Council approves new name for community center

The historic building that served as Tecumseh’s community center for many years and welcomes visitors from the city’s East side will now be known as The Hayden-Ford Mill Building. Tecumseh City Council members approved the change at its Monday, Jan. 6 meeting following some discussion.“There was a little wordsmithing,” said Tecumseh City Manager Kevin Welch, who added that the council members talked about whether to call it the Hayden-Ford Mill or the Hayden-Ford Mill Building before settling on the latter.Welch recommended the “unofficial” renaming of the building, located at 703 E. Chicago Blvd., stating that the building no longer serves as an actual community center, and the proposed name is consistent with the building’s historical past and was also suggested by the Historical Preservation Commission at its recent meeting. The letters on the south side of the building will be removed, likely in the spring, Welch said, and the Hayden Mill sign below it would be refreshed. The city handed over the keys to Suite B to new tenant, J. Trees Cellars owner John Treloar just prior to the New Year, and the company is in the process of making renovations for a wine tasting room. Welch said J. Trees Cellars would also be adding a sign of their own.J. Trees is leasing their Suite for $1,050 per month. The Department on Aging also has a lease of $1,000 per month for its Senior Center, and the Fitness Connection lease is $3,250 per month. Welch said utilities and general maintenance costs approximately $45,000 per year, excluding outdoor maintenance and building repairs.The council also approved suggested budget amendments for the 2014 Fiscal Year Budget. The amendments would include: changes in the Capital Improvement Fund to include the community center construction work and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) grant work at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts; changes to account for expenses on a downtown rental rehabilitation project with the MSHDA (Michigan State Housing Development Authority) grant; and other adjustments. In other business, the council approved a 2015 Fiscal Year Budget preparation schedule that would include a study session meeting in January to review preliminary budget estimates. Welch proposed that a draft budget would be prepared by Monday, Feb. 3, with a budget workshop to be held on Monday, March 24, at 6:30 p.m. A public hearing on the budget and property tax millage rate is scheduled for Monday, May 5. The council is required to adopt a budget by Monday, May 12.The council also went into closed session to discuss client attorney privilege on a personnel matter.