A Meridian Township taskforce is considering two competing proposals for a new senior center: one focuses on a standalone senior facility, while the other proposes for a combined senior and community center.
In 2023, Okemos Public Schools officials announced they would be demolishing the building that had been home to the Meridian Township Senior center and reopening as a new school facility in the fall of 2026.
At the time, the Township Board established a Community/Senior Center Taskforce to develop a plan to remodel the former Younkers department store near Meridian Mall and open it as a senior center combined with a space for the community to use.
That plan was not received well by seniors who said they would like to have a dedicated space. However the township board has had the goal of creating a community center, officials say, for two years now.
Now, the Meridian Township Board has formed, with a slight name change, the Senior/Community Center taskforce to come up with two proposals by April.
“We want to make sure that we're taking the time to sit with our seniors who are going to be most impacted by this new facility, whichever iteration goes forward,” said Meridian Township Supervisor Scott Hendrikson at the taskforce inaugural meeting Tuesday.
Hendrikson is asking the taskforce to prioritize a proposal for a standalone Senior Center.
“We understand that this is at least the baseline of what we must do to replace our current Senior Center,” said Hendrikson.
“I will also ask the taskforce to offer a recommendation for a joint senior slash Community Center for consideration of the board.”
Currently the taskforce is considering five locations for the proposals.; the Younkers wing of the Meridian mall, property between the township’s fire station and post office on Central Park Drive, soccer fields north of the municipal building, an area around the Nokomis Center, and vacant property on Okemos Road
The taskforce is expected to receive $5 million from Michigan’s American Rescue Plan funding to pay building costs of the project. These funds cannot be used to purchase property for the center.
To cover remaining costs, the board had proposed adding a millage to the November ballot to capture property tax revenue. That idea was voted down at an August 8 meeting. Now township officials are again considering whether to add a proposal, this time on the August 2025 ballot.
The Senior/Community Center taskforce meets next on October 22 and is expected to present to the Township Board on November 12.
