Orion Township Celebrates New Municipal Complex
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 4, 2022)
Orion Township, MI – On the wall of the new Orion Township Hall are the words that describe the vision of those working “to exceed our residents’ expectations and provide the best service in local government.”
Creating the perfect environment to make this happen was at the core of the design process behind the community’s new municipal complex which includes the Township offices and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office substation.
Members of the public got to see the new space at a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday evening. The event featured food from local restaurants, guided tours, and commemorative magnets which show the complex in it’s setting of majestic woodlands. The Polly Ann Trail runs behind the property, and an archway between the buildings leads to the trail connection. Above, the words “Dragon Country” have been repurposed from the high school’s athletic field.
Gigantic windows, tall ceilings, and wooden beams help bring the serenity of nature inside. Employees can take breaks or have meetings in rooms which have nice views and locally significant names like Baldwin, Jocelyn, and Paint Creek. There is even a room with walking work stations, with views of the woods on one side and the castle of Canterbury Village on the other.
In addition to the aesthetics, much care was given to things like workflow, employee satisfaction, amenities for the public and for staff, as well as gathering places for meetings.
The hall itself features 100 seats with rooms for overflow and large screens in the public area for those that want to watch should a meeting be particularly packed.
As visitors enter, they are greeted by somebody at the main counter, who can direct them to the various departments or assist them with their needs. The offices are located safely behind the counter, connected by a hallway not accessible by the general public.
Another perk is an increased amount of storage space, with a basement that is too large to meet their current needs by a good 8,000 square feet, giving them a centralized location for documents and records, as well as room to grow.
During a previous tour, Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett told Oakland County Times that he and his team traveled to several other municipal buildings to get ideas to bring back to Orion Township for the buildings’ design and amenities.
“It was all the department heads, we went to Rochester Hills, Novi, Canton, Westland, and Farmington Hills,” Barnett said. “We had little clipboards and each director got to chime in on things they liked and didn’t like about them… I think the main things were just having clearly defined public space, and then workspace, and this open office concept – people really liked that.”
At Tuesday’s ceremony, Supervisor Barnett thanked some of those who helped make the project happen, including Scott Reynolds of Auger Klein Aller Architects, who is also an Orion resident.
“It took 20 years of discussion to finally implement the building you see here,” he said, noting that initial study was in 2002. Reynolds talked about the building’s features, including giving the Sheriff’s office a workspace that is three times bigger than where they were before, including more meeting spaces and proper facilities for male and female officers. Among the points of pride in the project, Reynolds said, is that “staff can operate their departments a lot more effectively and engage with the public.”
He also noted that the 77.6 acre property has clear areas that can be developed into sports fields or other recreation opportunities.
Lynn Harrison works in Planning and Development, and she was one of the tour guides for the evening.
“Here we have space to work, and we can be comfortable on our breaks, not just a few people cramped in a little room,” she said. She also noted that the artwork and photography throughout the building were curated from local residents. Many feature views around Orion, which is a Tree City USA community, showing the parks, lakes and animals that make the area special.
In the basement, a room for storing old planning documents was well-organized and equipped with a work table and a giant scanner as the Township works to create a digital database of all the records. “We still keep all the originals too,” Harrison assured those on the tour.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony also included accolades for several local residents. Among those recognized were Pastor Rochelle Berkmeyer, Colleen Gangon, Becca Smither, John Steinel, and Bob Larken who recently passed away. Recognizing others is part of the Orion Twp way. As such, the walls of the meeting space also included images of people who helped make the community great, past and present.
And while the fanfare may be over, work is still beginning as the 40+ employees of the Township offices get settled into their new space, where they are greeted not only by the mission, but the team values also written on the hallway walls. Each day in the new space is an opportunity for appreciation, collaboration, communication, innovation, and inspiration.
For more information on the project visit Orion Township’s Municipal Complex page. For more local stories visit the Oakland County Times Orion Area News Page. And to support local journalism in this area, please sign up to Make a Monthly Pledge.