For the third year, a fireworks display over Belleville Lake will take place after the nighttime holiday parade in the city. This year the parade, fireworks and other attendant events will take place on Saturday, Dec. 5.
At Monday’s regular Belleville City Council meeting, the council unanimously approved the fireworks, which will be shot off from the Denton Road Bridge, with a city fire truck on the city side of the bridge and a Van Buren Township fire truck on the township side of the bridge for safety.
Lianne Clair, interim executive director of the Belleville-Area Chamber of Commerce, explained that Colonial Fireworks will again put on the display.
She asked that the bridge be closed to traffic from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for the fireworks, which will follow the 6 p.m. parade.
The council also approved closing the necessary streets for the parade, shutting down Main Street and a few side streets for the Jingle Bell Run/Walk at 5:30 p.m., and shutting High Street from the Veterans’ Memorial to Roys Street after the parade for the safety of those watching fireworks over the lake.
“Traffic will be a nightmare for a few moments,” observed Police Chief Gene Taylor.
The Jingle Bell run is a benefit for the Van Buren Public Schools Educational Fund. The run is expected to take about 20 minutes and will be supervised by the BBC Striders, as in the past.
Clair said Colonial Fireworks has approval from the FAA for the display, which is in airspace between two major airports. She said the chamber plans to ask the Belleville Downtown Development Authority for assistance with paying for the fireworks.
She said they will not lease the Wyandotte showmobile for a grandstand and have other plans to save money. There will be no warming tent this year, she said.
In other business at Monday’s meeting, the council:
* Approved having the Canton Lions Club seek donations on street corners on the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving, Nov. 27 and 28. It’s the Lions’ Candy Cane Week and club volunteers accept donations to help provide glasses for children and for assisting the blind and hearing impaired. After a lengthy discussion the request was approved, noting the Lions should start after 12 noon, since the Goodfellows will be on street corners in town selling their newspapers in the mornings those same days;
* Removed from the agenda the Western Wayne Mutual Aid Amended Interlocal Agreement (Fire) saying more information is needed;
* Approved accounts payable of $153,160.30, which included the following departmental purchases in excess of $500: to BS&A Software, $730 for annual service support; and to Wise Technologies up to $1,000 to replace server/parts;
* Removed from the follow-up list the demolition of the house on Liberty Street, since it has been demolished, and the de-parking of 100 N. Liberty Street, since voters approved rescinding its park status so it can be sold;
* Heard DPW Director Keith Boc say that the former DPW property on Davis Street may need additional remediation, but he hasn’t heard anything more from the state. He said, according to the consultant, the city may have to go under the floor again for samples. City Attorney John Day said another attorney called him to say his client is interested in buying or leasing the building. Boc said that is not possible until closure is granted by the state;
* Heard Councilman George Chedraue announce that this was his last meeting (since he didn’t run for reelection). He thanked the residents for voting him in and letting him serve. He thanked former Mayor Tom Fielder for all his guidance and, stating he was a firm believer in the First Amendment, thanked the Independent for reporting in the community, although he didn’t always agree with the newspaper. “Whatever you wrote never put me in a bad light,” he noted. Councilman Chedraue said without a free press no government can endure and he urged theIndependent to, “Keep up the good fight”;
* Heard Police Chief Taylor say that last year there were some safety concerns after the nighttime parade with the Belleville High School Band dispersing the way it did: en masse in the dark down the middle of the street in dark uniforms. He said he had to pull people from traffic duty to escort the band back to the high school safely. He said the school is expected to take care of that detail this year; and
* Learned that at the next meeting, Dec. 7, the council will get a report on the job review of the city manager by Mayor Richard Smith and Councilman Jim Shrove and a representative of DTE will be present to talk about the erratic electrical power in the east side of the city.
The council then convened into executive session to discuss strategy and negotiation sessions for a collective bargaining agreement.