Belleville DDA tables Techtown Detroit proposals for training

At its April 16 meeting, the Belleville Downtown Development Authority tabled proposals from Techtown Detroit for consulting and training to create a local entrepreneurship hub at the former hardware store at 458 Main St.
The DDA purchased the hardware store in February 2024 and put in a new public parking lot behind it, attached to the adjoining city lot. Repairs have been made to the building’s wall and they are looking at upgrading the restroom.
DDA manager Steve Jones brought a sample carpet square to the meeting to show what could be put on the floor, which is 4,900 square feet of space. He said Friend’s Floor Covering said at $3.30 per square foot, the carpet would total $60,000.
Jones also furnished the Techtown Detroit proposals to the DDA for use in the former hardware store. It included consulting for space and development, $75,000; retail boot camp seats to train two Belleville entrepreneurs per year, $83,000 per year; and a $2,500 package per company to offer services depending on their needs, $2,500-$25,000.
Before the DDA got to that part of the agenda, Jack Ridenouer spoke during the public comment period, noting he has a master’s degree in business and said before spending lots of money on Techtown there is a free service at Eastern Michigan University’s business school the city could use.
He suggested the DDA call the dean at the business school and get connected with the professors in the marketing courses to work with local businesses. The professors don’t do the work, but they advise their students on what to do. The students write papers on their work.
Ridenouer said the business school is highly valued, EMU is very close, and the professors are always looking for opportunities for their students.
DDA member Sabrina Richardson-Williams said she went to EMU business school. She asked how Ridenouer found out what the DDA was planning to do. He replied that he reads the Independent every week. Others in the audience called out they, too, read the Independent to find out what’s going on.
Ridenour said students in the business school also may be looking for a place to start their businesses.
When the item came up on the agenda later in the meeting, Mayor Ken Voigt said Techtown has a great track record and it is a good concept, but they do charge a lot of money and it’s worthy to explore other options.
Mayor Voigt said he attended EMU’s business school, as well.
He said classes start in September and the professors like to get everything settled down before starting projects, so this won’t get going until the end of the year.
“It’s worth discussing,” Mayor Voigt said and the DDA agreed to table Techtown.
In other business at the one-hour-15-minute meeting on April 16, the DDA:
• Tabled a proposal from T-Mobile for public wireless in 12 sites in the DDA district including Horizon Park, Main Street, Fourth Stree Square, Third Street, Welcome to Belleville sign, and Doane’s Landing. Jones brought the proposal of $15,857 plus $357 a month. It was noted there already is free wifi at the library and in its parking lot. At the last meeting, the item was tabled so someone from the company could attend a meeting to explain the proposal’s worth;
• Unanimously voted to hire Kathleen Springer’s social media service temporarily for $800 a month until the end of the year and meanwhile talk to the Central Business Community to find out if the DDA couldn’t get a better price because many of the services could be shared. Springer said she was open to discussions. DDA chairman John Winter said before discussing the item that the DDA needs a decision in a professional sense and not in a personal way, referring to past discussions. Marketing committee chairman Chris Donley said Springer has been giving the DDA free services to show what they can do and the visits to the DDA site have grown expotentially;
• Approved a $5,000 budget for the high school’s last day of school event from 1-4 p.m. on June 13, proposed to take place on Main Street, which would be closed from Third to Roys streets. Chairman of the project is Sabrina Richardson-Williams, who had proposed a $10,000 budget. The expenses had included Kona Ice, several large inflatables, artists, live DJ, photo booth, porta johns, t-shirts for volunteers, and other items. There also will be several food trucks. Richardson-Williams gave the DDA a copy of a letter that will be given to members of the Youth Alliance who attend DDA meetings to learn about local government;
• Heard Jones report that the Victoria Commons footbridge repair can be done by city workers and it does not have to be replaced completely;
• Tabled a proposal to bring Goodbye Geese to Village Park to chase the geese away at a cost of $4,950. Jones said the geese chasers worked at Horizon Park. Richardson-Williams said that’s a lot of money to spend and she said she just steps around goose droppings on the sidewalk. The president of the Victoria Commons Homeowners Association said he had received no complaints about geese in the subdivision and if there are geese, it is transitory. The DDA agreed to monitor the situation;
• Approved paying $2,154.60 to KBE Hoist & Fabrication of New Baltimore to repair the kayak launch before it is reinstalled for the summer;
• Tabled a proposal to buy about 60 American flags for $15 each because the current flags for the lamp posts are 15 years old and will need to be replaced. There was discussion on making sure the ones purchased will be tough enough to withstand the winds and that they are made in the U.S. Jones said he will buy one flag each from vendors so the DDA can have samples to consider the quality. If the old flags have to be put up for another year, they can do that, Voigt said;
• Heard Jones report that he talked to Craig Atchinson who is giving a $10,000 donation to help the DDA replace the non-working clock on the Fourth Street Square. He said the $26,000 traditional clock is ordered and probably will be here in July. The DDA agreed to a small plaque on the clock acknowledging the Atchinson donation would be a good idea;
• Heard Marketing Committee chairman Chris Donley thank the DDA for approving the Springer contract. He explained the marketing program for hotels that offers special QR codes for hotel residents giving them special discounts in Belleville. He said he sent DDA members the links to an interactive calendar and map for the community that is “really, really cool” for $55 a month. He said he’ll take it out of the marketing budget;
• Learned the new outdoor sculptures will be installed May 27 in Belleville and Van Buren Township. Mayor Voigt said Belleville Tax & Accounting agreed to buy the third goat sculpture and so all three goats near the Secretary of State’s office now will be installed as permanent sculptures for Horizon Park;
• Heard Donley thank Craig Atchinson for the donation for the clock and gave a big thank you to the Atchinson family for everything they do for the community. Donley said he saw some bronze wings in Cozumel and he would like to see one like that metal sculpture in Horizon Park. It costs $10,000 and will last forever. He said he is hoping to get businesses to support it;
• Heard other DDA members echo the thanks to the Atchinson family; and
• Heard a member of the audience say, “I don’t know who cleared Doane’s Landing, but the tree stumps are this high. I walk and it looks terrible.” Jones said the city workers did the clearing. Ridenour said phragmites are starting to grow by the seawall. Donley asked Jones to have the company hired to work on the phragmites at Victoria Commons to look at that.
Absent from the April 16 DDA meeting were Valerie Kelley-Bonner, Kelly McWilliams, and Mike Gatteri.