The Orion Township Board voted last week to hold a special work session later this month to discuss their course of action regarding the proposed public safety complex.
The board will be joined at that meeting by representatives from Plante & Moran’s CRESA group, hired in October to serve as project manager. The meeting will be held on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the Great Lakes Athletic Club.
The proposed complex would house the sheriff’s department subdivision, a centrally-located fire house and the Water & Sewer department on land the township already owns just south of Orion Oaks Elementary School, as previously reported in The Review.
Since their hire, CRESA has completed a variety of tasks for the complex, including leading a public hearing during the Nov. 5 board meeting.
Prior to their hire as project manager, they also helped the board in their selection of French Associates as architect.
During the Dec. 17 meeting, however, the board postponed moving forward with the project.
‘The work session is an excellent idea,? said Trustee Matt Gibb, who said he would like to discuss how the complex ‘fits in logistically with everything else the township has going on.?
He added that he’d like to see the financing for the project outlined in greater detail.
‘Nobody has said they’re against this project,? Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk said, adding that members of the board are correct to bring up these items for examination.
‘This is an opportunity that comes along every 40 or 50 years,? he said. ‘This could be a real feather in our cap to say ‘here’s a need that’s been going on for 10 to 12 years, here’s something we’ve examined, here’s something we’ve looked at from every financial angle, here’s something for the township as we are going forward.??
For more background on this story, visit www.lakeorionreview.com and search: public safety complex.