Bids to replace the city's oldest fire station on Wheeler Street with a new station/community center are expected within the next four weeks, and demolition of the current Fire Station No. 3, a 59-year-old structure, will begin April 1, said Assistant City Manager Dana Whinnery. A much larger station, with the lower level dedicated to a community center that will eventually feature the city's fifth after-school program for middle-school children, should be finished by November.
The $5-million project will breathe some new life into the Middlebelt-Grand River area, an older, less-affluent section of Farmington Hills. Of the city's five fire stations, Fire Station No. 3 will likely be the largest because of the community center, Whinnery said.
"It's unique in that you combine a community center with a fire station in a neighborhood area like this," he said. "It crosses the line from a city service to something that will be good for the community."
In an unusual gesture of support for an unusual project, the Farmington/Farmington Hills Exchange Club made a gift of 604 shares of J.P. Morgan stock to the city last Monday to be earmarked for the new community center. Worth about $23,000, the stock is intended to pay for furniture and other equipment for the after-school program at the center.
"We felt we needed to have an impact on that area and thought it tied in very well with the new fire station development," said John Anhut, immediate past president of the Exchange Club, which raises money for youth-related groups and activities. "And frankly, we've had that stock for years. It was time to do something with it." Anhut also serves as chairman of the city's Economic Development Corp.
The new 16,000-square-foot station will feature about 8,000 additional square feet of basement space for a community center for educational and cultural activities and for a youth center. Farmington Hills runs four such centers throughout the city for students age 11 to 15. They can play, study and socialize from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays during the school year. The four locations are the ice arena on 8 Mile Road, the Costick Activities Center on 11 Mile Road, the YMCA on Farmington Road and Warner Middle School on 14 Mile Road. The city provides transportation from school to the centers.
During construction, the city will provide temporary space on-site for firefighters. Fire Station No. 3 will continue to be staffed by three full-time firefighters and paid on-call firefighters.
Fire Department Chief Richard Marinucci said the new building will be a "great shot in the arm" for the neighborhood, which doesn't otherwise have the acreage for a community center.
The planning process took a bit longer than it would for a typical fire station, he said, "but it will be worth it."
Chris Umlah, a longtime resident of the neighborhood, said he was happy about a new fire station but hadn't heard about the community center until last week.
His reaction? "Great. ... it's not the nicest-looking area. I'm sure it'll improve the facade of the area."
Umlah, owner of J & C Decks, a construction company in Farmington Hills, said his kids often partake of city-run activities, like basketball and tutoring. He expected that his two younger children will use the youth center when they get older.
