Belleville getting help on cemetery, parks from young workers

One of the things the young workers will do soon is cut the brush along the crest of High Street next to the lake. They need to wait until DPW workers are available to work with them because the adults need to watch out for road traffic in that narrow section of shoreline.
This was part of the report made by Building Official Rick Rutherford during the July 3 regular meeting of the Belleville City Council.
The city expects to have 12-15 young workers being paid with a $47,000 grant from the Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority to help the two DPW employees and small staff at city hall with needed projects.
He said the workers will help with cleanup issues around town, paint the fire hydrants, and do work at the cemetery.
Rutherford said he has reworked the fencing at Doane’s Landing to make it as presentable as possible while the park is closed to the public. He said he has had meetings with engineers and will be getting preliminary figures on how much it will take to fix the seawall. He said the topographical work is in.
Rutherford said he also is getting estimates on how much it will cost to restripe Main Street and Liberty Street.
He said there is no solid date yet for the spray patching of the streets in Harbour Pointe. He said he has asked for a 10-day notice before work begins, so he can have notices hand-carried to the residents, door to door, so they will know what is happening.
He said if everyone parks in driveways during the three-day process, the work will go better. He said the work will start in the front of the subdivision and work back and around.
Also, he said, every two to three seasons, the city gets the brush cut on the hill that plunges down into the lake at Horizon Park and he is contacting Valentine Tree Services who has done the brush before.
“I’ve had a few DPW guys cut beyond the ropes and the crest of the hill,” he said, noting he also has ordered a couple hundred feet of replacement ropes for the west end of Horizon Park.
City Manager Kollmeyer said the Denton Road Bridge belongs to Wayne County and it needs to be trimmed badly. She said she will be calling Van Buren Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara to ask him to help her put pressure on Wayne County Commissioner Al Haidous to get the brush cutting done on the bridge approaches. McNamara is a former county commissioner.
“Wayne County has equipment to do it,” Kollmeyer said.
Mayor Kerreen Conley said, “Horizon Park looks awful. It’s never looked that …”
“Ugly.” Rutherford filled in the word she was searching for.
Councilman Tom Smith asked about the sprinkler system and Rutherford said it hasn’t worked in five years.
“What would it take to get the sprinklers working?” Councilman Smith asked, and then answered his own question with, “I know, money. It’s always money.”
Mayor Conley said there used to be a direct draw of water from the lake for the irrigation system there and Rutherford said they could look into it.
“Last week it was really looking rough and that’s why I put it to the top of the list,” Rutherford said of Horizon Park.
Rutherford also said the sidewalk program has been delayed.
In other business at the 19-minute meeting on July 3, the council:
• Approved accounts payable of $74,303.53;
• Heard Kollmeyer announce that the clerk has put together the bids on the proposed website upgrade and the recommendation will be presented at the next meeting. Clerk/Treasurer Sherri Scharf was out on vacation;
• Heard Jeff Vernon say from the audience that he is more and more upset with the sign ordinance because businesses can’t do one thing, but events can do that very thing. “How come you get to fly the blade signs?” he said referring to the Music Lakeside event. Vernon said his business had wanted to use the blade signs on South Street to bring attention to his candy store, but was told he couldn’t. His candy store has closed. He complained to the planning commission about the blade signs and he said Commissioner John Juriga told him the Music Lakeside signs were only up for three hours. But Vernon said the ordinance has no three-hour exemption. “It’s a not-for-profit thing,” said Councilman Smith. “What’s your problem?” Vernon said some businesses could use some help. Councilman Smith said the Music Lakeside flags are not to attract anyone. “It’s a decoration,” he said. Mayor Conley directed Kollmeyer to work on the issue; and
• Heard Kollmeyer say Councilman Fielder was going to get together with Veterans of Foreign Wars member Cornell Anton to discuss plans for the Veterans’ Memorial and, perhaps, put an agreement together that would have the city and veterans’ organizations pay for the repairs and upgrades together.
Councilman Fielder and Mayor Pro Tem Jack Loria were absent from the meeting, which met with a bare quorum of three.