Belleville DDA considers changing grass mowing contractor

Because the grass was growing in the parks and the mowing contractors weren’t mowing, members of the Belleville Downtown Development Authority discussed changing contractors this year at their June 16 zoom meeting.
City Manager/Police Chief Dave Robinson suggested the DDA rebid the mowing contract. He said he had called them and they said every single Wednesday they would be cutting, but they weren’t.
“Our parks need to be pristine,” Chief Robinson said. He said every day he is getting calls complaining about the grass.
“We can’t get people to come out and give a bid on the city hall roof,” Robinson said, referring to employee issues everywhere.
City Councilwoman Kelly Bates said at the September DDA meeting she spoke up about the grass cutting, since she lives in Victoria Commons next to the city park.
“It’s been a battle for seven years,” Councilwoman Bates said, noting she’s been trying to get the parks cut property, with edging and blowing added. She said she went out with city staff and walked the park, “putting eyes on it.”
She said the DDA agreed to a one-year contract to see if they were going to do it.
DDA vice chairman Jason Mida said, “First we have to get the contract … Edging was not in the contract.”
DDA secretary Denise Baker said the DDA asked them to add it to the contract. She said at the May 20, 2020 meeting they talked about the grass cutting and then at the next meeting they approved the one-year contract. That contract has expired.
DDA chairperson Alicia McGovern said she searched records and could not find the contract at all. She asked Mida to look into that.
The DDA is reorganizing after the recent resignation of longtime DDA coordinator Carol Thompson.
Mida said the DDA had three bidders and it chose Gonczy because it was low-bidder and Gonczy had worked for the DDA before.
In other business at the almost two-hour meeting, the DDA:
• Voted unanimously to hold its July meeting face-to-face instead of by zoom;
• Voted unanimously to buy two banners for the First Wednesday Food Truck and Entertainment event, staying within the $250 budget. One would be put on the Belleville Bridge and one along the bottom of the stage where the band is playing on the Fourth Street Square. That would announce that the entertainment is presented by the DDA, since treasurer Sabrina Richardson-Williams said at the first event, people thought the band was from Egan’s Pub. At the end of the meeting, DDA member Jennifer Winter from Egan’s said Egan’s has never had anything but Irish bands;
• Agreed to pay $2,000 for the rest of the bands for the season, paying each per performance. This is in addition to the $1,000 approved at the last meeting;
• Voted to buy three, quarter-page ads in the Independent for $432 and get a fourth one free to advertise the First Wednesday event. The ad would announce the name of the band and what food trucks are scheduled;
• Agreed to keep on the agenda the possibility of using the new deputy administrator, who starts with the city on July 6, to manage the DDA as part of his job and being paid by the DDA to do this. Robinson said he had a long discussion with the deputy who is current city manager and director of the DDA in another city. He said he would like the new deputy to be part of the DDA’s next meeting to ask him hard questions and to dive into his experiences. “I’ll support whatever you decide,” Robinson said;
• Learned from Councilman Ken Voigt the the banners planned for the lightpoles downtown are: BHS senior banners are now up and a new batch will go up in July and stay until the end of July; then Aug. 1 through the middle of October are public art banners; and from then through the end of January would be the veterans’ banners. From February through April they would need the seasonal banners. They are 8-10 years old and may need replacement. Mayor Kerreen Conley said the more personalized banners have been well-received; and
• Agreed to take action on getting electricity for the Fourth Street Place and getting electrical repairs for Fourth Street Square. Mida said Fourth Street Place has underground lines in place and, “We’re waiting for a drop from DTE.” Mayor Conley asked if the DDA requested a drop from DTE and Mida said he thought so. Conley said she has a DTE contact and she will check on that. McGovern said she will contact Osier Electric and get costs for both places and go out and get two more price quotes, if necessary.