A place noted for its youth programs could be home to a new tri-township center for senior citizens, should voters approve two tax increases totalling approximately 0.45-mill on the November ballot.
Crossroads for Youth has agreed to donate 10-acres of land for a proposed $9.85 million Phase I senior center to serve residents in Oxford, Addison and Orion townships.
‘The board felt it’s a good partnership and if we have the ability to do it, then why not ? the community’s been great to Crossroads,? said Dr. Janet McPeek, president of Crossroads for Youth.
‘What a generous gift to the public here,? said Pat Fitchena, director of the North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA), Oxford Township trustee, and a member of the ‘Communities Together for a Senior Center? committee.
‘That’s a lot of money if you were to purchase that piece of property in the open market,? Fitchena said. ‘To me, that’s a gift to the taxpayers.?
Sitting on 320 acres along Drahner Road, east of M-24, in Oxford Township, Crossroads is a nonprofit organization that provides programs for at-risk youth. Approximately 120 youths live on campus at any given time.
The proposed site for the senior center fronts Drahner on the north side of the road between James Hunt Drive and another driveway which leads to the old Crossroad’s director’s house.
‘It’s centrally located between the three communities,? Fitchena noting, that stretch of E. Drahner Road it fronts is due to be paved by developers of the yet-to-be-built Tullamore residential development.
A large flat area which Crossroads uses as a temporary athletic field occupies the proposed site, along with many natural features.
‘Most of it is pretty much woods,? McPeek said.
‘It’s a beautiful, peaceful setting,? Fitchena said. ‘They have walking paths there. They have lakes there. They have deer running all over the place, turkeys and pheasants.?
The proposed site must still be studied to determine if it’s suitable to meet the proposed center’s needs.
If not, McPeek said there’s potential for placing it on the south side of Drahner Road or further up the north side. ‘There are a couple of spots,? she said.
McPeek said the site was Crossroads? ‘first choice? because it’s ‘real accessible? from Drahner Road and wouldn’t lead to additional traffic driving through campus.
‘It’s a site that doesn’t disturb anything else that’s going on here,? she said.
The proposed site is also removed from Crossroads? residential facilities. Three of the residences are located on the south side of Drahner, while the facilities on the north side are further in on the campus.
McPeek believes the proposed senior center would be a natural fit at Crossroads, given the local Meals on Wheels volunteer program has operated on campus for a while and NOTA moved it’s offices and buses there in February.
Meals on Wheels delivers nutritious meals to home-bound senior citizens, while NOTA provides free public transportation to seniors living in Oxford, Addison and Orion townships.
Despite the fact the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department logged 189 calls regarding Crossroads last year and 51 calls so far this year, McPeek said there are no safety concerns regarding the kids interacting with seniors or volunteers.
‘The kids are supervised,? she said. ‘We’ve not had any problems at all with Meals on Wheels. The volunteers come everyday and they interact with our kids who package the food.?
McPeek said ‘we’ve never had any difficulties with kids? when they’ve visited seniors in nursing homes or gone on field trips with them. Crossroads kids also do volunteer yard work and snow shoveling for local seniors.
‘The kinds of challenges that our kids face have certainly not been between them and a group like that,? she said.
Asked if NOTA’s encountered any problems with Crossroads kids, Fitchena replied, ‘None.?
‘We absolutely love it out there,? she said. ‘NOTA’s been very, very comfortable here.?
‘It’s a site that doesn’t disturb anything else that’s going on here,? she said.
In November, voters in Oxford, Addison and Orion townships will be asked to approve a bond issue totalling $9.85 million to construct Phase I (nearly 50,000 square feet) of a proposed tri-township senior center.
If approved, property owners in all three townships would pay approximately 0.2 mill for 20 years to pay off the bond debt.
For the center’s construction, Orion would pay $5.95 million, Oxford $2.815 million and Addison $1.085 million.
Voters will also be asked to approve a 10-year, 0.25-mill tax to operate and maintain the center.
A mill is worth $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value.
A home with a taxable value of $100,000 would pay $45 annually, if both tax increases are approved.