The Van Buren Township Board of Trustees voted to chip in $3,361 from the general fund to pay for three picnic tables for the new walking/bike path and picnic areas at Van Buren Park.
The Wayne County parks millage gave the township $40,000 for the project.
Blue Ribbon Contracting, Inc. had the low bid of $37,361 and the project needed $3,361 to be complete. Without the donation from the board, the project would have only been able to have three new picnic tables.
This is the first phase of a walking/bike path and picnic areas throughout the park.
The project is due to begin Oct. 22.
Supervisor Paul White said he visits the park on a regular basis and has seen people bringing their own tables to set up by the lake to eat. He said he is glad this project will be done.
The picnic tables are made of mesh wire and cement, which is not as easy to vandalize, permanently affixed to cement pads. The path will go 150’ through the woods and over a culvert.
Andrew Burns, Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation, presented the updated project to the board at its regular meeting Oct. 16 as Unfinished Business.
The project had first been proposed to the board by Burns at its Oct. 1 workshop session, but after much discussion Oct. 1 it was removed from the Oct. 2 agenda.
Burns had proposed a contract with Davenport Brothers for installation of the handicap-access walking/bike path and permanent picnic areas. Davenport was not the low bidder, but Burns gave Davenport 5% credit for being local, for having its business in the City of Belleville. Burns also said he has worked with Davenport before and they had a good relationship.
Blue Ribbon, which has its offices in Van Buren Township and business yard in Romulus, was not given a local credit on its bid. It was the true low bidder and there were only two bids.
Burns’ Oct. 1 proposal was taken off the agenda because of problems perceived by board members with the bidding and contract.
Burns said he would rework the project and he came back with the recommendation for Blue Ribbon.
In other business at the 64-minute Oct. 16 meeting, the board:
• Voted to retain the legal services of Clark Hill PLC to assist the township corporation counsel in moving forward with issues related to Visteon Corporation concerning bonds and debts;
• Approved the agreement with the State of Michigan on the Wilkin Farmland Development Rights;
• Approved a permit for the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce to light off fireworks from the Denton Road Bridge on Dec. 1 immediately following the lighted Christmas parade;
• Heard Supervisor Paul White read a Veterans History and Appreciation Month Proclamation, for the month of November, surrounded by six representatives of local veterans’ organizations;
• Heard Trustee Denise Partridge and Supervisor White give farewell speeches and tell of their accomplishments;
• Heard Fire Chief Dan Besson announce that Crossroads has donated a house for a training burn in the 6400 block of Haggerty Road, between Ecorse and Van Born. He said the fire department will burn it to the ground, after training routines, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27;
• Heard Chief Besson introduce new probationary fire fighter Scott Spoonamore, who also is a paid-on-call fire fighter in Sumpter Township. Spoonamore has been appointed to the VBT fire hall at the south end; and
• Heard Besson announce the promotion of Dave McInally to Battalion Chief/Fire Marshal. Besson praised McInally’s work and said McInally’s grandfather was a fire chief and his father, Cameron McInally, was former fire chief of Van Buren Township. Cameron was present to pin the new badge on his son.