Lima Township residents will have a renovated township hall on Jackson Road that pays homage to the township’s Founding Fathers while offering modern amenities to serve its about 4,000 residents into the future.
“It will be an old flavor meeting hall with modern conveniences,” said Lima Township Supervisor Duane Luick.
Discussions of how to best serve the needs of the growing township and the limitations posed by its current township hall have been the topic of discussion since 2004.
Bob Spink, chairman of the township’s building committee, said the group studied the possible options and regularly updated the township board with possibilities.
After investigating many solutions and associated costs, it boiled down to two choices:
Should the township sell or demolish the old building and build a completely new one or renovate and expand upon the existing building?
In December, 2023, the Lima Township Board approved the recommendation of the group to repair and renovate the existing building at a cost of about $1.149 million and fund it utilizing $416,000 in American recovery funds and $670,000 in township funds, which have been earmarked for the project over the years.
The renovation will include additional space for elections and a break room as well as ADA compliant bathrooms and office space, returning all township operations under one roof in the same location.
The township has been renting office space from the Chelsea Area Construction Agency further up the road for about 12 years.
Luick said that the “building’s framing bones” are made of oak wood, “probably harvested and milled locally,” and the side walls are true 2 by 6 oak boards. The building project will build upon that solid construction and expand its footprint on one floor.
There will be new clapboard siding, new windows, insulated walls, updated electrical, a new HVAC system that will be converted to gas as well as installing a new PA system. The basement will be used for storage.
Chelsea architect Scott McElreath of Dangerous Architects designed the renovation and Midwest Consulting is working on the engineering designs, which township officials hope will go to the Planning Commission in March for preliminary and final site plan approval.
Originally built in about 1849 and used as a church until 1901, the building had a bell tower that was damaged in a tornado and removed. The new design includes replicating that bell tower on top of the front of the building.
The design takes into account the current exterior aesthetics of the quaint building, which served as a church until the early 1930’s, then utilized as a social gathering place by Layfayette Grange, before it was purchased by township in 1952 for $3,000, according to documents describing its history.
It’s hoped that the renovation will begin in June and township officials will find a temporary meeting space while the building project is completed.
A building committee comprised of Spink and Board Members Greg McKenzie and Dale Luick will oversee the construction.
