You may not be able to fight city hall but you can certainly move it.
Grand Ledge opened the doors on its new location on the corner of Greenwood and Main on Jan. 20. City officials have already held the first city council meeting, and plans are in place for a formal ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 18.
So far, the impressions have been positive for the renovation of a shuttered elementary school into Grand Ledge's new seat of city government.
Over the course of a year, the former Greenwood Elementary has been transformed into the new City Hall, police station, and 10,500-square feet of community space that includes a gymnasium, meeting rooms and a council chamber.
"Everyone is happy to have the police here and out of the basement," says
Mayor Kalmin Smith, describing the subterranean blues of the previous police headquarters in a Grand Ledge church. "Now they have plenty of space, a 4,400-square foot garage, and exercise and squad rooms. Plus the chief of police can look out the window and see the public playground we preserved. You can't get any better than that."
The city bought the elementary school from the Grand Ledge School District for $1 with a commitment to restore the playground and transform extra rooms into community meeting space. The city invested about $2.2 million to make the building suitable for its new functions.
Smith says the city's new home will provide a place for the display of public art and artifacts gathered by the Grand Ledge Historical Society. Photos and artworks will be rotated, including old class pictures that were kept in storage by the school district.
"Our new location will reflect the character and history of the building," says Smith. "People will leave with more of a sense of what Grand Ledge is all about when they come to visit."
Source: Kalmin Smith, Mayor, City of Grand Ledge
Writer: Ann Kammerer, Development News Editor
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