Belleville’s new mayor, Kerreen Conley, had just been sworn in Monday evening, when citizen complaints started to fly – from too much water to too many cats, to a light pole in an inconvenient place and too many parked cars causing access problems in Harbour Pointe.
Mayor Conley gave everyone a chance to tell their stories, but she could do nothing immediately to solve the problems.
Only the man who complained about his sump pump running too much, left in a huff.
Jeffrey Harris, 250 Harbour Pointe Dr., said he believes his water problem to be from a retention pond in a subdivision next door in Van Buren Township. He said his sump pump has hardly run in 18 years, but now it’s running constantly.
DPS Director Keith Boc said he went over to Harris’ home with city engineers, Wayne County representative and, VBT’s Bryce Kelley a few years ago and they determined the overflow system for the pond is working the way it’s designed to and is emptying into county storm sewers.
Harris wanted to see this in writing and Boc said it had not been reduced to a written report.
Mayor Conley suggested Harris call the township since he thinks it’s their pond that is causing his problems.
He said his sump pump had failed and so he got flooded, but now his pump is working constantly.
Members of the audience testified that it has been an unusually wet spell, with lots of pumps working more than usual, but Harris was not convinced that his problem isn’t caused by the pond.
Cat problems
The council also heard from a group of residents who live on East Wabash Street, who claimed their neighborhood is overrun with stray cats because of the Belleville Mill behind them.