Belleville DDA agrees to spend $3,500, plus, for Civic Duty Education Day

Trische Duckworth, director of Survivors Speak, presented her proposal for a Civic Duty Education Day in Belleville sometime this spring. This was at the regular meeting of the Belleville Downtown Development Authority on March 18.
After the presentation and a discussion, the DDA voted to expend an amount not to exceed $3,500 for the day, plus extra funds for a second play station.
DDA member Valerie Kelley-Bonner recused herself from the vote because she is a part of the program through SOOAR, which Duckworth called “our BIG SISTER organization” with contacts at the middle school and high school.
SOOAR is an acronym for Strategies to Overcome Obstacles and Avoid Recidivism with an office on South Street.
Duckworth described the Civic Duty program as an interactive education series to help community members understand how government works at every level and how their voices can influence policy.
The Civic Duty Education Day features local officials, activists, and educators and has interactive stations and question-and-answer opportunities to build comfort with civic processes. Voter registration is a big part of the program.
Duckworth said she would talk to the school to find the best way to target the 11th and 12th graders for this. They discussed whether it should be during the school day, where transportation wouldn’t be a problem, or at the library after school, where transportation could be a problem.
Duckworth, who has been putting on this program for years, said she would invite elected officials at all levels, who would have their stations. Students who get their “passports” stamped at all of the stations would be entered into a drawing for a Play Station.
The amount the DDA is paying for the program would allow just one Play Station, but the motion provided for purchase of a second Play Station.
The date will be determined after Duckworth talks to school officials.
She was invited to the DDA meeting by Kelley-Bonner who had attended Duckworth’s programs in the past and thought it would be good for Belleville.
DDA treasurer Sabrina Richardson-Williams had been working on an event for high school students, possible in the alley next to the library, and $5,000 was allocated by the DDA for that. But, that didn’t work out because volunteers from the school weren’t available.
Kelley-Bonner was impressed with Civic Duty Education Day and proposed that as a way to reach out to students. She asked Duckworth to come up with a program for $2,500 and she did, cutting the food that usually is offered and other “bells and whistles.”
Duckworth will report back with specific plans at the next DDA meeting on April 15.
In other business at the one-hour-25-minute meeting on March 18, the DDA:
• Re-elected the present officers for 2026. John Winter is chairman, Chris Donley is vice-chairman, Denise Baker is secretary, and Sabrina Richardson-Williams is treasurer;
• Decided to table and not to hear the two proposals on the agenda for a new DDA website. KSpringer Media and NeonGoldfish were scheduled. DDA member Whitney Beaubien said at the last meeting, they paused action on the DDA website to see where they were with the current company. Mayor Ken Voigt agreed they were going to clarify the commitment. DDA manager/interim city manager Steve Jones said there are two more years in the agreement with the current company, but there are no management services. Mayor Voigt said what they really need is a proposal for design and that should be made clear before the proposals, so proposals are “apple to apple”. Donley said the city of Belleville website should be redesigned with a page for the DDA. The actual duration and amount they are spending monthly on this is important to know, Donley said;
• Postponed action on the proposed full-time position of DDA Director. There was discussion on setting up an evaluation of the current director and creating a job description. Mike Gatteri asked why they would evaluate the current part-time director if they want to hire a full-time director. Beaubien said Jones is stretched very thin in his roles at the city and it would be unfair to evaluate him. Gatteri agreed. Jones suggested they figure out how much they want a part-time or full-time person to do and put a salary for each. Then decide what you can afford, he said. The DDA now pays $35,700 of Jones’ total salary for the work he does for them. They discussed the budget and the upcoming bond payment. Gatteri said the subcommittee will meet and determine duties for part-time and cost and fulltime and cost and look into what other communities are doing;
• Took no action after a discussion on 458 Main St., the former hardware store. Beaubien said the subcommittee met and is getting a quote on flooring, dialed down the bathroom plans, and ordered an appraisal on the true value of the building. As another option, mayor Voigt said he and Jones met with the Michigan Economic Commission and took them to the “wherehouse” to see what they can do. Also, they are meeting with Tech Town on Friday. Tech Town has new information that was just rolled out that week. He said if the DDA wants to sell the place, they should put out a call for proposals and not sell it to the first person who offers. He said that’s why they bought it in the first place to make sure the right business goes in. “It would be nice if you invited the committee to these meetings,” Beaubien said, and Jones invited them to the Friday meeting;
• Heard Kelley-Bonner thank everyone for their condolences after her 13-year-old relative committed suicide. She said she is setting up a “You Matter, Belleville” with training on how to talk to those speaking of suicide and a suicide hotline, among other things. The program is moving forward in Washtenaw County and Inkster. She said the day before this meeting a person committed suicide at the Dollar General in New Boston. She said she will try to put something together, like lighting up the town in purple to mark Suicide Awareness Month in September;
• Heard Donley give a marketing report, noting they kicked off the Easter program with their Peeps search, which has been very successful. He also said they plan a May 12 reveal of the stainless steel statue to go up in Horizon Park. Baker said they are working on the budget and Richardson-Williams reported the art committee picked out the sculptures to be placed in the city and township for the next year;
• Heard Gatteri say the light is falling down at CVS and he is looking for a resolution to the hardware store situation;
• Heard mayor Voigt promote his Mayor’s Ball at the BYC on April 25 to earn funds for the no-kill shelter Friends of Michigan Animals Rescue. He said tickets are on the FMAR website. He also said Chamber of Commerce president Dinara Strikis was key to getting Atwater Tacos to lease the former Bayou Grille property; and
• Approved disbursements of $48,136.29, which included a land contract payment for April of $5,311.05, water bill for 458 Main St. of $65.70, water bill for 51 Fifth St. of $317.57, and Midwest Sculpture Initiative of $6,625.