Belleville accepts $552,890 check from SEMCOG

At the March 2 regular meeting of the Belleville City Council, the council accepted a large, ceremonial check for $552,890 from the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) for traffic-calming changes to Main Street.
Mayor Ken Voigt said SEMCOG did a multi-disciplined traffic safety study in the city’s downtown in 2024 and then gave a report with recommendations in 2025.
He said the entire project proposed was too extensive, but the city is doing part of what was suggested. He referred to a proposed round-about at Five Points that is not included in this project.
Mayor Voigt said the project includes moving the Fourth Street pedestrian crossing to in front of the museum and putting in bump outs there to reduce the street from four to two lanes. The crossing will be raised to slow traffic.
He said at Third Street, they will put in a mini traffic circle. He said there is a traffic signal there now, but there is not as much traffic there as there used to be. There used to be a supermarket on Third Street and the post office around the corner. He said the city has enough real estate to do the one-lane traffic circle.
Voigt said there also will be bump outs at Second Street.
Kevin Vettraino of SEMCOG said this is through the TAP program with federal funds from the Infrastructure Act. He said this is aimed at reducing traffic-related crashes and make the roadway safer for vehicles and pedestrians.
Voigt said the project is very exciting. He said Belleville is the hub of Van Buren Township and this will make the downtown more walkable. He said construction will take place in 2027.
In other business at the 37-minute meeting in the new city hall, the council:
• Approved the VFW and PLAV Buddy Poppy distribution from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 7, 8, 9 and the Memorial Day Ceremony at 11 a.m. May 25 following the parade. VFW Commander John Blackstone explained that post members no longer are 18 years old and so it is unsure whether the poppy event will be out in the street or by some other means;
• Approved Reiki Healing meditations for sunrise or sunset on June 20 in Horizon Park, although nobody was present to explain the project. It is sponsored by Tranquil Balance Healing Modality of Van Buren Township;
• Approved a resolution opposing housing development legislation at the state level because, although it is well-intentioned, it takes away local control;
• Approved a resolution adopting an Assailant Policy and a form for employees to file reports on safety concerns or threats. The city adopted a Run-Hide-Fight guidance. Voigt said this policy was created because of two incidents at Canton Township, which were discussed at a previous meeting;
• Approved canceling Nixel because GoGov is much better, according to interim city manager Steve Jones and public safety director Kris Faull;
• Approved contracting for residential cross connection services with HydroCorp. It was pointed out this residential check is required by state law;
• Agreed to split the $10,440 cost of geese mitigation at Horizon and Village parks, 50-50 with the Downtown Development Authority, as the DDA requested. The contract with Goodbye Geese is for $5,220 per park for six months;
• Selected Pivot Municipal Services Group as the recruitment firm for a search for a new city manager. It was pointed out Pivot had the lowest cost of the four groups who presented proposals at the last meeting and any of the groups who presented would do a good job. James Freed from Pivot was that company’s presenter. Also, presenting were SGR Executive Recruitment, Michigan Municipal League, and Vittraino Consulting, LLC;
• Heard Jones report that although the meeting room they are in was completed, contractors still have to finish off the rest of the building. He said the glass doors in front and back were expected to be installed this week. There is IT work to do and the switch over of phones, he said;
• Heard Kissel say the planning commission’s hearing on the master plan has been changed to April 9 and there is no planning commission meeting in March; and
• Heard the mayor say he can’t wait until the work at Hayward’s is complete and they lift the black tarps. Jones said the builder doing the work found a sign that said Bunyea’s and the mayor recalled when he was a child that Bunyea’s had a window to get soft-serve ice cream.