages and skill levels. It’s a multigenerational activity that moves at a steady pace — equally suitable for teens rallying with friends and grandparents playing with grandchildren.
This latest addition to the parks system in Madison Heights came at a cost of $351,000 that was partly covered by outside funding, such as a $75,000 grant from Oakland County Parks and Recreation.
There was also a $16,200 grant from the Southeast Michigan Pickleball Association that paid for construction and fencing around the courts. In addition, the SMPA has committed to
May 21-28
Madison
Madison Heights resident Eve Sandoval tends to sunflowers in her native garden. Native plants generally require less water and no herbicides or pesticides, and do a better job supporting local pollinator species. Members of the Environmental Citizens Committee will be selling native plants at Civic Center Plaza May 25.
Heights to host native plant sale
EVENT IS 25 P.M. MAY 25 AT CIVIC CENTER PLAZA
BY ANDY KOZLOWSKI akozlowski@candgnews.com
MADISON HEIGHTS — Gardeners can learn about the benefits of native plants and add them to their collection at an upcoming event — part of a larger effort by the city to support the ecosystem.
The native plant sale will take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 25 at Civic Center Plaza, 240 W. 13 Mile Road. The event is organized by the Bloom Project — part of the Madison Heights Environmental Citizens Committee — in collaboration with East Michigan Native Plants, LLC.
All plants at the sale are locally grown, without the use of any synthetic or organic chemicals. There will also be experts on hand answering questions, as well as other helpful resources.
See PLANT SALE on page 8A
The finishing touches are being put on the new pickleball courts at Rosie’s Park. They will be fully open to the public later this month.
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
File photo provided by Eve Sandoval
NEWS & NOTES
6A/ MADISON-PARK NEWS • MAY 14, 2025
LEARN ABOUT POLLINATORS
MADISON HEIGHTS — The Red Oaks Nature Center at Suarez Friendship Woods, located at 30300 Hales St. in Madison Heights, will hold an event called “Gardening for Pollinators” from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 31.
Attendees will learn about what it takes to plant a wildlife- and pollinator-friendly garden, as well as the different creatures their garden will attract and the role they play in the environment.
The event will also examine the differences between native and nonnative plants and discuss various options for attracting pollinators. There will also be live pollinator specimens in the nature center’s garden, and each attendee will receive a native plant to take home.
The cost is $5 per person. Preregistration with payment is required by calling (248) 858-0916 weekdays or (248) 585-0100 during nature center hours.
MADISON HEIGHTS — The Madison Heights Women’s Club, part of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, will hold its Spring Craft Day fundraiser event, benefiting the Madison Heights Animal Shelter, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 7.
The event will be held in the cafeteria at Lamphere High School, located at 610 W. 13 Mile Road in Madison Heights.
The event will feature a continental breakfast, light lunch, refreshments and desserts, as well as door prizes and raffle prizes. Attendees can bring their project and supplies for a fun day of socializing and crafting.
Attendees are also encouraged to bring a can or bag of cat or dog food for an extra raffle ticket. The shelter prefers Friskies or Nine Lives for cats, and Purina Pro Plan for dogs.
The registration fee is $30 prior to May 24 and $40 afterward. To register, email Robin Wojta at rjwojta@aol.com. Fees are nonrefundable. Seating is limited.
For more information, call or text Wojta at (248) 217-3004.
BUSINESS SCHOLARSHIP
OPPORTUNITY
MADISON HEIGHTS — Shelving.com, a family-operated online business that also operates The Shelving Store in Madison Heights, is once again offering a business scholarship.
The company began accepting applications for the 2025 scholarship April 21. There will be one grand prize of $4,000, one runner-up prize of $2,500, and one second runner-up prize of $1,500.
The scholarship is open to Michigan residents who are pursuing and/or currently enrolled in a business-related field of study, either at an accredited college or university, or high school seniors currently enrolled or planning to enroll in college or university. Michigan residents are also eligible if attending an accredited college or university outside of the state.
In addition, applicants must have a minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA. To apply, they must submit a copy of their transcript, resume, and an essay describing in 1,000 words or less (400-word minimum) how they are currently utilizing — or plan to utilize — their business-related field of study to serve their community.
All applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, July 3 to be considered eligible for the scholarship. Winners will be announced at shelving.com at 10 a.m. EST on Monday, July 21. To apply, visit www.shelving.com/pages/ scholarships.
TINKER TUESDAY
MADISON HEIGHTS — The Madison Heights Public Library, 240 W. 13 Mile Road, will hold its next “Tinker Tuesday” from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20.
The program is aimed at children ages 5 and older; the children must also be accompanied by adults. Together, they will create projects themed around Dogman, Captain Underpants and other characters by author and illustrator Dav Pilkey, utilizing tools and supplies in the library’s makerspace.
The event is free. For more information, call (248) 588-7763.
Metroparks give free swim lessons, life jackets and rescue boards
METRO DETROIT — As Michigan enters Water Safety Month in May and families prepare for the summer season, the Huron-Clinton Metroparks are expanding access to free resources aimed at preventing drowning.
Drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 1-4, and Black children aged 5–19 are more than five times as likely to drown as white children in the same age group.
To reduce these trends, the Metroparks is investing in free life jackets, new water safety equipment and swim lessons in Southeast Michigan.
If you are interested in signing up for swim lessons or partnering with the Huron-Clinton Metroparks to expand access to critical life-saving swim skills, please visit www.metroparks. com/everyone-in-the-pool.
Photo from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Facebook page
Plant sale
page 3A
“It really is a team effort,” said Nickole Fox, a member of the ECC. “For me, this also kicks off the growing season in a good way. I love visiting with friends and neighbors that come by, hearing their garden stories and how they’ve been nurturing the community.”
According to the ECC, native plants offer many benefits. They typically require less water since they have already adapted to our region and climate over thousands of years. They also don’t require pesticides or herbicides since they naturally repel invasive insect and plant species.
And just as native plants have adapted to our land, many animals have adapted to them. Milkweed, for example, is consumed by the caterpillars of monarch butterflies. Once they grow their bright orange wings, monarchs flutter across the country, pollinating plants used by humans.
That’s why the Bloom Project encourages everyone to do their part planting native species like those available at the sale.
Preorders are also being accepted at eastmichnatives.com/calendar until May 16. Scroll down to the May 25 listing for the Madison Heights sale to place an order, which can then be picked up at Civic Center Plaza the day of the event.
The sale will include a variety of native grasses and wildflowers, each with information on their needs in terms of sun exposure (full sun or partly shaded) and watering (from dry to wet), as well as the best season to cultivate them. The plants on the preorder form come in containers that measure 2.5 by 2.5 by 3.5 inches, and are priced at $5 each.
There are also gardening kits with pre-
selected trays of 32 plants in 2.5-inch pots. The kits cost $120 each — a value of $3.75 per plant. There are four themes, including a grass kit with several species of native grass; a butterfly kit, with host plants for caterpillars and nectar plants for butterflies; a pollinator kit with nectar plants for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and others; and a rain garden kit suitable for river/lake/pond shores, rain/ ditch gardens and other wet areas.
Making an impact
Emily Rohrbach is a member of the Madison Heights City Council who also serves as the council liaison for the ECC. She said the sale is just one of many initiatives by the group.
The ECC recently announced the winners for its 2025 garden grants, which include $1,222 each for gardens at Page Middle School in the Lamphere Schools district and Madison District Public Schools’ Wilkinson Middle School. Nine residents also received $200 each.
“Many properties have a low point in their yard where water accumulates in the rainy season, and rain gardens feature plants that do a great job absorbing that water and in surviving in wet terrain. Native plants tend to have much deeper roots, so they do a more efficient job of handling water,” Rohrbach said. “And that reduces flooding, helps with biodiversity, provides habitat for wildlife and recharges the groundwater. It also really helps since there’s a monoculture of grass in every yard here, and grass isn’t the best at these things. Rain gardens help promote a healthier environment for all.”
She also said the city is working out its next waste hauler contract, a topic on which the ECC has been advising. The vendor will
See PLANT SALE on page 9A
Plant sale
from page 8A
almost certainly be Priority Waste, since it’s the only company that provided a bid. However, there is debate on council over whether to switch to a “carts only” model that would provide the city a discount on the condition that residents switch to using the new trash and recycling carts that will be provided by the city later this summer or fall.
“We (the ECC) are recommending the carts-only model since it will help reduce the rodent issue by leaps and bounds,” Rohrbach said. “We often hear about neighbors putting out the trash at night and by morning those bags are shredded with trash in the streets. We’ll never solve the rodent issue if we’re always feeding them a smorgasbord of treats. These carts will reduce that access and rat population.”
Rohrbach also highlighted the ECC’s composting initiative. Residents can drop off food scraps ranging from bones, meat and eggshells to fruits and vegetables at the Department of Public Services, located at 801 Ajax Drive.
“It started with one bin but now it’s three bins being emptied twice a week,”
Rohrbach said. “There’s also another one at Fire Station No. 1, since the firefighters cook food there all the time — they wanted to get in on it, so we have a bin there, too. We rolled that out and it’s been so successful, reducing our carbon footprint on the planet. We have even started having conversations with a company about a possible curbside composing service for residents that would be free of charge. We’re still exploring that idea, but it could be a huge impact. We could be the pilot city for the program.”
Mayor Roslyn Grafstein helped restart the ECC. She initiated a complete rewrite of the city’s invasive species ordinance to better support pollinators and native gardens. She also helped spearhead the Bloom Project, an ECC initiative that aims to turn underused grassy areas into native gardens and rain gardens. She has since stepped back from the ECC, with Rohrbach taking the lead.
“For anyone starting a garden, native plants are beautiful, low maintenance and great for local ecosystems. Even planting just a few can make a meaningful difference,” the mayor said in an email. “My advice is to keep it simple and start small. Our Native Plant Sale is a great way to get started.”
Call Staff Writer Andy Kozlowski at (586) 498-1046.
Festival
from page 1A
tery-powered lights, which they can place on a stage for all to see. They can then take their lantern home at the end of the evening.
The large lanterns, meanwhile, could reach sizes comparable to a refrigerator or small car, he said. Those would be preassembled by organizers and set up around the venue for ambiance.
As for the live entertainment, there will be a DJ playing K-pop and J-pop hits, as well as traditional Chinese performers. Food and drink will run the gamut of Asian-Pacific culture, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and more.
But the lanterns will likely be the highlight, he said.
“We want ones that the kids can put together so they can familiarize themselves with the culture by making them firsthand,” Wright said. “The plan is to have some space erected where we can display them and share them with the community. There will be several styles, and everyone will have the opportunity to make them their own by coloring them, or the way they assemble them.”
Wright and the HREC also spearheaded the event “Rev’n in the Heights,” which made its debut last year and will return to Civic Center Plaza this year on Sept. 13. That event celebrates culture in another way, bringing people together over their shared love of cars and cooking.
The event features unique and exotic cars lined up in the parking lot. Chefs square off in a juried barbecue competition, while guests enjoy something to eat and drinks from local food trucks.
“It was such a success,” Wright said. “Rather than going in blind and trying to figure it out ourselves, we partnered with local car enthusiasts and small business owners to make it possible. It’s the same idea with
this lantern festival, partnering with Dasian Media and 168 Group.”
As for the HREC, its mission remains the same.
“We want to make the city a more inclusive place — not only in its programming, but also in its policy,” Wright said. “To be inclusive means to consider all of our residents with particular needs. This could include making sure our policies are inclusive of their culture, or their disability, or their identity. We want to make sure we’re being intentionally inclusive, and that we’re not being unintentionally exclusive.”
This approach can be seen in an upcoming project by the HREC, where special boards will be installed at local parks. The boards feature illustrations and phrases that help nonverbal or less verbal individuals to express themselves. They can point to the elements of the board to communicate their thoughts and feelings in a way that’s more comfortable for them.
“We’re looking at ways we can be more compliant with (the Americans with Disabilities Act), and also more inclusive with it,” Wright said. “So not just meeting the standard, but going above and beyond. We want to meet the needs of all our citizens.”
Emily Rohrbach is another member of the Madison Heights City Council. She serves as the council alternate for the HREC.
“This lantern festival will bring us all together to celebrate Asian-American culture through food and dance and music and light. People always say, ‘Oh, Madison Heights has my favorite Thai restaurant,’ and ‘Oh, I love the Vietnamese restaurants there.’ So this acknowledges that, and celebrates how we’re an important place for their communities here in southeast Michigan,” Rohrbach said. “It’s really just a very special opportunity for our city.”
Call Staff Writer Andy Kozlowski at (586) 498-1046.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is hereby given that a Meeting of the Madison Heights Zoning Board of Appeals will be held in the City Council Chambers of the Municipal Building at 300 W. 13 Mile Road, Madison Heights, Oakland County, Michigan 48071 on Thursday, June 5th, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. to consider the following requests:
1. Case # PZBA 25-05: 241 & 245 E. 11 Mile Road
REQUEST: The applicant, Gabe Koniecski, requests a dimensional variance from Section 7.03.46 of the Zoning Ordinance pertaining to the minimum setback of a veterinary clinic from a residentially-zoned or used property. The subject property is located at 241 & 245 E. 11 Mile Road (PIN 44-25-13-357-027) and is zoned CC, City Center.
The applications and any supporting documents can be viewed during regular business hours at the Community & Economic Development Department. In addition, the agenda item can be viewed online at www.madison-heights.org in the Agenda Center after 4:00 p.m. on Friday before the meeting.
If you are unable to attend the meeting, you can send your comments via email to: MattLonnerstater@madison-heights.org and your comment will be read into the record at the meeting. Written comments may also be mailed prior to the meeting to 300 West Thirteen Mile Road, Madison Heights, Michigan, 48071. All comments will be heard at the meeting.
MADISON HEIGHTS COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT (248) 583-0831
Madison-Park
Pontiac Transportation Museum gears up for its ‘Phase II Fanfare’ event
MUSEUM PAYS TRIBUTE TO PONTIAC’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE AUTO INDUSTRY
BY MARIA ALLARD allard@candgnews.com
PONTIAC — Walking into the Pontiac Transportation Museum is like spending time in your grandfather’s pristine garage as a kid.
The museum is a leisurely walk back in time that pays tribute to the car manufacturers and assembly line workers who made everything from 19th century carriages to late ’60s GTOs in Pontiac-based automobile plants. That includes the Oakland Motor Car Co., Pontiac Assembly, the Pontiac Tractor Co. and GMC.
Memorabilia tells the city’s auto history, vehicles from different decades are on display, there’s a section dedicated to 50 years of Pontiac coach buses, visitors can view interactive videos, and much more. Volunteer docents are available to answer questions and take guests on museum tours. There’s also a gift shop that sells T-shirts, baseball caps, glassware and stickers.
“Our scope is basically wheel vehicles in Pontiac, either engineered here or manufactured here and or both. Forty-seven companies were here over time. We live in southeastern Michigan. Everybody is related to somebody that worked in the auto business,” said Pontiac Transportation Museum Board Chair Terry Connolly, a Rochester Hills resident. “The nice thing about opening the museum is people walk up almost every day with a box of stuff. You find some artifacts in there that are just amazing that people kept.”
LEFT: Pontiac Transportation Museum Board Chair Terry Connolly, of Rochester Hills, reads a map that shows the location of the former Pontiac auto plants.
Photos by Patrica O’Blenes
ABOVE AND LEFT: The Pontiac Transportation Museum, located at 250 W. Pike St., opened in May 2024. Its hours
Museum
The museum, located at 250 W. Pike St., opened in May 2024 with phase I of its installation. Just a year later, organizers will open the second phase of the museum on May 17, and the public is cordially invited to the “Phase II Fanfare” event.
The day will begin at 9 a.m. with a car cafe kickoff that will include free coffee, doughnuts and cider. Car buffs who drive classic Pontiac, Oakland and GMC brands are welcome to showcase their models on the museum grounds as space allows.
The museum will open at 10 a.m. with “Phase I” admittance prices. At noon, the event will switch gears with guest speakers and a ribbon-cutting to officially open phase II of the museum. From 1 to 5 p.m., the public can enjoy live music outside, and food will be for sale.
“We want people to be proud of what happened in Pontiac. We want to attract heritage tourism to Pontiac,” said Connolly, a retired automobile engineer. “There was a lot of wealth accumulation in Pontiac at one point in time. It happened because of manufacturing prowess and science and technology.”
There are bits of history throughout the museum that highlight all kinds of vehicles made in the city: carriages, sedans, station wagons, sports cars, convertibles, 18-wheeler trailers, medium-duty trucks, pickup trucks, and buses. Inside the museum is a 1908 Pontiac High Wheel Runabout, a 1912 Flanders Colonial Electric, 1968 Pontiac Firebird Ram Air II, 1940 GMC pickup truck, the very last Pontiac 2010 G6 sedan and more.
“Pontiac had 80% of the transit market in the whole United States for about 40 years,” Connolly said. “The Department of Justice didn’t take kindly to that and took
GM to court for about 10 years and said, ‘It’s a monopoly, you’ve got to break it all off.’ So GM sold it all off, but most of the transit buses in the United States were built in Pontiac.”
Also on display are Whizzer motorbikes, which ran on gasoline and became popular during World War II.
“Gas was rationed, and women began working at plants,” Connolly said. “They all bought Whizzers” to get to work. The Pontiac manufacturing plants also supplied vehicles during World War II, including DUKWs, antiaircraft guns, armored cars, torpedoes, parts for tanks and landing craft and artillery ammunition.
In another site, volunteers placed two cars next to each other that represent the beginning and end of manufacturing in the city: a 1927 Landau sedan and a 1982 Grand Prix. Guests might also spot the 21-foot 1986 Vixen recreational vehicle on exhibit. Only 587 models were produced in 19861987 at the Vixen Motor Co.; they really didn’t generate much interest.
“My assessment is it was too expensive for its market in the mid-’80s because you could buy a bigger motorhome for the same amount of money,” Connolly said. “These were built right next door to where the Silverdome used to stand.”
The Pontiac Transportation Museum was built inside the former Crofoot Elementary School. Private donors have funded the museum along with support from the city of Pontiac’s Arts and Culture American Rescue Plan Act grant of $250,000. Since opening last year, the PTM has welcomed about 5,000 guests from 16 countries and nearly every U.S. state.
A list of admission prices is on the PTM website at pontiactransportationmuseum. org/visit. Information regarding donation opportunities also is available on the website. School groups are welcome for tours.
from page 12A
Through car displays and artifacts, the Pontiac Transportation Museum tells the story of the city’s contributions to the automobile industry.
Photo by Patrica O’Blenes
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COUNTY
LAUNCHES ‘TECH COLLABORATION’ TO STRENGTHEN REGIONAL INNOVATION
OAKLAND COUNTY — Oakland County has launched Oakland County Tech Collaboration, an ecosystem of tech companies, innovators, suppliers, academic institutions and county government, with the goal of creating connections and spurring economic growth in robotics integration, IT and computer services, research, engineering and design.
This strategic initiative is aimed at supporting and accelerating the growth of the county’s technology ecosystem, powered by the Oakland County Economic Development Business Retention & Growth team.
“Oakland County is taking bold steps to establish itself as a national leader in technology innovation by strengthening our strategic focus on research, engineering and design, IT/computer services and robotics integration,” County Executive Dave Coulter stated via a press release.
Five of the county’s largest tech firms have taken on the role of “Keystone company” to strengthen the tech ecosystem, with their collective efforts intended to support the retention and expansion of the tech industry, attract new talent, and foster a collaborative environment that nurtures innovation and attracts new investments.
The Oakland County Tech Collaboration will host a series of events to connect business with higher education resources and opportunities at the university level, in addition to connecting small tech companies to larger tech companies.
Events are scheduled Sept. 18 at Walsh College in Troy and Nov. 6 at Oakland Community College’s Auburn Hills campus.
For more information about the Oakland County Tech Collaboration and upcoming events, visit oakgov.com/octechcollaboration.
Sound the Alarm program Volunteers needed
METRO DETROIT — The American Red Cross is looking for volunteers to help them distribute information for its Sound the Alarm program through May 17. Sound the Alarm is a fire safety education drive in which the Red Cross promotes its installation of free smoke alarms, which are provided year-round. Go to soundthealarm.org/ michigan for more information.
PUPPIES PARADE TO SUPPORT ANIMAL WELFARE
Macomb Community College and the University of Michigan sign transfer agreement
MACOMB COUNTY — On April 15, Macomb Community College and the University of Michigan announced a new transfer agreement for a dental hygiene master’s degree. The articulation agreement will offer an accelerated online Master of Science in Dental Hygiene program. The Accelerated Online Associate of Science to Master of Science in dental hygiene pathway provides a three-year option for transfer students who have completed or are completing an associate degree in dental hygiene and want to advance their education.
The online pathway is designed for part-time study and begins in the fall semester of 2025. To enroll, students must have an associate degree from Macomb with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better; graduated from a Commission on Dental Accreditation-accredited dental hygiene program; current local anesthesia and nitrous oxide licenses; and a current dental hygiene license to practice in the U.S. For applicants in the program, 60 dental hygiene credits and 24 general education credits will transfer from Macomb. Students will then need to complete 54 credits at U of M. In addition to transferring to Michigan, students may concurrently take courses and access advising and other services at both institutions.
