Legal Challenge Delays Construction Projects

By Robert C. Johnston

Nobody in the Plymouth-Canton, Mich., schools seems to be celebrating the first anniversary of passing a nearly $80 million school bond that was supposed to pay for two new schools, dozens of computers, and new school buses.

Instead, the residents of that growing area are digging in for a long battle over one man's legal challenge to the March 1997 vote in the bond's favor. His lawsuit has forced the 15,700-student Plymouth-Canton system about 15 miles west of Detroit to halt most bond-related activity, even though several reviews have deemed the election free of irregularities.

Meanwhile, residents who campaigned for the bond are in emotional limbo, stuck between the thrill of victory and...