VBT DDA buys Grandpa Harris’ Belleville Road property

By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
Albert Harris, the late longtime member of the Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority, was a builder and a gifted layer of concrete.
His family was among the early settlers of VBT and they all were builders.
And, he was known for creating and giving away wooden toys by the thousands from his little workshop on his property at 10151 Belleville Road, where he and his wife Frances lived.
Grandpa’s Toys was toured by school classes and church groups and just plain interested individuals. Albert died in 2002 and Frances in 2013 at the age of 90.
At its meeting on Nov. 25, the VBT DDA voted to buy that .5 acre where Albert and Francis lived for $150,000 and another .48 acre next door at 10101 Belleville Road for $200,000 from the Harris heirs.
The properties, which total 1.1 acres, wrap around a restored old home at 10145 Belleville Road owned by Carol and Terry Bird and housing the Remerica Main Street real estate offices.
Carol Bird, a longtime member of the DDA, abstained from the vote.
DDA Executive Director Susan Ireland explained the background of the purchase in a memo to the DDA. She reminded them that in the August meeting the DDA authorized her to investigate and potentially consummate a transaction for the purchase of real property.
Then, at the October meeting, the DDA approved retaining professional consultants as part of the investigation process in order to complete the due diligence.
She said in order to complete the transaction, the seller needs to provide the DDA with title work and the DDA is waiting for the results of the Phase I environmental analysis and surveys from Wade Trim engineers.
At the Nov. 25 meeting, Ireland said they need to create additional areas within the DDA district for people to go, to meet, to gather.
She said the old home, restored by the Birds, is the only restored home in that area. She also pointed out that Bird has the Remerica building and the property they are purchasing wraps around her property. She said the property is on the market at a very good price and they have reached an agreement.
Ireland said Dec. 12 is the deadline to make a decision and that will be contingent on receiving at the items needed.
VBT Supervisor Linda Combs said that was a nice area for a small park, away from the traffic and noise.
Ireland pointed out it butts up to the Westlake Apartments.
“It is good for the downtown and we won’t get the price again,” Ireland said, pointing out it is “place-making” which the state encourages.
She said it is zoned residential, so they won’t need a zoning change.
Sally Hodges of McKenna Associates, the township’s planning consultants, said they walked around all the buildings and looked in the windows.
She said they will do a site analysis, economic analysis, and try to turn in a way to earn revenue with the facility with rentals, so it is not a burden to the township.
Ireland asked for volunteers to sit on a sub-committee to assist in determining the use of the property. She said, Bird, of course, wants to sit on the sub-committee.
Assistant DDA Executive Director
The DDA approved hiring Lisa M. Lothringer as Assistant DDA Executive Director. She will begin work on Jan. 5 at an annual salary of $49,000.
Her husband John and twin sons Joshua and John were with her at the meeting to show their support.
Ireland outlined the search for her assistant that started last April. After a disappointing number of applicants, they had a second search, expanding the part-time job to full time. Thirty-eight applications were received and approved.
A subcommittee of Carol Bird, Mark Laginess, Robert Bechtel and Joe Baskin helped in the process.
Ireland said there was a wide variety of applicants with a broad range of education and experience. She said the final two candidates were interviewed by the subcommittee.
“They were both very impressive and each would be able to satisfy the qualities the DDA is looking for,” Ireland said. “A significant amount of time was spent discussing the value of each candidate and after weighing the merits of both candidates it was agreed that Ms. Lisa Lothringer would be the best fit for the DDA.”
Lothringer earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Siena Heights University in Adrian last May, with a 3.7 GPA. She graduated from Monroe County Community College summa cum laude in 2009 with an Associate of Applied Science in Business.
Since 2009, she has worked for the Monroe County Intermediate School District as Special Education Administrative Coordinator / Assistant Substitute Teacher.
Lothringer has skills in internet use, organizational skills, event coordination, public speaking, and more than 15 years of experience working with non-profit groups on fundraising projects.
Regional Detention Pond
Dave Nummer of Wade Trim engineers announced there is a new revised layout for the regional detention pond he is working on for the DDA.
The pond is being relocated to the east side of the RV business on the I-94 North Service Drive, east of Dewitt. He said the sides of the present drain are falling in and trees are falling in the drain.
“This will be a better spot, a more functional pond. The property is not owned by the land conservancy,” but a private property owner.
“I believe he will be amiable since it works well for the future development of the site,” Nummer said. “He can run his storm sewer right into it.”
He said the land conservancy wanted trails and access to the property and that can be from Belleville Road along the pipe to their property to the pond and to the North I-94 Service Drive, creating a loop.
Nummer said he has confirmed the hydrology of the area and a draft report is to be shared with the county.
He said he will meet with the property owner on the property acquisition.
“Things really are starting to come together on this,” Nummer said.
In other business at the Nov. 25 meeting, the DDA:
• Approved a Walkability Audit along the Belleville Road downtown corridor by McKenna and Associates at a cost of $12,750. Paul Evans, McKenna’s consultant on non-motorized transportation, gave a presentation to the DDA on the project. Hodges said there are walks and crosswalks on Belleville Road and they want to make it more walkable and bikeable. Hodges said people can get their own walk score, from 1-100, by going onto www.walkscore.com/score and answering some questions;
• Approved buying an $895 full-page advertisement in the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce 2015 Directory;
• Approved the amended 2014 DDA Budget and the proposed 2015 DDA Budget;
• Heard the holiday decorations arrived earlier that day to use for the entry to the township north of the Belleville Bridge and they will be erected immediately by Old Glory;
• Approved an amended expenditure for the DDA for three emergency sirens at not to exceed $72,030. In August they approved $62,030, which included some CDBG funds that had to be taken out;
• Heard DDA vice chairman Craig Atchinson announce that at the recent VBT Civic Fund meeting, the members agreed to pay $116,000 for six emergency sirens that were to be paid for by the township. He said Public Safety Director Greg Laurain and Police Lt. Charles Bazzy were at the meeting and explained the need; and
• Learned the DDA has a verbal approval from the county on the landscape planned for the corner of Belleville and Ecorse roads. The county asked the DDA to have a civil engineer review the landscape plans. The county also asked for one more meeting on on-site visibility.
Absent from the Nov. 25 meeting were chairman Jere Dolph, Joe Baskin, Bob Bechtel, and Mark Laginess.