Hawk Makerspace provides equipment, space and training for community members to work on craft projects. In the view of Farmington Hills Mayor Vicki Barnett, her entry into The Hawk last year was one of the city's highlights.
Photo courtesy of the City of Farmington Hills.
FARMINGTON HILLS. Since opening in 2021, the Hawk - Farmington Hills Community Center has been a main attraction for residents.
Hawk is located on the site of the former Harrison High School.
After purchasing the building, the City of Farmington Hills transformed it into an approximately 245,000-square-foot mixed-use community center with 42 acres of gardens.
Hawk amenities include a gym, fitness center, aquatic center, Mainstage Theater, pickleball courts and tennis courts.
The programs, classes, camps and activities are also part of the attractions.
For some community members, the community center expanded last year with the addition of The Hawk Makerspace, which is over 5,000 square feet.
Inside the room, community members can work on creating blueprints using the equipment in The Hawk Makerspace.
Farmington Hills Mayor Vicki Barnett said it was an "incredible piece" for the city.
"This is something that, as far as we know, no other city has," he said. “Makerspace (has) the tools available to our residents to create and complete business or artistic creations with equipment they would not be able to purchase on their own. And then we got a grant from the state to start an incubator part of The Hawk, which will allow small businesses to test their products before they hit the market and actually get the help they need to grow their business. Incubators are a new wave of entrepreneurship and commercialization of ideas created in universities”.
Barnett says the Hawk Makerspace project has been in the works for a long time.
"We are one of the first creative spaces created by the city itself to encourage entrepreneurship," he said. “The business incubator is part of our business idea of economic development: Makerspace is an asset for the city. (We) received a grant from Bosch Corp."
Barnett discusses a feature of the Hawk Makerspace that some residents might find interesting.
“There were all kinds of woodworking tools. If you want to make furniture, this is the place for you,” she says. “On the other side of Makerspace, we have laser cutters with quilting machines, which are very expensive if you like quilting—that kind of equipment can cost anywhere from $ 15,000 to $20,000, and it's really professional equipment at your disposal." used. and embroidery machines. You can start your small business creatively if you are a seamstress or an embroiderer using equipment. There's also a vinyl cutting machine and computer design options."
Barnett said there was training on how to use the machines and there was also a place to save projects community members were working on.
The addition of The Hawk Makerspace also caught the attention of Farmington Hills City Council Member Randy Bruce.
“Hawk is still doing very, very well in terms of the amount of programming we're doing there, as well as the new creative spaces that have just opened up,” he said. “We're looking at all sorts of ideas to build a third floor here over the next year or two, things we think will go well with the huge space. So that gives us a lot of flexibility and... a lot of great programs for our residents at the property. … There's some amazing stuff out there right now and it's looking really good, so I'm very, very happy with the result.
This year, one of the high points on Farmington Hills' agenda is the completion of a new master plan that will help establish the city's long-term goals and vision.
“We started looking at the city's master plan and realized there were a lot of things we wanted to do but couldn't do because of zoning laws or because of our regulations,” Barnett said.
One of Barnett's ambitions is an updated master plan that reflects the wants and needs of residents, including more flexibility to city liquor laws, which currently require restaurant owners to obtain a liquor license.
"We're trying to change those things to make urban entertainment venues where people are looking for them now," he said. “So, as we look into zoning and also update our rules, we look forward to a complete overhaul of Farmington Hills zoning this year, especially for businesses. It's a project we've been working on for at least nine to ten months."
Farmington Hills City Council member Michael Bridges said the master plan will be a major overhaul that will help spur construction and redevelopment in Farmington Hills.
As it stands now, Bridges says Farmington Hills is a well-run city.
“Farmington Hills is a AAA city in terms of mortgage rating. We have a triple Wall Street rating, and that's definitely something we've struggled with in our budget discussions, how we run municipal services, and our financial position,” Bridges said. state that it's accredited when it comes to our police department – accredited. It's a very long process to do that."
Bruce also sees public safety as one of Farmington Hills' assets.
"We continue to make sure our public safety is well funded and that they have all the tools they need to make us one of the safest cities in the state and one of the best places to live in the country," he said. .
Barnett says Farmington Hills is developing in a positive direction and, in his view, one reason for this is safer movement on city streets.
“Orchard Lake Road 13 to 14 miles was completely rebuilt with the addition of avenues and roundabouts. I know people don't like traffic circles, but we're making this area a lot safer—it's a county project with years of involvement,” Barnett said. Farmington is a big change, with the lanes turning left in the middle so we can keep people safe. there have been a lot of traffic accidents in our city, which leads to overall safety; but it's also an opportunity to start redesigning the malls that line the corridors and reconfigure them, open them up, maybe move them out of the back parking lots, and if they're redesigned, move some buildings forward so we don't see a sea of parking lots." .
The road improvement works extend beyond the main road into Farmington Hills.
“Thanks to the fact that voters approved a proposal to mill local roads a few years ago, we were able to repair and restore a record number of roads in our area, so I think this was one of the highlights of the last year," he said. She said. Farmington Hills City Council member Valerie Knol broke the news. "Infrastructure is one of the main responsibilities of the city: the maintenance of our roads, as well as all the underground infrastructure."
Barnett said Farmington Hills has a well-functioning city council and has high hopes for the city's potential future.
"So 2023 will not only be our 50th anniversary as a city, but more or less our renaissance as we begin the next 50 years," he said. “I am very excited about where we are going this year and what we have to offer. … We look forward to working with our fellow government partners, the City of Farmington as well as Oakland County and school boards. So we're very excited to move forward."
