VBT DDA committee to lay out duties of DDA Coordinator

By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority Directors Robert Bechtel, Carol Bird, and Mark Laginess have agreed to serve on a subcommittee to assist with laying out the scope of a DDA Coordinator position and to bring a proposal back to the DDA for action.
This was announced at the DDA’s regular meeting on July 22.
The committee is expected to work with Executive Director Susan Ireland during the first week of August. The coordinator position would be to assist Ireland in DDA work.
Currently, Supervisor Linda Combs’ Executive Assistant Karen LaMothe is being loaned to the DDA for 16 hours a week to assist Ireland.
Also, during the July 22 DDA meeting, the following subjects were discussed.
Poisoned Trees
Ireland reported that DuPont has agreed to pay $715.30 to resolve the issue of the poisoned trees in the streetscape, especially in the right of way in front of Applebee’s.
Township attorney Patrick McCauley reviewed the issue and advised her that as the DDA is the “owner” of the four trees, he recommended accepting filling out and submitting all the paperwork required for the claim. Ireland said she sent off the final paperwork for the claim on July 11.
She first filed the claim for four trees the DDA had to replace in the Streetscape in 2012, after they apparently were killed by an application of Imprelis. She met a DuPont representative at the site and the trees were inspected.
At the end of 2012, Ireland was informed the claim was going to be denied. She recently received a correspondence that the claim was being reevaluated and they offered to pay the DDA the $715.30 to resolve the issue.
VantagePort (Aerotropolis)
Ireland reported that VantagePort (formerly called Aerotropolis) has relocated its office to 11895 S. Wayne Road, Suite 101, Romulus, and there will be an open house from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sept. 4.
Ireland said one of the objectives of VantagePort was to establish an outreach program to the business community in the VantagePort region.
“I will be working with VantagePort to reach out to one or more employers so that we can together make a business retention visit and discuss VantagePort,” Ireland reported.
She told the DDA, “I may be working a little out of my area.”