VBT DDA to seek bids for sidewalks

By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
After a long discussion about how hard it is to work with Wayne County, the Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority approved going out for bids to install sidewalks on the North I-94 Service Drive between Belleville and Quirk roads and on Belleville Road from Tyler Road north to Armstrong’s Funland.
The DDA has been working for several years to put a sidewalk along Belleville Road south from the mobile home park to Tyler Road. People walking from the park to Meijer and other shopping areas have to walk in the roadway now, which is dangerous.
The sidewalk now approved will be short of reaching the mobile home park.
“This is the first time ever I feel defeated,” DDA Executive Director Susan Ireland told the DDA at its Sept. 23 meeting before she launched into a long report on her interaction with Wayne County officials on the sidewalk plans.
She said the DDA had plans since January that have gone back and forth.
“I’m not really sure what the issue is,” Ireland said, explaining the county wanted a culvert and open ditch in front of the Central Outlet location and so the DDA changed the plans and sent the new plans to the county. Then another two alternatives that were rejected.
“I was appalled at the response,” Ireland said, asking, “Is this email a joke?”
The county now wanted an 18” speed bump in three driveways, she said.
In her written report to the DDA, Ireland said, “The DDA is … being required to solve a Wayne County drainage problem that exists in the County’s rights of way, at the mailbox area in front of Central Outlet and Sales. The drainage issue has been a County problem for as long as I can remember.
“The only option Wayne County will consider to issue the permit for the installation of the sidewalks (specifically in front of Central Outlet and Sales) is for the DDA to increase the cost of this project by approximately $60,000 to install culverts and dig road drains from approximately the south side of the gate of Central Outlet and Sales to the northerly property line of Belleville Manor next to Belleville Road.
“… This project continues to hit roadblock after roadblock,” she wrote.
“I called our county commissioner and he came out,” she told the DDA. “He talked to the road department.” He said he met with officials and the county would give the DDA a cost estimate.
She was told to email the drawing and it was possible to get an estimate by Sept. 17, but she is still waiting.
The county had said a French drain would absolutely not work there because the ground is too packed down.
Ireland said Wade Trim engineers minimized the bump at Central Outlet to 6-8” high.
“Sixty-thousand dollars isn’t too much to do the drainage,” Ireland said the county told her.
She said she was told to call “Duke,” maintenance supervisor, since the county has all the equipment needed and could do it cheaper. But they said they would have to do it on a Saturday.
“I am so frustrated with this project,” Ireland said.
“They would rather have an open ditch in your yard,” Ireland said to DDA member Ron Blank who owns the mobile home park in question.
“An open ditch is not suitable,” Blank said. “It’s a ridiculous request. This township pays a tremendous amount of money to the county … They cannot refer us to ‘Duke’ … We need to talk to a person at the top of the food chain… Have that person come here and meet with us…”
“These people are the ones who put barricades at Stack’s,” Ireland reminded them.
“We’re a great township,” Blank said. “We’ve done wonderful things.”
“We’ve spent a lot of money doing county work,” Ireland agreed.
“Maybe it’s time to step back,” said Wade Trim engineer Dave Nummer. “Winter is coming. Look at building sidewalks on the property you have control over… You can go from Tyler to Armstrong’s,” he said, adding then they can continue working with the county to finish the sidewalk.
Blank said 15 or 20 years ago he was required to put in a sidewalk in and he did. He said it didn’t go anywhere, but he put it in.
“To start at Armstrong’s and go south doesn’t make sense,” Blank said. “Is this somehow giving Wayne County leverage over us? It won’t be reasonable… It doesn’t make sense to run 1,000 feet of sidewalk in front of an open field.”
DDA chairman Jere Dolph suggested seeing the sidewalk there might motivate Wayne County to help finish it.
Nummer said if they put in just part of the sidewalk, people might say, “Silly DDA” didn’t finish the job.
“We’ve been trying to do this since, about 2010,” Ireland said.
“People will say, ‘What a bunch of idiots,’” Blank said.
DDA member Craig Atchinson said they should use the power of the press to tell everyone, “We tried to build sidewalks and the county stopped us.”
Nummer suggested going out for a base bid and alternates, with the sidewalk on the North Service Drive and the Tyler to Armstrong span the base bids. The alternates would be Armstrong to Central Outlet with the ditch and culverts, if that’s all they’ll approve.
“You could give us a couple of weeks to work something out with the county and if we can’t, you could build on the property you control,” Nummer said.
“I would have to abstain, since it fronts our property, and there’s not enough here to have a vote,” Blank said, referring to the bare quorum of six DDA members at the meeting.
“I strongly think we should call the county commissioner and the director of the department, not the guy who does the permits,” Blank said. “This is America. We can go above him.”
Another engineer from Wade Trim pointed out permits and roads are two different departments, but they are all under the Department of Public Services.
“We need to take action,” said DDA member Mark Laginess. “We’ve been fooling around too long.”
He made the motion to go out for bids for sidewalks for the North I-94 Service Drive from Belleville to Quirk and along Belleville Road from Tyler to the south side of Armstrong’s. The motion was carried unanimously.
“We have to show the general public we mean business,” Dolph said.
“People in the park and people staying in the two motels have no safe way to walk,” Laginess said, adding neither the county commissioner nor the executive director will be in office in three months.
Nummer said the specs are 90% done and with some revising they can go out for sealed bids and call a special DDA meeting for bid opening to get the sidewalks done this fall.
Nummer, in a memo, said there would be an advantage to postponing the project to spring to see what happens with the proposed development project at the corner of Quirk Road and the I-94 North Service Road. An additional benefit, he said, is that the cost of the sidewalk is likely to be lower in the spring when the contractors are looking for work.
Blank said they should wait until after the election to contact the new state representative.
“When we run into a roadblock like this, it’s our responsibility to hold people responsible,” Blank said.
“Since our last meeting, this project has taken up all my time,” Ireland said.
“It’s just 30 linear feet…” Blank said.
“It’s public safety,” said Atchinson. “I see them. People are walking along there on the street all day long.”
At the end of the meeting, Ireland returned to the subject of the sidewalks: “I’ve worked a long time to get a rapport with Wayne County and it hurts to be kicked in the head.”
In other business at the Sept. 23 meeting, the DDA discussed the following items.
Regional Pond
Nummer reported they are working on an analysis of a hydrologic profile on the storm sewer, open ditch, and regional pond. He said he will bring a preliminary report to the DDA by its next meeting, which is 5:30 p.m., Oct. 28.
Job applications
Ireland said she was in the process of going through the job applications received for the assistant position and she will bring her potential candidates to the DDA subcommittee first and then to the full board when ready.
Emergency Sirens
Ireland reported a week after the last meeting where the locations of the emergency sirens were announced, Wayne County notified the township that census blocks have changed requiring the shifting of some of the circles.
The DDA still will do three sirens, in its area, and the Community Development Block Grant funds can still do four. The township will be asked to take care of six, to completely cover the township.
Action after closed session
In the minutes of the Aug. 28 meeting, approved by the DDA on Sept. 23, two items discussed in a 39-minute closed-door session were voted upon after return to open session.
The minutes say DDA member Carol Bird was voted to allow to abstain from voting on the next motion, which was “to further investigate and potentially consummate the transaction for the purchase of real property,” which passed.
The DDA also was to have discussed pending litigation: MTT Docket No. 451720.