Livonia Noon Rotary Club member, Ted Davis, Superintendent of the Livonia Parks & Recreation Dept. gave a much-needed and through power point presentation on Parks

& Rec and the status of Rotary “Community” Park and the main pavilion, destroyed during the tornado in June, 2024. He oversees almost 2,000 acres and 66 sites, 18-full-time and 100-300 seasonal employees, including the Rec. Center & Senior Wellness Center, Wilson Barn, three public golf courses, and Greenmead. The Rec Center has over 150 weekly programs and special events, with over 750,000 annual visits. The Senior Wellness Center averages 90,000 annual visits. Renovations to the Rec Center actually date back to 2019.

The main Pavilion #1, with a green metal roof, is slated for completion by June 1st, 2026. The footings should be poured in March. It will be virtually the same size as the previous one.

Instead of separate Men’s & Women’s restrooms, there will be three unisex restrooms, unheated and for seasonal use only. There is a distinction between Livonia’s “community” parks (Rotary, Bicentennial, Ford, & Sheldon) and “neighborhood parks” (par. ex., Castle Garden, Nash, etc.).

The goal of the Pavilion Project is to make it in Livonia a “signature” pavilion. New turf at the Rotary Park universal playscape, which we built in 2018, will replace the current surface. Park & Rec. has a 10-year capital plan of $50 million ($5,000,000 annually).

“Taxes are your investment in a community” – Ted Davis.

A great thought! Ted took numerous questions, including prepared questions, and his presentation was very well-received. We closed the meeting by reciting the “Four-Way-Test.”

From scribe, Dave Stechholz