Contract details hold up work on repair of Belleville seawall

Changes to the contract accepted in May for the seawall repairs along Doane’s Landing in the City of Belleville are holding up the project.
At the regular city council meeting on July 2, Building Official Rick Rutherford said that the previous Friday afternoon he got an email from the contractors. He said he didn’t see the email until he came in on Monday.
Rutherford said they want to change the scope of the work. Rutherford said he wants the geo-tech engineers McDowell to work with them on any changes. He said he didn’t know if there would be any revisions pricewise.
He said they weren’t specific on what they want to do.
“It’s too big a project to let them change the work,” Rutherford said.
City Manager Diana Kollmeyer said they want to change the materials to what the city now has in place there and that would mean there would have to be an adjustment to the price.
Rutherford said the city still wants to get the work done this summer because it is urgent.
Mayor Kerreen Conley said the city still has to get the firm figures on who pays what, referring to the condominiums next door to the city park.
Rutherford said the contractor want the city to cover it all and get paid back by the condos. He said the city has identified footage that doesn’t belong to the city.
Kollmeyer said the city has given numbers to State Rep. Kristi Pagan and Senator Hoon-Yung Hopgood who are working on a state grant to help with the cost.
“When we have nailed down the cost, there will be some discussions,” Mayor Conley said.
On May 21, the city council approved accepting the bid of E.C. Korneffel Co. of Trenton to do the seawall repairs. The cost of $339,000 was discussed, but it was unsure if that was the amount for the whole job, including the condos, or just the city’s share.
A dollar amount for the city was to be sought.
In other business at the 20-minute meeting on July 2, the council:
• Heard City Manager Kollmeyer announce that Grace Baptist Church had cancelled its July 4 picnic because of the heat. The party annually gets permission to close part of High Street, between the park and the church property, for the party;
• Heard Councilman Jesse Marcotte ask about the green building on East Huron River Drive that has vegetation growing up around it. Kollmeyer said the car wash next door has been sold and the buyer said he bought the green building, as well. Rutherford said at least now the city has a name of the owner, so if the owner lets the vegetation grow again and the city has to contract mowing, the city can put it on their tax bill. When it was owned by the bank and then by the county and up for auction, it was hard to get an owner’s name, Rutherford said;
• Heard Mayor Conley ask about the High Street end at Huron River Drive and the tall weeds that have overgrown the “no left turn” sign. Rutherford said he had learned that was Wayne County property and so he will contact Wayne County. There also was a question about the high weeds blocking the view of the lake by residents at that end area of High Street. Mayor Conley said in the past residents have gone out and cut the weeds down themselves when the city didn’t get to it;
• Heard Kollmeyer say she has learned that Van Buren Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara has arranged for the county to put up a “no left turn” sign to alert drivers earlier that there are only right turns in the right lane after they cross the bridge southbound on Belleville Road. The new sign is expected to be up within three weeks;
• Approved accounts payable of $1,300,790.53 and the following departmental purchases in excess of $500: to Great Lakes Towing, $800 refund for vehicle sold at auction where towing fee exceed sale of vehicle, police budget; to Superior Auto & Truck, $754.29 for tires for the street sweeper, street budget; to Dell Marketing, $531.98 for two laptops/pollbooks, elections budget; and to Wise technologies, $528.75 for computer/phone support, various budgets. There was a question on the Great Lakes Towing bill and Mayor Conley said they would have Police Chief Hal Berriman explain it at the next meeting, but you would think the owner would be responsible if the sale of the vehicle wasn’t enough to cover the towing company’s bill;
• Heard Fire Chief Brian Loranger announce that the BYC is having fireworks over the lake at dark on July 3. He said a Homeland Security guy with pyrotechnic certification will be setting them off on a barge next to the dock; and
• Heard Kollmeyer say the city hasn’t had many complaints about neighborhood fireworks this year. She said the police officers carry a copy of the fireworks ordinance in each car.
Absent from the meeting were Mayor Pro Tem Jack Loria and Councilman Tom Fielder.