WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Waterford Township broke ground Wednesday on a new community center that officials and residents are calling a brand-new chapter for the community.
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The 56,628-square-foot facility will be built on the former Oakland Community College Highland Lakes Campus, which is expected to fully close in fall 2027. The 51-acre project is set to be completed in early 2028.
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In November 2024, voters approved a 21-year, $36.4 million bond to fund the project, with support from a group called the Four Towns Citizens Action Team.
Township Supervisor Anthony Bartolotta said the facility will serve the entire region.
"It's going to be a beautiful facility for everybody. For Waterford, our neighbors, and beyond," Bartolotta said.
Waterford Township Parks and Recreation Director Allison Swanson said the project is about more than just a building.
"This is why today feels so meaningful. We aren't simply building a facility for today. We're building the future of Waterford Township," Swanson said.
Swanson also took a moment to recognize the community's role in making the project possible.
"Today, I want to say thank you for the voters who supported and believed in this project," Swanson said. "For those of us who work in Parks and Recreation, walls, rooms, or amenities, it’s about the people. The Waterford Community Center gives us a special opportunity to bring people of all ages and stages of life together under one roof.”
The new center will feature a gymnasium, indoor pickleball, table tennis, and fitness classes. Outdoor amenities will include pickleball and basketball courts, a softball field, a courtyard, an amphitheater, outdoor restrooms, and a dog park. The facility will also offer a variety of programs focused on both mental and physical health.
Oakland Community College Chancellor Peter Provenzano said the transition reflects the college's evolving needs while keeping the property in service to the community.
"While we may no longer need the property, because over 50% of our classes are online, we're still looking for unique partnerships so that the property continues to give back to the community, the way it always has," Provenzano said.
Provenzano added that OCC will still have a presence on site through joint programming and at nearby Hess Hathaway Park.
Residents who voted for the project said they are eager for a dedicated space close to home.
"As a resident in Waterford, and as a member of Waterford's softball league and also a participant in pickleball, I'm excited to have a location here in Waterford, where we do not have to go outside the community to participate," Mark Smith said.
Voter Donald Swanson called the project an opportunity the township could not pass up.
"I think it's a great thing — a deal we couldn't afford to pass up," Donald Swanson said.
Steve Og, a voter who supported the community center, said the effort to rally support was a community-wide push.
"We got about 150 lawn signs and got all the seniors out, not just for racket ball. But we wanted a place where seniors could hang out and not at one of those old elementary schools that are being refurbished all the time," Og said.
Waterford resident Joan Swanson said she is looking forward to leaving the old facility behind.
"It'll be nice to have a new facility and instead of going from the old CAI building, which is falling apart," Joan Swanson said.
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