Press Release | Office of the Mayor | City of Westland Opens Jefferson Barns Community Vitality Center

For Immediate Release | Official Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

36601 Ford Road | Westland, Michigan | 48185

Office 734.467.3200 | Fax 724.721.2310

WWW.CITYOFWESTLAND.COM

City of Westland

Opens Jefferson Barns Community Vitality Center

Westland, MI - The City of Westland has opened the newly renovated Jefferson Barns Community Vitality Center in what was formerly an elementary school. Closed since 2010, the school was built during World War II to educate the children of parents working as part of the Arsenal for Democracy war effort. Renting the building from the Wayne-Westland Community Schools for $1 per year, renovations were made possible when the City received a loan from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that will be repaid over 15 years from Community Development Block Grant funds.

The school, while remaining similar in appearance to the former elementary school it once was, underwent renovations that included moving a wood floor from the City's long closed Melvin G. Bailey Recreation Center to the JBCVC. New tenants to the Community Center include the Housing & Community Development Department, Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, Nankin Transit and the Norwayne Boxing Gym. The center also contains a library and community space. Safe Step / Beginning Step Communities will lease the Dorsey Center. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous will continue to meet at the Dorsey Center. Community rooms are available for rentals for public and private events. The Westland Police Department will have an office at the Center for community police officers and events.

"I was born in Norwayne;" commented Mayor William R. Wild. "I'm thrilled to see this former school building undergo a rebirth to the Jefferson Barns Community Vitality Center that will be the hub of community activity in the Norwayne neighborhood;" he continued. "The City was mindful of the homes that border the JBCVC; Nankin Transit received a grant to offset the costs for a fence to block the view of buses and enhance security;" he continued.

Housing/CD Director Joanne Campbell was equally enthusiastic about the new Center. "Jefferson Barns offers much more space than the Dorsey Center enabling multiple functions to exist under one roof. With the added space, the public has many more opportunities to use the Center for community events, children's activities and to offer a place for non-profit organizations and others to use."

The Norwayne Community Citizens Council will host JBCVC's first public event on August 14, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., for the Home Front Victory national celebration, marking the 70th anniversary of the ending of World War II. The City will hold an open house to celebrate the opening of the Jefferson Barns Community Vitality Center later in the year.

For more information, contact Aubrey Berman, Administrative Secretary, at (734) 467-3200.

Westland, Michigan is the state's 10th largest municipality, with a population of over 84,000 people who exhibit a great deal of pride in their All-American City. Westland has a thriving business community along with beautiful residential areas. The citizens enjoy a wide array of amenities and a quality of life that is second to none.

In 2014, Westland was rated as one of 24/7 Wall Street's America's Best 50 Cities to Live, offering residents and visitors an ideal blend of single-family affordable homes, apartments and condominiums, great schools, and access to numerous outdoor activities. Public safety is delivered by full-service, professional law enforcement and firefighting personnel. Westland Police Department, whose motto is protect and serve, provides emergency dispatch services to four cities and over 100,000 residents; the Western Wayne Fire Association firefighters collaboratively serving the Cities of Wayne and Westland are licensed paramedics who responded to over 13,000 calls for service last year, about 85% being medical based. They never forget their mission of preserving life and property.

Westland is well-known as the premier destination for shopping and dining in Wayne County with hundreds if shops and restaurants anchored by the Westland Shopping Center, on of the country's original four regional malls.

Infinite opportunities are available in Westland for the recreation aficionado including, more that 40 parks and 1,500 acres of trails, a 9-hole golf course, hockey arena, athletic fields, playscapes, a Farmers and Artisans Market and more. One of Michigan's most environmentally friendly cities, Westland has a progressive curbside recycling program with one of the highest participation rates in the nation and the City is raising the bar for cultural experiences with the placement of public art throughout the City.

The City is served by two public school districts; Wayne-Westland Community Schools serving 12,000 youth was recently named one of the Best School in Michigan by WXYZ-TV and is the proud recipient of 14 Golden Apple and two Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards. Livonia Public Schools, educating nearly 15,000 students, is proud of their MEAP/MME scores that exceed state averages and the District has also earned Golden Apple and Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards.

Westland's philosophy is that government should embrace good business principles. Providing oversight over the City's operating budget of $60 million dollars, Westland is the only community in Wayne County with a 3-year balanced budget and an approximately 10 percent budget surplus.

The City provides competitive incentives for those who are interested in investing in Westland, making it one of the hottest investment markets in the region. Our Fast-Track to Business Team, which consists of key decision makers who work diligently on a development plan will "cut the red tape" and expedite the approval process for new business development.