Products purchase approved for Project Phoenix

The Tecumseh Products Company property, formerly a landmark in the city and now a mostly vacant eyesore, is on its way to better days after Wednesday night’s meeting of the Lenawee County Commission in the newly restored Old Courthouse. After several presentations on the positive aspects of the planned sports and recreation facility Project Phoenix, 30 public commenters with a mix of those for and against the project, and comments by commissioners, the three-and-a-half-hour meeting ended with the approval to purchase the property from owner Jason Miller for $2.3 million. 

Eight commissioners voted yes with only Commissioner Nancy Jenkins-Arno, who represents the District 3 communities of Rollin Township, Hudson Township, Medina Township, the City of Hudson, and the City of Morenci, voting no.

Tecumseh Economic Development Director Jessica Sattler presented information at the meeting on funds available to support the project, stating that there could be federal grants in the amount of $10 million including from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. Tecumseh City Council has passed a resolution to support Project Phoenix, and with the private donors interested and the potential for substantial economic impact, “I believe that now is the time,” she said. 

The county’s deputy administrator, Kim Murphy, said The Tecumseh Products Company is working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state and is taking full responsibility to continue cleaning up the former factory property to prepare it for construction, and Jason Smith, corporate director of environmental control for Tecumseh Products, said the company is committed to holding up that agreement. 

Those who spoke during public comment had varying reasons for either supporting or opposing the project. Adrian Mayor Angie Sword Heath said she had heard from many Adrian residents who objected to the location, preferring that the facility be centrally located in the county at an Adrian site. That concern was echoed by many, including residents of the southern and southwest portions of Lenawee County.

Those in favor of the project pointed out the potential for benefit of the entire county despite its location. Tammy Drouillard, owner of Second Chance Consignment on Logan Street, said moving her business to Tecumseh didn’t stop customers from traveling to shop there. Raisin Township Supervisor Tom Hawkins expressed his support, as did Katie Mattison of Premier Bank and the Tecumseh Area Chamber of Commerce, Gareth Zebley, owner of Cambrian Senior Living, Dick Johnson, former Tecumseh mayor and owner of The Station, Tecumseh Mayor Jack Baker, and more. 

Tecumseh resident Jim Hammond said it seemed everyone was focusing on their own municipality instead of thinking of what was good for the county. “I think we need to get beyond thinking about our own individual hamlet and think about the county,” he said. 

“This could be the largest economic driver in this county in a very long time,” said Adrian businessman Dick Gurdjian, who urged the commissioners to vote yes on the purchase of the property. 

Tecumseh attorney David Stimpson, District 1 commissioner for the City of Tecumseh and Tecumseh Township, is the chair of the Lenawee County Board of Commissioners. Before the vote, Stimpson expressed his thoughts on all the factors that make Project Phoenix a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “We should all be rallying around this,” he said. “The chance is now.”

Stimpson has been involved in the creation of Project Phoenix, along with private investor and entrepreneur Bill Leisenring, for the past two or three years. On Thursday he reflected on how the project will progress.  

“The next steps will be to move forward toward the closing,” he said. “Then we will begin the process of coordinating the site prep, both the topsoil and underneath, coordinating where those efforts are. While that’s going on we’ll begin the information gathering stage of exactly what this is going to look like and solicit information from the county people and start to do some design and architectural work. Then we’ll bid it out, get some quotes and go from there.”

Actual construction on the site will not begin until all those steps have been completed, something Stimpson said could take place six to 12 months from now. “We’re not going to force it, but we’re not going to want to lose momentum, either,” he said. The county will eventually get to the point of creating pre-leases for several businesses who want to rent space in the multi-use portion of the property. 

Part of the process will involve soliciting input from the community through town hall meetings to gather information on what people want to see included in the project.

“We’re very excited. We’ll be making the applications with the city right away for the grants that are available so that we can start funding the cleanup process for the site prep. I think the EPA has a meeting next week for their approval of everything, and away we go,” said Stimpson. “We really roll up our sleeves and get down to the work part of it.”