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It has cost more than $135,000 to get the old Macomb Township hall moved and repaired since the project began in 2023. Donations of materials, time and funds have kept the project under its $175,000 budget, with township officials planning to use the remaining $40,000 to bring the building into a usable state by the end of 2024.
Photo by Dean Vaglia
MACOMB TOWNSHIP — It takes a lot to move a building: a lot of labor, a lot of time and a lot of money.
At the Feb. 14 Macomb Township Board of Trustees meeting, Township Supervisor Frank Viviano said the old township hall move and restoration has cost over $135,000.
“In the course of that move, my colleagues and I have solicited donations from the community,” Viviano said. “There were a lot of interested business partners, people who have done work in the community and thought this was a worthy effort; specifically, Lombardo Homes donated $75,000 towards the effort. F&M Concrete donated the foundation, which was worth almost $7,500. Pamar Enterprises did all the grading and site work, which is valued at $15,000. Quadrate Companies donated all the blocks for the foundation, which is valued at just over $3,200.”
Engineering firm Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick Inc. and Lombardo Homes donated engineering and project management services, respectively.
Accounting for the donated time and materials, the township has a current due balance of $56,800 for the project. As it stands now, the old township hall remains unfinished, but the remaining $40,000 in the budget will be spent on finishing the job.
“Anybody who has driven by that building sees that (it is) still a little bit of ways from getting that project done,” Viviano said. “It still needs to be painted, windows need to be repaired, doors need to be repaired, we need to pour sidewalks and some other things. Work is continuing to be done.”
Remaining parts of the project are expected to come into place over the spring and summer as the township seeks more donations. The old township hall is expected to be in a usable condition by the fall of 2024, though there is no set timeline for the project. A $175,000 budget for the project was set in January 2023.
Flood rescue
Township officials honored members of the Macomb Township Fire Department and the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office for their role in a rescue during floods in January.
At approximately 11 p.m. on Jan. 26, firefighters and deputies were dispatched to the scene where a car had gone off the road into a flooded ditch. Firefighters used an extension ladder to get the driver out of the car since pressure from the water forced the doors closed. Firefighters Joe Longo and Joe Warne guided the driver out of her car and across the ladder while keeping her dry.
The responding personnel — Macomb Township Fire Department Lt. Dave Nowak, Sgt. George Leemhuis and firefighters Warne, Longo, Jeff LoPiccolo, Shawn Diamond, Joshua Baade and Justin Friese, along with Macomb County Sheriff’s Office deputies Jeff Maier and Jeremy Porzondek — were recognized by the board for their work that evening.
“You don’t get the recognition you deserve for 90% of what you do,” said Trustee Peter Lucido III. “I love seeing when you actually get the recognition you deserve. Thank you all very much.”
Early voting expansion
Trustees approved expanding early in-person voting to all non-statewide elections in Macomb Township starting with the upcoming May 7 election. Following a move made by Harrison Township earlier in the week, Macomb Township Clerk Kristi Pozzi said making early voting available in all elections would reduce voter confusion.
“If I were not to offer early voting for this special election in May, my fear would be that we would get voters that have received information advertising early voting would come in May, find out it’s not there and then not join in the efforts to utilize early voting in August and November, saying, ‘I don’t even know it it’s going to be open,’” Pozzi said. “We don’t want that to happen. We’re providing the resources and the manpower to run early voting at the rec center for nine days, and I want Macomb Township voters to have access to it at all times.”
State law requires nine days of early in-person voting for all statewide and federal elections with all other elections left up to the decision of local clerks. Macomb Township is hosting early voting at the township recreation center, located at 20699 Macomb St., in the township municipal complex.
