Farmington Hills council narrows activity-center study to existing Caustic site, awards A/E contract to Newman Smith

The Farmington Hills City Council voted on April 27 to authorize a phased architecture and engineering contract with Newman Smith Architects focused only on the city’s existing Caustic activity‑center site, after extended presentations, council questioning and public comment.

The contract motion, moved by Council member Dwyer and seconded by Council member Bridges, directed the acting city manager to negotiate and execute a phased scope limited to the Caustic Activity Center site in an amount not to exceed $1,771,430 contingent on final scope, funding availability and city‑attorney review. Councilors approved the motion by roll call; several members said they opposed limiting the study to a single site and preferred evaluating both the Hawk campus and the Caustic site before selecting one.

Why it matters: the decision narrows the immediate work for the selected firm to site evaluation, needs assessment and the early phases of design at the location currently serving many of the city’s senior programs. Council members and residents framed the choice as weighing construction and access challenges at the Hawk campus against the continuity and accessibility of the existing Caustic site for current senior users.

Newman Smith’s presentation and council questions: staff described a competitive RFP that prompted 15 proposals and five shortlisted firms; Newman Smith was recommended by a multi‑department selection committee. Gene Carroll of Newman Smith said the firm brings long experience in municipal community‑center projects and outlined a four‑phase approach from site evaluation through construction administration. In response to council questions, the firm confirmed the proposed A/E engagement is a lump‑sum arrangement and described prior engagement practices used to shape programming for seniors and multigenerational facilities.

Public comments: Dozens of residents addressed the council. Leanne Kufchuck urged the city to study integrating the new center with existing Hawk facilities rather than treating the Hawk separately. Tim Parvin described a car count showing heavy daily use at both sites and warned of traffic and engineering challenges at the Hawk campus. Laurie Darrow, a longtime Caustic user, gave an emotional appeal for keeping the senior center at the current site, calling it “their world, their support system,” and said a local congresswoman is pursuing a $5 million grant (speaker attribution: Darrow) she said would not allow use of Hawk property. The grant claim was raised during public comment and was presented as the commenter’s report, not as a council finding.

Council debate and rationale: supporters of the motion cited easier site logistics, existing senior access and the city’s fiscal capacity to proceed; opponents said a fair apples‑to‑apples comparison of Hawk and Caustic locations would better reveal long‑term operating costs and tradeoffs. Mayor (chair) said the council must choose an option that “will allow us to move the fastest to opening day” while serving current program users.

What’s next: with the contract authorization limited to the Caustic site, staff will finalize the scope and negotiate the agreement with Newman Smith. If the city proceeds with construction later, subsequent design and construction approvals will return to council. Advocates for studying multiple sites said they may press for future review steps or additional analysis.

Notes on transcript spellings and claims: the meeting transcript uses varying spellings ("Caustic," "Costick," "Kostig") for the existing senior‑center site; the article uses the meeting’s most common spelling “Caustic Activity Center” while noting the transcript inconsistency. A public commenter attributed a $5 million grant effort to Congresswoman Samantha Steckloff; that claim was made during public comments and is reported here as the commenter’s statement.