Woman asks council to remove statue of LaSalle from Victory Park

Patricia Miles of Ypsilanti appeared before the Belleville City Council at the beginning of its Feb. 20 meeting to ask the city to remove the statue of LaSalle at Victory Park.
She said she was from the Chippewa Indian tribe and found LaSalle offensive.
Before the meeting, Miles stood in the parking lot with a sign asking for the statue’s removal.
The council did not comment on her request.
The late Park and Edna Mae Gregory studied local history and believed that LaSalle, a famed French explorer, visited French Landing in Van Buren Township in April 1680. A statue of LaSalle, gift of the Gregorys, was dedicated in Victory Park in August 1985.
In other business at the meeting, the council:
• Heard the FY 2016-17 audit results from James Wilde of Alan C. Young & Associates, certified public accountants and consultants, who gave an unmodified opinion. He reported revenue of $2.2 million as of June 30, 2017 and a fund balance of $1.3 million;
• Held a public hearing on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and then endorsed it with the caveat that it be changed to include updated demographics;
• Set a public hearing March 19 to consider repealing the second ordinance having to do with permitting Medical Marijuana;
• Opened one bid for $13,986 for installation of police vehicle equipment from Supreme Detailing and Accessories of Canton for the 2018 Ford Explorer, and approved the expenditure;
• Approved the mayor’s appointment of Juli Balestrieri to a term on the Parks and Recreation Commission;
• Discussed the City Parks Evaluation put together by the Parks and Recreation Commission; and
• Approved accounts payable of $207,008.87 and the following departmental purchases in excess of $500: to Morton Salt, $2,815.34, road salt for streets; to Oakland County, $2,768.50, for CLEMIS maintenance fees for police; to DEQ, $2,000, storm water discharge permit fee; to Atchinson Ford, $1,124.18, vehicle repairs for police; to Cadillac Asphalt, $618.45, for road patch after a water main break for Water Dept.; and to Wise Technologies, $596.25, for computers/network for police.