Thursday, March 24, 2022

Funding for Community Center upgrades is OK’d

The Plymouth Cultural Center is a step closer to more than $400,000 in renovations and improvements as part of a federal funding program.

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance Project at the Plymouth Cultural Center will include updating of the four main public restrooms at the city facility to ensure full ADA compliance, according to a statement from State Rep. Haley Stevens who secured nearly $18 million for projects in the 11th District.

According to the grant documents, The Plymouth Cultural Center is the only voting location in the city and accommodates all four precincts. In addition, the building hosts multiple senior citizen classes, events and health clinics. 

“Increasingly, City of Plymouth boards and commissions and local civic organizations use the building's large room for their meetings to accommodate socially distant participants. In addition, the Plymouth Cultural Center (PCC) , is home to an ice arena, hosts hundreds of athletic events every year with thousands of players and spectators,” according to the grant documents. “Bringing the PCC 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 as well.

“Bringing the restrooms to ADA compliance will allow our elderly visitors and persons with disabilities to use the facility without hindrance,” the grant documents states.

“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,” Stevens  said.

“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.” 

Stevens submitted several Community Project Funding requests to the Appropriations Committee, and every 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. The bill now moves to the full Appropriations Committee, consideration on the House Floor, and negotiations with the Senate.