The Belleville Downtown Development Authority wants to repair the damaged streetscape wall in front of Five Points Minimart, but members want to make sure protection is put in place so they don’t have to keep paying for repairs in the future.
The wall has been damaged, probably, by pickup trucks backing into the wall in the small parking lot and their hitches or bumpers inadvertently hitting and breaking parts of the wall.
At its June 20 meeting, the DDA voted unanimously to make an official presentation of a plan to Mo at Minimart explaining how they would like to repair the wall and put up a protection system to protect it in the future. Spicer engineers will come up with specifications that would have the barrier as attractive as possible.
But, in order to do that, the DDA needs another foot of easement from Mo, which he has been reluctant to grant.
After Mo gets a look at the specifications for the protective barrier, he has 10 days to decide if he’ll grant the easement. If not, the DDA will demolish the damaged portion of the wall and put a curb back in place, the way it was before the streetscape was installed.
Mayor Kerreen Conley, who is a voting member of the DDA, said the DDA will find out Mo’s decision on the easement at the next meeting and decide what it wants to do. It will then be able to determine the total cost of the project.
In a memo to the DDA, Coordinator Carol Thompson explained the situation. She said the stones on two columns and on both sides of the wall are damaged and the limestone coping is broken and has been pushed off the foundation.
David Vallier of Spicer suggested bollards or a low guard rail should be placed on the back side to protect the wall.
Thompson reported there is not space within the easement to add bollards or railings and the property owner does not want bollards or railings placed on his property.
“Without protecting the wall from vehicles backing into it, continued damage and repairs are expected,” Thompson wrote.
The DDA has an estimate from Davenport Brothers of $4,650 to repair the wall and an estimate from Spicer of $2,625 for demolition and curb installation. There was no estimate for the protective system since the kind of barrier has yet to be determined.
Thompson said Davenport recently removed the limestone caps which are stored at the DPW yard. She said in November or December, the first piece of the wall fell off, but it was too late in the season for repairs. Then, over the winter there were many more hits.
Spicer suggested 5-6” diameter concrete-filled steel bollards on the back side between the new curb and the business parking lot to protect pedestrians, the sidewalk, and a street light pole. Installing five bollards would be an additional cost of $200 each or $1,000.
Thompson said the addition of the bollards would be the property owner’s choice since with removal of the wall that section of the easement would be terminated and the land returns to the property owner.
At the beginning of the discussion, DDA member Gary Snarski said he has been talking with Mo about the situation. Snarski said Mo offered to pay for half of the repairs, but the DDA wanted to pay for it all and put in the barrier, if Mo would give them an easement.
Tom Fielder, who was attending his first meeting after being appointed to the DDA, said people have been enjoying the walls. He said those seats were full during the festival and the car shows and he would hate to see them taken away.
He said the DDA should tell Mo, “We’re not asking you to pay half. All we need is a foot of easement. That’s an incentive.”
“It’s encouraging that he likes the wall,” said Mayor Conley, noting that has not always been the case. “Bollards are not my first choice,” she said, adding that they would be distracting to look at.
“We would hate to see that wall go,” she said.
Thompson said she would show the plans to Mo. Mayor Conley said he needs to see that it’s not going to be ugly.
“We’re not going to invest money in the wall if we can’t protect it,” Mayor Conley said.
In other business at the June 20 meeting, the DDA:
• Discussed price quotes received for annual aerator maintenance for the fountains in Village Park, ranging from $3,000 to $3,910, not including repair work. Thompson requested bids from eight vendors and received responses from three. Thompson reported repairs last summer were $6,300, plus a new aerator that was purchased for $5,000. Repair estimates for this year were about $1,000. The DDA is asking for spring installation of six working fountains in six locations, summer maintenance including cleaning the intake screens and adjusting the nozzles, and fall winterizing, including removal of all six fountains, pressure washing and lubricating the equipment and storage in a heated warehouse. Thompson was directed to get references on the three bidders and check them out before a decision is made;
• Voted unanimously to allocate funds not to exceed $4,000 to replace the worn wooden backs and seats of the 11 benches at Doane’s Landing with a color core plymer plastic, UV rated so it will not fade, peel or crack and is maintenance free, except for cleaning. Artwork, which will now be two colors instead of the present four colors, will be engraved into the backs, as decided by the bench committee, which is seeking input on the project. DDA member Denise Baker suggested giving people the opportunity to sponsor a bench and put a metal plate on the bench with the name being memorialized. A charge for that is yet to be determined, with the DDA passing it on to the Parks and Recreation Committee for a recommendation. DDA member Sabrina Richardson-Williams, said that she was sorry to see the benches change to modern material and away from authentic wood and beautiful art;
• Heard Thompson report that the new LED lights will start being installed in the present decorative light poles right after July 4 and the completion date will be the week of Taste of Belleville, Aug. 16; and
• Heard Conley report that 100 cars were at the first car show on Main Street on June 4 and then there was a week that the show skipped because of an impending storm. On June 18 there were more than 90 cars at the show. The show continues every Monday all summer.