Older Person's Commission Settles into New Home

ROCHESTER, MI-Twenty years of memories were packed into boxes last week and carefully moved by Oakland County prisoners to a new home. Staff and volunteers at the Older Persons’ Commission officially took up vacancy Monday at their new commission offices on 650 Letica, leaving behind their home at 312 Woodward that had housed commission functions for two decases.

The move was coordinated by a team of movers that included prisoners from the Oakland County jail, said commission director Marye Miller.

The new 92,000-sf building includes a cafeteria, auditorium, gymnasium, aerobic exercise pool, therapeutic pool, exercise facilities, weight rooms, classrooms for arts and crafts, and adult day care.

The old building, a 70-year-old, 30,000-sf former elementary school, will be demolished to make way for 16 new homes. But before that, it’ll be used for firefighter training exercises. It was sold to Smith Development for about $2 million.

The project has been planned for years. To construct the building, each affected community approved bond issues. Oakland Township voters authorized a bond issue of $2.575 million, Rochester approved a measure for $1.65 million and Rochester Hills approved one for $9.77 million. The commission hosts more than 78,000 senior citizens annually.