Belleville City Council honors BHS football team with proclamation

On Monday, Dec. 5, a bare quorum of the Belleville City Council was present to approve a proclamation congratulating the Belleville High School football team on its Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 1 football state championship title.
Councilwoman Kelly Bates was absent due to COVID and Amy Henry had resigned, so the three members left – Mayor Kerreen Conley, Mayor Pro-Tem Ken Voigt and Councilman Steve Jones – presented the proclamation.
BHS Athletic Director Joseph Brodie and BHS Principal Nicole Crockett accepted the honor. Brodie brought the trophies for two years to display, marking both this year’s 2022 championship and the 2021 championship as well.
Mayor Pro-Tem Voigt said it should also be noted that the school’s Junior Varsity football team went 9-0 this season.
Brodie said he was proud to report that grades for all athletes at the high school had an average of 3.23 on a 4.0 scale. The varsity football team had a grade point average of 3.1, he said.
In other business at the 34-minute meeting, the council:
• Approved Music in the Park for the 2023 season, which begins June 22 and continues for nine concerts on Thursday evenings at Horizon Park. John Juriga appeared on behalf of the Belleville Area Council for the Arts to request approval. He said there are from 250 to 500 people there for each concert and, “It is quite an event.” It has been going for 14 years, he said, noting it is organized by council members Jones and Voigt;
• Heard resident Mike Renaud point out that in looking at the council packet, he saw that Juriga had to put his driver’s license number and date of birth on the application and Renaud thought that was an unnecessary breach of privacy since the packet is on the website. The council agreed to look into it;
• Passed a resolution to support social district permit applications to the state for Belleville Bait Shop and Rusted Crow on the Lake. The two bars in the new shopping center next to the bridge already have their liquor licenses, but to take advantage of the city’s DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area) they have to apply to the state with a resolution of support from the city. The owner of the Bait Shop said he hopes to get final inspections in the next 10 days so he can open and it is not the city holding him up, but him holding up the city. DORA permits will allow customers to get specially marked containers at the bars and walk throughout areas of the city as far as Third Street, to Horizon Park, and around the church and the library. Egan’s Pub, Bayou Grill, and Johnny’s on the Lake already have the DORA permits;
• Approved the purchase of Axon Enterprise Tasers for the police department at the quoted cost of $20,941.20. City Manager/Police Chief Dave Robinson said the department’s tasers are now well past the end of life, guessing they are 10-12 years old and were not the correct tasers to order in the first place. He said they are not cheap and he budgeted $16,000 for them and the cost is $20,941.20 through Dec. 15. There is a five-year contract where the company will maintain and replace tasers as needed and then the city owns them. Juriga wanted to know if they could be pulled accidentally and Chief Robinson said the officers wear them on the other side of their bodies from their firearms. He said tasers are one of the less-lethal options. “We get trained and retrained on them,” he said. The old ones will be destroyed or sent back to Axon;
• Approved a resolution approving the Wayne County Annual Maintenance, Restoration and Special Events permit package for 2023. This year the county put the three permits together in one document, so the city needs to only approve one resolution. This provides for water and sewer repairs, what is put on the county streets, temporary road blockage, and special events;
• Approved accounts payable in the amount of $86,214.42 and the following departmental purchases in excess of $500: to CMP Distributors, $619 for a bulletproof vest for the new police department hire; to Harold J. Love, PLLC, $750 for the psych exam for new hire in the police department; to Mr. Muffler, $1,565 for emergency repair of the DPW pickup truck; to Mueller, $767.45 for water meters; and to Washtenaw Area Mutual Aid Association, $1,000 for the annual 2023 association dues for the fire department;
• Heard Councilman Jones thank City Manager/Police Chief Robinson and DPW Director Rick Rutherford for getting the electricity in place on Fourth Street Place for the week end of Winterfest. He thanked Rutherford and his crew for helping with the details of Winterfest and, “The whole city was great”;
• Heard Renaud ask about options for the deteriorating roads in Harbour Pointe subdivision where he lives. He said there was a plan to get them done, but nothing happened. Rutherford said they applied for a grant and they didn’t get it so they are looking at other options. Mayor Conley suggested going back to the residents to see if they changed their mind and would approve an assessment. “I’m still willing,” said Mayor Conley, who also lives in that subdivision;
• Heard Robinson comment that Saturday’s crowd was the largest crowd he’s ever seen for a parade in Belleville. He said the little burn pits and barrels put up for the crowd helped keep them warm and was a nice touch. He said his new police officer Timothy Stewart has been sworn in and will come in to meet the council. He said the November election was very successful and went without issues, except minor ones that always seem to pop up. He said Osier Electric did a fantastic job with the boring people to get the electricity into the Fourth Street Place in time for Winterfest use. “To get this kind of cooperation is huge”;
• Heard Voigt praise the Tiger football team and noted the mayor paid for the banner hung at Main and Denton. He praised the cheer team and pom-pom team for first place in competition, along with the boys’ varsity bowling team and other teams at the high school. He said Winterfest was off the charts, there was a great parade, and everything went well. A lost child was reunited with his family quickly by the police and the Christmas train was welcomed on South Street at 12:06 a.m. Dec. 3 with a party featuring fire pits, DJ, Firebird Food, and a train that took 10 seconds to go by. “It’s the most action on South Street ever,” he said. He also congratulated Juriga for being the parade’s Grand Marshal;
• Heard Mayor Conley say that this Winterfest was one of the best and the crowds were incredible, with people from the community coming out, even in the cold. She said the unique delivery of Santa this year was great;
• Heard Juriga say as a retired educator he is really impressed with the announced grade point average for the football team. He asked when the Denton Road Bridge will be re-opened and Robinson said it will be two to three years because it is going to be totally rebuilt;
• Heard Fire Chief Brian Loranger say the fireworks went off without a hitch and all those participating have professional credentials; and
• Heard Tom Fielder say that the breakfast with Santa at Winterfest was full of kids all the time.