With the hiring of an architectural firm in October, the long-awaited community center for Eastern Washtenaw County moved closer to a projected 2028 completion date.
In an 8-0 vote with two members absent Oct. 22, 2025, the county Parks and Recreation Commission chose Neumann/Smith Architecture, based in Southfield, Michigan, to design the facility and create the necessary building documents. The vote authorized a contract with the firm of up to $2 million for architecture and engineering services.
The decision signals the project’s move beyond the planning stage, which has been in the works since at least 2022, when the county identified the site of the former Cheney Elementary School at 1500 Stamford Road as an ideal location for the recreation center…