Belleville merchant asks city council for 2-hour parking limit on Main

At the beginning of its regular meeting on Feb. 18, the Belleville City Council heard a request from LeAnn Crouch of Twisted Willow Soap Company at 331 Main St.
Crouch asked the council to limit parking on Main Street to two hours and post it so people won’t park for long periods of time in front of her store and keep customers from seeing that she is open.
She said she thinks that would be good all up and down Main Street and especially at the bar/restaurant.
Crouch said that Moon Star Express people, two doors down, park in front of her business. She said her signs can’t be seen, so she put up a banner and that can’t be seen over the trucks parked on the street. She said another sign is coming for her shop.
She said she tried to talk to the vice president and owner of the company and asked him nicely to have his people park elsewhere, but was cussed out.
She said she thought since he came from another country that it was an ethnic thing, so she sent Ian Unger to talk to him. She said Unger talked to him nicely, but Unger too was cussed out with the f-word.
Mayor Ken Voigt said he would refer this to the city administration for investigation.
Moon Star Express has a parking lot in back and that is filled when they have meetings, with spill-off parking into other public spaces on the street.
In other business in the 28-minute meeting, the council:
• Celebrated the retirement of Fire Department Captain Aaron Zehel after 15 years as a city fire fighter;
• Heard Mayor Voigt announce that the streets are being plowed of snow after just 2.5” of snow, rather than the old 4” of snow in the past;
• Heard Mayor Voigt say that pending the retirement of Fire Chief Brian Loranger, the city wants a top to bottom assessment of the department. The council approved hiring Stone Productions for the assessment at a fixed fee of $10,000. Police Chief Kris Faull, who has been acting as Public Safety Director, said the department reports lacks of manpower, budget, and other things. Mayor Voigt said this will be an objective look by experts who will give an independent analysis of the department. There is an impending transition, top to bottom, Mayor Voigt said. Councilwoman Julie Kissel said this has never been done before and Chief Faull said not as long as she’s been here. She said it will take three months of work, once they start. Mayor Voigt said it is the policy of the city to support its departments;
• Approved changing the Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority (DUWA) board representative to current department of public services director Melissa Frierson, with city manager Jason Smith as the alternate;
• Approved accounts payable of $325,194.59. There were questions about the $257.33 payment for DPW car washes to Waterworks. It was explained by Chief Faull that the last DPS director got DPW and police Water Works cards and the understanding was that it was $20 a month for unlimited washes. But a bill came for $565 in December and the police cards were pulled. She said police have always used Zax in the past. The big fire department trucks go to Water Works and they have one card. The Expedition goes there too for $17 a month. She said they pay $100 a month at Zax for the five police cars;
• Heard assistant city manager Steve Jones report that the city hall boiler was repaired that day and now they have a warm city hall. Also, he said tax bills are due Friday;
• Heard council members praise the snow removal on city streets and Mayor Pro Tem Kelly Bates was impressed that the sidewalks were shoveled in Victoria Commons and even around the ponds;
• Heard Bates say she likes to shop at Twisted Willow, which is owned by a brother and sister. She said the store has many unusual products and will be having classes in the future;
• Heard Mayor Voigt say the ice carousel that was put on the lake behind Johnny’s on the Lake was “one of the things just the coolest thing I ever saw.” He said they get it trolling around. And, although he was recovering from foot surgery and couldn’t go in person, he said he watched it on Facebook and everybody was having a ball. He also said he was glad to get the city hall boiler fixed and is just keeping his fingers crossed that nothing else goes wrong before they move to the other building. He said it’s not a done deal yet because the inspectors need to get done and they need to get final costs.
At the beginning of the meeting, all council members were present. But, after roll call, councilman Randy Priest got up and left, with his little dog Archie in tow on a leash. Later Mayor Voigt explained that Priest’s wife Linda had cataract surgery, so councilman Priest took the dog to the meeting with him so she wouldn’t have to worry about it. But, just before the meeting he called his wife and she didn’t answer. He was finally able to talk to her but then felt it would be better if he went home.