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VOL. 61, NO. 2 THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2011

Judge orders trial in contract dispute

Connors said he will let a jury
Lenard Kozma decide whether officials with
Without a written contract,
Kozma failed to demonstrate
himself during the initial
round. His persistence paid
Weave the Web:
Make sure to click on www.
heritage.com around the
clock for in-depth coverage of
Washtenaw County. Our “Most
Viewed” story this week is
could be terminated by either “Superintendent holds forum
party. on student’s suicide.”

first sued Chelsea the company, with locations

in Chelsea, Bridgewater and
Lumber in 2007 Saline, misrepresented their
agreement with garage build-
er Lenard Kozma, and steered
By Art Aisner business to other contractors
Special Writer
for kickbacks, court records
A Washtenaw County judge show.
recently set a September trial That was not the result when
date in a revived case that Kozma first brought the case in
questions business practices at 2007 and Connors summarily
Chelsea Lumber.
dismissed all nine accusations
Circuit Judge Timothy shortly after the filing.
a “meeting of the minds”
between him and company
officials, Connors ruled, accord-
ing to court documents. Once
the verbal agreement Kozma
believed he had reached to
become the company’s exclusive
garage builder was nullified,
any of the remaining counts
had no legal standing.
But Kozma appealed and
hired an attorney, Lawrence
Bunting, after representing
off in July, when the Michigan
Court of Appeals reversed
Connors’ ruling.
Justices Alton Davis, Pat
Donofrio and Cynthia Diane
Stephens agreed that Connors
correctly determined that from
the evidence provided neither
party had a mutual understand-
ing of how long the agreement
was to last.
There also was no under-
standing of how the contract
But those rulings alone
should not have been reason for
the entire case to be dismissed
without further exploring the
facts, they found.
“Although the trial court
correctly concluded that the
parties did not reach a mutual
agreement relating to the length
of the contract, the trial court
erroneously concluded that the
lack of mutuality regarding
PLEASE SEE TRIAL/3-A
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School district
returning with
ballot issue
By Steven Howard
Heritage Media
The Saline school district will
host two public forums in the
coming weeks to address a pro-
posed bond extension that voters
will see on the Feb. 22 ballot.
Saline Area Schools
Superintendent Scot Graden said
the first is set for 9:30 am. Feb.
1 and the other will be held 6:30
p.m. Feb. 7. Both meetings will
be held in the media center at
Liberty School.
“We’re going to talk a little bit
about what we’ve done since the
last bond issue,” Graden said,
citing the school district’s previ-
ous failed attempt at passing an
extension in August 2010. “We’re
going to talk about, building by
building, what exactly is going to
be addressed with the bond.”
The current bond proposal
is approximately $6 million
less than the last, Graden said,
because of several key changes.
“We were looking at metal
roofs,” he said, indicating the
material would have lasted lon-
ger, but also cost much more.
“Now, we’ve eliminated that.”
Graden said there were also
several other key changes across
the board that contributed to the
downsized dollar amount, which
will be discussed in detail at the
community forums.
When the bond extension
was first proposed in August, it
totaled $28 million, while the cur- throughout the facility.
rent request is for $22 million.
Graden said there are many
needed infrastructural improve-
PLEASE SEE BOND/7-A said. “Our first class, Zumba,
Photo by Steven Howard
Jacob Cotsonika, 6, and his father, Nick Cotsonika, play floor hockey at the Saline Recreation Center Sunday as part of the New
Year, New You Open House event.
Recreation center holds open house
By Steven Howard
Heritage Media
The Saline Recreation Center
hosted its “New Year, New You”
Open House Sunday, offering a
crowd of attendees a free look
at the classes, activities and
programs available year round.
Many staff members gave
tours and facilitated programs
Recreation Supervisor
Sunshine Lambert said she was
pleased with the turnout.
“It’s going really well,” she
was packed. There was prob-
ably 15 or 20 students in it.”
Eager visitors streamed
through the door throughout
the course of the afternoon
and cars consistently filled the
facility’s parking area.
“We always get several hun-
dred people,” Lambert said.
As winter sets in every
year, people begin looking for
something to do to keep active,
Lambert said, and often seek
out the center for that purpose.
“You get cabin fever,” she
said. “The holidays are over
and this is a good way to get
you out of the house and feel-
ing good.”
Lambert said the recreation
center has something for every
interest and age, with many
activities and classes just now
getting under way.
“Our fitness classes just
started up this week,” she said,
also indicating youth tumbling,
after-school dodge ball and
other fun pastimes will com-
mence over the next two weeks.
The pool area was packed
with people seeking out a warm
and humid alternative to the
blistering cold and dry weather
outside.
With the sun coming through
the windows, the scene was
more reminiscent of July
rather than January, and for
that reason Lambert said the
pool is always a big draw on the
center’s free open house days.
“I had phone calls with
people saying, ‘We can have our
kids come swim for free?’” she
said.
Lambert said a volleyball net
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Community Calendar . 1-C News Tip Hotline – 429-7380 www.salinereporter.com E-mail: editor@salinereporter.com
WHAT’S Commentary . . . . . . . . . 6-A
INSIDE Deaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-A
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-B BRIEFLY... Kathy Campau. The exhibit runs for the entire 555 N. Maple Road. A closing tea and grand prize
month of February, with an artist reception set raffle is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. March 16 at the
from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 18. senior center.
■ Arts center to relocate: After five years of
■ Reading program starts Wednesday: The ■ Garden club meets Tuesday: Saline Stone
Printed operation at 212 W. Michigan Ave., Two Twelve third annual Winter Nesters reading program and Thistle Garden Club will meet 7:30 p.m. Jan.
on Arts Center is relocating to 216 W. Michigan Ave.
recycled for senior citizens will be held Jan. 19 through 17 at UAW Hall, 601 Woodland Drive, in Saline.
paper in Saline to accommodate its growth. The new March 16. Participants can register at the Saline The free program, “A Bit of Green for Winter,”
location will open to the public in February. The Area Senior Center, 7190 Maple Road, or by calling will feature speaker Maureen White-Goeman of
first exhibit, “Hawaiian Holiday,” in the new loca- 429-9274. Participants must read five books. Prizes Maureen’s Designs Floral Shop in Saline. She will
tion will feature the work of Saline fiber artist may be collected at the Saline District Library, discuss how to construct a terrarium.

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