Belleville DDA gets another report on damage to kayak launch

At its regular meeting July 18, the Belleville Downtown Development Authority got another report on damage to the kayak launch at Horizon Park.
Repairs to last year’s vandalism were made before the equipment was installed this spring for the season.
DDA Coordinator Carol Thompson said she hates to give the report. It’s the same damage, but they still have the board. This time it wasn’t thrown into the lake.
She said it was taken to Contract Welding for repair and there are no prices as yet. They made a police report.
“I was down there this week and now they are taking the dock apart,” Thompson said.
She said Building Official Rick Rutherford said, so far, the dock is still safe.
Thompson said although Belleville High School New Tech students had put out information on how important the kayak launch is to the disabled, “It’s not getting through to everyone.”
She suggested they could put a metal gate across the gangway and close it at dusk, like the park closes at dusk.
“The only idea we’ve come up with so far is cameras,” she said. “It’s hard to catch the culprits.” She said she would hate to see teens arrested for swimming where they are not supposed to be.
“I’m open to anything,” Thompson continued. “I talked to the Huron River Watershed Council and I can call some of the marinas who have launches.”
“It’s frustrating at this point,” said DDA Chairwoman Rosemary Loria. “What can we do to stop it?”
Thompson said when DDA members are traveling this summer, if they see something in another community to take a picture of it and share it with her.
Councilman Tom Fielder said if they are using wrenches to take the dock apart, they probably are not doing it in the daytime. “A gate would stop them,” he said.
In other business in the 25-minute meeting, the DDA:
• Discussed a proposal for signage to announce local businesses are open during library construction, as suggested by the planning commission. Thompson said the signs she proposes would probably cost a few thousand dollars. She will get prices and bring them back to the DDA for its consideration;
• Discussed a proposal for a Downtown Coffee Event that would invite coffee trucks and pop-up coffee businesses. At a May DDA conference, Loria and Thompson got the idea that once you know the kind of business you want, to set up an event and try to get those businesses interested — in Belleville’s case, a coffee franchise. Information was provided on the “World’s Largest Coffee Break” at Gaylord’s Alpenfest and Milwaukee’s “World’s Largest Coffee Break” which was part of its Downtown Employee Appreciation Week. Thompson said she would like a small group to work with her on this;
• Heard DDA Treasurer Sabrina Richardson Williams say she liked the food truck idea and maybe they could have one night when food trucks come to town;
• Heard Williams say she saw someone cutting grass in the former skate park and City Manager Diana Kollmeyer said the city has 15-20 young people working for it this summer through a grant from the Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority;
• Heard Councilman Fielder said the Battle of Belleville is set for Aug. 24 but they will have to figure out a different layout because Fourth Street is closed. The annual battle occurs around the museum when World War II military vehicles convoy from the Air Show grounds at Willow Run Airport to downtown Belleville, where there is a lot of shooting and battling by men dressed in uniforms of American and German soldiers. The event is to promote the Air Show. An early battle was held in Belleville at Village Park and that site will be considered for this year; and
• Joined members of the planning commission for a downtown walk to get a close look at what’s happening with Main Street businesses.