City Council OKs Lake Fest with changes, charges

“Lake Fest – Boats, Beats, and Bites” will be laid out about the way it was last year and it will pay for police, fire, and DPW services.
This was the basis for the unanimous approval of details for the June 24-26 event after a long discussion at Monday’s regular meeting of the Belleville City Council.
City Manager/Police Chief Dave Robinson said he and the Lake Fest committee at the Chamber of Commerce have emailed back and forth about details. He said they didn’t think they needed police and fire protection, but with 5,000 to 10,000 people expected he didn’t agree.
Chief Robinson said he is in charge of personnel and he would send some home if they weren’t needed, cutting the cost. He said he gave them an estimate of $4,700 tops to provide police, fire, and DPW and this hasn’t been accepted. He said the Strawberry Festival had costs of $8,000 to $9,000.
Chief Robinson said he asked the committee to contact the churches in that area, especially the Baptist Church which is completely surrounded by their festival and they didn’t.
He said he had concerns on the way to access an ambulance if they put everything on High Street this year, since there was no emergency route.
Robinson said he would like to have a complete application brought back to the council at its next meeting to address concerns.
Therese Antonelli, vice chairperson of the Chamber, represented Lake Fest in the absence of Chamber CEO Mike Kole, who was the “Responsible Person” listed on the application. Councilman Steve Jones, chairman of the Chamber board, was listed as “Alternate Responsible Person,” but he let Antonelli handle the discussion for most of the time.
Antonelli asked if the city would like to go back to last year’s layout, which involved shutting down Main Street. “One of our main arguments was it was called Lake Fest, but not much was on the lake.”
She said they are down to the wire in planning and don’t want to delay approval to another meeting.
Fire Chief Brian Loranger told her they needed to move the tents back on Main Street so emergency fire vehicles had room to get though.
Councilman Jones said if they put the tents by the gutters, where people would pile up their things, and it rains they would get washed out.
Chief Robinson said he wants snow fencing to cut off people cutting through the church property and he would like the church to support this event, in the spirit of being a community.
“There shouldn’t be an issue with putting up a barrier,” Jones said.
Antonelli said the dragon boat event has been moved to Saturday so it doesn’t interfere with church services. She said the shrimp broil by the educational foundation is still on.
Chief Robinson asked for a run-of-show document like he got last year to show the times everything is scheduled and Antonelli said it was something she could get him.
“We at Grace Baptist Church support activities of the city,” said Pastor White as he rose to address the council. “I let Music Lakeside use our water and electricity when they began… I enjoy music on the lake. It’s a wonderful event and Belleville can be very proud of what it has become … We don’t always enjoy the music, but that’s when it’s our night out for me and my wife.”
He referred to prepared notes in relation to this year’s Lake Fest where he said he was against the set up at High and Roys streets. His driveway is cut off and his residence is completely surrounded by activities. He said besides the church, that’s his private residence as well. He said on Music on the Lake nights if he doesn’t sit on his deck or stand in his yard people cut through his property. If they see him there, they don’t and he doesn’t like to have to do that.
“I would like to have a call or visit” if events are being planned in that area, he said. He said if he hadn’t come down to talk to Chief Robinson, he wouldn’t have known about this year’s plans. He said Chief Robinson said he thought he was coming because he was mad about Lake Fest and he didn’t know. What he had wanted to talk about was the BORA DORA district.
Pastor White said he supports going back to last year’s locations.
“I’m not hard to get along with,” he said. He urged them to get off Roys Street and to give the preacher a call.
One of his church members said if someone is cutting through the church property and gets hurt, the church could be liable.
Antonelli said if Chief Robinson would give a smaller, itemized breakdown of the costs for public safety, such as the number of officers times the number of hours, she thinks that would satisfy Kole.
Chief Robinson said this not-to-exceed quote of $4,700 depends on what happens and the weather. He said he was charging them overtime, not the straight time or FICA, healthcare, etc. and he thinks it’s reasonable.
“Last year I was told how many,” he said. “That’s up to nobody but me. I decide who’s working and where. It’s up to me.”
“You can’t have an event without public safety,” said Mayor Pro Tem Ken Voigt. “I did have an issue with use of Roys Street.” He said with music at the Fourth Street Square planned, in their original layout for this year, pedestrians would have to negotiate Saturday traffic on Main Street and that would be a mess.
Earlier in the meeting, Pastor White rose to speak about the BORA DORA boundaries where people are allowed to drink alcoholic beverages outdoors. He asked the city to reassess the borders and move the border to the park sidewalk of High Street. He said the boundary on the lake side would help keep people who are drinking out of the church area and his private home area.
He asked that the area on Roys that is part of the district should be shortened because two churches and a library are in that area.
“We’re promoting alcohol around town and should be more discriminating,” he said.
Pastor White said they had church services on Wednesday and people came out of church and saw empty DORA cups in the church alley. He said it looks like the church members support drinking.
Mayor Pro Tem Ken Voigt, who was presiding over the meeting at that point, said Pastor White’s concerns would be considered.
In other business at Monday’s one-hour-and-48-minute meeting, the council:
• Approved and signed a proclamation to honor and recognize the owners of Crafted Gift Shop & Beanery for the establishment of the Jeremy D. Stovall Splurge Foundation;
• After a public hearing in which no public spoke, approved Ordinance #1000-the Amendment/Addition to the Post-Construction Stormwater Management Ordinance, as required by the state;
• Approved the Knights of Columbus fund raiser as requested by Marcel LeBlanc for Tootsie Roll hand-outs for donations on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 8-10 at Five Points;
• Approved the annual VFW 4434 and PLAV 167 Poppy Sale, as requested by VFW Commander John Blackstone for May 5-7 at several intersections;
• Approved the Cub Scout Pack 793 Flower Sale as requested by Christopher Zweng from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 10, at the Fourth Street Square to earn money for scouts to go to camp this summer. The potted plants are furnished to the scouts by Garden Fantasy;
• Approved, on a 4-1 vote with Councilwoman Kelly Bates voting no, the Pioneer Landscaping estimate of $4,990 for lawn maintenance on extra locations of city property, taking out the location on the boulevard in Victoria Commons since Councilwoman Bates said the homeowners’ association should be responsible for that. She said she thinks the city workers should cut the properties;
• Approved a resolution to support the city’s application for a $245,000 grant through the county to upgrade Victory Park and Victory Station;
• Approved a resolution to put the city funds billed by Great Lakes Water Authority for money owed by Highland Park into an escrow account for the rest of 2022 and into 2023 until the legalities of the charges can be worked out in court or through the state. Since 2012, Highland Park has accumulated $54,233,700 in debt to GLWA for both water and sewer services. Of that debt, 36% has been allocated to the 18 paying members in Wayne County including $10,200 to the City of Belleville. Since the State of Michigan ordered GLWA to provide water and sewer services to Highland Park when its water treatment plant failed, the resolution also asks that the Legislature solve the problem it started and repay the members, including Belleville, for what they have paid for Highland Park’s benefit;
• Approved the Masonic Lodge’s flower sale at its location at 515 Main St. on April 15 and 16;
• Approved unanimously the Independent’s request for the city to pay $7 per column inch for legal notices instead of the $5 per column inch charged since 2014;
• Approved accounts payable of $204,392.82 and the following departmental purchases in excess of $500: to Cadillac Asphalt, $520.95 for road patch, DPW Department; and to Hennessey Engineers, $1,192.50 for MS4 Permit Work and $2,071 for Stormwater Ordinance, DPW Department;
• Heard Councilwoman Bates ask for someone from the state or elsewhere to come to the council to discuss Belleville Lake’s health and PFAS. She said this could coincide with the Lake Fest activities since she has reason to believe the lake’s health has improved;
• Heard Mayor Conley report on a meeting she attended with representatives from Sumpter and Van Buren Township to talk about what comes next for the museum. She said Van Buren Township has hired a museum consultant and the township will be looking for input and will have surveys to find what the people want to see in a museum. There was talk about a traveling exhibit put at the library. Tom Fielder said he and John Juriga have worked with the museum for 45 years and no one called them for any information in the two-and-a-half years the museum’s been closed. Mayor Conley said the evergreen tree is going away and they are considering if the museum should be in the archive business. The question is, “How do we best use the museum?” she said; and
• Heard City Manager/Police Chief Dave Robinson say the building next door to the police department has to be down by May 2.