VBT DDA OKs $28,000 expenditure to get on cover of Hour book

“It’s a pretty big deal,” said Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority Assistant Director Lisa Lothringer, concerning her request to spend $28,000 to get a picture of the new splash pad onto the cover of the hard-bound book, “2019-20 Metro Detroit Area Guest Guide” that is placed in over 145 hotels in the Greater Detroit area.
“It’s an honor to be asked,” Lothringer told the DDA at its regular meeting Aug. 27.
She said Hour Media will be setting up the perfect shot at the splash park with models to go on the cover.
The $28,000 expenditure also includes four full pages inside the book, which alone has a marketing cost of normally $34,000, she said.
She said this book, published by Hour Media, is placed in more than 145 hotels, which equates to over 26,000 hotel rooms with more than three million guests per year. She said the digital version averages more than 21,000 downloads per year.
“It is highly unusual for this opportunity to be offered to a governmental entity and we will be in the company of landmarks like the Little Caesars Arena which was featured on the cover two years ago,” Lothringer said.
She said the DDA has cultivated a good relationship with Hour Media, leading to this offer. She said the book will be available late this year or early next year.
“That’s a lot of money,” said VBT Supervisor Kevin McNamara and other DDA members agreed. But the DDA voted unanimously to approve the expenditure, which had to be taken out of the fund balance since it was not in the budget.
The guest guide is promoted as covering the dining scene, historical landmarks, museums and galleries for visitors to the Greater-Detroit area.
The only DDA member absent from the meeting was Dawn Chappell.
In other business at the 28-minute meeting, the DDA:
• Approved a resolution officially naming the Belleville Road Placemaking initiative as “Harris Park.” The resolution gives the history of the house built by Albert Harris in the 1940s at 10151 Belleville Rd. That house was demolished and rebuilt by the DDA at the park. Pictures and other memorabilia of the Harris family will be displayed in the house, which will become DDA headquarters. The late Albert Harris served on the DDA for nine years and was known as “Grandpa Harris” for making wooden toys for children in his woodshop on the property and giving them away free. He and his wife Frances raised five children in the home and Frances was known for her love of gardening and growing herbs;
• Approved spending $7,412 more on the Placemaking project to remove six established trees and plant replacements of five pine trees and one deciduous tree to make way for the watermain connection from the Westlake Apartments area. Since Westlake provided free easements for the infrastructure construction for the Placemaking Initiative, DDA Executive Director Susan Ireland recommended replacing the trees on their property. The expenditure will provide removal by Birkenstock and the replacement by Crooked Tree Landscape at Westlake Apartment Complex. This leaves $65,715.82 in the contingency fund for the construction;
• Heard Lothringer report on the grand opening of the splash pad, which had about 400 people attending. She said they ran out of hot dogs and ice cream, since they had expected about 300 to attend. She said the splash pad will be open through Sunday, Sept. 15, and then be closed and winterized. She said the DDA has turned the splash pad over to the township’s Parks and Recreation Department. When asked if there were security cameras in place at the splash pad, Supervisor McNamara said they are looking into putting cameras in, since there will be kids playing, vandalism, possible injuries and people in the changing room. He said they are looking at tiny cameras to be placed in the supports of the shades;
• Heard Lothringer report that Public Safety Day will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 14 at Menards parking lot. Among the vendors secured are face painting by Flutterby Faces, Sweet Potato the Clown, inflatable slide/bounce house, slushie machine, photobooth, and LEEP child ID printing. All the giveaways for the police, fire and DDA have been ordered, she said;
• Heard Marsha Hollins ask from the audience about Armstrong’s Funland and when it will be reopened. She was told because of Leonard Armstrong’s medical problems the business has been closed this year and is planned to reopen next summer. She said there were rumors that the township wouldn’t let Armstrong expand to have a turn lane and that he couldn’t have go carts. DDA member Joyce Rochowiak said many years ago there was concern about noise levels so close to the residential area next door. Supervisor McNamara said, “Mr. Armstrong is loved by us,” and he hasn’t come forward to ask for anything. Former Supervisor Helen Foster said it was years ago when Armstrong wanted to expand and things have changed as far as approvals go. Hollins said Armstrong could use electric go karts that have no noise. She said she plans to attend future DDA meetings.