VBT LDFA reelects Dotson, Peters, Delaney as officers for 2021

At its regular meeting on Jan. 12, via Zoom, the Van Buren Township Local Development Authority reelected its officers for another year.
Michael Dotson is chairman, Doug Peters is vice-chairman, and John Delaney is second vice-chairman.
At the 21-minute meeting, a report was given on the long, Jan. 7 marketing subcommittee meeting in which committee members decided to reach out to promote the Grace Lake site with owner Sovereign Partners.
Chairman Dotson said they put together a letter signed by him and VBT Supervisor Kevin McNamara asking for a meeting to discuss promoting the site.
“Sovereign Partners have not done anything but been friends with us,” Supervisor McNamara said. However, the township is suing Visteon, the former owner of the site.
“Hopefully we’ll get some good things going,” Dotson said.
Later vice chairman Peters said the idea is to promote the property to generate tax revenue.
Second vice chairman Delaney said he would like to see a calendar put together of what they can do to help with making the site more visible, such as a possible cleanup day with the Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, and Huron Valley Conservation association.
He suggested they do that in another subcommittee meeting after they hopefully hear back from Sovereign, because he doesn’t want to tie up a regular meeting with this.
Dotson said they will plan that within the next month so it will be ready for the March meeting. He asked for LDFA members to forward any ideas they had to him on what to do.
Peters said he would like to see paid advertising in the local newspaper.
Delaney suggested that LDFA members walk the trails and just drive around as individuals to get an idea of what Grace Lake is like.
“A few haven’t been out there,” Delaney said. “We can’t promote it if we don’t know what we’re talking about.”
Dotson said LDFA members can call fellow LDFA member Scott Medlen of Grace Lake and he will point out amenities.
LDFA member Sara Cortese, financial director for the Van Buren Public Schools, said she hasn’t been out there.
Delaney suggested they let the school district know about the amenities at Grace Lake.
LDFA member Chuck Covington said he has an idea that might sound crazy, but if they set up a COVID vaccination site at that location, it would get a lot of attention. Others agreed.
Dotson said that before the meeting Public Services Director Matthew Best suggested moving the weekly Forgotten Harvest food distribution from the township hall to Wayne County
Community College parking lot on Haggerty Road to keep the long line of cars from winding out onto Tyler Road and blocking traffic.
Dotson suggested moving the food distribution to Grace Lake.
Best had shown Dotson a live shot of the cars lined up onto the street in a view out his window at township hall at the moment they were speaking, while the food distribution was under way.
“I have no plans to move the food distribution,” stated Supervisor McNamara. “They line up around our building and out to the street… I just want to build goodwill for Van Buren Township. As my father told me, ‘If they like the town, they’ll stay.’”