Belleville DDA hears reports on its marketing grants to local groups

The Belleville Downtown Development Authority invited groups they gave grants to in 2018 to send representatives to tell the DDA how they spent the grants, which totaled $7,500.
The $1,500 grant each was supposed to be spent on marketing and promoting Belleville’s downtown. The reports are in advance of decisions on 2019 funding.
Paul Henning, executive director of the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce said they had less than a perfect Winter Fest in December. The all-day rain washed out the fireworks and the children’s bounce house.
The DDA’s money was for Winter Fest.
The Animal Magic show was planned under a tent, but the heater for the tent didn’t perform as hoped, Henning said. He said the Animal Magic show was held in the Chamber of Commerce offices.
He said 3,000 people came out and stood in the rain for the light parade.
“Your money bought a full-page ad in the Independent and directional signs were made up,” he said, adding it also paid for a Winter Fest sign at Five points. He said the signs are reusable. The money also helped with the coloring book for children.
He said the adult carriage rides were $5 each in 2017, but in 2018 the price went up to $7.50 each, with children free. He said because of the rain they didn’t have many rides in December.
“The Christmas tree thing last year didn’t go well,” Henning said. “We won’t do it this year.”
DDA secretary Denise Baker asked about the ice sculptures. She said she’s had ice sculptures for five years and for only two years did they survive more than a day or two.
“It’s kind of disappointing,” Baker said.
“We talked about discontinuing them, but people like them,” Henning said.
“One year they lasted into January,” Baker said.
City Councilman Tom Fielder said from the audience that there is a void in activities between Christmas and Easter and that would be a more logical time for ice sculptures.
Bill Wolters, president of the Belleville Central Business Community, got up to report on the $1,500 the CBC got as a grant. It was to be used for Harvest Fest, Booville, Santa photos in 2018, and Flop E Bunny in 2019.
Wolters said he just follows whatever CBC Event Coordinator Janet Millard says to do and said Millard wrote up a report. He handed the report to City Manager Diane Kollmeyer to read. Part of the report listed the advertisements purchased with the grant to market the downtown.
He said the only thing the CBC couldn’t do was the Mutt Walk because of rain.
He said the Flop E Bunny now will have all ages let in to hunt for the candy all at once, in waves, except for the very little ones who will be off to the side.
He said they couldn’t have the Music Lakeside and Taste of Belleville together in 2018 as planned because of the weather and they will try it again this year with the food from 6 to 8 p.m. and the music after that.
Councilman Fielder said there were 400 photos with Santa, with kids and pets. This year they added special-needs people and there were eight to ten of them.
Joan Bodnar reported on the grant to the National Strawberry Festival. She said the money was used to offset giving businesses on Main Street free space in front of their businesses instead of charging them $550 per space. She said 13 got free spaces two years ago and five got free spaces last year.
She said the CBC had the most crafters they ever had and “the best” crafters last year. She anticipates another “best festival,” she said.
Bodnar said one business wanted a clear walkway in front of its business so it could continue to serve its customers, so the festival left an open space in front of that business.
DDA chairwoman Rosemary Loria said the money was supposed to be spent for “marketing the downtown.” She said the DDA asked for a report on how the festival used the money for marketing.
Bodnar said they marketed the festival with a program book, website, and two radio stations.
“It was supposed to be for marketing of the downtown. Not to help the businesses on Main Street,” Loria said.
No one was present to report on the grant given to the Belleville Area Council for the Arts for Music Lakeside 2018 or the grant to the Belleville Area Museum / Historical Society for Harvest Fest, Booville, and the holiday season in 2018. It was announced Museum Director Katie Dallos was out on sick leave and is expected back the following week. She and someone from BACA are expected to give reports at the March 20 DDA meeting.
In other business at the Feb. 20 meeting, the DDA:
• Heard an audit report from Kelly Howey of Plante Moran, who is business manager for the City of Belleville and the DDA. She said the audit for the city, which includes the DDA, for the year ending June 30, 2018 was completed by Alan C. Young and Associates last fall. It was a clean audit and she noted a $43,000 increase in the DDA net this year. She reminded them that its long-term bond debt of $3,125,000 will have its final debt payment in 2029. She noted the DDA revenue is fixed, but the debt service payments are increasing in size;
• Heard DDA Coordinator Carol Thompson refer to the Welcome folders in their packets which are printed to hand out to visitors attending the robotics competition at the high school in March, directing them to local dining locations and shopping. She said they learned earlier that morning that 30 rooms have already been rented at the hotel on the North I-94 Service Drive for the robotics event, March 8-9;
• Heard Wolters say a student marketing team will be going to the restaurants in town to give them a list of the 40 school teams that will be at the robotics competition so the restaurants can see if the schools want their teams catered. Belleville High School is hosting the event for the second year and it spends $6,000 on catering for its volunteers, including breakfasts. Wolters said there are four seniors on the BHS team this year. He said BHS students on the robotics team after graduation will be going to Northern Michigan University, the University of Michigan, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Wolters said the BHS team is working to get to the finals at Cobo Hall and Ford Field this year;
• Heard Thompson say the outdoor sculpture selections will be March 8 and earlier that day she went to an Iron Belle Trail meeting. There will be a public presentation to Van Buren Township and Belleville residents to explain the route recommended and to get approval to seek grant funding to construct the trail through the two communities; and
• Heard City Manager Kollmeyer say they just were able to get the street lights fixed when someone took out a light pole in front of CVS on Main Street. The driver, who crossed over lanes to hit the pole, has insurance.