Belleville DDA considers big BBQ competition, block party for teens

The Belleville Downtown Development Authority at its regular meeting on Dec. 18 considered sponsoring a big barbecue competition. Members plan to attend a large competition in March in Livonia to see how it’s done.
Belleville Mayor Ken Voigt, who sits on the DDA, said he ran into a woman that takes part in the big competitions with her husband nationally and they are certified barbecue event presenters. Mayor Voigt had passed the information on to DDA Director Steve Jones and Jones talked to her husband, Bob.
Jones said Bob, who is a judge in the competition, was excited about the possibility of having another big barbecue event in Michigan. He said there are a couple of thousand BBQ competitions nationally and a national competition.
The Belleville DDA will be able to talk to promoters in March and see how the event is run. Jones said the DDA wants to do it in the correct way so it is successful. He said he was told it takes a year to plan such an event.
He suggested the DDA do a trial run next fall to get experience.
DDA member Chris Donley said in the past he had suggested having a BBQ event with craft beers, but the DDA seemed to think having just BBQ was enough.
Jones will get more specific information on the BBQ event in Livonia and email it to DDA members. Several showed interest in attending that event.
The DDA also heard a report from DDA treasurer Sabrina Richardson-Williams, who on Dec. 10 met with Belleville High School assistant principal Brian Roberson and interested BHS student leaders to discuss the formation of a Youth Council in conjunction with the Belleville DDA and to plan a DDA-sponsored youth event.
BHS students Ivana Goff, president of the senior class, and Callie King, who had attended the Dec. 10 meeting, were also present at the DDA meeting on Dec. 18 to discuss the proposals.
Discussion focused on a Block Party on the last day of school on Friday, June 13. Classes are dismissed at 10:35 a.m. that day, Ivana told the DDA. The event was suggested for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
It was suggested that besides high school students, the event should include eighth graders who will be heading to the high school after summer vacation. The high schoolers could give information to the eighth graders on their new school.
Richardson-Williams said she has been talking about having an Alley Party for about two years. She said they want to call it a Block Party.
She said they want to have free Kona Ice, food trucks and food booths, live music or disc jockey, bounce house, backyard party games, rock painting, face painting, tables with information from BHS groups, art activities, BHS merchandise tables with T-shirts, bracelets, hats, and raffles, with free entry with a valid VBPS student ID.
The Block Party was proposed to take place in the alley between The Crafted Café and the Belleville Area Public Library or another place with lots of room.
The event would promote more positive engagement and interest in the downtown area, according to notes taken by assistant principal Roberson. It also would generate a list of students interested in being on a Youth Council for the city of Belleville.
Jones suggested it could be held in the new parking lot behind the former hardware store. Mayor Voigt suggested half of the library parking lot and the Fourth Street Square could be used.
Jones added the possibility of Victory Park or Village Park.
Mayor Voigt said they could close down Main Street between Third and Roys streets.
Jones said once they find out exactly what they want to do, the DDA can decide where to do it. Mayor Voigt said then they could figure out a budget for the DDA.
Richardson-Williams said after the holidays she’ll talk with the BHS principal and assistant principal. Mayor Voigt offered to help as a volunteer on the committee that will be set up for the event.
In other business at the one-hour-16-minute meeting, the DDA:
• Briefly discussed the DDA Director Job Description prepared by a committee made up Mayor Voigt, vice-chairman John Winter, and DDA member Donley. Jones said he received the draft copy a few hours before the meeting, but he would email it to everyone. The DDA members were asked to review the job description for possibly taking action at the next meeting;
• Heard Jones give a 15-minute 2024 DDA Report. Reports to the public are required by state law twice a year;
• Heard Jones report that the Southeaster Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) has improved its website with many interactive graphics with information for its members, which includes Belleville. Donley asked if it reports on where people are visiting from and Jones thought it did;
• Approved pre-paying $19,800 by Dec. 27 for the 2025 campaign in four quarterly issues of Van Buren TODAY magazine, as well as pull outs in the Canton, Livonia, and Northville / Plymouth / Lyon editions. Donley, chairman of the DDA marketing committee, arranged the order. He said Community Publishing and Marketing salesperson Mark Fisher is very flexible;
• Removed from the agenda a proposal to replace the city clock in the Fourth Street Square for more information;
• Approved taking the lower price quote for fixing the wall at the former hardware store. No one could remember the exact price that had been discussed at the Nov. 20 meeting. At the November meeting Jones reported the city engineer believed the lower cost option would be an effective solution and it would be under $50,000. Voigt asked if they don’t need to put in a new footing since the present footing is over 100 years old. Jones said they’ll have someone cut the floor to inspect the footing and Voigt said to cut it in a couple of places. Jones said at the Dec. 18 meeting that they drilled in several places and there is a sturdy footing. The DDA, which purchased the hardware store, is seeking the proper repair of the wall that is next to the former drug store wall, but not connected;
• Approved designation of Chase Capital Improvements Account for the parking lot project. Budget committee chairperson Denise Baker, who also is DDA secretary and a CPA, said the committee met with Kelly Howey of Plante Moran and this needs to be done as part of the budget balance sheet before the audit;
• Heard Mayor Voigt ask for two things to be put on the January meeting agenda. The first was a plan to refurbish the boardwalk at Horizon Park because it is in rough shape. Also, he asked that Jones put on that agenda extension of the streetscape to improve the intersection between the two bridges. He said they have a new bridge going north and they soon will have another new bridge on Denton Road and, “The intersection looks like a third-world country.” He said it should be done while the Denton Road Bridge is down;
• Heard DDA member Mike Gatteri suggest that a contest with incentives for holiday lights for businesses in the DDA district. He said places like Rochester have great lights downtown and this should be discussed; and
• Heard Donley say he will be out of town on business for the next two meetings and wondered if he could attend the meetings by zoom. Jones said it was difficult to do when they meet at the library, like they did that evening, but it was easy at city hall.
Absent from the Dec. 18 meeting were chairperson Alicia McGovern, and DDA member Valerie Kelley-Bonner and Kelly McWilliams. Vice-chairman John Winter presided over the meeting.