VBT accepts $200,000 grant to clean up tanks on Denton Rd. property

At its April 2 meeting, the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees approved accepting a grant for $200,000 from the Wayne County Land Bank for environmental assessment and demolition at 6530 Denton Rd. in Denton Village.
Ron Akers, director of municipal services, reported to the board that in November of 2023 the township submitted a grant application to the Land Bank to clean up the blighted property. In January 2024 the township was awarded the grant.
He said in late 2022 the county Land Bank transferred ownership of the property to the township. There are several large, above-ground storage tanks on the site and it appears that the property has been abandoned for 50 or more years.
Director Akers said the scope of work for the grant is to perform an environmental assessment of the site, remove the storage tanks and associated equipment and structures, remove vegetation, and replace the existing fencing.
He said once the township accepts the grant, the township will solicit a company to complete the phase 1 and phase 2 site assessments to determine if there is any environmental conditions that need to be addressed. After getting that information, the township will solicit bids to clean up contaminated materials, if present, and clear the site.
Under the agreement, the township is responsible for costs that exceed $200,000 and for abatement of contamination.
Akers said work is expected to take 12 to 18 months.
Supervisor Kevin McNamara said it is believed the facility closed in the 1950s and went to the county for back taxes. He said it went back and forth as it was sold and the contamination discovered and then abandoned. It went back to the county for taxes each time. He said that’s how the township got it.
He said it is an environmental disaster on a railroad line. He said the township hoped to make it into a park, but being on a railroad line makes it unsuitable for that.
Supervisor McNamara said Denton Village is such a nice area with nice people and it deserves some kind of park.
“We need to get rid of the blight for them,” McNamara said.
Iron Belle Trail
The board also approved the apparent low bid of $694,875 from Davenport Brothers for construction of Sections J and K of the Iron Belle Trail. With a 10% contingency the total is $764,362.50. The contingency will go back into the budget if not needed for overruns.
The project is fully funded by a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.
Elizabeth Renaud, director of community services, said the new part of the trail will be from west of the railroad track on E. Huron River Drive to the entrance to Lower Huron Metropark. She said 98% of the walk is seven-foot-wide concrete, with a 10-foot-wide asphalt entry to the park. An existing sidewalk is less than seven feet wide, she said.
The path will be on the south side of E. Huron River Drive from the railroad track to Haggerty Road and then over to the north side along Huron Valley Steel and over the bridge to the other side and then back across E. Huron River Drive to the park entrance.
In other business at the 29-minute meeting, the board:
• Approved an agreement with Detroit Metro and Willow Run Airports for township dispatch to receive 911 calls on behalf of the Wayne County Airport Authority as a temporary remedy in the event of an emergency. Police Chief Jason Wright said that is exactly the way they operate right now, but the airports needed to have it in writing. “We’re their backup,” Chief Wright said. “They can come here if they need to.” He said the township uses Canton Township in emergencies;
• Approved changes to the Board of Zoning Appeals Rules and Procedures including changes to membership, administrative duties, meetings, and powers of the BZA. This was recommended by the BZA at its March 12 meeting;
• Presented a proclamation celebrating the 54th anniversary of Earth Day;
• Heard McNamara thank the Downtown Development Authority for allocating $110,000 for the Viper 911 System for dispatch. He also said Clerk Leon Wright and Trustee Kevin Martin are military veterans and he presented them with ribbons provided by Leroy Paige who put on a recent program to mark the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam conflict. McNamara also presented a pin to Clerk Wright for those serving in Vietnam or their families. Wright had lost his oldest brother who had served in Vietnam;
• Heard Trustee Martin say he served in the U.S. Navy and “had the honor and privilege to serve.” He said veterans are underappreciated and, “We need to do more”;
• Heard Treasurer Sharry Budd announce that her deputy treasurer Sean Bellingham recently was recertified as Certified Public Finance Administrator and the certification expires June 1, 2029. She said he has to keep up training to recertify. Treasurer Budd said she really appreciates his work;
• Heard McNamara announce that the financial audit has begun and he has been informed that the township has no lawsuits against it. He said the body cams, car cams, and training, maybe, are paying off. Clerk Wright said he doesn’t wish to burst his bubble, but he believes a small suit could be coming on a water/sewer issue. It is yet to be filed, Wright said; and
• Heard a township resident invite everyone to the Dr. Jasmin Stephens and I.M.A.G.E. Counseling Services mental health event on May 24 at Ford Performing Arts building in Dearborn. She also was looking for donations and McNamara referred her to the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network which spends a billion dollars on mental health in Wayne County. McNamara said he is vice chairman of the group.