VBT DDA to offer Wayne County a deal to fix Belleville Road

Members of the Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority want Belleville Road fixed between the Belleville Bridge and I-94, but they don’t want to spend $4.5 million to completely redo a county road.
At its June 23 meeting via Zoom the DDA heard a report from Wade Trim Engineers that Belleville Road will be used as a detour when work begins on the East Huron River Drive bridge over the Huron River between North and South Haggerty roads.
Dave Nummer of Wade Trim said Wayne County told him they plan to start that work in August or September. That means there’s not enough time to get the work done before it becomes a detour. Any road work would be better for next spring or summer, he said.
Also, Nummer reported about 39.7% of the Belleville Road surface is damaged and cutting out sections and repairing them will cost an estimated $1.7 million. Reconstructing the whole roadway with removal of the current surface and replacement with 10 inches of concrete would total about $4.2 million.
Nummer said the DDA had been interested in whether there was Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) in the Belleville Road concrete that was making it crumble. As part of Wade Trim’s $28,500 analysis of the road project, it was to determine the presence of ASR.
Nummer reported a Wade Trim expert looked at the roadway and does not believe ASR is present. This is not for sure, he said, and they could get material for testing, at additional cost, if the DDA wanted them to drill for material for testing.
DDA executive director Susan Ireland asked how much traffic would wreck the road during the detour, causing repair costs to rise.
Carmelle Tremblay of Wade Trim said she could confidently say it could rise to 50 to 60% damaged, instead of the present 40%.
VBT Supervisor Kevin McNamara, who sits on the DDA, asked who paved the road last time and Ireland said it was Wayne County that did the paving and the DDA did the sidewalk.
Chairman Atchinson said the sidewalks on the bridge are in pretty-bad shape.
Ireland said the DDA can go in the first quarter or third of the bridge, which is in the VBT DDA District, but not the whole bridge.
“Ripping up 50% of the road and spending our money… If you rip up 50%, why not do the whole thing?” Supervisor McNamara said. “But why would we spend $4.5 million when the county would have to repair the road anyway because it’s theirs?”
McNamara said he’s just had the worst seven days of his life. He said he learned Wayne County started furloughs – “that means not come back” – and they cancelled all grants.
“I don’t think they’re ever going to do the road,” he said. “Spend our money? It’s their road.”
DDA member Joyce Rochowiak said although the Huron River Drive bridge is not like the New Boston bridge that took so long to complete, “I don’t know how long it will take to repair,” she said.
Ireland said the DDA has the bonding authority to raise the $4 million and the rates are really low, but she doesn’t have a crystal ball. With COVID, she said, it might be better off with cash funding.
Ireland said the DDA tax revenue for 2020 is $1.9 million and she guessed it wouldn’t be higher for 2021.
DDA secretary Chris Brown, who owns a construction firm, was asked if repairing the road rather than replacing it was a silly thing to do.
“Forty percent is silly,” Brown said. “Forty percent. It should be full reconstruction.”
McNamara asked if they should consider capping the whole thing with asphalt.
“There’s not a long life out of an overlay,” Nummer said, noting the base underneath is failing and it would last 3, 5, or 7 years, depending. It wouldn’t be as long as a replacement.
“It doesn’t look like a project in 2020 and we couldn’t start anything until 2021,” Ireland said. “It’s not going to hurt anything to consult with a financial consultant. Are we all going to die?”
DDA vice chairperson Carol Bird said although the new part of the road will be good, the old part of the road will need to be patched later. “What are we gaining?”
“Brand-new concrete next to old concrete,” Nummer said.
“I just think it’s crazy,” Bird said.
Rochowiak said it would be like Haggerty Road north of the freeway that was half done.
McNamara said if the township repaired the road it would go down on the county’s list of roads needing repairs. As an example, he pointed to the South I-94 Service Drive that was partially repaired and then pushed down the list.
The road will continue to deteriorate, said DDA member Mark Laginess. “What will the county do to address this?”
McNamara explained the Pacer system by which the county rates every county road that is Class A, like Belleville Road. It has to do with condition of the road and traffic count.
“There’s a chance that Belleville Road will have a chance to be on there and then it takes three or more years to get done,” McNamara said.
Bird suggested they “dangle the carrot of $1.75 million and say we’ll contribute that” if the county repaves Belleville Road.
“They might do it,” said McNamara.
“Bribe them to do us first,” Bird said.
“We do have time,” said DDA chairman Craig Atchinson.
Bird suggested sending Ireland to talk to the county because they like her.
Ireland asked if the road project is important to the DDA members and McNamara said fixing the county road is not important enough to him to spend $4 million in township money.
“The sidewalks are important and it already has funds,” Laginess said, referring to the other project being handled by Wade Trim.
“What would it hurt to ask?” Atchinson asked of the proposed deal.
“I would go with Susan if she’d take me,” said McNamara.
Ireland said she would have a financial expert analyze the project, since it wouldn’t be until next year.
DDA member Victor Delibera said it can be put on the back burner.
“It’s not a major project with the residents,” said DDA member Joe Baskin.
McNamara said they could ask Wade-Trim to do a Pacer study for Belleville Road and with Wade Trim’s help maybe they can prove their point.
He suggested doing a traffic study during the Huron River bridge detour.
Nummer said ratings were put on hold this year, but they could have one of their people do a rating for VBT. The regular ratings have the participation of MDOT and SEMCOG.
McNamara asked the DDA if they wanted him and Ireland to try and do a deal with Wayne County and everyone agreed.
In other business at the one-hour-and-15-minute meeting, the DDA:
• Heard Wade Trim report that 5-10% of the Belleville Road sidewalks from Tyler Road to the Belleville Bridge need replacement and it would cost $100,000 to do that. There is $250,000 in the budget for sidewalk repairs, so they will look at sidewalks in the remainder of the district to add to the project. Wade Trim will provide a map and cost estimate for this year and/or future years;
• Approved the recommendation of Assistant DDA Director Lisa Lothringer of entering into a partnership with the Michigan Downtown Association and Issue Media Group that will cost $2,500 for a 1,200-word feature story and photographs on the township as part of a “40 Years of Downtown Change” project. The MDA is contributing an additional $500 for the $3,000 report, which will be published in MetroMode and Michigan-wide Second Wave and promoted through IMG’s social channels and Michigan networks of sites;
• Heard Laginess ask if they got a portajohn for the park next to DDA headquarters and Ireland said it might become more of an attractive nuisance for the type of park it is. “If nobody’s crying for it, it’s OK,” Laginess said. Atchinson said with the coronavirus it would have to be kept clean and sanitized and Bird agreed with the way things are now, it’s not feasible. McNamara suggested revisiting the subject in September or October. A restroom was suggested by a member of the public at a meeting earlier in the year;
• Heard Lothringer say she was meeting with Cindy Harris and she has brought in a number of memorabilia from Albert Harris’ woodshop, known as “Grandpa’s Toys.” She is working at cataloging the items that Harris has donated to the DDA to tell the story of the Harris Homestead. Photographs are also coming. Lothringer said she would like to put up a place outside in the park with Plexiglas to post notices and the story of the Harris family;
• Heard McNamara ask about the post employee benefits program for the two DDA employees. Ireland said the DDA follows whatever the township does and McNamara said they would like that in writing. He said VBT ended lifetime medical for new employees and new hires get $2,500 a year. When the DDA hires a new employee, in the future, McNamara wanted to know how they would handle the OPEB; and
• Heard Atchinson say the DDA needs to make sure the public knows there is free WiFi at Harris Park.