American and German Military World War II vehicles and re-enactors will parade up Belleville’s Main Street at about 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 3, to promote that week end’s Thunder Over Michigan event at Willow Run Airport.
This is the fourth year for the popular parade, which is enhanced by flyovers of old military aircraft.
This year the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association’s WWII “Harvard” Trainer Formation Team and the Yankee Air Museum’s WWII B-25 “Mitchell” Bomber will participate.
Each aircraft will fly three passes down the parade route during separate time slots while the ground portion of the parade is in progress.
The military vehicles will leave Willow Run Airport and convoy to Belleville’s Victory Park, where they are expected to arrive around 6 p.m.
After staging at the park for the parade, the vehicles will proceed up Main Street at about 6:30 p.m. and stage again, after the parade, on High Street. They expect to leave town around 7:45 p.m.
The public is invited to inspect the vehicles and visit with the WWII “soldiers” during the stagings, and view the military parade.
Michael Luther, Yankee Air Museum’s Air Show Director, was present at Monday’s City Council to get approval for the various street closings required by the event.
Mayor Pro-Tem Jack Loria wanted to make sure the tracks on the vehicles wouldn’t damage Belleville’s new Main Street surface and Luther said in the past Police Chief Gene Taylor had inspected the rubber pads on the tracks to make sure they weren’t worn out. They will be inspected this time, as well, Luther said.
During an early parade, one of the vehicles had a damaged pad and there was some sparking and scuffing of the road surface, but no real damage to the street, Chief Taylor said on Tuesday.
In other business at Monday’s meeting, the City Council:
• Voted 3-2 to make the Belleville Lake Current the city’s new Newspaper of Record. Voting in favor were Mayor Pro Tem Loria, Councilman Tom Smith, and Mayor Kerreen Conley. Voting no on that motion were Council members Brian Blackburn and Kim Tindall. There were three bids for the service opened at the July 2 council meeting from the Current, the Belleville-Area Independent, and The View;
• Was informed by City Manager Diana Kollmeyer that the request for bids for Engineering Services has gone out and will be opened Aug. 20;
• Agreed to put off bidding out Planning and Zoning services because present consultant Birchler Arroyo had presented proposals for working with the planning commission on a Downtown Overlay District and Clear Zoning. The request for bids will be put off until these projects are over, possibly the end of the year or in the spring;
• Approved naming Mayor Conley as the city’s official representative to the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) and City Manager Kollmeyer as the official alternate;
• Approved a resolution approving the Senior Alliance’s Annual Implementation Plan for Aging Services;
• Heard City Manager Kollmeyer say she has been considering the issue of possibly closing the Skate Park and people are calling her wanting the park to continue. She said she will bring a recommendation to the council to have a public hearing on the subject, to give people a chance to speak;
• Heard Fire Chief Brian Loranger note that the docks at Horizon Park are such that you can’t park a boat without it going under the dock. A piece of wood put in place would solve the problem. The city will look into it;
• Heard former Mayor Tom Fielder note that the special Sept. 5 election being planned will cost the city $5,000, which will not be reimbursed. Fielder also noted that Dr. Robbe’s Model A has been donated to the museum, along with other items from the doctor’s office, including an electric shock machine. He said museum storage space is running out;
• Approved accounts payable of $118,284.95 and the following departmental purchases in excess of $500: to Alpha Psychological Services, $1,350 for new officer evaluations; to Macomb Community College, $1,400 for dues 2012/13 (police); to Michigan Municipal League, $2,454 for Legal Defense Fund and Dues; and to Printing Systems, Inc., $838.32 for Election Supplies.