Livonia council praises new senior center progress as debate over fate of Noble building deepens

Councilwoman Budzinski said Livonia’s senior center construction remains on schedule and “on budget,” while several council members pressed the administration for clearer plans and additional studies about the future of the Noble building and Newberg Village.

The senior center matters to large numbers of local residents, Budzinski said; she and Council member Laura Toye and other council members described outreach that included more than 600 survey responses and participation from the city’s aging commission and senior-center staff. “There’s a ton of input on the senior center,” Budzinski said, noting the project’s amenities, renderings and a predicted December completion window for some work.

Why it matters: Council members said the senior center is one of several major civic investments — along with City Hall and public-safety facilities — and they stressed that work on one project should not prevent examining the city’s other properties, including the decommissioned Noble building.

Debate over Noble: The council’s discussion turned repeatedly to an estimate prepared in 2023 by OHM that placed a full white-box repair of the Noble building at about $5,500,000. Council members described the OHM report as a reason to proceed cautiously, but others said the estimate lacks the kind of targeted, stamped engineering and structural testing needed to make a policy decision.

Councilman Donovan said the site has known water-intrusion problems, a basement with mechanical equipment and the potential for expensive mechanical and structural repairs. “This building was rendered functionally obsolete,” Donovan said, arguing a renovation could require much more than the headline number.

Council member Toye and others asked that the Newberg Village and senior needs be examined by the Senior Citizens Committee; Toye moved to place Newberg Village construction and senior needs into that committee and the council approved the referral. Budzinski and others pushed administration staff to use previously appropriated funds for thorough due diligence — soil borings, structural assessments and other tests — rather than rely on a brief site memo.

Several council members and speakers emphasized that $20,000 the council previously set aside under council resolution 3354-24 for Noble/Sheldon Park‑related work has not been spent and argued for using some of that allocation for targeted testing. “We passed a resolution for $20,000 and we got a memo back that says, ‘refer to the same OHM report,’” one council member said. “We haven’t done soil borings; we haven’t done structural assessments.”

Public input: Residents and frequent commenters told the council the Noble building has community and historic value and urged the council to pursue rehabilitation and grant funding. Council members who oppose immediate large spending on Noble said the city cannot commit multi‑million dollar work without formal, stamped engineering tests and a financing plan.

Where it goes next: Councilmembers directed the Senior Citizens Committee to take up Newberg Village and senior needs; they also asked administration staff to clarify what, if any, further technical studies (soil borings, structural testing, lead/paint testing) can be completed with existing council allocations. Budzinski said she would attend upcoming public meetings and urged broader resident participation.

Ending: Council members repeatedly stressed competing priorities — the downtown/city‑center planning process, City Hall needs and public‑safety projects — and said they want to move forward with clearer data on Noble before deciding on major investments.