Belleville plans to get transportation for seniors worked out

Jennifer Delano, who has run senior transportation services in the city of Belleville for more than 20 years, was at Monday’s meeting of the city council to ask what she can tell seniors about when their transportation services are coming back.
The SMART (Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation) bus that Wheels for Independence had, needed repairs and so the council had approved up to $5,000 for repairs. But SMART now says it can’t be repaired.
Delano said she has been told that SMART has a new bus for Belleville, but the city won’t sign for it.
City Manager/Police Chief Dave Robinson said in looking into the situation found that the Wheels for Independence group is a 501c3 non-profit and it would have to sign a contract with the city for transportation services.
Delano said the paperwork for Wheels for Independence was put together by an attorney years ago and Delano stopped short of organizing as a 501c3 because the city manager at the time told her to stop.
Chief Robinson said he is working on a proposal to give the city’s SMART credits to Van Buren Township who would handle local senior transportation.
Delano said it doesn’t go that way. She said there are 712 seniors in the city of Belleville and they can’t use the Peoples Express that stops at the library because some can’t walk to the library. If they could get to the library, she said they would have no way to get home from the library dropoff with their groceries.
Delano was accused by a council person of being unfair in the letter she wrote to the Independent and she said she didn’t think she was unfair, but apologized to the council person after the meeting.
Delano said the Belleville Co-op and Columbia Court say they have transportation, but then looked to Wheels for Independence.
Chief Robinson said Delano does have a 501c3 that she renews each year. He said most people thought it was a city board and it brings liability to the city if it’s not.
“It has to be done right,” Robinson insisted.
Delano said she renews the name each year for a $25 fee, but the group is not non-profit.
Robinson said he sent all the statistical information to SMART and after they analyze it they will meet with him and Van Buren Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara and VBT’s transportation person. He said the lady from SMART directed him to do it this way.
“Can I be included in that meeting?” Delano asked and Robinson said she could.
At the end of the meeting, Councilman Jeremiah Beebe said while he doesn’t know the details of the issue, he senses Delano’s passion on transportation for seniors.
Delano, a registered nurse, has been working with seniors ever since she was VBT Senior Director in the 1990s.
In other business at Monday’s 46-minute meeting, the council:
• Approved the offer of Redemption Church to adopt Horizon Park for the day on Saturday, June 3, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. when 10-12 church members will conduct a general clean up and park maintenance. Jim Warring said they will clean the chairs and tables and do weed whipping where the goats don’t go. When asked if he knew how to do cleanups, he said he leads the BYC cleanup on May 6. This will get the area ready for Lakefest and the summer concerts, he said. The church currently holds services at 417 Charles St.;
• Approved the request of Boy Scout Troop 793 to sell flowers from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fourth Street Square on Saturday, May 13, the day before Mother’s Day. This is an annual fund raiser for the group;
• Heard Chief Robinson read a letter of appreciation from VBT Supervisor McNamara, thanking the city fire department for its professional assistance during its five hours at the Woodbury Green condo fire. Fire Chief II Chris Zweng said the city fire department not only helped fight the fire, it also ran three medical runs for Van Buren Township during that time, as well, and kept the city covered by fire fighters;
• Heard Robinson say he is waiting for engineers to get the specs done for the RFPs for paving the cemetery and the plan for Victory Station and Victory Park;
• Heard Building Director Rick Rutherford say he is applying for a $225,000 matching grant for street repairs that he has applied for three other times without success. Councilman Beebe offered to help him with the grant writing to offer a second pair of eyes. Rutherford accepted his offer. Rutherford said they told him they would like ot see the grant used with utilities or be tied to other communities, which he is having a hard time doing. He said some of the street repairs can be done with Water Department funds since the roads were damaged when water pipes broke;
• Heard Mayor Pro Tem Ken Voigt, who was filling in for the absent mayor, said with the Thai restaurant coming in to Lakeview Center the city may hit a critical mass of places to eat which will make it become a destination;
• Heard Chief II Zweng say an open house at the fire hall is tentatively planned for May 6. The public will then be able to see all the work done inside by fire fighters who are on duty there every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday; and
• Heard Fire Chief Brian Loranger announce he had four new fire fighters: Robert Gaye, Mike Wisniewski, Mike Harper, and Kayla Lambombarbe.