Jack E. Kirksey Livonia Community Recreation Center — Attraction in Livonia

I was too generous with my original review. The Livonia Rec. Center is too slow to respond to disorderly conduct. They seem a bit reluctantant to enforce their Code of Conduct in a meaningful way. This creates an unsafe environment for everyone. It doesn't matter if the staff is friendly and the facilities are clean if the grounds are unsafe. I've been told "there's only so much they can do" about misbehaved members, and while I understand they are not parents, they ARE hosts, and going to the rec. center is not that pleasant of an experience. If you can't be there to monitor (and protect) your children, it's really not an ideal environment. It's not that family friendly. From swathes of unruly adolescents to belligerent elders, it seems to be the community itself destroying the community center. Even as an adult without children in tow, it's not worth the hassle of negotiating so much indecency and bad behavior! Other gyms have less to offer and cost more, but commercial gyms are all business and don't have the same trouble managing clientele. It becomes a matter of "you get what you pay for." The rec. center is reasonably priced with plenty of offerings, but if they don't start running a tighter ship, the ship is likely going to sink! There needs to be more emphasis on what is and is not acceptable behavior. When unacceptable behavior manifests, the rec. center needs to choose wisely which clientele they are going to serve: the upstanding, or the deviant. It's not that difficult of a decision when you're actually running a business, but this is not a commercial gym, it's a community center. In any case, if they are not condemning bad behavior, they are condoning it. It's...

I’ve been a member of the Livonia Rec Center on and off for about 15 years, and unfortunately, my overall experience has been disappointing. While the facility offers a wide range of amenities, the quality of service and upkeep has steadily declined.

Staff members often seem unsure or unaware when asked basic questions, and there’s a noticeable lack of effort to provide value or appreciation specifically for Livonia residents—despite allowing non-residents to join. The facility is frequently not well-maintained, with cleanliness being a recurring issue. The changing rooms/bathrooms for the pool smell awful and are filled with drain flies. The children’s pool areas are often closed, under repair, or undergoing renovations with little communication or value accommodation offered to members during these downtimes.

Customer service is another major concern. The front desk staff can be unwelcoming, and interactions can feel more accusatory than helpful. Unfortunately, the experience extends to other areas as well—the person who manages birthday parties has made guests feel uncomfortable and unwelcome on more than one occasion.

As a long-time Livonia resident, I truly wish this community space lived up to its potential, but it feels like members are continually asked to pay more while receiving less in return.

Just today a “manager” found it necessary to make unnecessary comments about me because my thumb print did not work. However I was with my husband and daughter. His thumb print did work. I have on several occasions tried to discuss this with them and they cannot make it work. They blame me or chastise me every time instead of coming up...

What more can you ask for a city/government run facility?

It is clean, nice pools and facilities.

Typically, its too crowded and always something going on to frustrate a member. I did one year as a member and then just daily passes on a card to use the pool.

Speaking of passess and entry, the system is beyond cumbersome. You have to go through a painful employee to computer interview of your info and then you can get access. They could really free up a few employees and clean up the whole interface for front counter services. It's just gnarly.

The website info is burried, but findable, in the livonia government website.... They have schedules for classes, pool times, etc. on line.

But you nevere know. You can gonon a given weekend and not realize its open house and they invited SE Michigan for a free test day or something or if you don't check the schedule and want to take your kids the pool you could run accross an angry crowd of water moms who are using the pool for some swim therapy thing or something. "Kinda weird like that." They need a seperste adult excercise pool with the lap pool for people who want to do their thing like that -but hey -its a "Public" facility and all goes.

Regardless projecting my peeves, it is a nice visit. You don't have to be a member or resident to go. It is worth a visit to check out and enjoy some...