Belleville DDA announces purchases near of 3 properties

Belleville Downtown Development Authority has announced the final stages in purchase of three downtown properties.
At the regular meeting of the DDA on Jan. 17, chairperson Alicia McGovern announced that the DDA was wrapping up the purchases of three properties.
She said the purchase of 258 Main St. is almost complete and they are in the process of working on the paperwork for 458 Main St. and 25 Fifth St.
There were no further comments on the properties. The 258 Main St. site is a vacant lot next to Morton’s Pharmacy, the former Chamber of Commerce headquarters. The DDA in the past had discussed that site, the former location of a gas station, as a good place for a parking lot.
The 458 Main St. property is the former hardware store, where a U-Haul business now has its office, and 25 Fifth St. houses a barber shop.
A proposed closed-door session was removed from the agenda. The DDA had held several closed sessions during recent meetings to discuss purchase of property.
In other business at its 22-minute meeting on Jan. 17, the DDA:
• Removed from the agenda the “DDA Best Practices” presentation by DDA attorney Kevin Kilby. Chairperson McGovern said that will be deferred to the 9:30 a.m., Feb. 17, strategic planning session at the Belleville Area District Library. Lori Ward, Northville DDA director, will also be present then for a presentation;
• Reelected McGovern as chairperson for 2024; Denise Baker as secretary; and Sabrina Richardson-Williams as treasurer. Kelly McWilliams said she wished to step down as vice-chairperson and so John Winter was unanimously elected to that position;
• Selected members for 2024 for the Marketing and Community Engagement committee: Chris Donley as chairperson, McWilliams, Winter, Mike Gatteri, and non-DDA member Rachel McGovern;
• Selected members for the Economic Development committee: McGovern as chairperson, Baker, and McWilliams;
• Selected members for the Budget & Finance committee: Baker as chairperson, Gatteri, Richardson-Williams;
• Selected members for the Events/Culture and Arts committee: Richardson-Williams and Winter;
• Approved accounts payable of $16,015, which included a $300 payment for “TC Drone Photography of Denton Cemetery,” $8,598.25 to Garden Fantasy on Main for autumn and winter decorations, and $6,868 to McGraw Morris P.C. for legal services;
• Discussed the street repair needed at the Main/Liberty/Denton corner. City Manager Jason Smith said he talked to Van Buren Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara and when they are working on the Denton Road Bridge, maybe it can be worked out to use the township people to fix that;
• Heard Gatteri ask about the proposed left-turn signal at the corner of Main and N. Liberty. Mayor Ken Voigt explained that county traffic engineers said it’s better not to have a light there now. There are four traffic lights on Main Street and they have to be synchronized for traffic to flow. Assistant City Manager Steve Jones said the signal there is outdated and the county wants to wait until after the bridge work is done to reassess that corner. Mayor Voigt said they’ve been told that would be a $200,000 item;
• Heard Mayor Voigt say the parking lot by the Veterans Memorial needs to be sealcoated and restriped and the landscape beds worked on. He was told that is on the DDA Follow-Up List for things to do;
• Head Winter say that the city should get on people to clean their sidewalks to improve the downtown; and
• Noted that member Chris Donley was absent from the meeting, but present via Zoom.