Northville and Plymouth were among the communities awarded a portion of nearly $18 million in federal funding Rep. Haley Stevens secured for areas in the 11th Congressional District.
“I am thrilled to announce that so many community projects ranging from infrastructure, to funding for police departments to the construction of new public spaces for seniors and families to use in Michigan's 11th District will now be fully funded,” said Stevens in a prepared statement. “My staff and I have been working for months with mayors, township supervisors, local and statewide elected officials from both parties to determine the greatest needs in our communities. Every community project that was identified and submitted to the House Appropriations Committee was funded. When we invest in our communities, they thrive, and this funding will impact countless lives throughout our district.”
In Northville, the Michigan International Technology Center Improvement Project was awarded $2 million.
The grant will fund the engineering costs associated with the rebuilding of Five Mile Road, between Beck and Ridge roads. The Michigan International Technology Center (MITC) Redevelopment District is a Brownfield Authority created by Plymouth and Northville townships and the State of Michigan Land Bank. The project was designed to bring jobs and economic development to the former Detroit House of Correction (DeHoCo) Prison sites along Five Mile Road from Napier to Beck, which is the boundary between Plymouth and Northville townships. The project will also clean up contaminated sites owned by the State of Michigan. This federal funding for the MITC Improvement Project will help to increase accessibility to the project area, facilitating economic growth for the whole community, according to Haley's office.
The Plymouth Cultural Center ADA Compliance Project was awarded $400,000.
The ADA Compliance Project at the center will update the four main public restrooms in the recreation facility to achieve full ADA compliance. The Plymouth Cultural Center is the only voting location in the city, and it accommodates four precincts. The building hosts multiple senior citizen classes, events and health clinics. Increasingly, City of Plymouth boards and commissions and local civic organizations use the large room in the building for meetings to accommodate socially distant participants. In addition, the cultural center, which is home to an ice arena, hosts hundreds of athletic events every year with thousands of players and spectators. Bringing the center restrooms up to full ADA compliance will require structural changes to the building and major plumbing work, since the current system is encased in a concrete slab. Interior walls, ceilings, fixtures, partitions and tile will need to be replaced, according to officials. Bringing the restrooms to ADA compliance will allow elderly visitors and persons with disabilities to use the facility without hindrance, officials added.
Stevens submitted several Community Project Funding requests to the Appropriations Committee and every funding request that the Congresswoman submitted was accepted by the Appropriations Committee.
The inclusion of this funding in the Appropriations Committee draft bill is the first step in the funding process. Stevens said she will continue to fight for this funding as the bill moves to the full Appropriations Committee, consideration on the House Floor, and negotiations with the Senate.
