Nostalgia nearly overwhelmed me the last time I walked into Northville Township Hall.
It was a few weeks ago now, and the meeting room was crowded with residents and officials. So crowded, in fact, that I couldn't see an empty seat. I found a spot near the back wall leaning against the window with the hard edge of a window sill digging into my, um, posterior.
The meeting room had been crowded before, of course, but that was usually when people showed up with something to gripe about. This was different; it was potentially good news on something that every township resident had a stake in: the development of the former Northville Psychiatric Hospital property.
Someone nudged my foot and I looked up, first in irritation and then with a pleasant sense of surprise. It was Shannon Price, a former lobbyist now running for Wayne County Commission.
"Hey, Spiels," he said. "Did you ever think we'd be here?"
I had to smile as I shook my head. No, I did not. I didn't think the unveiling of the concept plan for the property would be anything but a nightmare for the township. But now the property is safely under township control and about to begin the long transformation into a community park.
Price was a big part of that success. He worked closely with township officials on the millage campaign that set up the funding for the purchase of the land, as well as the campaign against a proposed annexation of the property to Livonia. I didn't think either effort had a chance of success. I'm glad I was wrong.
Curiosity drove me to the meeting last month. It was a bit of an epilogue for me, a footnote. It was the last big story I covered as a newspaper editor, one of the last times I pushed the return key on the final line of an editorial and thought: Good luck and godspeed. I hope that helps.
So yeah, I was curious to see what the planners came up with the for the sprawling 400-acre site. And I liked a lot of what they talked about: the trails that accentuated the natural topography; the open community gathering space and outdoor pavillion--The Great Lawn, as it was referred to. Other aspects, well, they'd be nice, but were they necessary? Ask any community official with a fancy center that includes a pool and other features and they would probably tell you they're fun to have, but can be a bit of a white elephant. And I think recent history has shown everyone just how difficult it is to ensure proper funding for such upscale community features no matter what was going on with the economy.
On the other hand, no matter what happens in life, we all need to take some time to walk in the woods or just reflect with nature--and if you can do that while hurtling through the trees on a mountain bike, so be it.
I share some concerns about the price to develop some aspects of the plan and the timeline involved. But I watched township officials grapple with similar issues before. They've always shown good common fiscal sense by not developing anything they couldn't take care of. I just look forward to the day that the buildings are torn down, the ghosts chased out and the park open for all to enjoy.
It should be a beautiful park once it's all said and done. I look forward to visiting.
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