A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday for a new office facility for Recycle Livingston.
The organization officially began constructing a new headquarters building at its drop-off site in Howell with an event that brought out Howell Mayor Bob Ellis, council members including Jan Lobur, Nikolas Hertrich and Alex Clos, as well as City Manager Erv Suida. Construction is expected to last through the summer.
Julie Cribley is the Executive Director of Recycle Livingston and said they were grateful for all the help they have had because this has been built on the efforts of volunteers.
“They would be impossible to all name,” she said. “We still have a lot of volunteers who are helping us, so we are really looking forward to this moment. Thank you again for coming. We appreciate it.”
The volunteer-run nonprofit is financing the new facility with a grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy for more than $282,000 along with $171,000 in matching funds from the Kellogg Family Foundation. The City of Howell, which leases the Catrell Street property to Recycle Livingston for $1, a year, is acting as a fiduciary for the project.
According to the agreement, the new administrative building will be renamed the Kellogg Environmental Center, while the overall operation itself will retain the title of Recycle Livingston.
Also speaking Monday was Sarah Tottingham, a board member for the Kellogg Family Foundation.
“Definitely a great thing for the city,” she said. “We’re so glad that we could be a part of it and help grow this into something that we can all use and that will help future generations.”
The organization will also be purchasing new compacting and bailing equipment and replacing a forklift and two heavy-duty pallet jacks in an effort to increase its recycling capabilities.
