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FridayMusings Wednesday, December 21, 2022    Helping define Livonia Quality of Life

Returning January 2nd for the start of our 21st year publishing as FridayMusings

2,304,829 total words written in Musings since March, 2019

Typewriter 1950's

I will miss you for the next 12 days as it is time for the year-end mental health, and rehabilitation respite. In other words, I am going to be out of the box by spending time with grandchildren Leo and Maya, son Paul, and daughter-in-law Raquel in Aurora Colorado.


No computer. No phone. Swimming every morning. Playing and reading to 4-year-old Leo every day, watching baby Maya grow and explore. Admiring the life being lived by Paul and Raquel.


Musings will return on January 2nd and will be looking forward to a full January with a calendar already filling up with Livonia activities. My hometown. A town that the Joyners have loved since moving here in 1959. Because of the feelings I have for the town that I am invested in I often write the ideas that are on my mind, opinions on hometown topics, and reactions to our community leaders. None of which is based on malice but rather an enjoyment of circumspection; how things operate.


Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays to encompass everyone whose path I cross or friends I make, and especially those of you who read Musings three times each week. Thank you for making my year so enjoyable, and helping me feel connected to those making a difference and those who want to be kept informed.


See you January 2nd. Can't wait.

Helping our hometown businesses with support from Livonia Kids and Families for Garfield Western Wayne Skills Center, Living and Learning Center, Livonia Transition Program

Livonia Kids and Families is working with the Garfield Skills Center, Livonia Transition Program and the Livonia and Learning Center to provide job skills and work opportunities for 18-26-year-old special education students, and in the case of the Living and Learning Center age 18 -adult, who have exited high school with a certificate of completion. Students spend half of their day at a job site where students have the opportunity to learn job skills in a real-life situation.

 

While on the job site, students focus on demonstrating competencies that are deemed necessary for successful employment. The partnership between businesses and one of the program's schools is facilitated by a teacher from the school.


If you have a business that would like to become involved in reaching out to these special education students, providing them a real-world job to complement their educational component please in the new year contact Veronica Cruz at AlphaUSA, one of the Livonia businesses providing opportunities under this program. Cruz coordinates the LKF program and can be reached at vcruz@alphausa.com.

FridayMusings hope for the

new year in our hometown

Here is hoping. . .


. . . .that Livonia will take up the issue of the non-discrimination ordinance again and that it will pass the Council the second time around.


. . . .that Livonia will visit the issue of establishing within the industrial belt three medical marijuana dispensaries.


. . . .that Livonia will put on the community agenda the development of a true community performing arts center.


. . . .that Livonia move toward replacing the small recycling bins with the larger wheeled carts.


. . . .that Livonia explore compost pick up door to door, Weekly Residential Food Waste Composting



. . . .that Livonia take another look at the removal of the Alfred Nobel Library with the hope that a Dennis Wright Community Resource Center be opened in its place.


. . . .that Livonia set as a goal the enlistment of 1,000 volunteers for the Livonia Service Corps by Spring.


. . . .that Livonia create a position of grant writer whose sole purpose is to bring a revenue stream of grants into our hometown.


. . . .that Livonia name a facility or a park after the late John Dufour, the father of Livonia open space and the Parks and Recreation Department.


. . . .that the Tour de Livonia continues to put Livonia on the map of healthy communities with 1,000 riders in the second annual event.


. . . .that Livonia add the names of all art organizations and groups to the City website acknowledging the importance of art in defining quality of life.


. . . .that Livonia Public Schools identify a way to reduce the price of community groups using the three school performing art centers thus encouraging outside-of-education groups to use these wonderful buildings.


. . . .that Livonia consider placing on the ballot a long-term infrastructure bond proposal for the projects that have been put off for years and now need attention to continue defining Livonia as the go-to hometown.


. . . .that Livonia council folks looking for a way to communicate with residents turn to their own social media and start promoting community events to their followers instead of merely relying on others to promote quality of life activities in our hometown.


. . . .that the NCAA program, Name-Image-likeness, be eliminated. College sports is becoming too much like professional sports with students transferring or enrolling based on the money or cars being offered.

Should we hold off the move by

some to postpone the 2023 city election while moving the city

elections to the Presidential and Governor election years?

Laura Toy will be the odds-on favorite should she announce as she is expected, for Livonia City Clerk. Her name and years of service make her a prohibitive favorite.


One of her chief campaign ideas is to postpone the 2023 city elections until 2024, which is allowed for under state law. This would permanently move our city elections to the ballot on which we vote for President or Governor, the even-numbered years.


This move would provide a leg up in the election to incumbents or those with name recognition as a new candidate competing with a Presidential campaign would not be able to raise the money to reach the larger number of voters who turn out for President or Governor.


Livonia elections in odd-numbered years provide us with an opportunity to discuss local hometown issues without being overshadowed by national issues.


It is not the way to go to continue Livonia discussions on Livonia's needs and values, irrespective of what the national candidates are talking about.

Should we postphone city elections 1 year and move them to the same year as Presidential year?
Yes
No

Senior Center Book Club will share some cool books in 2023

I really enjoy the books we read and share at the Senior Center Book Club, started by Chuck Dardas and by invitation co-hosted by the typewriter. In the first quarter of 2023, date not firm yet, we will read and discuss The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See. This video won me over. Check it out, get the book, settleback and enjoy. The video alone as Cate Strumbos says is "very cool."

Musings salutes Consumers Energy. . .

for its partnership with the Livonia Public Schools. A check was presented to LPS for $237,634 representing a rebate check following one of the district's energy efficiency update projects resulting in gas savings and lowered maintenance costs.

Should we open medical marijuana dispensaries?

Legal marijuana suppliers are the safest weed providers in the cannabis market. Only a legitimate dispensary gives us a sense of safety because they tell us everything we need to know about their products upfront.


It is time for Livonia to put the issue of dispensaries on the table with a discussion of taking a portion of the industrial belt and zoning to allow for the opening of three dispensaries.


Quality matters with marijuana, and it mostly matters when it’s for a medical need. We can find medical-quality cannabis products only at a dispensary.


Yes, we can drive out of town, Westland perhaps, or Ferndale from where I order my PM gummies, and they deliver free.


But it is time for Livonia to open three in a controlled neighborhood. 2023 is the year to address this issue.

Would you like to see a marijuana dispensary zone in the industrial belt of Livonia?
Yes
No

Can we give the destruction of the Nobel Library a second look?

The dye is set. The brillantly designed Alfred Noble Library is apparently set to be torn down after years of neglect resulting in mold permeating the structure.


But hold on for just a minute. Can we creatively raise the $1.6 million, up to $2 million, and keep the building as a revenue stream with 1/2 for meetings, and 1/2 for city services?


Add to the services we could have is a community art ticket office, a community service component with access to community services, and perhaps the Livonia Service Corps placing volunteers.


Let's go out and recruit grant funds, naming rights, and community contributions. Then let's go out and name it the Dennis Wright Community Resource Building.


Until its a done deal lets turn over every stone until there are no more answers.

Would you like to see a study of alternate uses of Noble Library before it is torn down?
Yes
No

Should we revisit the Non-discrimination ordinance?

60 plus communities statewide adopt a non-discrimination ordinance while Livonia says no.


I am waiting for 2 members of the 5 who voted no, Scott Bahr, Scott Morgan, Laura Toy, Kathleen McIntyre, and Rob Donovic, to stand up and say YES we are switching our votes and will support the NDO.


There is talk of a ballot proposal to put the issue before the voters. We elect Councilmembers to make policy, not to turn their job over to the voters.


We should show the state that Livonia supports non-discrimination and move to endorse the NDO.

With the council voting 5-2 vote against the NDO would you be supportive of a ballot issue?
Yes
No

Mail Address

19514 Bainbridge 48152

E-mail address
rwilliamjoyner@gmail.com
Cell address
734-674-5871


What motivates FridayMusings:

We can't only define Livonia as taking small steps toward maintaining the way things were. That will give us mediocre outcomes. Our goal needs to be innovative and transformative.