VBT LDFA to mark 20th anniversary of 9/11, honor first responders

Saturday, Sept. 11, will be the day of a special event at Grace Lake Corporate Center to honor the 20th anniversary of 9/11 – and also honor those who have been first responders, health care workers and offered other services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the 35-minute zoom meeting of the Van Buren Township Local Development Finance Authority on July 13, LDFA second vice chairman John Delaney told of his plans for the event.
Delaney said he is still recruiting sponsors for the event and learned that the LDFA can’t accept donations because of its law suit against Visteon. So, any donations would go to Van Buren Township and they would be put in a special account for the 9/11 event.
He said the event will not only be for what happened in New York, but for the COVID-19 response, including fire departments, police departments, Huron Valley Ambulance, Schoolcraft College, health care workers and other groups.
He said Supervisor Kevin McNamara was on vacation, so Delaney didn’t know what time it will be held on that Saturday.
Delaney said the first 9/11 memorial event was held three years ago. At that time Delaney put together a memorial that brought police and fire and their equipment to Grace Lake, plus a sign facing I-275 announcing the memorial.
He said this year’s memorial could be a recruitment event, as well, for VBT, Belleville, and Sumpter Township, along with neighbors Romulus, Wayne, Canton, and Ypsilanti Township, since police and fire employees are hard to find.
Delaney said there also has been talk of possible fireworks.
LDFA chairman Michael Dotson said the LDFA is looking for ways to improve the awareness of Grace Lake and they’ve had positive discussions with Sovereign Partners, the present owners of the business campus.
Dotson said Delaney is spearheading the 911 event.
“If we’re marketing the site, why doesn’t the LDFA donate?” asked LDFA member Doug Peters.
“We have no money,” Delaney said and Dotson added the law suit is involved.
Peters said since the event will be on a Saturday, maybe they could add a car show, which is a very popular event.
LDFA member Chuck Covington said he agrees with what Delaney is doing. He said his wife is a nurse with a master’s degree and she set up testing at Baylor University. He said besides his wife, his mother was a nurse.
“I was born on Sept. 11 in New York,” Covington added, garbling the year he was born to keep his age secret.
“Some of us really appreciate what first responders do,” he said.
“We can’t have the LDFA name on anything as long as we’re involved in the law suit,” Delaney said.
Dotson said it will be a wonderful day and they can have a recruitment table there from the college and maybe a car show.
“There’s plenty of room,” Delaney agreed, noting he is planning for fire, police and EMS equipment and the University of Michigan helicopter for a short while.
Peters said the car show might attract more people than the other things.
Dotson said they will need to add a birthday cake to the plans, so they can mark Covington’s birth.
Peters asked if he will invite the press and Delaney said he expected the Independent and he will invite Mlive and the Detroit media, as well.
In other business at the meeting, the LDFA:
• Heard Delaney ask about the Ecorse Road corridor and Aerotropolis. Dan Power, director of planning and economic development, said he would send Delaney the Willow Run Master Plan presentation that includes information on the corridor to and from the airport that was shared by the airport with the township board recently;
• Heard Dotson ask about how long the meetings will be virtual. Deputy Supervisor Dan Selman said the township board extended the virtual meetings to September and will revisit that decision at another meeting. He said the township has the ability to meet virtually until the end of the year. Delaney suggested the LDFA is a separate entity from the township and can vote for itself. Covington said at that moment they had met for 29 minutes and for each of the members to travel back and forth to the meeting it would take longer out of their time to travel. “Especially me,” he said. Covington now is living in Texas. Delaney said they had trouble having a quorum in the past and Dotson said they might have to change the bylaws, if it says they have to meet in a specific place;
• Heard Deputy Selman say the LDFA could definitely use zoom as the way for this board to meet. Delaney said they would never have a non-quorum and Selman pointed out that meeting was with a bare quorum. Delaney said people could meet without excuses. Retired attorney Peters said not to go down that trail, since people could be in the hospital or in jail as good excuses. “Zoom is a good option for it,” Dotson said. Peters asked the cost for zoom and Selman said it was a minimal cost and the township will have it available in the near future; and
• Was reminded that the next meeting on Sept. 14 would be the second informational meeting of the year, as required by law.
Absent from the July 13 meeting were Leonard Armstrong, Supervisor McNamara, Sara Cortese, and David Schreiber.