Belleville DDA approves $3,000 for artist to paint hardware store windows

The Belleville Downtown Development Authority voted unanimously at its regular meeting on July 17 to pay an artist $3,000 to decorate the front windows of the vacant hardware store on Main Street so it doesn’t look so drab.
Vera Redden sat next to DDA treasurer Sabrina Richardson-Williams, who introduced Redden as a member of the Belleville Area Council for the Arts.
“The hardware store we bought could use some sprucing up,” said Richardson-Williams. “I approached Vera Redding of BACA to draw up some proposals.”
Redden presented a proposal to paint the windows with city scenes, leaving one-third of the windows unpainted. She said she knows there is an ordinance that not more than two-thirds of the windows of a store can be blocked.
She said she would need a maximum of $250 for paint and supplies, $2,500 for her work, and it would take about a month or a month and a half to complete. She said if somebody buys the hardware store from the DDA, the paint can be scraped off.
DDA member Chris Donley said Redden has done several projects at his home. He said although Redden proposed painting on the outside of the windows, he thinks it should be on the inside, so it can’t be damaged by a youngster with a stick.
Mayor Ken Voigt, who sits on the DDA as a member, said he agreed the painting should be on the inside.
Donley noted that the clear glass will show up as black because of the black drapes in the background and would be like a cloudly dark day in Belleville.
DDA vice chairman John Winter said they should change the background to be blue and assistant city manager Steve Jones, who is paid to direct the DDA, said they can’t get that kind of blue from the drape company where they got the black drapes now up.
DDA chairman Alicia McGovern said they can get blue cloth from a store. She said she would like to see a winter scene in the scenes proposed by Redden.
Winter said the Blue Dog in one of her scenes is a commercial decoration at the shopping center and they should have just public scenes. Mayor Voigt suggested using one of the city’s statues in Horizon Park like the Upsidedown Man or the Hands Held High.
Richardson-Williams said she talked to another artist who could help. But DDA members said it would cost more.
DDA member Valerie Kelley-Bonner said she would like to see a fall scene and Redding said she could have some leaves falling off a tree in one of the scenes.
Mayor Voigt said to leave the scenes up to the artist and McGovern said to take the private statue out.
Winter made the motion, supported by Mayor Voigt to allocate up to $3,000 for the project.
Redden said she was having some extensive dental work done and wouldn’t be able to start until the end of August or September.
DDA discussion brought ideas for colored lights that change with the seasons and scenes with Booville and festivals.
In other business at the one-hour-and-44-minute meeting, the DDA:
• Learned the call for proposals for a marketing company received 12 submissions. DDA members got copies of the proposals to read and the proposals will be reviewed by the Marketing Committee and then brought back to the DDA with a recommendation. Mayor Voigt said he would like to see presentations at the next meeting because, “We’re already four months behind.” Donley said he needed an extra packet of the 12 proposals to give to Rachel, McGovern’s daughter, who is not a member of the DDA but serves on the Marketing Committee. He said he is excited that the proposals are here. It was noted the vote on an AI service was put off until a marketing person was on board at the DDA;
• Organized a committee to put together an event for October 2025. Members are Alicia McGovern, Kelly McWilliams, Chris Donley, Mayor Voigt, and Jones. The agenda item was for a Maker-Fair, but other ideas came up and they have time to work on just what they want to do;
• Heard Jones tell about the rotted dock and the boy who put his foot through it. He said the DPW inspected the dock and found it was more than just a board and more needs to be done. He said they are looking at the boardwalk that Van Buren Township recently put in at French Landing Park, with kickouts and furniture and umbrellas. They are getting prices through Davenport who did the work for the township. Jones said they are looking into grants and the damaged part of the deck is blocked off now. “It doesn’t look very good,” Mayor Voigt said;
• Heard Richardson-Williams say the bridge in Village Park needs to be replaced and McGovern directed Jones to put that on the follow-up list. Jones said plans are under way to replace the bridge;
• Heard Denise Baker of the Economic Development Committee suggest mass plantings of bulbs, perennials, and annuals around Village Park and around he entrance sign to the city. She provided pictures of flower gardens. She said it is not complicated and just needs to be planted and maintained. McGovern said the Blue Sky marijuana business wants to give grants to the city and DDA representatives will meet with them and bring the information back to the DDA board. Richardson-Williams said the plantings didn’t sound like economic development to her. She said she keeps thinking of the former city manager who wanted to make Belleville look like Disneyland and Baker said that was in her mind, too, with the flower planting suggestion;
• Heard Kelley-Bonner report for the Culture and Arts Committee that she would like to see the Youth Alley Party that Richardson-Williams has been talking about for years finally take place. She said the DDA has no representation of high school students and they should be approached to see what they would want. She said they have a youth committee at SOAR, her business, and they should get ideas from youth on the alley party. There were suggestions on how to get input from the school students. Kelley-Bonner said maybe they should have any event have a theme, such as anti-bullying, anti-suicide, or anti-vaping. McGovern said the DDA could have a teenager on its board;
• Heard Kathleen Springer introduce herself, saying she is one of the 12 businesses who responded to the call for proposals for marketing;
• Heard Donley say he is glad the digital sign at the corner of High and Main streets that the DDA paid for is up and functioning. He also said He reads that Van Buren Township is a development-ready community and Mayor Voigt said the city started working to get that designation a few years ago, but it didn’t move forward. He said it is back on track, but there are several steps involving different departments in the city. “Developers like it. They know the skids are greased,” Mayor Voigt said;
• Richardson-Williams asked about a performance review for Jones. Mayor Voigt said the city council has a good performance review process that covers 15 points that the DDA could use; and
• Heard Kelley-Bonner say she is able to get Narcan that can be distributed from boxes like newspaper boxes, for the city. It was noted that city councilwoman Julie Kissel announced at a recent council meeting that she attended a Growth Works event and Narcan is coming to the city.