Livonia — The city of Livonia broke ground Monday on a new $26.9 million senior wellness center that officials say will allow the suburban Wayne County city to expand programs and activities for area seniors.
Construction on the new 30,000-square-foot facility, which will be built at the intersection of Five Mile and Hubbard, replacing the current Civic Park Senior Center on Five Mile, is scheduled to begin in early July.
The project, which will cost $26.9 million – up from an initial estimate of $21.9 million despite expanding the facility by 5,000 square feet – was made possible through $20.75 million in county, state and federal grant funding, the American Rescue Plan Act and the City of Livonia’s Building Improvement Fund. The city said the project will not require a tax increase or dedicated levy.
Wayne County Deputy County Commissioner Asad I. Tarff, one of several officials at Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony, said the investment in the senior center is beneficial for all involved.
“This investment will not only benefit our seniors, but it will contribute to the overall development of our community,” Tarff said. “As our community ages, so does the infrastructure that supports it. The Livonia Senior Wellness Center will be a hub for recreation and wellness and a symbol of our commitment to our residents.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who was instrumental in securing a $1.25 million federal grant for the project, said the new senior center is a way for seniors to “grow older and thrive while maintaining their human dignity.”
“(Seniors) have worked incredibly hard their whole lives and they deserve to be taken care of, and this is a way to make that happen, one step at a time,” Tlaib said.
The new center will be adjacent to Livonia’s Jack E. Kirksey Recreation Center, giving seniors easy access to both facilities. By building a new senior center closer to the recreation center, Livonia officials hope to create a safer, more accessible, state-of-the-art facility to house seniors.
The new facility will include a more efficient floor plan to allow for the expansion of programs and activities, larger dining rooms, cafes, seating areas and lounges, as well as additional space for a fitness center, classes, educational seminars and assistance services.
According to the City of Livonia, the Senior Center relocation is a “decisive first step” in implementing Livonia Vision 21, a resident-led master plan that aims to make Livonia “a city kids want to come home to.” The plan will direct citywide policies and future decisions about land and infrastructure use, and aims to complete a functional downtown area and city center with mixed-use, walkable spaces for residential, business and community uses over the next three years.
Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan said the new senior center is a “project catalyst” in Livonia’s Vision 21 Master Plan and “is the first of many efforts to stick shovels in the ground.”
“At the heart of this plan is the need to address what thousands of residents have said for 30 years has been missing from Livonia – we want to create a social hub in the heart of Livonia, which will essentially be the heart of downtown Livonia and the city,” she said. “This new senior center building is monumental and to me will forever be the start of Project Catalyst.”
The remainder of the plan includes several phases, including building a new city hall and police station, upgrading all of the city’s fire stations and building out a city center, none of which would require tax increases or new levies, Brosnan said.
Longtime Livonia resident Scottie Nichols said he is excited to take advantage of the new senior center and appreciates the opportunities it brings to the senior community.
“I like the fact that we can provide something for the next generation. … I already use the existing senior center a lot, but I’m also a member of the recreation center, and I like the idea of being able to combine wellness and recreation under one roof,” Nichols said. “The building we’re in now doesn’t have the space we need for the programming our seniors are after. The senior community is active, and from my perspective, (the new center) is more interested in keeping us well. I think this new building will contribute to that activity going forward.”
Karen Ceserio, a Livonia native, expects more residents will take advantage of the new facility.
“The new senior center will have more amenities and more space and will attract more people,” she said. “We have a lot of seniors who don’t come to other centers, so this center will be more open to the public and people will have more to look forward to, especially since it’s so close to the recreation center.”
Construction of the Livonia Senior Wellness Center and upcoming renovations to the Recreation Center are scheduled to be completed by December 2025. The current Civic Park Senior Center will remain open until the new facility is completed and available for use.
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