City Council wants to keep Pokemon Go out of cemetery

The new Pokemon Go game has erupted throughout the country and in Belleville it is going strong. The city council, after consideration, decided to try to keep it out of Hillside Cemetery’s hallowed grounds.
Jeff Vernon brought the subject before the council at its July 18 meeting, saying you cannot just remove Pokemons.
He said two are at Victory Park and another in the center of Five Points and they are floating through the cemetery.
He said they are where people gather. It’s a game that was made in Japan and uses Google maps. They are on three different sculptures in town that no longer exist here.
“I don’t think we can petition to remove it from our cemetery,” said Councilwoman Kim Tindall. “Some cemeteries embrace them and invite people in.”
She said she doesn’t think players should be invited in to tramp on sacred ground.
“I personally don’t think we want to encourage people to hunt Pokemon in the cemetery,” Councilwoman Tindall said.
Kelly Bates, representative of Victoria Commons, read the entry on Pokemon from Wikipedia to try to explain the phenomenon. It’s a game where people hunt tiny virtual creatures on their cell phones.
She said she’s seen reports where people are walking up to people grieving in cemeteries and asking them about Pokemon.
“Arlington Cemetery had to put up a sign,” she said.
“People are walking into traffic and off cliffs,” Tindall said, referring to the way they look down at smart phones while heading forward.
“It really is a trip hazard out there,” Mike Renaud said of Hillside Cemetery, where he has served as a volunteer placing flags on veterans graves.
“We’re liable,” stated City Manager Diana Kollmeyer.
“It’s a fad like pet rocks,” said Vernon, predicting when September and November come along, it won’t be so popular. “It’ll be a bigger issue in October,” he said referring to the cemetery during Halloween season.
Tindall said bringing people to town to search for Pokemons is good in one way because they have to stop somewhere and buy water or something, but from a public safety aspect it is worrying.
Vernon said it’s a fantasy world brought into reality and people are interacting at these spots and it’s encouraging people to talk to each other.
“It’s the general consensus that we do not want people in the cemetery searching for Pokemon,” said Mayor Kerreen Conley. She turned the issue over to the city administration for a resolution.
A sign was suggested, with a positive message.
Vernon said there are six to eight at Horizon Park and Tindall said she knew that because people were at the concert last Thursday running along and bumping into concert-goers.
Renaud said he saw a report on television where hundreds of people were running across traffic trying to get a rare Pokemon.
In other business at Monday’s meeting, the council:
• Approved local approval for a charitable gaming license for the St. Anthony’s Men’s Club Association;
• Approved use of a part of Victory Park by the Fire Department Auxiliary from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 10 during the citywide yard sale for a Hotdogs for Heroes fund raiser, with a stipulation that the group will have to get the food service licensed by the Wayne County Health Department. City administration will work with the auxiliary on the details;
• Explained that approval was not necessary for the Five Points Band to do a Jazz on the Lake concert on the grass near the gazebo in Horizon Park from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 20. Anyone is free to use the park, no street closings are involved, and there is no charge. Christopher Bouldes is promoting the band;
• Approved the multi-year plan, 2017-19, for Senior Alliance;
• Heard a detailed presentation on budget amendments by Kelly Howey of Plante Moran for the year ended June 30 and then adopted the budget amendments; and
• Approved accounts payable of $170,854.71 and a single departmental expense over $500: to Web Rigging Supply for roping for Horizon Park, $544.14 from the General Fund/DDA.