Aerotropolis reports next project is Beck Rd. extension to freeway

In his annual report to the Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority on May 24, Aerotropolis Director Christopher Girdwood announced Aerotroplis’ next plan: A new route to I-94 starting at Beck Road.
Girdwood said there are 830 acres north of Willow Run in Van Buren Township that can be developed as light industrial, but not a single truck will go down Belleville Road.
He said plans are for Beck Road to be a route to Rawsonville and I-94. He said it is a $55 million project and they already have most of the money.
The plan is for trucks to be able to turn west from southbound Beck to Tyler Road and go through the edge of the Willow Run Airport property and through the low end of the landfill to a new freeway ramp from Tyler.
“Fifty trucks a day will not be going down Belleville Road,” agreed Van Buren Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara.
In another matter, Girdwood and McNamara agreed that Haggerty Road between Van Born and Ecorse has been approved by Wayne County for upgrade and the official word is about to come down from the county.
Girdwood said while Eureka Road is the worst road in Wayne County, that stretch of Haggerty Road is second worst.
The project is scheduled to begin this fall or late summer they agreed. It will be a Wayne County Road and VBT Water/Sewer project combined in a single proposal.
Girdwood also spoke of a National Science Foundation grant being sought to use unmanned aerial vehicles to connect fresh food suppliers with consumers in underserved communities in Washtenaw County as a pilot program.
He also invited the DDA to a live viewing of “Operation Miracle Mile” at Beaumont Hospital in Taylor on June 13 and at Beaumont Wellness Center in Royal Oak on June 20. This is to show how medical cargo can be delivered by drone.
The VBT DDA pays dues of $25,000 a year for the township to belong to Aerotropolis and so Girdwood comes out yearly to report to the DDA.
In other business at the 56-minute meeting on May 24, the DDA:
• Approved paying $20,000 to Wade Trim for FundingScout services to help the DDA in its pursuit of funding sources to assist in various development projects. Wayne Hoffman, a specialist in that field, explained how they track down fund sources and help clients get the funds for their projects. The $20,000 is used to set up a spreadsheet of the DDA’s capital improvement plan and what funds will be useful, as well as coming up with funds that the DDA could use for new projects. It also covers two years of support. The spreadsheet is projected to be done by August;
• Heard DDA Executive Director Susan Ireland report that Graybar has been contacted to check on the availability and cost for about 42 brackets that hold the banner arms on the streetlights. They need to be replaced because the movement in windy conditions has stripped the brackets. Also, she said, they had asked Graybar to look into street light replacement parts. The street lights have been in place for 21 years and some of the parts are available and some are obsolete;
• Learned a grant application has been submitted to Congresswoman Debbie Dingell’s office requesting $4 million to go towards installing a center turn lane on Belleville Road between Tyler and Ecorse roads; and
• Heard resident Barbara Miller comment that Wayne Hoffman referred to VBT as “Belleville,” which she called a “normal comment.” She said Craig Atchinson says, “I love Belleville” in his television ad. She said the weather man never says Van Buren Township but always says Belleville. She proposed changing the name of Van Buren Township to Belleville Lake Township. McNamara said it brings up discussion and you could never do it without a vote of the people. Miller said there is a new law, just a year old. “As much as it makes sense, it hurts to say it,” McNamara said. “We’ll talk about it.”