VBT DDA approves hiring administrative assistant for director

The Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority voted unanimously at its meeting on Feb. 24 to authorize the hiring of a part-time administrative assistant to executive director Merrie Coburn.
The DDA hiring committee recommended that the full board move forward. The DDA currently operated with a single, full-time staff member.
As project activity, grant administration, and board governance responsibilities have increased, the need for dedicated administrative and communications support has become essential to ensure continuity of operations, compliance, and consistent public responsiveness, the committee said.
The position will support board meeting preparation, records management, financial tracking, grant documentation, correspondence, and communication functions including website updates, public notices, and stakeholder outreach.
The position would be from Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., up to 29 hours per week, but flexible with some evening and weekend hours.
The administrative assistant would work with director Coburn in the DDA building at Harris Park. Compensation would be $25 to $32 per hour, depending on qualifications and experience. There are no benefits. Impact to the DDA budget would be from $37,700 to $48,300.
It was stressed that this would not be an assistant director or deputy, but would be an administrative assistant.
DDA chairman Craig Atchinson said this would give Coburn a lot more time to spend with businesses.
Coburn said the township human resources department will receive the applications and then turn them over to the DDA for processing.
The DDA did not have a quorum for the first 37 minutes of the 3 p.m. Feb. 24 meeting so it couldn’t take a vote. At 3:37 p.m., DDA member Victor DeLibera arrived and the voting began. The meeting adjourned at 3:50 p.m.
In other business at the 50-minute meeting, the DDA:
• Unanimously approved a two-year contract for the Belleville Road streetscape maintenance with low-bidder Pioneer Landscaping for $15,560. The vendor will provide black mulch as has been used in the past to be expensed from the DDA budget;
• Unanimously approved a two-year contract for the Harris Park grounds maintenance to low-bidder Pioneer Landscaping in an amount of $13,847. The vendor will provide black mulch as has been used in the past to be expensed from the DDA budget;
• Approved a two-year contract for the Belleville/Ecorse Road intersection grounds maintenance to low-bidder Ground Control Landscape, LLC, for $20,516. The vendor will provide black mulch. Former vendor for that intersection, Randy Brown Landscape, bid $23,580 (plus a recommended addition of $1,875 in “snapshot fertilizer” making it $25,455, which the DDA removed from the bid) and Pioneer Landscaping bid $23,730. Chairman Atchinson said that he always likes to see local businesses get the work, and he knows and likes Brown, but his bid was higher;
• Heard Coburn say the Belleville Road Widening Project is still waiting for the National Environmental Projects Act (NEPA) approval. She said once they have NEPA, the Michigan Department of Transportation can sertify the right of way and will send the obligation request to the Federal Highway Administration. There are other details involved, including the bat breeding season between April and August when no trees or vegetation can be disturbed. She pointed out other details and concluded, “This is a challenging project”;
• Heard Coburn report that several banners have been torn due to the extreme wind over the last few months. She said she is working with business owners to see if they would like to replace them. Some of the lightpoles are in bad shape and need to be replaced. She said an inventory is being done on the poles to see exactly what is needed;
• Learned SEMCOG has awarded a $154,080 Safe Streets TAP grant to the township for Belleville Road Corridor Safe Streets Improvements. Planned measures include audible pedestrian signals and pushbuttons, new and upgraded high-visibility crosswalks, ADA-compliant curb ramps, updated pedestrian and warning signage;
• Was informed a packet of the art sculptures for the 2026-27 period will be provided on March 9 and the selections are due March 11; and
• Heard a report that there are two new businesses in the DDA district: Med Spa at 11752 Belleville Rd. and Core Jiu-Jitsu LLC at 10800 Belleville Rd.