VBT DDA considers shovel-ready project for federal funds

Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Susan Ireland said she was asked to prepare a conceptual cost estimate for a shovel-ready project to construct a center left turn lane on Belleville Road from Tyler to Ecorse roads, should a funding opportunity become available in the future.
At the July 27 zoom meeting of the DDA, Director Ireland said the conceptual cost estimate is $6,972,000, which includes about $850,000 for engineering. She said water and sewer lines are both located on the east side of Belleville Road.
She said the conceptual roadway is based on Wayne County standards for a Class “A” Road. Drainage is expected to be costly because there are two drainage systems, one north of Robson and one south of Robson.
Ireland said the estimated cost includes maintaining one-way local traffic. But because of the fire station in that stretch, if two-way traffic is necessary, the cost could be significantly impacted. She said the cost estimate does not include installation of sidewalks where none exist.
DDA member Joyce Rochowiak said there should be four lanes between Tyler and Ecorse and that should be done now instead of just adding a center turn lane.
Ireland said the DDA would have to acquire additional rights of way for that to happen.
Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara said an infrastructure package is coming from Washington, D.C., and shovel-ready projects need to be ready.
Supervisor McNamara said dominoes are falling. He said they are moving ahead with Haggerty Road improvements from Tyler to Ecorse. Wayne County formed a Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA) for the project and the county will assume responsibility for the bonds.
McNamara said the township hired the county’s lawyer and they came back with the project.
“All we need now is for Washington to approve that project,” McNamara said. “We should get ready. It’s likely to happen.”
DDA Secretary Chris Brown said he knows from experience along that stretch that the sewer and water lines need to be replaced on east side of Belleville Road because they are 30 to 40 years old.
McNamara said water lines should be good for 75 to 100 years and they should still be in the prime of their life.
In other business at its 39-minute meeting, the DDA:
• Approved entering into an agreement for design services with the VBT Communications Department at an annual cost of $7,500, beginning in September. Assistant Executive Director Lisa Lothringer said the DDA design needs were reduced over the past year due to the pandemic, but the monthly cost with the current vendor has not reflected this. The change will save about $11,000 in the 2021 budget and $33,000 in 2022. The attorney will provide appropriate language for the notice of service termination letter to the current vendor;
• Approved the proposal from REVIZE for a new DDA website at a cost of $11,694 with a five-year support and maintenance package at $2,300 per year which includes a website re-design after the fourth year. The present website was designed in 2017 and went live in 2018. In 2020 the vendor, Communication Associates, changed ownership and this directly impacted the DDA account. In 2020 the township went out for bids for a new website and received 11 bids and REVIZE got the contract. Ireland said this puts the control back in DDA hands and Lothringer will be website manager and will be able to make content edits and add/delete documents;
• Approved the financial audit for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2020 as prepared by Plante Moran. The DDA received an “unmodified opinion,” the highest. In spite of the pandemic, the DDA continued to see a steady, consistent growth within the district, Ireland said. Also, the Post Employee Benefits (OPEB) is fully funded for 2021 and 2022. McNamara said the DDA is rock-solid because the board is conservative and keeps it solid. Ireland said VBT is one of the few DDAs who can bond on its own without asking the community for its full faith and credit;
• Approved the 2021 amended budget and the 2022 proposed budget and recommended their approvals by the township board. Ireland said there are four Michigan Tax Tribunal cases out there right now, but everything else is pretty much status quo. McNamara thanked the DDA for fixing the sidewalks and for the $1.17 million for The Cube in the new community center;
• Heard Ireland announce that the Michigan Downtown Association annual conference will be held in person and virtually Nov. 4 and 5 at the Motor City Casino in Detroit; and
• Heard Ireland announce that the soil on the backside of the township monument at Belleville Road/Quirk Road is starting to erode. Yost Sand and Gravel will donate brick and Pioneer Landscape will install a short retaining wall in the rear to prevent further erosion. She said both businesses are in the DDA district and are providing this at no cost to the DDA.