Belleville DDA invites community to coffee event on Halloween

The Belleville Downtown Development Authority has decided to put on a special downtown coffee event in hopes of recruiting a coffee shop business to open in downtown Belleville.
After much discussion at the Sept. 19 regular DDA meeting, it was decided to have the event on Halloween, Wednesday, Oct. 31, and to cover all of the costs of the drinks and food with participants buying a $1 coupon and that money going to the Belleville Food Pantry.
DDA member Jason Mida did most of the work in getting information on the event, so he led the discussion.
He said it all started out with DDA chairman Rosemary Loria and DDA Coordinator Carol Thompson going to a DDA forum. They were encouraged by the speaker who said if you want something in your town, have an event that focuses on that to capture the interest of coffee vendors. So, they did.
They said people have continually said they would like a coffee shop in the city where they could buy the products, as well as meet and gather.
Loria, Thompson, and Mida made up the committee to look into this coffee event.
Mida said they planned the event at Victory Park at Five Points and two coffee trucks will be in place. One is Kings Coffee, which is looking for a brick and mortar location. They were at the Ann Arbor Art Fair.
The other is a Coffee and Smoothie trailer from Cater Coffee in Chelsea. Mida said in spite of the unfortunate incident that happened at the Strawberry Festival, they will be back to give Belleville another chance. He did not elaborate.
He said Bear Claw was too expensive for this event, but maybe in the future it could be invited.
“We may have 100 or have three,” Mida said. “We’re doing as much as we can to entice people, to get as many as possible.”
He said they decided to have people buy a $1 coupon for their free drinks. He said people value something more if they pay for it and it would be a way to track how many came.
On Halloween the students have half a day of school and so the teachers will be free to leave the high school at 10:30 a.m. and they have to stay around to be back after lunch for a professional development session in the afternoon.
Mida said sometimes principals provide snacks for the teachers for professional development and they want the principals to know this will be available on that particular day.
Thompson said the students at the high school who were part of a Main Street Resolution project could help out as well and earn service hours.
Thompson said this is not just for teachers, but for the whole community.
Councilman Tom Fielder said from the audience that there are 250 teachers who are coming into town between 7 and 8 a.m. and they would like coffee then.
Mida said they turn the wrong way off the freeway and go into Van Buren Township to Tim Hortons before turning around and coming into the schools in Belleville.
“How can we market it to get a good count?” Thompson said, asking everyone to pray that it’s not sleeting.
Thompson said she talked to the Central Business Community, Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary to explain their concept.
Mida asked if anyone had an idea for a name for the event. Names considered were: Coffee in the Park, Downtown Belleville Fresh Brewed, Wake Up Belleville, and Brewville in Booville.
DDA vice chairman Alicia McGovern, who was chairing the meeting, suggested Boo Beans.
DDA member Jim Chudzinski said he liked Brewville in Booville, but McGovern said “brew” reminds her of beer.
Mayor Kerreen Conley, who sits on the DDA, suggested everyone submit names by the next week and Thompson will choose one.
“Roasted Ghost?” asked Chudzinski.
Mida said one of the trucks needs power or it will bring a generator and the DDA would pay for the gas. They need 220, he said.
Thompson said the DDA approved the event at the last meeting, so this is just a report.
Mida said the event is only two hours long.
DDA Treasurer Sabrina Richardson Williams asked if it’s carte blanche for how much the DDA will spend on the project.
“I don’t think we have a limit,” said Chudzinski. “Maybe we’ll get a new entrepreneur.”
Mida said they are focusing on the teachers. There are two trucks for three hours and, “I think we’ll be protected.”
Thompson provided a chart of guesses on how much it might cost the DDA to provide coffee/smoothies and other goodies that day with the DDA paying $5 per serving for guests. The chart showed a guess from $2,050 to $2,950. There is $12,000 in the DDA Economic Development marketing service line item.
“Maybe it is walking a little bit on the line,” said Vice Chairman Alicia McGovern, who was chairing the meeting. “Sometimes it takes money to make money.”
In other business, the DDA:
• Discussed a report on the Downtown Walk-Thru Survey and agreed to send the report to businesses. No one is named, so, it will not “call them out,” Thompson said. Mayor Conley said to tell the businesses they can get the details;
• Heard Thompson report on the Iron Belle Trail that is planned to go through the city on its sidewalks. She said she attended three or four meetings on this. She said Van Buren Township did not have 100% support on the route. She said a private, nonprofit has a grant from MDOT for a feasibility study. They would come to the city council with the route, Thompson said. Since the government will be changing, and the trail was pushed by the outgoing governor, there is some concern on funding. There will be lobbying to get this in the state budget or, perhaps, the DNR Trust Fund;
• Heard a report on Booville, launching off with the Zombie 5-K Run. Last year a Fun Run was added. Thompson said New Tech students are working to get all the schools involved; and
• Heard Mida ask for an update on the condition of the kayak launch, that had been vandalized this summer. Thompson said it is almost time to pack it up for the winter and she will bring proposals on this to the DDA in the fall or winter.