Belleville Police Chief Hal Berriman publicly thanks volunteer group

At the April 1 meeting of the Belleville City Council, Police Chief Hal Berriman said he wanted to personally and publicly thank the Michigan Search and Rescue volunteers who came out within hours and within an hour and a half after they got there, “We had closure.”
He said on Friday afternoon 30 volunteers and 15 dogs came to the church on Hull Road where a missing man’s car had been found. The group serves without charge and one of the dogs immediately found the remains of the missing man.
Before the council meeting, Chief Berriman showed the picture of Ligeia, the black Labrador retriever who found the body. He called Ligeia the “hero dog.”
Chief Berriman said the dog lived in Grand Rapids with his handler who said he named the dog Ligeia after the Greek sirens who called out to sailors on the waters. He said when he first got the dog, the dog called out all the way home to Grand Rapids.
In other business at Monday’s 12-minute meeting, the council:
• Approved accounts payable of $137,345.38 and the following purchases in excess of $500: to Blue Ribbon Contracting, $4,425 for a water main break; to Cadillac Asphalt, $621 for road repair; and to Wise Technologies, $585 for computers/network;
• Heard Councilman Jesse Marcotte say dumpster enclosures in the city have taken a beating this winter, especially pointing out the Kassab property in the 500 block of Main Street. He said the building continues to be an eyesore, with the dumpster enclosure falling in on itself and brush everywhere. (Before the meeting, City Manager Diana Kollmeyer confirmed to the Independent that the city had received six Property Transfer Affidavits on the Kassab property. According to those close to the transaction, the property, including the house behind the property on North Liberty Street, has been purchased by Scott Jones.);
• Heard Councilman Marcotte say he would like to organize an effort to clean up the former store next door that the city had purchased. He said if the city makes citizens clean up the city should clean up its own property. City Manager Kollmeyer said she said there is a plan for late spring or early summer to work on demolishing the building and she said it had been cleaned up inside. Marcotte also said there are problems at Lakeview and Kollmeyer said, “Conversations have been held about that very thing.” Marcotte also said the new roof on the building on East Huron River Drive is great. Kollmeyer said there are plans for that area, including the car wash next door which has been sold;
• Heard Mayor Kerreen Conley say the rope in Horizon Park looks terrible and they should look at replacing it all, from one end to the other. Kollmeyer said the better roping costs more money. Mayor Conley also noted that Comcast just started work at Harbour Pointe with no announcements that day. “They took over the subdivision. People are everywhere,” she said, noting they are putting in fiber optic cable;
• Heard Councilman Tom Fielder say before the meeting that the Belleville High School golf team will be using the course at Willow Metropark, since the future of the golf course at Harbour Club Apartments is uncertain because of the sale of the apartments;
• Heard Councilman Fielder say that he will be attending the 7 p.m., April 8 public forum at BHS on the proposed route of the Iron Belle Trail, that will be coming through Belleville; and
• Went into closed-door session with its attorney to discuss the status and strategy of pending negotiations with the Michigan Fire Fighters Association union and came out to ratify the agreement.
Kollmeyer said the contract is from Jan. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2019 and carries a 2% annual wage increase and a training wage increase, which is retroactive. Training was $10 and will be $11 as of January 2018, $11.50 as of January 2019 and will be $12 on Dec. 31. Kollmeyer said the contract is in effect as of Tuesday and the union has ratified it as well.
Absent from the meeting was Councilman Tom Smith.