Press Release | Office of the Mayor | This Week in Westland : August 20, 2016

For Immediate Release | Official Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

36300 Warren Road | Westland, Michigan | 48185

Office 734.467.3200 | Fax 734.422.1230

WWW.CITYOFWESTLAND.COM

This Week in Westland

August 20, 2016 - August 28, 2016

Bake Sale and Garage Sale - On Saturday, August 20 The Jefferson Barns Community Vitality Center will be hosting a garage and bake sale to benefit the Norwayne Community Citizens Council and the Westland Monarch Butterfly Refuge and Children's Fairy Garden. Those who are interested in participating can bring garage sale items to Jefferson Barns by August 19 and Bake Sale goods like need cupcakes, breads, muffins, rice krispy treats on the day of the sale. This event will run from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Be Proud! Be Responsible - On Monday, August 22, the Westland Youth Assistance Program will be presenting a "Be Proud, Be Responsible" program for area teens. This free program gives young people the information they need to make good choices when it comes to their relationships. The program begins at 10:00 a.m. and students attending get a free lunch, special prize, and all of the required materials. This event will take place at the Jefferson Barns Community Vitality Center, located at 32150 Dorsey St. You can register by calling the Youth Assistance Program at 734-467-7904.

Downtown Development Authority

Meets on Thursday, August 25 at 12:00 p.m. at Westland City Hall to discuss general business

Westland Farmer's and Artisan Market Senior Day- The Westland Farmer's Market will be held from 3 - 7 p.m. every Thursday in the new, beautiful Farmer's Marketplace, located in Central City Park. This is the ultimate site for farmers, growers and producers to sell their own products directly to the public. This Thursday, August 25 is Senior Day at the farmer's market. Special vendors will participate including Veterans Health & Fitness specializing in senior exercise. MSU will be providing an extension on nutrition and more! Attendees can also enter our raffle to win a Basket full of Market goodies donated by our vendors.

Inspire Theater's Rock and Roll Heaven - Inspire Theater will be showing their upcoming show, "Rock and Roll Heaven" beginning Friday, August 26 and Saturday, August 27 at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a Sunday, August 28 showing at 3:00 p.m. Rock and Roll Heaven is a nostalgic stroll down memory lane to a gentler time of soda shops and bobby socks, poodle skirts and ducktails. All the action is set to the tune of the late 50's and early 60's. Tickets can be purchased at www.inspiretheatre.ticketleap.com or by calling (734)751-7057. The show takes place at the Westland Center for the Arts, located at 33455 Warren Rd.

Parks and Recreation Survey - The City of Westland wants to hear from all Westland residents about their recreational wants and needs. PB & A Marketplace has already assisted the city in conducting an intelligence survey through phone polling. The survey will also be available to complete online beginning July 14 and until the last day in August. Paper copies of the survey will also be available at all city buildings. This survey asks residents about their opinions on the convenience and usefulness of adding recreational facilities as well as specific programming and the costs associated. The department will take the information obtained through the survey into consideration when planning upcoming recreation plans. The survey takes less than 10 minutes and gives residents an opportunity to have their opinions heard and allows them to be a part of the process of bettering the City's amenities. You can take the survey by clicking here

Westland, Michigan is the state's 10th largest municipality, with a population of over 84,000 people who exhibit a great deal of pride in their All-American City. Westland has a thriving business community along with beautiful residential areas. The citizens enjoy a wide array of amenities and a quality of life that is second to none.

In 2014, Westland was rated as one of 24/7 Wall Street's America's Best 50 Cities to Live, offering residents and visitors an ideal blend of single-family affordable homes, apartments and condominiums, great schools, and access to numerous outdoor activities. Public safety is delivered by full-service, professional law enforcement and firefighting personnel. Westland Police Department, whose motto is protect and serve, provides emergency dispatch services to four cities and over 100,000 residents; the Western Wayne Fire Association firefighters collaboratively serving the Cities of Wayne and Westland are licensed paramedics who responded to over 13,000 calls for service last year, about 85% being medical based. They never forget their mission of preserving life and property.

Westland is well-known as the premier destination for shopping and dining in Wayne County with hundreds if shops and restaurants anchored by the Westland Shopping Center, on of the country's original four regional malls.

Infinite opportunities are available in Westland for the recreation aficionado including, more that 40 parks and 1,500 acres of trails, a 9-hole golf course, hockey arena, athletic fields, playscapes, a Farmers and Artisans Market and more. One of Michigan's most environmentally friendly cities, Westland has a progressive curbside recycling program with one of the highest participation rates in the nation and the City is raising the bar for cultural experiences with the placement of public art throughout the City.

The City is served by two public school districts; Wayne-Westland Community Schools serving 12,000 youth was recently named one of the Best School in Michigan by WXYZ-TV and is the proud recipient of 14 Golden Apple and two Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards. Livonia Public Schools, educating nearly 15,000 students, is proud of their MEAP/MME scores that exceed state averages and the District has also earned Golden Apple and Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards.

Westland's philosophy is that government should embrace good business principles. Providing oversight over the City's operating budget of $60 million dollars, Westland is the only community in Wayne County with a 3-year balanced budget and an approximately 10 percent budget surplus.

The City provides competitive incentives for those who are interested in investing in Westland, making it one of the hottest investment markets in the region. Our Fast-Track to Business Team, which consists of key decision makers who work diligently on a development plan will "cut the red tape" and expedite the approval process for new business development.