Oxford Township officials last week voted 5-1 that they are “committed to looking for a new facility to house” the muncipality’s offices, however, whether it will be a new or existing building remains to be seen.
“It’s very difficult servicing our public in the cramped quarters that we have,” said Clerk Clara Sanderson voicing her support for a new township hall, which she said “we need desperately.”
Trustee Jerry Dywasuk agreed a new township facility is needed, but stated he would like to see different options and cost estimates presented as opposed to simply pressing forward with construction of a new building.
Utilizing an existing vacant building, such as the one located at 999 S. Lapeer Road (formerly Mike’s All World Market and Foodtown before that), was suggested by Dywasuk as a possibly “less expensive” option to be explored and compared cost-wise to new construction.
Trustee Shirley Clancy, who chairs the Building and Site Committee, balked at the idea stating that putting the township offices in an existing building, such as Mikes All World Market/Food Town, would only be a “temporary fix” and “not solve the problem.”
Clancy argued using an existing building would “work for X number of years,” but “then we would be faced with the same problem again” of needing more space. She said she doesn’t want to invest township money in a facility the municipality would have to leave one day.
Clancy said constructing a new township hall on the 27.86-acre site the township owns at Seymour Lake and Granger roads would accomodate future expansion of the facility as the township’s needs and population grow.
The trustee argued that “one of the benefits” of new construction is that both the township’s current needs and plans for future expansion can be incorporated into the same design.
Constructing a new facility as opposed to retrofitting an existing building would also allow the township to make it both energy and staff efficient, Clancy said.
Treasurer Joe Ferrari cast the lone vote against looking for a new facility based on cost and funding concerns. “I feel we need (a new township hall) and probably want it,” but the issue is can the municipality afford it, he said.
Ferrari said he wanted to see some cost projections, whether the township decides to build or buy an existing facility, before voting yes or no as to the board’s committment to finding a new facility.
“I can’t support it without having costs attached to it,” said the treasurer after casting his no-vote.
Ferrari expressed concerns about the possibility of voters rejecting the renewal of the fire operating millage, which expires in 2005, because of the continued existence of the department’s controversial oversight body, the Oxford Public Fire and EMS Commission.
The treasurer suggested the township should keep the money it has for a new township hall – the more than $840,000 sitting in the Building and Site Fund – to use for fire funding in case the millage fails.
“I just think we should have some money in reserve,” Ferrari said.
Ferrari made a motion that the Building and Site Committee be directed to examine the cost of constructing a new township hall at the Seymour Lake and Granger roads site and explore if there other any other buildings available for rent or purchase that would accomplish the same goals as new construction. The committee would report back to the township board with their findings within three months.
The treasurer’s motion was approved 6-0.
Todd Bell, a township resident for “almost 41 years,” told the board, “I see the need for the township hall. You’re definitely outgrowing your facility.”
However, Bell disagreed with moving into the vacant Mike’s All World Market/Foodtown.
He called it a “stopgap measure” and said it’s “not big enough” to meet the township’s needs.
Bell warned township officials they would lose that property as part of their commercial tax base, thus losing a source of tax revenue, a sentiment echoed earlier by township engineer Shannon Parry, of Rowe, Inc.
The cost of purchasing the Mike’s All World Market/Foodtown site would be a high one, Bell told officials.
He said the cost of property on M-24 lists as $1,500 per linear foot across the frontage. “I don’t know if that’s in the township budget,” Bell said.
Bell urged township officials to look at alternatives, so they can have the knowledge to make an informed decision.
He recommended the township utilize the “design/build process” as opposed to the conventional method of hiring an architect to design the building, then bidding out the construction project.
In the design/build process, Bell said a team consisting of an architect, engineer and builder work with the township and the cost of construction is guaranteed not to exceed a set amount, unless the township changes its mind about something.
Bell said the design/build process could save the township between 5 and 10 percent in construction costs above the conventional bid process.
With regard to the funding of a new township facility, board members voted 5-1 to repay “as soon as possible” an outstanding $500,000 loan made from the Building and Site Fund to the Water Enterprise Fund in 1997.